We were lucky to catch up with Jay Deru recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jay thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned how to make music by studying all of my favorite artist and people. I used to watch interviews and freestyles from my favorite artist and pick apart each line and study everything from their hand movements to their energy. Knowing what i know now, i know that the only thing stopping me is me and if i had known that before i would’ve stopped myself from getting in my own way. I think that most important skills in my field is work ethic and articulation. Your work ethic is whats going to grow your talent and without one the other won’t survive too long. How well you articulate your thoughts also plays a part in how well a record will be. The one thing stopping me from learning more is my finances. It costs to make art and sometimes you got to put that aside to make ends meet.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m Jay Deru. Rapper extraordinaire, part time singer, southside playboy. I just love to make music and i love the arts. I been writing since the third grade but i really started out as a poet. That translated to me singing in choirs and eventually i started actually rapping in high school. I started recording in actual studios after high school and that opened alot of doors for me. I been performing in open mics since high school and kept building in local open mics in nearby cities. That helped build my buzz and grow my fanbase to the level it is now. What sets me apart from everyone else is my voice and my overall rapping ability. I’m a passionate person and it comes out in line i speak into a mic. My love of the music is what drives me and my biggest goal is to sell out Madison Square Gardens. Until i’ve done that then i haven’t “made it” yet. I’m still putting in my 10’00 hours. I’m most proud of my upcoming album because it really shows how much i’ve grown as an artist. I put my full thoughts, my last dollar, and all of my time into making this album. i’m just putting the final touches on it before i left the world hear but i know that this album will be a classic. To all my potential fans i hope you stick around and enjoy this journey with me. I will be around for a long time and i promise that my story will be worth every minute.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing how it connects with people. I’ve had people from all different kinds of background and walks of life tell me how much my music has done for them and how it helps through certain situations and everyday life and it makes me feel great knowing that someone can relate to my life. Theres no better feeling than hearing people sing my songs word for word.

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

One day i will sell out Madison Square Gardens. I will have thousands of people singing my songs back to me and it will be the show of a lifetime. I will be one of the greatest rappers of my time and the world will know who i am.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Jayderu99
• Twitter: Jayderu99
• Youtube: JayDeru

Image Credits
Daniel ortiz Dani the deity Doctor hewitt