Zombie Juice Chooses Love

May 18, 2023

As soon as Zombie Juice joins our Zoom call, the California sun radiates through the screen, illuminating his joyful expression. With over a decade of experience in traversing the rap landscape, the Flatbush Zombies member boasts the wisdom and aura of a shaman. Their legacy extends beyond merely introducing Black and Brown youth to the world of psychedelics. In a genre dominated by braggadocious materialism and flexing, The Flatbush Zombies have drawn attention to the mental health crises and trauma endemic in many urban areas. Their commitment to this mission continues with Zombie Juice's debut album, "Love Without Conditions," where he deftly explores vulnerability and healing.

In our interview, he described the album as a deeply personal and intimate conversation. Get ready to dive into the mind of one of rap's most introspective artists.

Interview by Jard Lerebours
Photography by Ellington Hammond

Did you get a chance to listen to the album?

Yeah, I've been listening to y'all for a really long time since “Thug Waffles” so it was pretty nice getting to listen to the album early.

That’s crazy, we all grew up together. We're about 30 years old now, huh? It’s wild.

You've been active for over a decade now. How do you see Beast Coast and your legacy in hip hop?

Nine times out of ten when I leave my house, somebody's gonna come up to me and say, dude, you helped me get through high school and changed the way I look at certain things or you helped me get through a traumatic experience. So for the Flatbush Zombie legacy, I hear that all the time. It was special, the Beast Coast thing. So maybe I'm not a fucking Grammy recording, winning artist, but I have a legacy that has touched people for over 10 years.

That’s such a beautiful answer. How important was New York and Flatbush in establishing your sound?

Well, I didn't get adopted by my grandparents till I was seven years old. I used to steal CDs and tapes from my cousins and my aunts and just listen to all the classic music. I was over there getting in trouble at seven, eight years old for rapping Ol’ Dirty Bastard, not knowing what the fuck it meant. I didn’t understand what Flatbush was till I got older and started hustling. Being on the streets really shaped the music too because now I'm talking about my life stories and things of that nature.

I remember the acronym that Flatbush Zombies coined, “Death and Reincarnation Under God.” Do psychedelics still play a large role in your work?

Um, I didn't know it played a large role, but it did obviously. But I never noticed it because I was just in the moment and doing it, even though we talk about acid in like 50% of our songs. When I was younger and I tripped, I was trying to go places and then turn into a fucking wizard that can make shit move and levitate. But I don't do that anymore, I got shit to do. I got kids. I don't rely on psychedelics for music.

How does it feel releasing your debut solo album?

Shit, around the time that Covid hit Meech, Erick and I were trying to figure out what to do next. The computer crashed and we actually lost all of our music. I feel like when you separate from the pack for a second, it gives people the opportunity to just judge you. And that was desperately needed for my soul, because I just wanted to be judged for myself. I always say to myself, I can't forgive myself for being 30 years old and just starting my Spotify page.

If you're just going by your own definition of love or what you see on TV, that's not going to fly. I'm not looking for you to fucking bow down and wash my back everyday, just show up when you can and I'll show up when I can.

When I was listening, I noticed a lot of songs where you were singing. Do you feel like that shift in sound relates to the subject content that you're dealing with?

It kind of started from me at home listening to Lo Fi beats on YouTube. I felt like most people knew me for high energy and fast raps. I realized that expressing your feelings didn’t have to always mean yelling or having high energy. I like to say that if you know me or you want to know me or you want to hang out with me, listen to the album. This album definitely feels conversational.

What are the ideas that you want listeners to take away from the conversation?

We're not fucking superheroes. We might be super humans but we're not superheroes. We're vulnerable, real life happens. Right now we’re in an era where the whole world is on some influencer shit, some social media shit, everyone just wants to flex. For my debut album, I didn't want to add on to that pile of music. You mentioned the word Black earlier and all of us have to heal, especially the black community. The Black community's been broken and part of the reason why it's broken is because our parents are so traumatized. Our generation is more in tune with ourselves and healing, now we're trying to teach our kids the new shit but our kids are computers. Things are moving and changing so fast.

You touch on things like generational trauma on the album. How does it feel being so vulnerable?

It’s healing for me. I've been doing reiki and energy healings, going to therapy and things like that for the last seven, eight years of my life. For instance, me talking about my mother, all the fucking time is real. I don't celebrate my birthday because I feel guilty for being alive. Making the album helped me grow. It helped me say, okay, maybe I should celebrate my birthday this year. When is your birthday? It was July 8th man. My lover said we should go to New York for my birthday and I was like, I'm not gonna fight you. So we went to fucking New York. I was calling my friends and my family. I wanted to stay positive and show gratitude for life. Everyday is a blessing.

Talking about blessings, on your song “Fly” off the new album you address your son. What was it like making a song for him?

Ah man that shit was hella fucking fun. I actually was listening to that beat on YouTube for months before I knew I wanted to make a song on it. I start it off with “Every day is a new day. Don't bring that negativity from yesterday to today.” That's something I tell my kid all the fucking time. Grow up. Take accountability. Wash that shit off. Tomorrow's a new day. Let's get it right. It was easy to have a conversation through the music because I'm a writer.

