Dope Ass Conversations #4: Lord JaH-Monte Ogbon
Or: Your Favorite Rapper's Next Favorite Rapper
I first got put onto to Lord JaH-Monte Ogbun last fall by my mans greenSLLIME. The song he had recommended to me was called “The Missing Link” and it features grainy camcorder footage Jah casually rapping like a machine gun in the streets of New York over a jazzy loop that was wonderfully produced by Navy Blue (one of my favorite rapper/producers personally). As cliché as it may sound, the only thoughts that came to my head was “this is real hip-hop.”
Given the style of his sound and the setting of the music video, I automatically assumed he was from New York (he’s actually from Charlotte, North Carolina). I had to do my research on him and was thoroughly impressed by his catalog, namely his breakout album Beautifully Black, which is entirely produced by Navy Blue. He seamlessly weaves stories of past relationships intertwined with gems of conscious thought. Fans of the late, great MF DOOM and Mach-Hommy will fall in love with his sound as it embodies everything that’s so great about underground hip-hop: unique, authentic, gritty and lyrically dynamic.
Underground isn’t for everyone of course. It’s underground for a reason. With that being said though, the underground has been and will always be the lifeline for hip-hop. Even if you may not be in tune to it, anyone who cares about the culture will be tapped in, including your favorite mainstream artists. Hence why the label of “Your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper” is a title that’s always been reserved for cats making noise without a major label machine backing them. After his most recent project, Here, There & Everywhere, dropped last month, Lord JaH-Monte Ogbon has definitely solidified himself as not only one of the best rappers in the underground game, but in the entire rap game, period. I had the chance to have a dope ass conversation about while he was in Chicago last week. Read below to learn more about the self-proclaimed Best Rapper in Charlotte:
Q: First off, how you feeling man? What are your thoughts about Chicago?
A: I’m aight, man, I’m fucking with Chicago. I rock with Chicago, bro. It’s different from how the news portrayed it to be, you feel me, like it's a beautiful city, beautiful people, beautiful town.
For the people who are checking you out for the first time, who is Lord JaH-Monte Ogbon?
Yo man, I'm just your everyday person bro, like I’m our cousin in a way, you feel me like just an everyday artist from around the way, bro. Like if you go to an artistic community or artistic studio, it might be like 11 guys and I'm just one of many, you feel me? Nothing too crazy, nothing too special. Born in Akron, Ohio, raised in Charlotte, North Carolina a little bit. Now I'm traveling the country putting this music shit out.
The first time I heard you, I thought you were from New York. What’s the rap community like in Charlotte and how do you try to put on for the city?
The community is growing. You know, we got Mavi, we got Deniro Farrar, we got a few people that's pretty much global with it, not just local. But the city is growing. Charlotte, North Carolina is really a banking city, but we make it happen bro, through the gentrification and through everything. It's a growing city, we're doing our thing. But me, I'd rather just do everything outside of the city. You know, like coming to Chicago, come to New York, come to Florida and just tap in with everybody else. So that's why my shit kinda seem like it got a New York sound because I purposely try to do my music that way. Like I want it to have that old school, East Coast, New York feeling. So that's the aesthetic I try to bring.
I know MF DOOM is your favorite rapper. Other than your sound, how has his music played a role in your life?
Just like my way of thinking. If you know DOOM from the start, you know DOOM is just pretty much into knowledge. You know what I mean, knowledge of self. Studying under Dr. York and a lotta things like that. So when I found out about DOOM was when he was under the name Zev Love X under KMD. They had records like “Peach Fuzz” they had records like “Who Me", “Nitty Gritty,” and just like 5% type knowledge just for perspective. So DOOM really put me on some like higher power higher conscious shit. So besides that, and fire ass rhymes man, I’d say just having like a mysterious, unique way of doing things. I found out too late like, “damn, I can wear a mask and not show my face!” Like damn, I shoulda been out here covering my face. Rest in peace DOOM.
You just mentioned that higher consciousness and I know you’re heavily influenced by groups like the Nation of Gods and Earth and Hebrew Black Israelites who promote that type of thinking. What was your first introduction to that type of philosophy?
