A FATHER, HUSBAND, BROTHER AND SON, EMJAY, BRINGS MORE TO THE TABLE THAN JUST SYTLE AND SKILLS, OR SWAG AND LYRICS, BUT A RARE INSIGHT TO LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, NOT FROM HIS OWN VIEW POINT, BUT, THAT OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH FOR WHICH IS AN ARDENT PROPONENT....
A FATHER, HUSBAND, BROTHER AND SON, EMJAY, BRINGS MORE TO THE TABLE THAN JUST SYTLE AND SKILLS, OR SWAG AND LYRICS, BUT A RARE INSIGHT TO LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, NOT FROM HIS OWN VIEW POINT, BUT, THAT OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH FOR WHICH IS AN ARDENT PROPONENT. DELIVERED ON THE 6TH OF AUGUST AND CHRISTENED MICHAEL OLUSEGUN OLUJARE TEMIDAYO JOHNSON, THE LAGOS-BORN MINISTER/ RAPPER, WHO IS THE LAST OF 5 CHILDREN, OWES HIS INTEREST AND EVENTUAL INVOLMENT IN RAP MUSIC TO HIS SIBLINGS, MOST ESPECIALLY HIS BROTHERS, WHO LISTENED TO ALOT OF HIP HOP AND RAP THROUGH THE EARLY 90âS FROM ARTISTES SUCH AS JAY-Z, 2 PAC, NOTORIOUS B.I.G, BONE THUGSâNâ HARMONY, AND ICE CUBE AMONGST OTHERS. AT AN EARLY AGE, HE COULD EASILY MIME RHYMES FROM SONGS HE LISTENED TO TILL HE DECIDED TO START WRITING HIS OWN LINES TOWARDS THE END OF SECONDARY SCHOOL. THOUGH RIDICULED BY CLOSE FRIENDS AFTER HEARING HIM, HE REMAINED UNDETERRED IN HIS JOURNEY TO PERFECT HIS SKILLS, WRITING SONGS DAY AND NIGHT IN NUMEROUS NOTE PADS AND RAPPING OVER SONGS HE HEARD ON THE RADIO. IN HIS FIRST YEAR AT THE UNIVERSITY, HE BECAME KNOWN FOR HIS RAP SKILLS, MOST ESPECIALLY HIS ABILITY TO FREE STYLE RHYMES OFF THE TOP OF HIS HEAD WITH EFFORTLESS STYLE. THOUGH HIS INITIAL FOCUS WAS A MORE CONCIOUS SECULAR STYLE (INFLUENCED BY RAPPERS LIKE COMMON, TALIB KWELI, THE ROOTS AND OTHERS), AFTER GIVING HIS LIFE TO CHRIST IN FEBRUARY 2003, EMJAY FINALLY DECIDED THAT ALL MUSIC HEâD DO FROM HENCE FORTH WOULD BE GOD-CENTERED. THIS RESOLVE WAS FURTHER BOLSTERED BY HIS OLDER BROTHER, D-JAY, ALSO A RAPPER WHO HAD A BRIEF STINT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, DURING WHICH BOTH RAPPERS WERE ABLE TO RECORD A NUMBER OF TRACKS, ONE OF WHICH FEATURED MAINSTREAM RECORDING ARTISTES BOUQUI, ROOF TOP MCS AND TRUE BREED. THE TRACK TITLED âCHRIST FANATICSâ ENJOYED FAIR AIR PLAY. SINCE THEN EMJAY HAS FOCUSED ON BROADENIN HIS TALENT AND GROWING IN THE FAITH. IF ASKED, HEâD TELL YOU HEâS A MINISTER BEFORE A MUSICIAN, SO FOR HIM THE FOCUS IS THE MESSAGE RATHER THAN THE MUSIC. INSPIRED BY GOD AND INFLUENCED BY A NUMBER OF GOSPEL ARTISTES LIKE KIRK FRANKLIN, DARWIN HOBBS, KURT CARR, TYE TRIBETT, THE CROSS MOVEMENT, DA TRUTH, R-SWIFT, THE AMBASSADOR, LE CRAE, TRIP LEE AND A HOST OF OTHERS, EMJAY REFUSES TO BE PINNED TO THE GENRE OF JUST HIP-HOP, GOSPEL OR CHRISTIAN RAP, EVEN THOUGH THATâS HIS FORTE, HE WOULD RATHER FALL UNDER THE CATEGORY OF GOOD MUSIC. WITH BIBLE BASED LYRICS, EMJAY SEEKS TO ENLIGHTEN, INFORM AND PREACH TO THE LISTENER WHILE AFFORDING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY OF ENJOYIN GOOD MUSIC. WITH NO PECULIAR SOUND, âJAY THRIVES TO BE âALWAYS RELEVANTâ WITH THE TIME AND SOUND OF THAT PERIOD, BECAUSE, âPEOPLE WOULD ONLY LISTEN TO WHAT APPEALS MUSICALLY...â ALTHOUGH HIS PREFERENCES LIE WITH CLASSIC JAZZ AND HIP HOP TUNES WITH A MORE OLD SCHOOL VIBE AND SOUND, HE REMAINS VERSATILE, ABLE TO SWITCH TO ANY STYLE NECESSARY TO GET THE POINT ACCROSS. EMJAY IS A BOLD NEW IMAGE OF WHAT RAPPERS COULD AND SHOULD BE ON THE NIGERIAN SCENE AND EVEN INTERNATIONALLY. HAPPILY MARRIED WITH A DAUGHTER, HEâS A STRONG PROMOTER OF FAMILY FIRST ETHICS IN LIFE AND THE PURSUITS THEREOF. BLESSED WITH SKILLS AND A GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE HIS MUSIC IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR NOT JUST TO RAP OR THE HIP-HOP GENRE, BUT TO MUSIC AS A WHOLE.
