Artist Spotlight: JASPER ROSS
Rapper JASPER ROSS completes his metamorphosis in a purposive shedding of his moniker Clarence the Kid. Offered as a collaborative effort, the Bay Area rapper confronts some rooted feelings in his latest release sometimes…idk, the first under this equally pensive new alias. Despite the transition, the artist’s depth in approach remains his signature hallmark as this latest project features crisp visuals co-directed by the rapper himself. With buttery vocals from singer Frizzy, sometimes underlines the artist’s refreshingly aware candescence, complimenting its heady tincture in its reflection of the rapper’s early 2020.
As sharp as the bars he pens, the rapper prides his attention to detail and approach to his work. Setting pace to a discography that offers a unique polarity, he carves his space in the extensive genre of Hip-Hop. While the multi-faceted artist commits to a rebirth, his debut EP CAN YOU HEAR US NOW set the tone for the artist's technique and successive performances with industry unicorns like Brent Faiyaz and 24kGoldn.
Taking some time to catch up with The Pit, the artist gets candid about his inspiration for his latest offering and the unbarred projection of his career.
When did you start making music?
I feel like I’ve always been pretty musically inclined, it never really clicked as a career option for me until I went to college in 2016. So it’s been about 6 years now. Before then it was just that annoying kid tapping a pen in the back of the class or making little raps for my vocab list for extra credit. I would say 2016 is when I thought I actually have a shot at making at least some sort of impact in the music world. That’s when I really dove in, rebranded, and tried to figure out the different things I needed to do on both the artist side and business side to have a good shot at a successful career.
Can you tell us about your sound?
I’ve always been a big fan of hip-hop and storytelling and trying to layer different genres and influences. When I'm consuming music as a fan it’s mainly hip hop but it does have that R&B influence, some rock and electronic. So I'm just trying to figure out how to mold all these different genres into something that feels fresh, authentic, and new. A lot of my music historically has been heavier in terms of the topics and tones. And I guess songwriting has been more reflection and a tool for me to grow. And I think when you layer all these different sounds on top of that it really taps into, ‘here’s the story I'm telling’ but also here are the sounds that are associated with the feelings I'm experiencing to create a more authentic approach.
Can tell us the inspiration for your new release?
This release was written top of 2020, maybe early 2021 for ‘sometimes’, so they’re much older songs and this is the longest I’ve gone between writing and recording it. I’ve never waited that long to put out an actual song. ‘Sometimes’ was definitely a snowball effect of like, ‘Alright I’m about to graduate from college and go into the workforce - just kidding! Here’s a pandemic’. All of my leads were in live music - like festival design and counter management. So all of my job opportunities just dried up immediately. I was like ok cool. Obviously, there was a lot going on in the US as far as the political tensions and the BLM rallies and protests going on everywhere. Uncertainties with everyone losing their jobs and money is tight, so it was just a lot of heavy emotions and uncertainty and things like that. I always turned to songwriting as my go-to form of reflection and self-therapy and trying to just make sense of what's happening in my world and other people’s. So that’s kind of where ‘sometimes’ came about.
Can you talk about presenting the project as a collaboration between JASPER ROSS and Clarence the Kid?
I went under Clarence the Kid for 6 years and that was kind of me figuring out the footing - finding all these people who were making music and actually doing it, so I thought, let me figure out how I can actually do it, so a lot of trial and error. I really see it as a period in my life where I was really trying to figure everything out. As I'm moving forward as JASPER ROSS, I'm much more sure of the direction I want to go in, the kind of music I want to make, and the people I want to connect with. But, both songs were made while I was still Clarence the Kid and so I would feel weird rebranding and starting a new chapter of my life with something from the past so this is kind of the bridge. I like to think of it as my senior capstone project.
What was the conceptual process like when thinking about the visuals for your EP?
When I had Frizzy come in to lay down her bridge and she really came in with that ‘bury me’ right off the bat, I was like hmm, I like that, and I sort of sat with it. All these feelings I was experiencing, felt like I was being buried, and it was obviously influenced by the outside world. But in a much more real sense, it was how I was choosing to deal with the situations that were leading me to feel that way. Making myself feel like I was underground. So when it came to the video it was about ‘how can I showcase that’. Sometimes that depression, that isolation is a very personal battle, a very internal battle that people may not be aware of and so that's kind of how that idea came about. I like to consider myself a thorough creative, and I love to get my hands dirty with every aspect of the process. Obviously, music is great and there is a lot of exploration you can do there but I think music is one of the few art forms that pairs well with just about everything else. You can't have a movie without music. everything pairs well with music. So when it comes to visuals, music videos, and things like that, it’s about how can I bring this vision to life or how I see this song in my mind, and can I bring that to life for other people? And so, I've always been someone who doesn't hesitate to put in some creative direction.
Where does your drive to create come from?
Just a mixture of coping ha, and different life events I guess. Just being a fan of the music. I think when you're able to touch on certain emotions, it always makes the music elevate and I do have a lot of emotions. Red flag, I don’t talk to any therapists, my therapy is songwriting, and I'm tryna figure out to deal with things in that way. When you have that sort of authenticity to start off with and really being a fan of music in general tops off the emotion. I think it leads to this crossroads where you’re setting yourself up for success. It’s that appreciation of the process and that's where the creativity stems from.
How do you think your music sets you apart?
I think it's definitely that easter egg mentality, the going above and beyond and putting so much effort into something that someone might not even see at first or second glance. I really put a lot of intention behind everything I do, I think that attention to detail sets me apart. And I think for my sub-genre, which I think is more of the lyrical hip-hop head, or for the boom-bappers, it's a very introverted genre. So I feel like when it comes to my multi-hyphenated aspirations, this personality that I try to shine through, is a little rare because a lot of topics that are in lyrical rap are a little heavier. So I guess having a more outgoing personality within that genre and showing duality. It’s ok to feel down sometimes and have these very personal stories but still have an outgoing or youthful persona.
Do you have any dream collaborations in mind?
Strictly from a wrap-sense, my dream is JID because that man is wild, I don't know how he does what he does, but he’s absolutely incredible, his breath control, his live performances. Just crazy. But I would say from more of a melodic standpoint; because that is something that I'm working on improving, I have the bars but ‘how can you capture the melody’ - I think Smino does a good job at that, or Ty Dollar $ign, I feel like being in a session with him would eye-opening, I would just love to see his creative process or Tierra Whack.
Where would you like to go with your music?
Wherever the road takes me. Ideally, I do want to be a touring musician. One of my favourite aspects of creating music is the live show and the performance, really curating that experience. So, if there is a possibility for me to be able to tour and hit different cities and demographics even across the world. I’m also looking into movies and film - so working on soundtracks for movies even if it's just licensing and things like that, that's also something that’s very high up on my priority list. But I think overall, just continuing to make music that will resonate and connect with the listeners is first and foremost the main priority.
Top 3 songs on your playlist. What’s on repeat right now?
The feeling that ‘Saviour’ by Kendrick gives me! That's definitely on repeat. I’ve been listening to a lot of WESTSIDE BOODIE recently, with his ‘MORE BLACK SUPERHEROS’ album. I'm definitely an album listener so, I’m just gonna slap the whole project on there. And I’m a big Snoh Aalegra fan.