With his new single, a catchy tune filled with island flavor titled Bamboo Tree, New York-born “Rastaman-at-heart” CJ Fly hopes to further connect to the Jamaican and Bajan cultures he was raised with. Bamboo Tree is a standalone song “for the fans” as CJ Fly would state, but can be taken as an indication of what can be expected from the newly-independent Hip Hop artist as he embarks on a new era of music in his already remarkable career. Speaking to Carib Voxx he discussed topics ranging from culture and social issues to next steps in music, as well as his favorite Jamaican artists.
The fiery energy and friendly demeanor splashed all over CJ’s discography and social media was instantly noticed as he entered the zoom call. “Wah gwaan!” he welcomed, dressed in a white tee and trademark crocheted red, green and gold cap. He is one to at times slip into Jamaican Patois, exclaiming “Mandem ‘ungryy’ zimmi!” as he prepared a salad for lunch. We jumped right into the interview with him answering a question about how Covid-19 has affected his interaction with fans.“Honestly, the internet is a beautiful tool. You know, if I [were] an artist from the early 2000s or the ’90s, I wouldn’t be able to keep it going like how I’m keeping it going right now. I have fans on Discord. I have fans on Instagram and Twitter. I respond to everybody.” He also enjoys playing video games with fans via popular live stream gaming platform Twitch. CJ names Call of Duty: Warzone among his favorite games.
“I have a Twitch account that I play video games on. I play a lot of games with the fans. Through video games, I’ve been able to have some dope conversations and meet some of my cool supporters and [even] end up becoming friends with some of them.” Aside from that, CJ Fly has been spending his free periods under lockdown teaching himself the ins and outs of ‘yardie’ cuisine and his new venture, music production. “I’ve been making the best of it. I’m trying not to let the standstill moments right now take away from me and my creativity, and me being the best me I can be. I’ve been learning different things [like] learning to produce and how to cook more ‘yaad food’…you know?”
Moving on to discuss his newest single Bamboo Tree, CJ explains the difference in sound from his previously more urban works. He recognizes his dad (“Shout out Papa Fly!”) for the encouragement of making music closer to his paternal culture.“He’s been telling me to make this music from the beginning of my career. Just true I never had the beat. I wasn’t really trying to make a song that was gonna blow up with someone else’s riddim.”
He is referring to the custom in Jamaican dancehall of several songs being released on the same instrumental. While common, when it is done without the original producer’s consent it can come with dire legal consequences.“I might make a tune on a Sean Paul or Vybz Kartel riddim and somebody reach out to me and seh ‘Yo cease and desist, you have to pull this down’. So knowing that I made sure I took my time and…waited until I had my own riddim”. The rapper’s goal has always been to stay true to his roots with his music. He remembers fondly his childhood travels to Jamaica, saying the local music has always been an influence on him. CJ also unabashedly declared that Hip Hop music would not exist without Jamaica, crediting DJ Kool Herc for the founding of the iconic genre. Rudebwoy, CJ’s latest album, was done the way it was to pay homage to the creation of hip hop and his culture’s hand in that process.
“[Bamboo Tree] is a one-off song unless it blows up and I have to do a whole project like it. I didn’t know my audience would love it as much as they do”, CJ Fly chuckles as he recounts.“Now that I got the confirmation [from my fans] and the demand is there [for similar music], I’m gonna feed the audience”.
Though CJ’s Caribbean heritage contains two cultures, he is quick to point out that his father’s roots took precedence over his Bajan mother’s. CJ Fly reminisces on his youth spent watching Passa Passa and learning moves and routines created by Jamaican dancers. “Being always able to watch all these people and study that and connect with them is a beautiful thing. It always gave me that motivation I needed. Ye man! Jamaican culture is very important to me. I’m definitely heavily influenced by everything going on [in Jamaica] from the food to the dance culture, to the dialect, to the music, to the style.” At the mention of style, he proudly gestures to his crochet hat. He plans on carrying on that cultural legacy as a father. He recently announced on social media that his girlfriend is expecting.
“I have no choice! Jamaican culture is so strong that it’s undeniable. The baby is gonna be speaking in Patois and Spanish”. CJ is enjoying his new status as an independent artist. Bamboo Tree is his first piece of work as such. The song, a collaboration between him and Florida based DJ and producer, Parris, pushes a message of love for women of all shapes and sizes. CJ Fly speaks of the importance of music uplifting women and the roles that women have played personally in his life.
“In Hip Hop there’s a lot of disrespect [towards] women. How about we talk about what women do for us? I can’t ever take credit for the work that [my partner] has done to help me be as progressive as I am right now. My mother is a very big influence on who I am as a person right now. I have to pay homage to the woman dem. My grandmothers are [also] very big pillars of my family. I want my influence to be to honor our women and to continue to praise them and raise them”.
This isn’t the first time CJ has taken on social issues with his music. He continues to be an artist making conscious music about the world around him. Barrel, off of his Rudebwoy album, describes an incident visiting Jamaica as a youth and getting pulled over by police on a car ride with his father. The song delineates the rapper’s emotions staring down the barrel of a gun and explains how that experience influenced his outlook on life from then on. He spoke passionately about the prejudiced principles passed down to us from our colonizers and how it has caused a rift between persons within the same race.
“It’s a cycle. The same way we are taught hate, we end up hating each other. When I was younger, the reason I stopped going to Jamaica was because the sun was so hot and my skin was changing every time. I didn’t even realize ‘til I got older how horrible that was, that I didn’t want to get blacker because I thought I would be uglier. The fact that I was whitewashed so much to think that way is sad to me. I never want my people to think that if they get a tan that they would be less beautiful than they were before because that’s not the truth”.
Sharing some of his favorite Jamaican artists, CJ named Vybz Kartel, Bob Marley, Popcaan and Chronixx. He also voiced his appreciation for the women dominating the Jamaican music space and spoke of his dreams of getting Jada Kingdom, Spice, Shenseea and Koffee on tracks with him.
“I have tons of songs that [these artists] would sound great on! I feel like that will be obtainable as I continue to build myself up. That’s the goal. To continue to build up my brand and my sound and share it with the world after that”.
Bamboo Tree is now streaming on all music platforms. Follow CJ Fly on all social media outlets for the latest updates on him and his upcoming music.
