By YRS Jerzy
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Because of the amount of talent on the label, Taylor Gang may actually be the hottest label in the game. Among the artists on the label is Chicago native, J.R. Donato. Over the past year, or so, J.R. Donato has made a big impact with his mixtapes.
Graduating to EP status, J.R. Donato delivered Fast Money & Freedom this afternoon. Unlike his last project, J.R. Donato did not go in with the guest appearances. He kept it simple and had all of the production done by Slegdren.
J.R. Donato talked to Hip Hop Vibe about this process during his exclusive interview with us. With his new EP out, J.R. Donato explained the premise of the project and the title. He would go on to discuss the message in his music and being the voice for the youth.
Read the entire interview below:
Your last project was very star studded, while this release is more reflective of your roots. Did you always plan to release a project like this after doing North Pole last year? Yeah. I feel like North Pole was another project telling where I’m from, but it had lot of features. It wasn’t much to me, because those are my boys. I knew, eventually some would accuse me of not being able to carry a project on my own. So, I went in with Slegdren and we made our own sound. I was a fan of Kush and OG, to go to having my own Slegdren beat, and now I got an EP with him.
Where did you get the inspiration for the Fast Money & Freedom EP title? I remember being younger, about seventeen, and listening to Kendrick Lamar’s “Hol Up” freestyle and that “thoughts of a young nigga, fast money and freedom, a crash dummy for dollars, I know you dying to meet ’em” line stuck with me. At that age, fast money and freedom is what I really had and a lot of kids in my era are like that. My parents are cool with that and its what the youth need right now.
Slegdren was the exclusive producer on this project, correct? Can you talk about the type of impact he had on the project? I feel like, just going from having one beat from him to a whole EP is major. He made beats custom to my sound, when he sends me a folder, I end up recording on every track. He has the vision, I remember being high as hell facetiming him and telling him to load me up. It’s amazing, I’m out here in Hollywood with Taylor Gang, we grew up in Chicago dreaming about this. The dream came true, I made the right decisions and it inspired my project. Slegdren gets it and he made this unique sound with me and that’s the goal.
Which track would you say is the standout track off Fast Money & Freedom? I feel like “I Suppose,” “Some More,” “Can’t Touch This,” and “Heard About Me,” and “Don’t Trust Me” the ladies will like. But, these tracks stick out for different reasons, I really hope people take in the lyrics.
What is the biggest reason you feel people should check out your new EP? I feel like I’m talking for a lot of the youth and I’m giving my voice to the world. I make relatable music for the youth and I give them a voice they need to hear.
Can you let the people know where they can find you on social media? Twitter @RealJRDonato, Instagram is the same. Snapchat @donatoslime.
Follow YRS Jerzy on Twitter @IAMYRSJERZY.
