A.Y.E. & The Extraordinary Gentlemen

Drawing influence from hip-hop’s Golden Era, backed by his tightly wound live band, The Extraordinary Gentlemen, Jahimba Hutson has built an identity around delivering music with emotional substance.

It’s a value so central to the rising Calgary rapper and producer, who performs as A.Y.E. (A Young Extraordinaire), that going forward he has his own name for his brand of music.

“My music is soul food, that’s what I want to establish and want people to take up,” he says, talking about his new album, Soul Food The Audiobiography Of….

The title of the album is fitting, as Hutson’s artistic evolution started with classic hip-hop’s conscious lyrics and smooth, lush beats, as evidenced by his use of live instrumentation.
“I’ve always had the mindset of performing with a live band even before I had a live band,” he says.

Hutson’s 2014 debut, 90 Now, was also a tribute to hip-hop classicism. His follow-up, Nox, saw him build on that style, taking it down what he describes as a darker direction. To capture the essence of soul food, this forthcoming release will add new dimensions to his evolution.

“I’d say there’s quite a bit of difference sonically, this new album is a little bit more feel good, it’s a little bit more instrumental,” says Hutson.

The new album’s title isn’t just a nod to the influence of soul music, it’s also a commentary on music’s current landscape and, as Hutson explains, there’s the literal sense that harkens back to Southern cuisine and a figurative sense of nourishing the mind.

“Soul food for me is like a way of life. I think you’ve got to feed your soul in life to sustain yourself,” says Hutson. “The other layer of soul food is how right now in music, fast food is really what’s going on.”

With his new album now ready for consumption, Hutson hopes listeners will introspectively add their own layers of meaning.

“I think the best thing is going to be for the listener to interpret what soul food is for them,” he says. - Beat Route Magazine

Happy doesn’t necessarily mean content.

Especially not when there’s so much more that you want to accomplish, that you can accomplish.

So while Calgary hip-hop artist Jahimba Hutson (a.k.a. A.Y.E.) may be pleased at where he’s at heading into 2015, thanks in large part to the release last year of his sensational 90 Now album, he’s certainly not about to sit back, put his Air Jordans up and rest on his laurels.

“I definitely haven’t been resting,” Hutson says.

“I think I established myself to a certain level but I think there’s a lot more to go. I feel comfortable, though, but the thing with music is it takes a little bit of time. Every year I’m hoping to gain a little bit more exposure, a little bit more awareness, experience — all of that good stuff.

“It’s been a great couple of years and I think this year will be awesome, for sure.”

He’ll kick it off in style on Friday night at Mount Royal University venue The Hub when he performs with his live backup band The Extraordinary Gentlemen — a reference to his own, non-acronated MC moniker, A Young Extraordinaire.

The six- or seven-piece outfit (it varies from show to show) will, Hutson hopes, help him “take people on a journey” over the course of the evening, with music from his short but bright career, most notably 90 Now. That release, a nod to the hip-hop that first influenced him, announced him as a major talent on the Canadian scene, and built a buzz on a modest international level, with him selling copies from “South Korea to L.A.” A label in France even released it in a limited edition run on vinyl.

But although it’s still very much a record that he’s working — he’s hoping to drop some videos for it in the next few months — Hutson, again, is forging ahead on a pair of other projects that should see the light of day in the coming months. One is an album called Nox (Latin for “night”), that he’s producing with his guitarist Ben Gould and it’s one he describes as “more personal … something that a lot of people can relate to.” The second project is one that’s “hip-hop based, but reggae influenced,” which is a nod to his early musical upbringing, as a member of his father Iwango Jahfire’s local reggae institution Strugglah.

Both forthcoming efforts, as well as 90 Now, reflect Hutson’s unwillingness to “marginalize” himself as an artist, as well as his wish to “stay creative” and experiment, while being true to his “love for all kinds of music.”

“I don’t want to keep myself in a box, and I want to keep people on their toes as well,” he says, saying it’s all part of a five-year plan he has to establish himself and define himself.

“I’m hoping people will accept that I might go here, I might go there, I might jump back to that. There is always that possibility that people won’t know where I’ll go next and it could be a negative, but I think it could be more of a positive that will come from that.”

From his track record thus far, it’s doubtful that it will be anything but positive on a purely artistic and creative level.

On a more careerist side? Again, he doesn’t seem too concerned with that, even though the stakes soon could be raised considerably and that five-year timetable jump-started a little sooner than planned.