Has your son listened to it. How did he react?

Yeah, yeah, he loved it. He was like, yo mom woke me up and said your dad fucking did it. He fucking killed this album, like we’re listening to this shit right now. He was into it. I always tell him the story about my mom but the fact that he felt it more and really understood it to the music is you know. Like I said, fuck a Grammy nigga. That's the Grammy.

I know that the title of the album is Love without Conditions. What does that look like to you?

I was reading some fucking book, I forgot what it was called and the author mentioned love without conditions. When I read those words I realized I've been searching for love without conditions since I was fucking born because I didn't get that. From a relationship point of view, niggas really look at girls as bitches or like a lick. It’s degrading. One of the most important things I learned about love without conditions was that if you care enough, you need to figure out how your person needs to receive love so that they can feel safe and so that they can feel honored. If you're just going by your own definition of love or what you see on TV, that's not going to fly. I'm not looking for you to fucking bow down and wash my back everyday, just show up when you can and I'll show up when I can.

Music

Jesse Jo Stark Is in a Genre of Her Own

April 19, 2024

In the midst of a total solar eclipse, I got the chance to talk about music and style with Jesse Jo Stark.

As I’m on the phone with her from New York, Stark is on a tour bus with The Veronicas, driving through the Colorado mountains to enjoy some time off in between shows. The Veronicas have just started their Gothic Summer North American Tour, and Stark is opening the show. What’s special about this tour for the lifelong music obsessive is the sense of powerful feminine energy encapsulating the tour. “We just started [tour], but it’s been really lovely. I’m obsessed with the fact that we’re all women — it feels like a very powerful crew. The Veronicas are lovely, the crowds have been so fun, and the venues are beautiful. It’s gonna be a good month.”

Photography Sophia-Liv Maguire
Styling Marc Eram
Interview Angelina Hazzouri
Talent Jesse Jo Stark
Hair Antoine Martinez with PARADIS using Roz Hair
Makeup Sydney Szramowski
Photo Assistants Mia O’Neal, Rashaun Richardson
BTS Ms Josephine
Creative Producer Olivia Roper-Caldbeck

This is Stark’s second time touring since the release of her full-length debut album DOOMED in late 2022, which was very well received and led to Stark’s first sold-out international headlining tour on behalf of the album. Previous to her solo tour, she’s opened for various notable acts, such as Guns N’ Roses and Jane’s Addiction. I asked Stark, who’s been writing and playing music since age 11, what it was like to prepare for her first sold-out headlining tour. Unsurprisingly, before any tour, Stark goes into what she describes as “bootcamp mode” — dancing every day, vocal training, rehearsing with her band, and of course, working on her outfits. “That’s the sort of homework I love,” she says, smiling. (Even though we’re on the phone, I can tell she’s smiling when she talks about the outfit part. I’d smile too if I had her tour closet.)

What’s unique about Stark as a musician is that she has ultimately created her own universe by embracing every aspect of her creative upbringing, her raw talent, her fascinating influences, and her unwavering beliefs in not needing to fit into a certain box when it comes to her art. She creative-directs and styles all her own looks, referencing an ever-evolving list of influences that range from Vegas showgirls to Halloween to old films to her parents in the 90s. “I think when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from,” she tells me, “but now it’s just my blood. I constantly reflect on my childhood and everything I was taught and everything I saw. My brother and sister and I are constantly pulling influences from our parents from the past. I think, more than ever, I’m heavily influenced by them.”

Stark, the daughter of founders and owners of the self-made American fashion brand Chrome Hearts, and now its creative director and designer, is someone who always knew what she liked, but as she describes it, had to ‘go through the motions’ that come with growing up and knowing one’s identity. Today, her self-efficacy is palpable — and it’s inspiring.

...when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from, but now it’s just my blood.

When she’s on tour, Stark is growing with herself and with her art — she’s not afraid to take life as it comes and learn through the process. With every show, regardless of whether it was on her DOOMED tour or this tour with The Veronicas, Stark understands the importance of human connection through music. Seeing faces of music lovers like herself, meeting those who have traveled to see her, and visiting familiar and unfamiliar cities has reminded her that she loves being on the road. “The growth that happens on tour is so important to me as an artist.” Sometimes we have to leave behind what’s familiar in order to rediscover what’s important, and Stark is a proponent of this growth mindset.

Growth doesn’t just happen on tour with Stark — this evolution of herself happens within genre as well, and for Stark there’s no such thing. Since her first release Driftwood in 2017, the artist’s sound has shifted year after year, but in a harmonious way that still feels central to her gothic Americana roots. When asked if she’ll experiment with genre in the future, Stark confidently answers, “I think I’ve only experimented with genre. I don’t think anyone knows what genre I am.” (She calls herself a “horrific hillbilly” — a perfect descriptor.) Steadfast in her belief that we as humans can constantly evolve in our work, Stark thinks it’s antiquated to fit yourself into a certain box and focus on one specific trade in order to succeed. “If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time. I want to experience different things.”

