Like every Friday, we’re back again with an incredible artist. Jadon Woodward is a rapper, actor, poet currently living in Philadelphia. Jadon moved to New York when he was 17 and started busking on the streets and on subways. While busking with a friend on a New York subway platform, p*lice officers arrested the two for no apparent reason. This resulted in a lawsuit that made national headlines. The two won the lawsuit, and Jadon invested that money in his music, soon after releasing his album Stories for Days. “I hope the album really connects with people,” he says about the album in the short documentary “The Platform: How The NYPD Funded a Rap Album” that Complex made about his story.
Now, in 2020, Jadon is out with a new album, Late To The Party, in which he opens up about his life through captivating storytelling. To Jadon, music acts as an outlet through which he can pour his heart out. The album covers a plethora of themes, from recreational drug use, to family, dating, mental health and the meaning of success. To Jadon, success doesn’t mean rising to the top, but just appreciating the journey that life takes you on, pushing forward with tenacity and courage. He’s opened up for artists like J Cole and Kota the friend, and has collaborated with quite a few brands including Nickelodeon, Sprite, and the NBA’s New York Knicks, which only confirms his raw talent. Watch Jadon Woodward perform two songs off his last album below and read out interview in which he shares what he’s been up to these past few months and what he has planned for his future.
- First of all, of course, we want to know from you what True Identity means to you?
True Identity to me is being able to be comfortable with yourself no matter who you’re around or where you are in the world.
- What is your first memory or experience of music?
My earliest memories of music are dancing in the living room with my mother. Walking into the studio as a child seeing my Uncle Eli and Uncle Marcel working on songs. Also, riding in the car with my father, quietly rocking in my seat to whatever music he played. Usually gangster rap, jazz and oldies, or whatever was playing on the radio.
- Why did you start making music?
I started making music as a way to escape the serious experiences I was going through at home. I went through custody battles, foster care, jail, and NYCs youth shelter system. Music has been a way to keep my sanity through it all, therapy in a sense.
- What inspires you most about the city you are living in ? And what did the city add to your individual sound?
I’m currently living in Pittsburgh, PA. I’ve been here for close to two months working on new music. I just relocated here from Philadelphia where I lived for a year and a half.
Before that, I was in NYC from 2008 to 2019. I recorded my latest project, Late To The Party in New York and Philly. Those two cities are both tough and really supportive of my career so I was able to apply that hunger and pain to my music.
- How do you think your journey has shaped you so far?
My journey has made me a very focused person. I’m straight to the point because of my life experiences. I’m also always open to learning new things because I grew up so quickly. I learned mostly just how to survive.
- When do you feel most creative and most inspired to make music?
I feel most inspired to create when I’m stable and/or have an idea that I really want to execute. I’m getting close to that point with this next project. Looking forward to tapping in all the way, a month or two down the line.
- We have all been isolated since the middle of March. How has the quarantine
treated you?
I spent most of quarantine in Philly. It gave me a chance to really work on myself. I’ve paid back debts and have invested into myself and family during this pandemic because we are not promised next week.
I’ve also been locked in the studio like crazy with my brothers Black Elijah, Big Dior, Double O, and Boujie Junie. Working towards 10K hours in the studio.
- And how does the current situation in the world influence your creative process? What are your musical or creative goals for the next few years?
The current situation in the world is making me focus on my internal self. It’s pushing me to take my mental and physical to the next level so I can work through this pandemic to the best of my ability. I’m taking this time to study every genre of hip-hop and music in general. Lots of research to apply to my sound.
My musical goals for the next few years are to craft some of the best verses, songs and projects in the industry. I want to expand my business ventures and really brand the lifestyle that I’m living. I feel like I’m playing catch up because I was caught up with industry issues the last few years and had to play the bench. I’m starving and I’m coming for everyone’s necks.
- Was there a musical experience, a concert or a performance that touched your soul?
Robert Plant of LED Zeppelin at The Mann Center in Philadelphia. I went there with Ryan Culver and Tommy Joyner of Milkboy Studios. We had backstage passes thanks to Jeff Dazey, saxophonist for the opener Nathaniel Rateliff, and his cousin Rob C.
The reason their show was so epic was because Led Zeppelin changed the world with four albums. Watching those songs performed in a room filled with 25K people of all ages and the backstage experience was inspirational and life changing.
- If you could speak to yourself in the past, what would you say to you?
If I could speak to myself in the past, I would give him a dap and tell him the journey is going to be really rough but stay focused and keep believing in yourself.
Late To The Party is available now via UnitedMasters. The album celebrates Jadon’s journey and is a tribute to his commitment to the art of rap. For updates and more information about Jadon Woodard please refer to the links below.
Tracklisting:
- Bad Azz
- Supwitchunow? (Interlude)
- Indiscretions
- Mr. Grassman
- Rollin
- SAFE
- Full – Time Artist
- Life Is Crazy
- Goodbye
Stream or purchase Late To The Party HERE.