Hutson has apparently also found himself on the radar of the big leagues, with the artist having received an e-mail from one of this country’s major labels informing him that an A& R rep will be in attendance on Friday night.

Sure, he admits he’s “excited” by the prospects of taking his music to another level, a larger audience, Hutson isn’t getting too carried away or counting on anything coming from it.

Still, the fact someone from a major label is coming to Calgary to check out a homegrown hip-hop artist isn’t something that’s lost on him.

“I know, right? It’s kind of unreal. I was blown away when I heard it,” he says.

“It puts a lot of things in perspective … There are a lot of things going on in this city, music-wise, for a lot of different artists in different genres.

“It’ll be a really good year, for sure.”

A.Y.E. and The Extraordinary Gentlemen perform Friday night at The Hub in Mount Royal University. - Mike Bell, Calgary Herald

When it comes to children and their talents, parents are either brutally honest or incredibly delusional. So it’s usually a good idea to temper what they may tell you and find out for yourself. But not always.

A couple of years ago, Iwango Jahfire from veteran Calgary reggae act Strugglah was enthusing over his son’s aspiring rap career, doing his daddy diligence by putting bugs in ears about his boy Jahimba Hutson, who was leaving behind his keyboard duties in his father’s band to explore his MC skills.

Since that time, Hutson, on his own and under the name A.Y.E. (A Young Extraordinare), has more than proven that pride was well-placed, not naive, by becoming one of the city’s most buzzed about and truly exciting young, underground hip-hop artists — releasing an EP, singles and collaborating with some of the scene’s more established acts who are also true believers.

And there’s much more to come, on all fronts.

“The last couple of months has been crazy and a blessing for me,” says Hutson, when tracked down in Ogden recording den Infamous, where he’s working on several projects including a full-length ’90s style hip-hop record set for a spring release.

“I’ve just been fortunate enough to have been provided with a studio and have the opportunity to create, indefinitely, just keep creating.”

That’s good news for local hip-hop fans and the music community in general, as the 22-year-old already has the skills and the drive to break out of the oft-maligned and marginalized scene and do something on a grander scale. Wednesday night could actually be one big step toward that as he’ll get a 15-minute, high-profile opening slot on the Pusha T show at the Marquee Beer Market and Stage, where he’ll get to show how far he’s come, where he’s at and say “look out.”

Hutson actually made the decision to pursue this particular musical direction after, as a 16-year-old, spending some time touring with Strugglah but soon realizing it wasn’t something he saw himself doing down the road. While reggae was a constant in his life, hip-hop soon pulled him in and won him over as he realized he was actually suited to life with the mic.

From there he began honing those talents and crafting his own style that, vocal wise, is so light, soulful and effortless it, at times, eases into a more fluid, R & B delivery. He’s also heavy on the positive tip, with his sensational eight-track Goodbye EP bringing nothing but up vibes all around, and other singles — such as Keep It Real, the sad and gorgeous It’s All Good, and Dream, released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have A Dream speech. — only further illuminating his sunny way.

“When I first started I was trying to be like everybody else, but something clicked in, like, ‘You can follow or lead your own path.’ I want to lead my own path,” Hutson says of his approach. “It took me about a year after ... to get my thing straight. I chose not to follow, just be different, so when I release a record, it’s not like ... it sounds like something people have heard before.

“I want to stand out, not stand in.”

Again, he has.

So much so that others in the community have began championing him, including Calgary pioneers Dragon Fli Empire. In fact, that longtime act’s MC Teekay (a.k.a. Tarik Robinson) chose to use A.Y.E. as the vocalist for the title track of Teekay’s recently released Psyychology, a collaboration-compilation featuring the best and brightest of the new crew.

Hutson is as appreciative of the backing as he is the opportunity to learn from an act that’s been fighting the good fight and paving the way for young prairie rappers like him for the past decade.

“It’s a big thing for me to have Tarik behind me and supporting me because the amount of work that they’ve put in and what they’ve done for Calgary and hip-hop all around, they’re just really good people,” he says. “It’s definitely a good thing ... what they have to share with me and teach me along the way.”

And as to how he feels about still having to fight that fight, to kick aside the stigma that comes with the 403 or 587 area codes, Hutson says it’s still an issue but only one that makes him more focused, more driven to do something special with the gifts he has.

“I feel a little bit of that sometimes. But you’ve got to keep pushing, just do what you do and don’t let that faze you,” he says.

“Just keep doing the music because that’s what’s most important.”

A.Y.E. opens for Pusha T Wednesday at the Marquee Beer Market and Stage.

mbell@calgaryherald.com

Twitter.com/mrbell_23

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald - Mike Bell (Calgary Herald)

On Sept. 12, our friends over at True Rhythm brought Joey Bada$$ through Calgary for his only two Canadian shows on the Beast Coast Tour. Following an early all-ages show at the Alibi Room, Joey rolled over to Republik Nightclub for his 18-plus set. Though Joey didn’t hit the stage until after 1 a.m., the older YYC crowd warmed up with host Bedroc Ox, as well as a few opening acts.

Okay, there were more than just a few opening acts. There were way too many openers and not enough people in the crowd. It came across as an amateur open mic night for MC wannabes. The few people who were at Republik at the ungodly early hour of 11 p.m. filtered outside to drench their lungs in nicotine and engage in friendly banter. There are only so many “How many of you smoke weed?” inquisitions that a crowd can endure. It’s kind of like dealing with the persistent guy at the bar who won’t let down. But you feel bad for him because he’s trying so hard to be cool. So you go AWOL and smoke out in front of Republik Nightclub.

Thankfully, the performance quality improved as the night wore on. Local MC Avious performed his first show – ever – and turned the crowd right up. He’s a natural performer with killer enthusiasm and literary mastery. And he gets bonus brownie points for being one of the few openers who didn’t ask the crowd about their marijuana usage. Emmett Lotus and Tru-ly also dropped some dope rhymes on the microphone. Dragon Fli Empire duo, Teekay and DJ Cosm, took the stage at 12:40 p.m. as the final opening act of the night.

Teekay was worried that he’d get booed off the stage by the seemingly impatient crowd. But Calgary has so much love for DFE. When Teekay whipped out two PsYYChology albums to throw into the crowd, people went nuts. Seeing Calgarians fight for a free cop of a DFE album is a beautiful thing. Then Teekay invited A.Y.E. on to the stage to perform the hit “PsYYChology” track off of the album. Everyone was shaking.

At 1:15 a.m., Joey Bada$$ took the stage with DJ Statik Selektah and Kirk Knight. Joey lit up a joint and started puffing away. Some folks seemed floored by this. But come on. He’s Joey Bada$$. He’s got a badass reputation to uphold. But by far, the most badass shenanigans Joey got up to was pouring water bottles on the audience. See, Joey is of legal age in Canada. But in the U.S., he’s still considered a minor. Which means he can’t legally get down with the alcoholic beverages in public. So he’s not accustomed to popping bottles of Henny over his fans, yet. But he seemed to thoroughly enjoy making it rain with that H20.

Joey performed all of his hits, as well as some newer material off the Summer Knights mixtape. The Souls of Mischief homage track, “95 Til Infinity” was definitely the crowd-favourite. It was also probably the only newer Joey joint that the tag-along attendees had heard. But the Collie Buddz-assisted banger, “My Yout,” also turned things up a notch (even though Buddz wasn’t there to grace the audience with his presence).

Kirk Knight took some time to spit his solo stuff on the microphone, too. Joey and Kirk are longtime friends from Flatbush. They formed the Pro Era crew with CJ Fly, Powers Pleasant and the late Capital STEEZ while they were in highschool. Kirk is also looking to get into the game as a solo MC. He’s dropping his forthcoming solo project very soon. The duo rocked matching camouflage-print bucket hats. It was fantastic.

When Kirk wasn’t performing his solo material, he hid off on the side of the stage. He sat on the staircase with his microphone and performed backing vocals from the comfort of his seat. Evidently, he was exhausted and didn’t have the energy to rouse the crowd. But Joey had that handled. He had everyone hopping, and singing along. Selektah seemed uncomfortable in his role as the Pro Era chaperone. At one point, he discreetly motioned for Kirk Knight to get up and join Joey on stage. But Kirk played it all passive-aggressive and ignored Statik. Other than that, Statik occasionally tossed out some grunts and hype-talk at the crowd. But he let Joey run the show.

The show wrapped up shortly after 2 a.m. Joey had been going non-stop since 7 p.m. and his night wasn’t even done yet. First he attended a fan meet-and-greet at the Alibi Room. Then he performed at the Alibi Room. Then he performed at Republik. But he still had another meet-and-greet to endure before he could call it a night.

