Original HIP HOP CREW sticking to the fundamentals and KEEPING IT FRESH
J-Flash, an independent artist out of Los Angeles recently released his new album called The Arrival on A ONE Records this August. J-Flash is an emcee out of South Whittier where he came in contact with the culture initially as a B-Boy in the Mid-90’s. He was also touched by the grace of many graffiti artists, but ultimately,
he landed with a microphone in hand after his close friend BBOY Flash passed. As time continued and it slowly swallowed up the scene, J-Flash leaned into the influences of artists such as Gangstarr, Rakim, KRS One and A Tribe Called Quest. With that living within, J-Flash connected with his friend AONE and brother ABAZ149 for productions on an old SP 505 and a Casio keyboard in 2002. Opening up to new influences like Termanology, Jadakiss, Black Thought and Vinnie Paz, J-Flash continued to hone his rhyme skills until 2010 when he and AONE created THE ILLSTARZ. Together they recorded an EP called Merchant of Dreams and hit stages across Los Angeles and Orange County. Still very raw and with a steep learning curve ahead, it was fully produced by AONE on the MPC1000. It contained a song called Love for The Culture, where AONE had a sharp direction and a solid idea on the beat, and Flash covered it with lyrics about his heartfelt passion for everything Hip Hop. Another off the same project is State of Business where J Flash and AONE took the moment to let those in the culture know where they were headed in their representation for Hip Hop. Today in 2023, J-Flash and AONE are at it again. A much more polished project where AONE took the back seat and has no production credits at all. Instead, J-Flash was given the opportunity to shine over beats by some well-respected producers like, NOTTZ, Stu Bangas, Da Beatminerz, DJ Skizz and Nicholas Craven. His new album also has features from many high caliber emcees like RJ Payne, Mickey Factz, ETO, Flee Lord and one of his contemporary influences Termanology. Make no mistake, no self-respecting Hip Hop project can exist without the blessings of a skillful DJ. On this one, DJ K*t Kaper, from Villainz Krew, out of the South Bay not only laced the cuts, but also produced the intro for the album. J-Flash comes out strong on this project with a production punch that should soothe chiseled Hip Hop heads.
