Jus NBL talks about hip-hop like someone building his own pantheon, not disposable singles. In this A&R Factory interview, the Philadelphia artist opens up about the basement studio environment that taught him authenticity early, the evolution from Jus a Preview to Fine Wine, and why he thinks of his albums as “sonic movies”. He reflects on Miles Davis, 2Pac and Prince as forces that pushed him towards risk, structure and emotional range, while also unpacking the difference between chasing circus-like fame and becoming a prestige artist with lasting work. From writing, rapping and engineering alone in the studio to rejecting cliché and protecting peace, Jus NBL lays out a serious vision for the kind of hip-hop he wants to leave behind.
Welcome to A&R Factory, Jus NBL, we’re excited to have you here as you keep pushing Philly hip-hop beyond its history with cinematic storytelling and self-directed artistic vision.
We’d love to talk about the albums and songs you’ve released, plus the vision behind them. When you look across your catalogue now, which release feels like the clearest statement of who Jus NBL really is?
I think all of them, to be honest, because it’s a constant evolution of a human being. Also, I’m multifaceted, so all of it is me, just different sides.
Jus a preview is just, you know, a preview of what I’m capable of
Fine Wine is when I really started to understand how to structure an album from top to bottom. I did well with Jus a Preview, but I really honed it in with that album from there; it’s been the evolution but as I learn more I will keep going.
Growing up in Philadelphia, with a basement studio in your home where different artists came through to record, must have shaped how you understood music early on. What did that environment teach you about hip-hop before you were even making your own mark?
To always stay authentic no matter what! Don’t copy others; do your own thing.
Your music often feels built like a scene, with images, mood and meaning sitting inside the bars. When you’re writing, do you think more like a rapper, a storyteller or an engineer arranging the whole picture?
Engineer arranging the whole picture 4sure because I’m coming up with the skit if that’s needed in the song the hook how the verses tie into the hook also I make sure I have the right production goes with the lyrics it’s a lot to it if I gotta bring other voices into the track whether I gotta do it but change my voice thru effects whatever I have a big picture mindset to the music I already out grew that mindset of just spitting bars I told myself I wanna be one of the greatest overall hiphop artists that has ever walked in the genre that means the songwriting/Song Making, album making mindset that is truly memorable.
You’ve cited Miles Davis, 2Pac and Prince as major influences, which says a lot about ambition, risk and emotional range. What did each of those artists teach you about refusing to sound boxed in?
They taught me to go my own way and keep evolving because one thing you never wanna do is make cliche stuff Miles Davis has the perfect quote he said “Don’t play what’s there play what’s not there” a lot of creatives mess themselves up trying to recreate what’s already there, at first it can be hard because we are wired to reject something different but if you keep fighting it pays off a lot then you allow other ppl to be more authentic in different ways outside of the music you make ppl feel like they are not alone in this world also Miles showed me how to really put an album together from listen to Miles Ahead , Agharta , In a silent way etc a lot of his albums have a beginning to end like a film because he was heavily into the late romantic and modernist composers like Ernest Bloch ravel Stravinsky Bartok. I myself started studying them and other musicians from different genres even more after studying miles.
Tracks like City Of Hate, Fine Wine and Imagine show different sides of your writing. How do you decide which emotional temperature a song needs before you start shaping the final version?
The production just speaks to you it tells you what to say how to say it. Whenever I usually hear a beat tbh the music is being channeled thru me.
As someone who raps, writes and engineers, you have more control over the full sound than a lot of artists. Does that freedom make it easier to protect the original idea, or does it make you even more ruthless with yourself?
Yes it makes it much easier because I’m always in the studio by myself when you’re alone that’s when the best ideas come because like I said it’s being channeled thru you . Usually when I hear a beat I start writing almost immediately not out of rushing but because I hear it immediately what I need to say I’m not just tryna flex all of this technical brilliance but actually having alot of artistic imagination for my music that’s more important because with technical brilliance you make robot music just saying or doing stuff that’s already been done to death.
You also mentioned how you’re moving forward at this stage in your career. What feels different about your mindset now compared with the artist you were when you first started releasing music?
At first I had like warped idea of what me eventually becoming famous is for my music, I didn’t realize it’s two sides to the art/entertainment world one I call the circus where you stay in drama controversy etc then the most your known for is a hot single or 2 I call that reality tv type famous then it’s another type of fame for the prestige artist who may only cause controversy for the music itself but outside of that lives a much more peaceful life make more money because they make hit albums music that’s more innovative eclectic. I came to the conclusion it’s much better to be the prestige artist you know? I would rather my music be more exclusive than try to appeal to everybody a lot of ppl lose themselves trying to get ppl to like them or appeal to so many ppl , I can make the same if not more money than my reality tv type famous artist doing concert halls for 2 months out the year and doing a few festivals because the audience is more invested than the other side while keeping my peace and focusing on what really matters.
When people finish listening to a Jus NBL project, what do you want them to understand about your story, your city and the kind of hip-hop you’re trying to leave behind?
That I am a pure artist who wants to keep pushing myself forward with my music never settling for the status quo, always in a constant disagreement with almost everything because the way everything is now came from ppl being in disagreement with how things were before that you know? Also, I just wanna keep making what I call “Sonic Movies” for my music I been structuring my albums like that for a while; as time goes on, I will only get better.
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Stream Jus NBL on Apple Music.
Interview by Amelia Vandergast