South Central Los Angeles is all Jay 305 knows. From the sets throwin’ gang signs to the little kids chasing the ice cream trucks, the man is a staple in the Westside streets.
“Dom Kennedy been a day 1 of mine since back in the day,” Jay 305 tells VIBE about signing with OPM. “I’m from the Westside, Crenshaw district. It’s South Central all day.”
Though Jay was relatively unknown to rap circles outside of his native city prior to 2013, his street single “Youzza A Flip” caught the years of Wiz Khalifa which lead to the Taylors jumping on the remix in the same year. However, before Jay could really enjoy success he had to turn himself in for a bid.
“From 2013 to 2014 I was in jail. That’s what really opened my eyes. I was watching The Grammys in jail, and he was performing with Flying Lotus in all White. It was crazy to see my homey do my that. And, I’m just like ‘I could of been there.'” (Editor’s Note: Kendrick performed with Imagine Dragon)
Jay says he made up his mind to focus on rap at that very moment. He was raised in the streets his entire life, but ending up as another statistic is not what he wants for his future.
“I’m from the other side,” says Jay about his neighborhood. “It’s the trenches.”
Look out for the rapper’s upcoming debut album to be released on OPM/Interscope later this year.