By Odeisel
Alex Jacke got noticed by legendary songwriter Laney Stewart during a performance on MTV’s Sweet 16 a few years ago. Stewart, the hand behind The-Dream and Tricky, took a liking to Jacke, whose attorney mother used to manage Bobby Womack and took him under his wing. This summer he launched his first major project, Dorm Fucking Music and is readying his major label debut. Planet Ill caught up with Jacke to get his story. He gave us all of that and more. Get to know him.
Planet Ill: Alex Jacke, from Cali to Morehouse and back!
Alex Jacke: That’s exactly right, man.
Planet Ill: What was your experience growing up in Los Angeles and how did it inform your music?
Alex Jacke: I grew up in the East LA, East Hollywood area and it’s a pretty affluent area but my experience growing up was cool. I went to schools which were very diverse and actually there weren’t many Blacks in my schools and stuff when I was around sports that’s when I met most of my friends who were black and other races and what not. Just growing up, going to different high schools; I was always a minority. But musically, how it influenced me was my sister was really into indie rock and very different. My mom she was into like Gerald Levert, my dad was listening to Otis Redding; my sister was into Britney Spears and N’ Sync. So it was kind of one big melting pot of sound from the beginning.
I was listening to NWA and a whole bunch of different stuff so I can say that my immediate family very much influenced me as well as people around me where I grew up, everybody was listening to rock; they listened to Queen, they listened to Prince. They listened to all these different things.
Planet Ill: Do you think people are afraid to say that they didn’t have it tough growing up, but they can still have a story?
Alex Jacke: People may feel that they have to butter up their story or make it more exciting but I’mma tell you like this. With me growing up with these diverse things and being a minority there was definitely points in my life where I did feel I wasn’t one of everybody else; I didn’t fit in with everybody else. And that just brought me closer to the music; that’s where I found the comfort. I was never in a gang, I was never shot nine times.
None of these things ever happened to me but by the same token I know what it’s like to be an outcast growing up around white people and other races and not being one of them. That’s kind of brought me closer and closer to my music. But yeah, people may feel an urgency to butter their story up but I’mma be honest; I didn’t grow up in hard times but there’s still a story there and that’s just my music which I tell.
Planet Ill: Why Morehouse?
Alex Jacke: Well Morehouse, one for their rich legacy and history but when I was younger, my grandmother, she went to Tuskegee University and I spent a lot of time with her growing up. And she would always talk to me about Morehouse and the rich history and you know Dr. King going there and other great people. I always put it on the list; I never really thought much about it until I visited the school and I was on the campus. You just feel a good vibe when you step on that campus, it’s like man, you’re a part of something; it gives you something to reach for, something to strive for. That really stuck with me the most. I just wanted to follow in those footsteps.
Planet Ill: Did you graduate?
Alex Jacke: I did not; I left going into my senior year.
Planet Ill: The life calling or just had enough of school?
Alex Jacke: It was definitely the music. The musical opportunities were definitely calling and that’s something that I knew I had always wanted
to do even before entering into college. My parents were big advocates of school and I believe in school and I think everybody needs and deserves and education but at the same time, when you figure out what you want to do and what’ you’re passionate about I feel there’s something about going for that and striving for that and not caring about what everybody thinks and going after what you believe in. That’s exactly what I did.
I was approaching my senior year, I had one year left. I wasn’t doing that well to be honest with you; I was really into the party scene, getting all of that experience as well but when the call came and I was offered a deal from Universal for a publishing deal, I jumped at it because it was something that I always wanted to do and I went for it.
Planet Ill: Did you have an attorney when you made your deal? Were you protected?
Alex Jacke: My mom’s an attorney; she actually works for Warner Brothers and she used to manage Bobby Womack and so she’s very, very familiar with contracts and stuff like that so with her and the other attorney that I have, we were very much protected.
Planet Ill: Where do we go next in Black music and how do you frame your career so that you can take advantage of those changes of the next paradigm?
Alex Jacke: I think whenever you can touch on true emotions that will always translate. I think that’s where the fear lies. I think people normally associate soul music with a particular sound, but no not really. When you’re speaking from your soul, whether it be electronic, whether it be pop, whether it be rock whether it be whatever, if you’re speaking from your soul it will translate.
Look at Adele. We thought soul music had come and gone until Adele rose from the ashes and gave us great songs which people could connect with and that always translates no matter where you’re from, no matter who you are. I think the more people who are willing to do that, I think that’s where we’re supposed to go and not follow the trend for the moment.
Planet Ill: How do you make the choices of what to put on your album? Are you writing, yourself?
Alex Jacke: Yes
Planet Ill: You’re connected to some of the same people behind The-Dream and Tricky Stewart.
Alex Jacke: Conceptually is where we start. My upcoming mixtape is called DFM, which stands for Dorm Fucking Music. What I really wanted to paint was my experiences of my college life. So what in with that is the story of my experience.One thing was an experience that I had. When you’re in the club in Atlanta and it gets late they start playing that bump and grind music and you start looking at that one that you might have been with or you might want for tonight. You start saying let me do one thing to you, whatever that might be. And that’s a every rela experience that goes down in Atlanta in the club and just being young in general. And then we kind of take it from there. I touch on long distance relationships, I touch on loving after somebody that s in a relationship now. I touch on all these subjects. Also just living it up and being young and having fun and not worrying about what everybody else thinks.
That all went into the decision of putting this record together and that’s what I wanted to touch on because people are just young; they can connect with that.
Planet Ill: How do you hold on to yourself and the boy your momma raised?
Alex Jacke: My mom’s voice is always in the back of my head so I think she did a good job of that but I think it’s just being real with yourself and being cognizant of who you are. I feel like if you know who you are, you can never lose you. But if you haven’t found yourself you can never lose yourself either because you haven’t even found yourself yet.
Just really not getting into the hype of it all. Especially in college, and I’m going back to college because that’s when you have the most freedom that you’ve ever had, but it’s just being cognizant of the things that you were raised on being and what you stand for and the problem is people don’t really know that right away. People kind of find that out. College is really a place where you start to find yourself, what you stand for and all those things. I think that’s happened to me as well, along with the teachings that my parents have given me.
Planet Ill: What’s the most fun shit you’ve been through with regards to this lifestyle?
Alex Jacke: Well this lifestyle I’m living right now ain’t as glamorous; I’m trying to put out this mixtape man I’m in the studio every night. There’s not many visitors, it’s just kinda us working to get this project done. I can go back to my college life and tell you how glamorous and fun that was, especially being in a fraternity and all that. It’s been wild times. Now that’s a whole different experience.
I can only hope that this life gets more glamorous; I think it will, but going back to college it was balls to the wall fun. All the debauchery and everything that goes along with it. It’s such a great experience.
Planet Ill: If you were the Pied Piper and you drove through the hood blasting your music, who would be following your ride? Or who would you like to be checking for your music?
Alex Jacke: Anybody that likes good music. Anybody that’s like me and just appreciates good music and appreciated detail in music. I would want the world behind me listening to my music. That’s really who I’m going after; any and everybody
Planet Ill: If you had 30 seconds to give an elevator pitch on who is Alex Jacke and what do you represent, what would you say?
Alex Jacke: I would say, “Look man, I’m Alex Jacke you need to take a listen,” and then I would start singing. I would let it all shine through there. And after that you make the decision.