Since Driftwood, a two-song EP rooted in rock and country, Stark has experimented with more robust beats and 808s on DOOMED, and her most recent single “skeleton” features a softer, grungier punk sound. Without fitting into a specific genre, Stark’s music is undoubtedly and wholeheartedly her own, transcending the boundaries of what many artists struggle with when finding their sound. “I don’t think we should have to label ourselves in any way, shape, or form; so I’m not going to. I will continue to make all types of different music.” Fuck yeah.

If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time.

This goes beyond just music — in terms of her personal style, the same mentality applies. We discuss the idea that clothing and dressing is a sort of playground, and personal style comes from within. Stark isn’t about following trends, but rather, she thinks it’s important to tap into different stylistic elements that amplify who we are at our cores. On her DOOMED tour, Stark wore a lot of leather and stuck to a fairly dark color palette. Right now, she’s into more bourgeois satin and lace, experimenting with different textures and wearing things that feel slightly daintier and more delicate. On this current tour with the Veronicas, Stark is making it more of a point to take everything in — absorbing inspiration from every city, writing songs on the road, recording video on a friend’s super 8 camera, styling and wearing new outfits, learning and performing new covers — ultimately growing through the whole experience.

It’s endearing and inspiring how well Stark knows herself. A Los Angeles native, she proudly tells me that the tour finishes on May 5 in her hometown, a show that she’s especially excited for. While we can’t predict what thoughtfully-curated outfit she’ll wear or what songs will be performed, with new music already underway, one thing is clear: Jesse Jo Stark is just getting started.

Music

9lives' Latest Single Continues to Push Sigilkore

April 19, 2024

The versatile artist, producer, and pioneer of the sigilkore genre, 9lives, has recently unveiled his latest single "CANADA" featuring jnhygs. In less than two years since his emergence onto the music scene, 9lives has carved out an impressive niche for himself as a prominent figure within the digitally-driven sigilkore movement. "CANADA" sees him teaming up once again with experimental dance artist jnhygs, following their successful collaboration on "XTAYALIVE".

With aspirations to establish himself within the mainstream arena of experimental music production and artistry, 9lives is blending his distinct dark production style with collaborations with a diverse array of influential artists who trust him to create innovative sonic landscapes. "CANADA" marks his second release of 2024, as 9lives continues to champion the burgeoning sigilkore movement, pushing the boundaries of genre, evolving into a multifaceted artist, and solidifying his status as a rising star with an expanding audience.

Image by Connor Pritchard

Reflecting on their latest project, 9lives shares, “In early 2023 jnhygs found my music and we started chatting through TikTok, releasing our first song together called "XTAYALIVE"." He adds, We’ve been friends since this song had a viral moment, and fans have been heavily requesting for us to work together again all over our videos.” Describing their creative process, he explains, “I sent a bunch of new ideas to jnhygs via Discord and she sent back vocals to “CANADA”, which I then used to create melodic layers and extra percussion to complete the song.

Music

Eclipsed at Vampire Weekend

April 16, 2024

It had been about a week since the goosebump-inducing communal howls at the moon, as it covered the sun through a cloudy Austin, Texas sky, left me needing to take a seat—suspended in awe of the totality of the event and the synergistic break from routine. I overheard someone say, “I mean, it feels like we’re all going to die, but in a way that’s okay, you know?" under the shadow of the eclipse's peak, ceremoniously brought in as the band performed “Jonathan Low,” (in Vampire Weekend's familiar ironic hue) a track they wrote for the third movie in the Twilight series, Eclipse.

It had been five years since the band had released an album. In celebration of their latest album, "Only God Was Above Us," ticket holders wrapped the streets in blocks outside the venue for the band’s first Stateside show in about two years. Event managers searched to replenish the venue’s stock of eclipse glasses, while the band prepped a show reminiscent of 'getting the boys back together again'.

Words and photography by Rianne Akindele

In between newly released songs like “Classical” and “Capricorn”, the boys filled the almost two-hour-long show with old favorites like “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”, “Diane Young” and a genre evolved rendition of “Sunflower” as the crowd danced barefoot feeling the Earth’s energy intertwined with their own and the vibrations from the amps on stage. People stole glances at the imminently darkening sky, artists doodled, friends grabbed onto each other to scream the lyrics in each other’s faces, and onlookers from the highest level of the parking garage across the street cheered on in a symphony of nostalgia and anticipation.

Adding to the layers of the celestial afternoon, the band invited to the stage the likes of Thomas Mars from Phoenix, Dave 1 from Chromeo, and guitarist Brian Robert Jones, inducing further levels of indie revival euphoria.

As the show drew to its close, and the zydeco/country-rock “Cocaine Cowboys” medley fiddled through the air, a conversation could be picked up between two sisters in search of their Lyft driver through closed-off streets,

“I wish this happened more often.”
“Eclipses or shows like this?”
“Both.”

It’s moments like these that remind us of our shared humanity and the power of collective experiences; a gathering of souls under the same sky, sharing the joy of music and a wonder of the stars above. Perhaps it’s the rarity that allowed such transcendence, reverence, and gratitude to be felt. Either way, what a beautiful moment in time it was.

Here are a few shots from the Monday afternoon: