"Back in the days, it used to be all about KRS, Rakim, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane..." reminisces Jean-Jacques Cadet - A.K.A. J-Live. "When you listened to Hip Hop, the best emcees just seemed to get better every year. That's what I'm trying to do with my music."

J-Live's proficiency at DJ-ing and wordplay demand appreciation. On his first single, "Longevity" b/w "Braggin' Writes," the twenty year old Harlem-native returned listeners to an era of gimmickless rhyme ingenuity and content. The single's double dose of dopeness went on to become one of 1995's most critically acclaimed independent releases, featured in The Source's "Unsigned Hype" and The Vibe's "Notes from the Underground," and getting an honorable mention for Butter B-side of the year in Rap Pages' "Butter Awards." Available only on vinyl, it sold in excess of 10,000 copies, while getting "heavy ro" on the mix-shows across the country.

The new single, "Can I get it?" b/w "Hush the Crowd" follows up on the promise of his debut, proving that J-Live with the mic is still like a chef with a blade. As on J-Live's debut, Raw Shack's founder - Georges Sulmers - handled the production duties. The A-side - "Can I get it?" - is in the tradition of the great storytelling records of hip hop's past. With pinpoint accuracy, J paints a vivid portrait of a day in the life of the young gun DJ. Navigating through such occupational hazards as rascist cab drivers, sheisty promoters, and perpetrating party people, J rides this gritty nod-inducing groove with flavor like only a live spin doctor can.

The B-side - "Hush the Crowd" - further illustrates J-Live's penchant for compelling content. While the childlike bell melody seduces the ears with controlled, diggin'-in-the-crate fervor, J insightfully addresses the dilemma all up-and-coming emcees face in their travels. "Nowadays," says J, "people are hesitant to give props to something that they're not familiar with. So, when you're not getting any love, you've got to turn the negative into a positive and look at it like they're speechless because you're so dope."

As an added treat, the single includes a remix of "Braggin' Writes." The potent combination of sophisticated lyrics and live scratching made the original an underground smash. On the remix, the recipe is curried by production sensation DJ Spinna (De La Soul, Das EFX, Busta Rhymes). The impeccable reverb-heavy piano track is laced with J flipping a new arensal of head cracking verses, taking the song to entirely new heights.

Excelling in the founding disciplines of Hip Hop music, J-Live embodies the essence of what worn out cliches like "keep it real" and "staying true" were once really about. He's graduated from pause tape beats to a successful debut establishing him as one of the underground's most impressive noisemakers.