The Exclusive Jared Wesley Interview

Jared Wesley’s unique sound comes from the fact that for most of his childhood he listened to R&B / Soul, Alternative, and Pop music. In addition he wasn’t introduced to Hip-Hop until his early teen years and he first started making Hip-Hop music as a producer / engineer. Due to this exposure to different kinds of music, his ear for music as a producer / engineer and the fact he has never written a line it makes for a unique and unforgettable listening experience anytime you listen to a Jared Wesley record. His overall goal is to open the minds of individuals and make people more aware of the artistic element behind making Hip-Hop. Recently Jared unveiled his ideas to Jamsphere in an exclusive interview.

How long have you been in the music business and how did you get started in the first place?

Jared Wesley: I don’t consider myself in the “music business” I just make music and happened to get paid sometimes and I got started as a producer making beats in my room.

Who were your first musical influences that you can remember?

Jared Wesley: My first musical influences are MF Doom, Andre 3000 & Jay-Z

Which artists are you currently listening to? And is there anyone of these that you’d like to collaborate with?

Jared Wesley: I don’t have a particular artist I’m listening right now just anything that catches my ear on soundcloud and as far as collaborations I don’t see myself collaborating with anyone right now still have to focus on my brand

Have you suffered any ‘resistance’ from within the industry, and if so how have you handled that, and how do you handle criticism and naysayers in general?

Jared Wesley: I have suffered a lot of resistance from the industry due to me sounding different than the norm and doing my own thing and I have handled by making my own path and not needing the industry thanks to social media and music streaming / uploading platforms, as far as criticism I rarely get it from fans but as far as industry criticism I just ignore it, I look at it like I hear who you signed and they aren’t very good.

What are your thoughts on visual media and Youtube? Do think that video is an appropriate marketing tool for your music, and how do you produce your visual media?

Jared Wesley: Visual media and Youtube is a necessity this day and age and is a great marketing tool and I produce my visual media with a video production team

Which do you ultimately prefer? Entertaining a live audience or creating songs in a studio setting?

Jared Wesley: I like both equally

Essentially how do you produce your sound? Is it loops, samples and software based or do you also dabble real live instruments?

Jared Wesley: Right now I use loops, samples and software because I don’t have access to live instrumentation at this point in my career

8. Which piece of hardware or software would you consider the most essential in your Production setup?

Jared Wesley: Logic Pro

Which ingredient do you think makes you special and unique as a performing artist in a genre thriving with newcomers and wannabes?

Jared Wesley: My uniqueness the fact when you hear my music and my voice there is nothing else that sounds like it

If you were forced to choose only one, which emotion, more than any other drives you to be a part of this tough business. Is it joy, anger, desire, passion or pride and why?

Jared Wesley: Desire because I like proving people wrong and saying I was the first person to ever achieve success in this way

Which aspect of being an independent artist and the music making process excites you most and which aspect discourages you most?

Jared Wesley: What excites me the most is the fact I have full control of the product and what discourages me the most is my limited access as far as budgeting and connections

How do you market and manage your music career? Do you have a management team or do you control everything by yourself?

Jared Wesley: I market and manage my music career strictly through social media and I control everything myself

How do you achieve your great sound? Do you work exclusively a private home recording environment or do you use a commercial sound studio too?

Jared Wesley: I achieve my sound by understanding arrangements through me mixing all of my own work and I work exclusively in a private home recording environment

The best piece of advice in this business you actually followed so far, and one you didn’t follow, but now know for sure that you should have?

Jared Wesley: I have received no advice or no assistance that was not manufactured by myself thus is why I came to the conclusion I’m not in the music business just I regular guy who makes great music and has a pretty big following

Gives us your personal shortlist of hip hop’s 3 greatest producers – living or dead?

Jared Wesley: Flying Lotus, J Dilla, Pete Rock

Do you consider Internet and all the social media websites, as fundamental to your career, and indie music in general, or do you think it has only produced a mass of mediocre “copy-and-paste” artists, who flood the web, making it difficult for real talent to emerge?

Jared Wesley: I think it’s a little bit of both it helps great artist get noticed that might have not other wise but it also opens the flood gates to really bad artists as well

If someone has never heard your music, which 3 keywords would you personally use to describe your overall sound and style?

Jared Wesley: Original, Smooth, Deep

Straight off the top of your head, how would you describe the current state of Hip-hop?

Jared Wesley: A melting pot

As you work your way through your career, which more than any other fires-up your imagination – A Grammy award, Platinum music sales or some other tangible milestone?

Jared Wesley: I don’t care about any tangible milestone designed to make someone’s product seem superior or inferior, I just want to make great music and hope a lot of people like it and hear it one day.