Jesty Beatz raps for change, 'Deal or No Deal'
By Melanie Barnes, Entertainment Writer
April 12, 2008 | 3 p.m.
Deal or No Deal 2, released April 8 by local favorite Jesty Beatz, is an album about more than getting the music industry to change-- it is about being the change. And, every so often, coins.
In an industry where booty-shaking and shiny rims are often idolized, Ohio University alumnus Darrel "Jesty Beatz" Greene finds inspiration standing outside of the industry and understanding what people want from music, rather than being told what to create. Deal or No Deal 2 is the magic formula that transcends the mainstream and reaches audiences across all genres.
Jesty Beatz took the time to sit with Speakeasy to explain how he differs from the norm and how he personally has decided to take being the change into his own hands.
Speakeasy: Tell me about Jesty two years ago.
Jesty Beatz: Jesty two years ago was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I was still trying to find my voice two years ago. If you listen to Formal Introduction, my first CD I actually really put out there, you can tell I'm trying to find me or whatever. You can tell that every song I’m trying to be me, trying to find me.
Now, I've found what I’m looking for even though I'm not complacent with it. I've found the realm that I want to operate in.
SE: What is deal or no deal?
JB: Deal or no deal is a statement, and it is a beautiful…no, it's a statement. Deal or no deal, I'm going to do this regardless. Deal or no deal, I'm going to continue to be a threat to anyone that's doing it. I'm going to make good music. That's it. Deal or no deal, that's what that stands for.
SE: How different was the process for this CD than your previous releases?
JB: Very different, so different. I started off in big studios and was basically alone in the process and didn’t feel connected to the people I wanted to reach or to myself. It just didn’t feel organic or real, it felt mechanical almost. So I came back to Athens and tried to re-evaluate where I was and what I wanted to learn.
Brian from the band Spooktober sat me down and literally said he had something he wanted me to hear for only 20 minutes. Twenty minutes turned into three hours of listening to the most random assortment of music on his iTunes. His word got me motivated to go out and be myself despite adversity.
SE: What makes Deal or No Deal 2 different from every other CD out there?
JB: It’s just the fact that I’m actually going for change. I’m not just talking about change. There are so many songs out there that are just like, “we need change!” OK, but who even knows what change means. To somebody, it means I won’t rap about drugs anymore-- I’m going to rap about prostitution.
So, I’m going to actually be the change. There’s no swearing on the record. There are no drugs on the record, no guns. And it’s actually a dope record without all of that. And the fact is I rap about change. I don’t know if you got that, but there’s a song that’s literally about change, like coins.
I’m just trying to be different. It’s created without the industry in mind. There are songs about hating your job. There are songs about vampires. There are songs about change and being too afraid to talk to a girl because of fear of rejection. There are songs that every human can actually relate to, rather than just purely entertainment, and that’s where my level is.
SE: With your songs, you can see a lot of the outside influences from society, like with “Bindsay Bohan” and “The Office.”
JB: “Bindsay Bohan” was written because I was literally watching TV for the first time after 136 shows without a break. I turn on the TV and Lindsay Lohan was on every channel. What’s on CNN? A car bomb and Lindsay Lohan! Arguably the most credible news source was talking about Lindsay Lohan, and I’m like, "What is going on in the world?" Someone who allegedly has cocaine? I know someone at the gas station who definitely just used crack. I could show you. I was like, OK, "What is going on?" And that was the start of it.
With "The Office," I watched the first three seasons of “The Office” on the tour bus, and Jim, to me, reminds me of me. He reminds everyone of themselves because no one identifies with the Dwight of the office, everyone reminds themselves of someone laid-back and funny. And how many times are you even sitting in class, just staring at a blank screen?
SE: There are a lot of really cool people that you’ve collaborated with on this CD, which is different from your previous releases.
JB: This is the first CD that I’ve really collaborated with people. Normally I lock myself in a room and make beats and rap to them, and next thing you know, there’s a CD out. This was a slow, more human rather than isolated Jesty Beatz experience. There are a lot more hands involved, a lot more ears involved.
Bizzy Bone is on the album, that was a dream come true. I’ve been a fan of Bone Thugs since like, fifth grade. It took that long to two years out of college. Do the math.
SE: Who else would you like to work with?
JB: I have got to get Krayzie Bone on a CD. That’s next on the list. I already have the song. Andre3000 has to work one of these days. Oh yeah, that has to happen. Actually, anybody who believes in themselves and are truly themselves, that’s who I want to work with. Whether it’s a rock band or a violinist or a fiddler, if you’re cool and you’re rockin’ out, let’s do it.
SE: What is your favorite song on the album?
JB: It has to be "Speakeasy!"
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Pick up Deal or No Deal 2 at Haffa’s Records on 15 W. Union St. or JestyBeatz.com and watch him perform live at Five Fest on May 17.
Preview Deal or No Deal 2 on Jesty Beatz' MySpace.