J. Drive (aka Jessie Driver) is an up and coming Hip-hop artist from Ohio. Jessie had to struggle from an early age, coming from the Southside of Youngstown’s inner-city. He describes his childhood as, “Growing up in a small apartment in a violent neighborhood without his birth mother or father.”
Knowing he would need to rely on himself to make it in the world, he turned to his natural affinity and abilities in basketball & Hip-hop music. Basketball gave him the confidence to believe in himself. It also afforded him the opportunity to become comfortable with a certain level of notoriety and fame, having achieved some local celebrity as an allstate hoop star in Ohio. He was able to find a balance between confidence and humility, which is a rare skill.
As Jessie moved into adulthood, his lessons learned on the ball court helped him succeed in music. Now in his mid-twenties, J Drive channels his already storied life into cleverly worded and captivating Hip-hop narratives. His new single “Untitled” is an excellent example of all the above.
The track has an immediately infectious hook and rhythm. The production combines some old-school TR-808 drum sounds with modern Trap and auto-tune styles. The song’s bassline also adds a cool dancehall vibe to the tune. As a rapper J has smooth and catchy melodic flow. Lyrically he mixes a little bit of street and a little comedy to help a female admirer define her place in his life. Somehow he is even able to mix in a Dora the Explorer reference, and make it sound cool. It’s a fun song.
You can hear “Untitled” on the Deep Indie Beat playlist. Follow the links below to connect with J. Drive. Keep up to date on all of the current and future releases from this talented young artist.