Ingleburn Rapper J.P Tells Us Why It’s Not Over
Emerging Ingleburn rapper J.P is stepping into the limelight with his latest single ‘Over’. With captivating flows and unique storytelling, J.P uses his life as fuel for his rapping. We sit down with J.P about how he first got into rapping, what it was like being a Caucasian rapper in Ingleburn and how to get over heart-break.
How did you first get into rapping?
In terms of hip hop itself, I started listening when I was about 12 years-old. My older brother started listening to 2pac, A+ and Puff Daddy and I would hear it. I started listening heavily when 50 Cent first came through with ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’. But for me specifically rapping, I was working part time in the evenings. My mother and older brother would be at work during the day. I would be constantly listening to music during the day at home and decided to give it a go. I would write to beats online and try to record demos with like a $50 mic. At the time I never anticipated where it would go. I’m glad I kept practicing though.
What's it like growing up as a rapper in Ingleburn?
Honestly, being Caucasian if I would have rapped when I was younger during high school, I’d imagine I would have been made fun of a lot. My school had a lot of Pacific Islanders who were extremely talented musically which was a good environment during music class. This may have also triggered me getting into rapping. But when I first started putting my music online it was quite mixed feedback. It wasn’t until I got better I’d be out on a weekend at local places and have people I went to school with come up and ask me about my music or give praise. It was a good feeling. Ingleburn is very multicultural and hip hop is too, it wasn’t abnormal to see Caucasian Australians driving through Ingleburn bumping 2pac or Biggie.
You just released 'Over' could you tell us more about it? Is this something that happened recently?
‘Over’ is a true story, however it’s a couple of situations I had been in that have been combined into the one song. It’s not recent but it’s a piece of the puzzle to my upcoming EP of the same name. Those situations occurred about five years ago. I’m in a much better place now. It’s all part of the journey though!
What's the best way to get over heart-break?
I’m no Doctor Phil! (Laughs). But I would say the number one thing is knowing about opportunity. Yes, we have people in this world we may connect with that we don’t want to lose, but it has to go both ways. The opportunity of there could be something much better out there. And then there is time and keeping yourself busy. Keep yourself focused on things you love with the right people around you. In time things will be all good again!
You're also releasing an EP, could you let us know what we can expect from that?
The EP will also be called ‘Over’. I’ve named it this to show the importance of the word, however it’s showing that while some things in life become over, some things never change. I’ve gone through some sad times in life just like everyone else has, and my passion is music. Music is my outlet. You will also hear in the EP how my life has come full circle though. It’s a backstory kind of narrating the last 10 years of my life through my 20’s, down into 6-7 tracks. Once its album time in the future I can expand on that and open it up in more detail due to the extra quantity of tracks.
If you weren't rapping, what would you be doing and why?
At the moment I already do work full-time on top of the rapping! (Laughs) I’m a district manager in the retail industry. But if I never rapped I think I would have always found something creative, something that keeps the mind at work!
What stimulates your soul?
Music and Travel! New music or music I enjoy always keeps me motivated or relates to day to day moods. Travel and seeing the world and different cultures/ways of life is the best thing you can do in my experience. Travel is education!