We recently connected with Jason “Jahah” Berry and have shared our conversation below.

Jason “Jahah”, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I started drawing pictures of people and athletes I admired around 5 years of age. My parents tell me drawing is something I picked up and started doing on my own. During those days, I don’t recall being inspired by anyone in particular. From a young age, I think creating has always been my outlet and a way to get out my ideas.

As I got older, I grew in different ways artistically through (hiphop) dancing, skateboarding, football, baseball, basketball, and ultimately music. There’s an art to all of the above.

I knew I wanted to pursue music the first time I heading d myself back on tape. My friend Demetrius brought over a dual cassette boombox, an old dynamic microphone, and a tape full of well known instrumentals.

I remember it like it was yesterday, Demetrius spit a rhyme into the microphone and recorded himself. He rewound the recording and played it back…BOOM! We all went nuts! At the time, most of us had no idea you could record yourself onto tape through a boombox using a microphone. It was crazy because I’ve been writing songs and recording myself ever since. I was 11 years old then.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

At my core, I’m a creative person who is passionate about God, family, music, technology and sports.

For the last 23 years I’ve been in and out of the music business as an artist, songwriter, producer and creative consultant. I got into the music business as an artist (rapper) and ended up traveling the world as an R&B singer.

Back in 2003, I produced a demo with scratch vocals of me singing over the music I produced. My intention was to sing the songs (the best I could) so that a real singer would have an idea of how I wanted the songs to go. My ultimate goal was to shop my production demo to obtain a publishing deal (as a producer/songwriter.) I never intended on being an R&B artist at all. Back then I really considered myself to be an emcee.

During this time, I’d been featured on a few of Speech (of Arrested Development) EMI, Japan releases. Because of the latter, my then manager Shane Mills was sending my Rap and R&B demos overseas via his MySpace contacts. The next thing I know, I’m being pursued by a Japanese label that wants to sign me as an R&B artist. The label didn’t want a rap album from me…they just wanted me to sing.

At first, I thought the whole R&B thing was a very bad idea. I didn’t consider myself a singer but my manager convinced me to take the risk and it ultimately paid off. I was able to see the world (Europe, South America, Africa etc.) and get paid doing what I love.

The leap from rhyming on stage to singing was tremendously terrifying over the first year of touring. I was very uncomfortable singing in front of almost any audience but I kept working. I practiced and focused on my stage presence, my vocal control, and my confidence. I’d sneak my best rhymes into my live sets to let people know I wasn’t a complete bum. Before I started getting things right, I failed numerous times but all the mistakes and mishaps helped me grow. I got stronger and more consistent and within 2 years (or so), I was no longer afraid. I learned to write songs that were in my vocal range so that when I sung them live, I could actually pull the songs off.

Since 2003, I’ve released several full length albums that are all available on Apple Music and Spotify etc. I’ve also worked with Arrested Development, P!nk, Kendrick Lamar, and Big Daddy Kane to name a few.

I think what sets me apart at this point is my ability to adapt to all walks of life. I consider myself a people person and I enjoy absorbing different cultures and what makes people tick. I’m excepting of other ethnicities and try to spread positivity to all walks of life. No matter the pigmentation or religious beliefs…Im here to serve.

What am I most proud of? Being a father! I love being a dad and all that it comes with. Being a dad is better than any touchdown I scored…being a great dad is more rewarding than any crowd I’ve ever rocked from the stage. Being a father is my proudest moment above all.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The goal and mission driving my creativity is love and honesty. I’m a musician and I feel as though today’s music industry is very formulaic. Many of todays artists get away with things they never could’ve gotten away with back in the 70s, 80s, 90s and early 2000s.

My directive is to do my part in trying to make mainstream music more authentic. I’m speaking on boosting the artists that can really sing live, really play instruments, and truly know how to move a live audience. No singing over pre-recorded vocals or lip singing live. It’s way over due (and time) to change the narrative.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

We have to start supporting independent artist more. All artists in general.

If you really like an artists work (specifically music in this case) purchase it and help him or her grow. With record sales being at an all time low and streaming services providing pennies…artists are not getting what they deserve monetarily. The latter is sad because a lot of time and energy is put into their work.

The above goes for all other artists as well. Painters, graphic artist, sculptors etc. Support these people!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Jahah_Berry
• Facebook: Jahah Love

Image Credits
Supah Love