We recently connected with Jeren Haywood and have shared our conversation below.
Jeren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always known that I was different from most people. From my fashion sense, music taste and even down to the way that I talk – it’s often been critiqued in a negative manner. Me being a humble person put me in a weird place in knowing what I like, but also never being accepted. Of course it’s transferred to my art, which I don’t mind. The part that I find myself not liking is being referred to as a “rapper”. To majority of society being a rapper might seem cool, but the identity term is so saturated and closed off to being more than that. Do I rap? Yes, better than most actually. Is that all that I am or do artistically? Not even close. So when people hear my music & automatically put me in the rapper box, it takes away from everything that I’ve done to showcase the music side. I do my own artwork, marketing, video content, beats, etc. to my liking and still end up as the “quiet guy who raps”. Honestly, it could just be me criticizing myself at this point. Because in the end, if I bring to fruition anything that I saw in my minds eye and I still like it – who cares? I think that’s the part that most artists forget about – especially these days. As I write this I realize that maybe being misunderstood is a good thing, because I’ll have a different perspective from anyone else doing what I do. In that brings a unique quality to my work that will be recognized by the masses soon.
Jeren, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I was born and raised in Dayton Ohio, where I fell in love with all art forms and creative ways of connecting with others. At 5 years young I learned how to play the drums from my dad. At 7 I started teaching myself how to play the keyboard and the rest is history. Now, at 26 I’m proud to say that I’m a music artist, producer, song writer, graphic designer and still adding skillsets to my creative arsenal. Having a unique upbringing that I’m working on talking about more freely has made a lot of fragments to my character. On the flip side, being a very layered and detailed person allows me to perform at a high quality level. I have a healthy obsession with food and I love to cook. I’ve actually started this ideology that all creatives are chefs, in a sense. We’re using various ingredients, methods and resources to fabricate a final product for others to enjoy. We’re upholding our craft to a certain standard out of the passion for it. During the creation process, I – and many others- refer to it as cooking. All of that sounds like a chef to me. My artistry and brand stands on that concept. Stay tuned for what layer the Chef peels back next.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My mission is to help retire my family and heal myself through this journey. I’m using the talents that I’ve been gifted to really dig into the inner workings of myself and find my true happiness. I know part of finding that space involves helping the people I love. I’m the type of person that gives to others in need when I can… “If I eat, you eat”
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I think non-creatives should remember that creatives need breaks from work too. We need time to heal, recoup, be inspired again, be weird, be sad, be human and experience life outside of “I need to make and post content everyday for 2 years straight so I don’t become irrelevant to society”. The real life experiences are what drives the creative mind – at least in high quality. Processing those experiences and regurgitating them into resonating art can take time. For me, it’s like cooking for someone – again with the food reference – would you prefer to have 10 pb&j sandwiches right now or a week’s worth of chicken parmesan from scratch? We know which one is better (if you like chicken parm), just takes more time and love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://unitedmasters.com/jdell
- Instagram: yxs.chxf
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thedelliii
- Other: TikTok: yxs.chxf
Image Credits
Alarmblu – Michael Shelton Kayday Photography