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J-Zone

American rapper From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

J-Zone
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Jay Mumford (born Jarrett A. Mumford; February 26, 1977),[2] known by his former stage name J-Zone,[3][4] is an American record producer, drummer, multi-instrumentalist, former rapper,[3] and writer from New York City.[5][6]

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Career

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Known for his quirky lyrics and trash talk style of rapping, Jay Mumford as "J-Zone" released a string of idiosyncratic and critically acclaimed albums in the late 1990s and early 2000s that acquired a cult following.[7][8] Of these, the 2001 release Pimps Don't Pay Taxes, was particularly noted; it featured rappers Huggy Bear and Al-Shid,[5] for whom he would subsequently produce a number of 12" releases.[9] 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.[10]

Not finding commercial success, Jay Mumford as "J-Zone" eventually walked away from rap, and in 2011 published the book Root for the Villain: Rap, Bullshit and a Celebration of Failure.[5][8] 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."[4] The Washington Post Going Out Gurus blog called it "a must for every curmudgeonly grown-up hip-hop head",[8] 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."[5]

In 2013, Jay Mumford returned to music with the release of the album, Peter Pan Syndrome,[11] which was listed as the 17th best album of 2013 by Spin.[12] After learning to play the drums seriously during his hiatus from music, Jay Mumford released the drum break album, Lunch Breaks, in 2014.[13]

In 2016 Jay Mumford 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.[14]

Jay Mumford has continued working as a session drummer in recent years, appearing on Lord Finesse's Motown State of Mind album in 2020 and rock band Vampire Weekend's single, "Capricorn," in 2024,[15] in addition to his drums being sampled on the 2020 Madlib single, "Road of The Lonely Ones".[16]

In 2022, Jay Mumford was the drummer for live shows and select recordings for The Black Pumas guitarist Adrian Quesada's Boleros Psicodelicos album.[17]

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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)
  • Plug It In (2022) (with Pablo Martin, as The Du-Rites)
  • Intoxicated Skull (2023)

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

As a Sideman

  • Michael Kiwanuka - "Falling" (Polydor, 2016)
  • Broken Bells - "Shelter" (20th Century/Aural Apothecary, 2018)
  • Karen O & Danger Mouse - "Lux Prima (Part II)" (30th Century, 2019)
  • Lord Finesse / Sisters Love - "Now Is the Time" (Motown, 2020)
  • Madlib - "Road of the Lonely Ones" (Madlib Invazion, 2020)
  • Adrian Quesada - Boleros Psicodelicos (ATO, 2022)
  • Danger Mouse & Black Thought - "Identical Deaths" (BMG, 2022)
  • Hermanos Gutierrez - El Bueno Y El Malo (Easy Eye Sound, 2022)
  • Greyhounds - Live on 29th Street (29th Street Recordings, 2024)
  • Vampire Weekend - "Capricorn" (Columbia, 2024)
  • Kelly Finnigan - A Lover Was Born (Colemine, 2024)
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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

External links

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