The Hebrew Israelites was my introduction to everything, and then I found out about like the whole conscious community. You have the Hebrew Israelites, you have the Nation of Gods and Earth, the Nuwaubians and much more… After I started to follow the Hebrew Israelites, I wanted to get into Rastafarianism and that's where the “Jah” come from in my name [Jah is the name used for God in the Rastafari religion], but it's so much information out here, bro. Like you never know. So that's why I just try to take a little from everything. Like, take some from here, take some from there and just use that in my everyday life.
How do you use it in your everyday life?
Pretty much a change of diet. Just like having more positive mindsets, and that's the way how I go about seeing things you know, just living in that truth. So that's how I go about it.
Focusing on your music now, I think your beat selection is bar none. How do you choose what production you rap over?
When I was first starting off, I was rapping on pretty much anything, but now I'll be honest. Everything has to be more calculated now, like I try to work with people who's out there. Who people know just so the music can stretch a little further because you can work with, not to make it about this, but you can work with a lot of no name artists or people who just starting off but it really won't get that far, unless you already poppin’ up as an artist. So really right now bro, I'll try to just work with people who’re quote unquote poppin’ so the music can go somewhere. ‘Cause I've been local for a long time and I'm good on that. Gotta have that soul. I guess a better way to say it is shit gotta be soulful, grimy, or jazzy. You doing those three, we can do something. I started fucking with the up-tempo trap shit more lately, but soulful, jazzy or grimy you got me. Or drumless loops. That’s my shit.
How did you get connected with Navy Blue?
Navy Blue told me that he seen me rapping on Top Shelf Premium. They got a series called “Off Top.” It’s pretty much a New Jersey vintage store where we rap inside. So he seen me on there, and he reached out to me like, “yeah, I want to send some beats.” We linked up, I met him in New York and we just went from there. That shit was real life bro, that shit got me verified on Instagram. So after we made that album I said “I can never go back to the lower level," you feel me? Like I have to stay elevating and working with people that on that stature, bro. So many people hit me up right after, I don’t even want to name drop, but like one was Yasiin Bey [Mos Def], Noname followed me, I'm just like “God damn!” you feel me? Then when Earl [Sweatshirt] reposted my album and just put a lot more people onto the shit. So yeah, man, that Navy album really did something crazy.
Your label is called Jewelry Rap Productions, right? How would you describe the label to the people that don’t know?
I created Jewelry Rap Productions around the time when I was getting into those different schools of thought. Back then when I was under the name King Callis, I feel like I will give people like jewels and gems and stuff like that. So that's why I just formed Jewelry Rap Productions. I used to rap a little more conscious based, conscious friendly, Black man this, Black man that, just givin’ you those jewels around the time when I was learning everything when I was introduced to everything, so that was pretty much what I was rapping about. So I'm like, I'm gonna form a company, because at the time my shit was called Black Piece Music Group, right. I just wanted to change it up and that's when I came with Jewelry Rap Production, now we're here. But I might have to go back to Black Piece. It’s also called Melanated People. I think my instagram name is JaH-Monte of Melanated People. So I'm about to come back on the Melanated People wave just so that people know.
Why should people follow you?
Why should people follow me? I don’t know man, cuz I got something to say. We all got something to say but I just say it a little smoother and a little better than some people. I don't know why people should be following me to be honest, bro. Maybe follow me on Twitter because I'm a fucking comedian on Twitter. On Instagram, I troll a lot. So if you'd like trolling, just follow me, you feel me. All day Twitter, Facebook, IG. I mean, we got the NFT Za coming out real soon. Putting this Za in NFT form. So I mean, hit me. Follow me @jahmonteogbon on everything.
(Q&A slightly edited for clarity)
You heard the man. You can keep up with Lord JaH-Monte Ogbon on Twitter, IG, and Facebook
If you liked what ya read, please share, leave your thoughts and/or subscribe. If want to go above and beyond in supporting independent journalism, consider being a paid subscriber. Thanks!