J-Zone

Jay Mumford (born February 26, 1977),[1] better known by his stage name J-Zone,[2] is an American record producer, drummer, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, and writer from New York City.[3][4]

J-Zone
J-Zone in Hamburg, Germany in 2001.
Background information
Birth nameJay Mumford
Born (1977-02-26) February 26, 1977[1]
OriginQueens, New York City, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Record producer
  • drummer
  • multi-instrumentalist
  • rapper
  • writer
Years active1993–present
Labels
  • Old Maid Entertainment
  • Fat Beats
  • Redefinition Records
Associated acts
Websitewww.govillaingo.com

Career

Known for his quirky lyrics and trash talk style of rapping, J-Zone released a string of idiosyncratic and critically acclaimed albums in the late 1990s and early 2000s that acquired a cult following.[5][6] Of these, the 2001 release Pimps Don't Pay Taxes, was particularly noted; it featured rappers Huggy Bear and Al-Shid,[3] for whom he would subsequently produce a number of 12" releases.[7] In 2003, The New York Times cited his J-Zone, S.A. Smash concert in Brooklyn, New York as a noteworthy pop and jazz concert in the New York metropolitan region.[8]

Not finding commercial success, J-Zone eventually walked away from rap, and in 2011 published the book Root for the Villain: Rap, Bullshit and a Celebration of Failure.[3][6] The book has been well received; the Los Angeles Times Music Blog stated that "Like his albums, it's equal parts hilarious, self-effacing and sharp. He's the sarcastic older brother putting you up on game. It's a love letter to rap laced with sulfur, the flip side of Dan Charnas' similarly excellent The Big Payback."[2] The Washington Post Going Out Gurus blog called it "a must for every curmudgeonly grown-up hip-hop head",[6] while Nathan Rabin writing for The A.V. Club called it "one of the funniest and most honest books ever written about the modern music industry and its luckless casualties."[3]

In 2013, J-Zone returned to music with the release of the album, Peter Pan Syndrome,[9] which was listed as the 17th best album of 2013 by Spin.[10] After learning to play drums seriously during his hiatus from music, J-Zone released the drum break album, Lunch Breaks, in 2014.[11]

In 2016 J-Zone landed a spot playing drums on new tunes from the 1970s funk band Manzel, his band The Du-Rites with Tom Tom Club guitarist Pablo Martin, and for personal drum break kits for Danger Mouse and others.[12]

Discography

Albums
  • Music for Tu Madre (1998)
  • Pimps Don't Pay Taxes (2001)
  • $ick of Bein' Rich (2003)
  • A Job Ain't Nuthin but Work (2004)
  • Gimme Dat Beat Fool: The J-Zone Remix Project (2005)
  • Every Hog Has Its Day (2006) (with Celph Titled, as The Boss Hog Barbarians)
  • Experienced! (2006)
  • To Love a Hooker: The Motion Picture Soundtrack (2007)
  • The Analog Catalog: 2001-2007 (2007)
  • Live at the Liqua Sto (2008)
  • Peter Pan Syndrome (2013)
  • Lunch Breaks (2014)
  • Backyard Breaks (2015)
  • Fish N' Grits (2016)
  • J-Zone and Pablo Martin Are The Du-Rites (2016) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • Greasy Listening (2017) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • Guerrilla Drums (2018)
  • Gamma Ray Jones (2018) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • Soundcheck at 6 (2019) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • Break Bonanza (2019)
  • A Funky Bad Time (2020) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)

EPs
  • A Bottle of Whup Ass (2000)
  • The Hogs Sing the Hits: Pig Parodies (2006) (with Celph Titled, as The Boss Hog Barbarians)
  • The 1993 Demos EP (2013)

Singles
  • "No Consequences" (2000)
  • "Zone for President" (2000)
  • "Q&A" (2002)
  • "5 Star Hooptie" (2003)
  • "Choir Practice" (2003)
  • "A Friendly Game of Basketball" (2004)
  • "Greater Later Remix" (2005)
  • "Steady Smobbin'" b/w "Celph Destruction" (2006) (with Celph Titled, as The Boss Hog Barbarians)
  • "The Drug Song (Remix)" b/w "The Fox Hunt" (2012)
  • "Zonestitution" (2013)
  • "Stick Up" b/w "Mad Rap" (2014)
  • "I Smell Smoke" b/w "Time for a Crime Wave" (2015)
  • "Seoul Power" b/w "I'm Sick of Rap" (2015)
  • "Funky" b/w "Go Back to Sellin' Weed" (2016)
  • "Bug Juice" b/w "Hustle" (2016) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • "Bite It" b/w "Bocho's Groove" (2017) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • "High and Tight" b/w "Standing on Mars" (2017) (with Manzel)
  • "Gamma Ray Funk" b/w "Fish Sammich" (2018) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • "The Mean Machine" b/w "Corinthian Leather" (2018) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • "Zodiac" b/w "Monster" (2019) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • "Neckbones (Live)" b/w "Gittin' Sound" (2019) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • "Mad Dog" b/w "Cheap Cologne" (2019) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • "Jheri Curl" b/w "Du-Vibrations" (2020) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)

Guest appearances

Productions

Books
  • Root for the Villain: Rap, Bullshit, and a Celebration of Failure (Old Maid Entertainment, 2011) ISBN 978-0-615-53227-1

References
  1. "I turn 41 today but pops turns 70, so it's all about the OG today". Twitter. February 26, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  2. Weiss, Jeff. "Rap & Books: Underground iconoclast J-Zone 'Roots for the Villain'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  3. Rabin, Nathan. "J-Zone lost his Wikipedia page—and his interest in being a rapper". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  4. Breihan, Tom (October 21, 2016). "Stream The Du-Rites J-Zone & Pablo Martin Are The Du-Rites". Stereogum. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  5. Rabin, Nathan (January 3, 2013). "J-Zone lost his Wikipedia page—and his interest in being a rapper". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  6. Hahn, Fritz. "Nightlife Agenda: Holiday cocktails, rare beers and Nerd Nite". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  7. "J-Zone * New Music And Songs * MTV". MTV. 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  8. Sanneh, Kelefa. "Pop and Jazz Guide". The New York Times. p. E23. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  9. Soderberg, Brandon (September 11, 2013). "J-Zone's 'Peter Pan Syndrome': The Grumpy-Old-Man Rap You Need in Your Life". Spin. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  10. "J-Zone, Peter Pan Syndrome (Old Maid)". Spin. November 22, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  11. "J-Zone learns the drums and drops Lunch Breaks". Wax Poetics. November 10, 2014. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  12. "J-Zone's Wild Ride from Rapper to Funky Drummer". The Village Voice. August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2019.

Further reading
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