He followed this with the gold selling top 10 hit single "What Chu Want" again featuring Kulaia and Digga, this time introducing female rapper Lolly to the collective.
As a beatmaker, J-Wess is developing a new Australian urban sound - a hybrid of funk, R&B and hip-hop - for the year 2004 and beyond. It's not underground, it's not overground, and it's not commercial. It's now.
J-Wess hails from Los Angeles, California, the city that spawned Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg. He played basketball in college, entering the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), while studying Business Finance. J-Wess spent time on the basketball circuit in Florida and Nevada. But, before long, he'd travel even further afield.
In 1999, J-Wess was invited to head to Australia to play professionally - basketball had been steadily rising in popularity, and demand for top players was at a premium. Indeed, J-Wess was touted a gig with the NBL-affiliated Gold Coast Rollers in Queensland. Unfortunately, the team folded. J-Wess briefly returned home, only to get another chance to compete in Australia. This time, when J-Wess came over, he stayed. He was taken by the openness of the Australians. "Everyone here is pretty personable and they take you for yourself, not for your colour or anything, per se, it's pretty much how you act and what you say - they judge you on that."
And so J-Wess ended up Adelaide, joining the Woodville Warriors and later moving on to the South Adelaide Panthers, under the umbrella of the ABA. At the same time, J-Wess ventured out into Adelaide's club scene, where he befriended local DJ/producers like Nigel Reynolds, aka Agent 86/DJ Dumb. J's lifelong affinity with music saw him emerge as a key mover and shaker in Adelaide's burgeoning urban underground - promoting club nights with his new allies. He even tried his hand at DJing.
Growing up in LA, J-Wess was surrounded by music. His parents played Motown - Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Supremes - at home. As J-Wess matured, he tapped into the urban music culture in LA, where George Clinton, Dr Dre, DJ Quik and Raphael Saadiq were radio staples.
Sound Files (MP3)
*Luv Ya - from the album J Wess Presents Tha LP
*What Chu Want - from the album J Wess Presents Tha LP
*Bang This - from the album J Wess Presents Tha LP
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