Biography (Album Notes)

  

BIOGRAPHY

     Jay Steele, a disabled, hip hop lyricist, is back with his EP album A Refreshing Contribution. He’s Steele standing apart from the crowd providing lyricist lovers with profoundly positive and meaningful content. This time around in fact, Jay produced more than half of the tracks himself while again throwing rap back to the golden days of greats like Rakim, Tribe, and Kane.

    This project packs a versatile array of musical sounds, vibes, and high minded rhymes imbibed with creative concepts not typically associated with hip hop or popular music.  In a bit of a departure from his previous album, the more lighthearted For The Love, A Refreshing Contribution’s themes largely center on dealing with adversity and delving into ways to attempt to assist listeners in coping with life’s struggles. As a whole, the lines of the rhymes Steele provides could be described as a musical version of the idea behind Chicken Soup for the Soul.

    Jay says that A Refreshing Contribution was chosen as the title because, “I was taught that to find and maintain peace and serenity, I shouldn’t be seeking what I can get out of life. Instead, I should be finding ways that I can help and contribute.” He also gives his take on the state of the rap genre, while further explaining the meaning of the album title, on the song Rhyme Service with the lyrics, “If it’s [rap] losin’ its heart - my solution is – to make a contribution to the art.”

    Musically, this EP's beats are diverse and dynamic. From the serene synthesizer sounds of Curses to Blessings, to the warm, smooth, and laid back guitar serving up Musical Soup for tha Soul, to the dramatic and cinematic piano and electric keyboard of Courtesy of Adversity and Tha Golden Age of Rap respectively, there appears to be a vibe to suit nearly any mood. As he did on his previous album, Jay Steele, aka Tha Human Echo Machine, once again performed each and every echo on this EP live without the aid of studio generated effects. 

    He’s composed a litany of releases, but with this edition, he’s redefining and multiplying the meaning of the term artist as a musician. Jay crafted all the songs, but in addition, he actually also produced the entire album artwork exhibition! A Refreshing Contribution’s artwork, which Jay managed to draw by hand, encompasses the lyrical themes of the yin and the yang, the philosophy stemming from ancient eastern wisdom that asserts that the bad can help us to appreciate the good (and is an inextricable part of life and balance). The art also portrays concepts found throughout the music of finding peace amidst the inevitable storm.

   Jay's drawings were done in pencil, and they were then painted by his wife "Big Cee," who also drew and painted the lightning and the trees found on the front and back of the artwork display. This is the first project in which Jay chose not to press a CD (due to the trend of the majority of listeners utilizing digital rather than physical sources), but he still chose to feature the entirety of what would have comprised the CD package art on his website.

    Though most may not see it, the artwork on the back is breathtaking. It depicts a serene and peaceful scene of a pagoda at night, with the darkness being lit up by shining stars spelling out the track's titles. In essence, the songs are stars in the sky representing light shining through the darkness of night (literally and metaphorically).

     Jay colored and drew the strikingly beautiful bamboo on the album art credit page too. With his disability (severe fibromyalgia), he admits it wasn't easy to execute. "It took me months," he says. "To avoid long lasting hand and wrist pain from overuse, I had to really pace myself. I did 30 minutes here and 30 minutes there over the course of many days. In the end, I think I appreciated it more because of what I had to go through to get it done. It became like a metaphor for patience and enjoying the journey."

     Steele began rhyming while residing in Echelon, NJ, not far from his birthplace of Philadelphia. Jay has come a long way since his early days of raps racked with anger and vengeance (assembled after a tumultuous childhood). He hails from a musical family in which his grandfather was a tremendous harmonica player and both his mom and aunt are violinists who were named All City Philadelphia in high school. Steele further details this musical heritage on the song Musical Family from his previous album For Tha Love.

     Essentially, this EP amounts to an array of anthems for advancing against adversity. Jay Steele’s work is poignant, thought provoking, resonant, and inspiring, particularly to those who have survived tough times. Long time lovers of the art of rhyme are more than likely to be highly satisfied by what many will say is truly A Refreshing Contribution.

Possible Quick Description

This EP sounds like Pete Rock & CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, The Fugees, or O.C. accumulating an array of anthems for advancing against adversity in a hip hop version of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Sounds Like: Pete Rock and CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, The Fugees, De La Soul, O.C.

Biography Short Version Below

Jay Steele, a disabled, hip hop lyricist, is back with his EP album A Refreshing Contribution. He’s Steele standing apart from the crowd providing lyricist lovers with profoundly positive and meaningful content. This time around in fact, Jay produced more than half of the tracks himself while again throwing rap back to the golden days of greats like Rakim, Tribe, and Kane.

    This project packs a versatile array of musical sounds, vibes, and high minded rhymes imbibed with creative concepts not typically associated with hip hop or popular music. A Refreshing Contribution’s themes largely center on dealing with adversity and delving into ways to attempt to assist listeners in coping with life’s struggles. As a whole, the lines of the rhymes Steele provides could be described as a musical version of the idea behind Chicken Soup for the Soul.

    Essentially, this EP amounts to an array of anthems for advancing against adversity. Jay Steele’s work is poignant, thought provoking, resonant, and inspiring, particularly to those who have survived tough times. Long time lovers of the art of rhyme are more than likely to be highly satisfied by what many will say is truly A Refreshing Contribution.

* for a shorter version the last paragraph can be cut