J-Zone

J-Zone
J-Zone at Austin City Limits in 2022
Background information
Birth name	Jarrett A. Mumford[1]
Born	(1977-02-26) February 26, 1977 (age 47)[2]
Origin	Queens, New York City, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Record producer drummer multi-instrumentalist rapper writer
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Old Maid Entertainment Fat Beats Redefinition Records
Website	govillaingo.com

Jay Mumford (born Jarrett A. Mumford; February 26, 1977),^[2] better known by his stage name J-Zone,^[3] is an American record producer, drummer, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, and writer from New York City.^[4][5]

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.^[6][7] Of these, the 2001 release Pimps Don't Pay Taxes, was particularly noted; it featured rappers Huggy Bear and Al-Shid,^[4] for whom he would subsequently produce a number of 12" releases.^[8] 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.^[9]

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.^[4][7] 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."^[3] The Washington Post Going Out Gurus blog called it "a must for every curmudgeonly grown-up hip-hop head",^[7] 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."^[4]

In 2013, J-Zone returned to music with the release of the album, Peter Pan Syndrome,^[10] which was listed as the 17th best album of 2013 by Spin.^[11] After learning to play drums seriously during his hiatus from music, J-Zone released the drum break album, Lunch Breaks, in 2014.^[12]

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.^[13]

J-Zone has continued working as a session drummer in recent years, appearing on Lord Finesse's Motown State of Mind album in 2020,^[14] in addition to his drums being sampled on the 2020 Madlib single, "Road of The Lonely Ones".^[15]

In 2022, J-Zone was the drummer for live shows and select recordings for The Black Pumas guitarist Adrian Quesada's Boleros Psicodelicos album.^[16]

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)
• Concussion Percussion (2021)
• Pressure (2021) (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

• Princess Superstar - "I Love You (or at Least I Like You)" from Princess Superstar Is (2001)
• Jehst - "Staircase to Stage" from The Return of the Drifter (2002)
• Danger Mouse & Jemini the Gifted One - "Take Care of Business" from Ghetto Pop Life (2003)
• Apathy & Celph Titled - "Nut Reception" from No Place Like Chrome (2006)

Productions

• Cage - "In Stoney Lodge" from Movies for the Blind (2002)
• Cage - "Too Much (Remix)" from Weatherproof (2003)
• Biz Markie - "Chinese Food" from Weekend Warrior (2003)
• Leak Bros - "G.O.D." from Waterworld (2004)
• 7L & Esoteric - "Neverending Saga" from DC2: Bars of Death (2004)
• MF Grimm - "Dancin'" from Digital Tears: E-mail from Purgatory (2004)
• R.A. the Rugged Man - "Brawl" from Die, Rugged Man, Die (2004)
• Prince Po - "It's Goin' Down" and "Meet Me at the Bar" from The Slickness (2004)
• Casual - "Say That Then" and "Hieroller" from Smash Rockwell (2005)
• Awol One - "This Far" from The War of Art (2006)
• Juggaknots - "Crazy 8's" from Use Your Confusion (2006)
• Sadat X - "X Is a Machine" from Black October (2006)
• Apathy & Celph Titled - "S.M.D." from No Place Like Chrome (2006)
• Akrobatik - "Absolute Value" from Absolute Value (2008)
• Del the Funky Homosapien - "Funkyhomosapien" from Eleventh Hour (2008)
• The Lonely Island - "Santana DVX" from Incredibad (2009)
• Mr. Lif - "Gun Fight" from I Heard It Today (2009)
• CunninLynguists - "Cocaine" from Strange Journey Volume Two (2009)
• Canibus - "Free Words" from C of Tranquility (2010)

Books

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

References

Further reading

• Miller, Matthew. "Music: J-Zone – Queens rapper is cheap and nasty...and pretty funny, too". Lansing State Journal. p. 6. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
• Reed, James. "Hip-hop rulers combine kingdoms. Jay-Z and Kanye's 'Throne' album and tour show the power of the genre". The Boston Globe. p. 22, Living Arts section. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
• Mylnar, Phillip (August 16, 2018). "J-Zone's Wild Ride from Rapper to Funky Drummer". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 8, 2019.

External links

• Official website
• J-Zone on Twitter
• J-Zone discography at Discogs

This page was last edited on 19 February 2024, at 00:16