Jelleestone

Although hip-hop has been a worldwide phenomenon for more than 15 years, there has been no Canadian rapper to emerge that personifies the streets, has his business in order and possesses supreme rhyme skills. Until now.

As part street-bred rapper and part businessman supreme, Jelleestone plans to do for Canadian hip-hop what Russell Simmons did for hip-hop culture in America. With his stunningly diverse debut album, Jelleestone Thirteen, the Toronto native immediately places himself among the genre's elite, one who could incite tremendous change with his music.

"The mission of the album is to get people high on something that's chemical free,? says Jelleestone, who co-produced Jelleestone Thirteen with Jon "The Rabbi" Levine and Noel "Gadget" Campbell. "It's empowerment, enlightenment and change.?

For an example of the type of change Jelleestone hopes to implement, look no further than the album's title, which is intended to redirect conventional thought. ?There's 13 songs on there, but 13 is supposed to be an unlucky number,? Jelleestone explains of his album. "But it also represents Jesus and his 12 disciples. It is also a holy number in some religions. I'm just flipping it.?

The same can be said for "Money (Part 1),? the album's lead single. Rapping over a soulful beat that sounds as though Stevie Wonder and Sly Stone had created it, Jelleestone distances himself from rap's current crop of materialistic MCs, instead rapping about more realistic things. He expresses his longing for a good life on the song, using the example of common people who work in unglamorous jobs that provide little more than the base capital needed to survive.

"It was a concept song, in a sense, because I wanted to give a real, grounded perspective on what happens,? says Jelleestone, who composed the song with co-producer Jon "The Rabbi? Levine. "Plus, the song is over a beat that makes money.?

Jelleestone takes the unconventional route on most of his album. On "I Don't Care,? for example, he juxtaposes the sounds of a marching troupe over muted horns and a relentless bass line. It's not an angry song, however, but a celebratory one about pursuing choice women. "With the soldiers marching, we wanted it to be like soldiers were on leave for the weekend,? he explains. "We were in the trenches all week. On the weekend, we had a day-pass and we're going into town. We don't care. We're going to bump-and-grind these freaks.?

Jelleestone's strength is his ability to balance subject matter. Life isn't solely about bumping and grinding; there's also heartache. On "How U Do It,? he takes a rare role for a rapper, portraying himself as a boyfriend who admittedly hurt his girlfriend and strained their relationship. "It's just a fact of life,? Jelleestone says of the scenario he presents in the song. "It happens everyday. Whether you're in the streets or whatever, relationships are important because they're what make the world go around. As much as people say that they don't care, they do. We need people. How you treat people helps decide where you go in life.?

It's obvious that Jelleestone wants to help improve the world, from individual relationships all the way up to government initiatives. His far-reaching vision is evident on the informative "Inner City Pressure? (the first song to feature a Billy Joel sample) and the somber "New Messiah.? On the latter, he testifies about the power of the streets and acknowledges the problems inherent with hustling. "The struggle continues,? he says. "Living in a capitalist society, you don't have rich people unless you have poor people. And as much as we can say we've got money and we're all right, our people aren't all right. It's important to touch on, because rappers are like messiahs to a lot of kids, whether they know it or not.?

On "Rex Ent. Inc.,? a celebratory cut which pays homage to his own entertainment company and the rough Rexdale section of Toronto where he was raised, Jelleestone boasts of his status as the illest rapper in the T.O. Braggadocio, however, is not his only aim with the cut, or his company, which is the first independent Canadian record label to have a distribution deal with an American major. Jelleestone wants the impending success of Rex Entertainment to give a sense of pride to his community and, on a larger scale, to put Toronto on hip-hop's landscape. "The company represents my hood and hip-hop,? he explains. "I've lived through enough bullshit and hip-hop has been the form for me, as a young black man, to express myself and have a voice, which allows my community to have a voice. I'm representing it to the fullest. I'd like to get to the point where I can have an establishment in the country that brings up, develops and puts out superstars and hit records.?

Jelleestone has been following hip-hop superstars for most of his life. Born in Toronto, he split time between Toronto and the Bronx during his formative years. An active athlete, he was into soccer, basketball and track. But his passion was drawing. "As a kid, I was compelled to draw,? Jelleestone recalls. "I would just look at things and draw them. I had to draw it. I'm still trying to figure out what it meant to me, but I still see in pictures in everything, including my music. When I would draw, it made me feel good, like I wasn't missing anything.?

In 1983, he became familiar with what would be his other passion: hip-hop. During one of his New York visits, he saw people break dancing. Impressed, he started studying the craft and learning such moves as "The Snake.? When he returned to Toronto, he was quick to share his newfound interest. Jelleestone was surprised to discover his older friends were already practitioners of the art form, though. His neighbor even had a cardboard spread nestled in his basement. "When I came back, I was telling one of my friends that I saw these dudes doing some crazy moves,? he says. "He knew about it and he showed me some moves. I tried to learn everything until I was nice. When I first saw it, I thought they were like aliens doing some karate.?

By the time he was in middle school, Jelleestone was in the rap group PNP, an abbreviation for Poet and Prophet. The union would eventually dissolve, but Jelleestone maintained his hip-hop skills as a member of ORB, a rap group he formed with friends in 1993. Known as the Original Rude Boys, Jelleestone and partners, Skyjuice and Badnews, would rhyme for one another and host their own freestyle sessions and beat-boxing contests. ORB earned such a great reputation locally; soon they were opening for such superstar acts as Black Moon and The Pharcyde whenever they performed in Toronto.

Jelleestone then met producer Noel "Gadget? Campbell, who saw the determination in the young musician. Gadget allowed Jelleestone to use his studio free of charge, thus setting him on his course to become a rapper-businessman.

In 1997, Jelleestone recorded the song "When You're Hot, You're Hot? for the Rudamental compilation. Helmed by local producer 2 Rude, the cut provided Jelleestone a platform for his work, even though he didn't actually expect the song would amount to anything of significance. "When I recorded it, I didn't think that it would ever come out,? he says with a proud smile overtaking his face. "But I don't record anything that I'd cringe at later, so it's cool. It seemed to make noise and the video got into medium rotation out here.?

Now, Jelleestone is ready for nothing but heavy rotation for each song on his Jelleestone Thirteen album, a collection that will serve as the springboard for hip-hop's next musical mogul. "The way that I've set my album up, it's to show that I'm about music,? Jelleestone says. "Yes, I'm hip-hop and that's what I am, but I speak to everybody because hip-hop can be everything.?

You've been warned.