Statik Selektah hung around after the show to schmooze with his diehard fans. The rest of the concertgoers headed out for the night, with newly renewed Bada$$ status. Joey won’t be hitting up Calgary during his upcoming Smoker’s Club Tour. But we’ll be waiting for him to come back and pay us another visit. - Sarah Jay Sussman (Hip Hop Canada)

For all the grumbling about Calgary having a lacklustre rap scene, there’s been a surge of young emcees emerging in the city of late. Incidentally, each seem to be fitting nicely into larger trends in the genre, with Zouk Fuck covering the minimalist, Odd Future base, New’L getting a speedy, Mac Miller-esque flow down, and Transit experimenting with the Grieves/Macklemore recipe.

Get ready to add another name to the mix. He goes by A.Y.E., standing for A Young Extraordinaire. The dude’s only 21. He’s played music for years with his dad’s reggae group, Strugglah, and perhaps because of this diverse understanding of music — not to mention a wicked talent for producing — he might represent the most refined sound of the bunch, even with all the assorted skills represented by the other local young’uns.

“I knew I wanted to do the hip-hop definitely at the age of 16 or 17,” he says. “It was the same time I was playing with my dad’s band, and I just felt that there was something with the hip-hop — just with the time I grew up in, hip-hop was pretty relevant. It just felt right.”

Comparisons to contemporaries aren’t quite as simple with A.Y.E. as with other up-and-coming locals. There are hints of Talib Kweli in his tone, a trace of J. Cole in his rhyming schemes and nods to the storytelling style of Common or Nas in his lyricism. He doesn’t let such influences become too overbearing, instead relying on a combination of his high-quality, self-produced beats, a developing flow and highly personal style of writing to distinguish himself from the pack.

The first track off his (free) debut release, Goodbye, exemplifies this: in it, A.Y.E. showcases his quality flow while chronicling growing up in a rough financial situation, telling the listener how his mom worked constantly and went to the food bank to keep the family fed. The same validity of struggle that made the likes of Reasonable Doubt and Section.80 so striking is something that A.Y.E. has clearly defined as an asset right from the beginning.

“When I did write [‘What is Life’], I thought it was too honest and had too much of myself coming out,” he says. “But just growing up and finding myself as an artist, I found that this is really me and if I give people the honesty first then they’ll take me better. A lot of artists do the opposite — they’ll go with what the labels tell you, or go with what they think is smart, wait a little bit and then start switching up. Some people will take that as you’re changing and people just take it differently.”

His reggae roots might have something to do with that attitude, considering that Marley and Tosh brought the genre to the world in the ’70s singing about similar topics. There’s a buoyant, upbeat thread weaved throughout the EP, in both beats and rhymes, with a focus clearly directed to the dominant early hip-hop tropes of empowerment and the proliferation of knowledge.

“It’s weird, because reggae and hip-hop are two different kinds of worlds, but at the same time, hip-hop did come from reggae,” A.Y.E. notes. “If you take it way back, at the time that it first started, they both with that same kind of message in their music of triumph and doing good and trying to stay positive and uplifting yourself. It’s just a change now with the way hip-hop has turned in the past few years, but I think it’s relevant. As long as it’s relevant in the day, then you can’t be mad at it.”

Even though the EP is only 15 minutes long, it gives exciting hints at where A.Y.E. is heading. Only two samples were used in the production, almost guaranteeing that the live translation of the record will happen smoothly: at this point, he’s rehearsing with a bassist, guitarist, drummer, percussionist and DJ, which is a setup he’s hoping to tour with in the future. For now, he’s focusing on just getting the word out about his tracks, and hopefully drawing a few locals to the show.

“It’s one thing to do the music, but you’ve definitely got to get it out there and let the people hear it.” - James Wilt (FFWD Weekly)

A.Y.E. is a young up and comer out of the Prairies, whose debut EP GoodBye was recently released to receptive audiences. “Aye (Can I)” is the newest single, a self-titled track that introduces A Young Extraordinaire to the world as a producer and an MC. The video is by West Coast wunderkind Mista Hindz, who met up with A.Y.E. at the Vancity production hub #TrianglePark to shoot and produce some visuals. Check it all out after the jump, and download the whole project HERE. - Amalia Jude (Hip Hop Canada)

A.Y.E. & the Extraordinary Gentlemen

Jahimba Hutson (a.k.a. A.Y.E.) is a force on his recent single, the devastating and raw “Can I Live,” which he released in response to the U.S. police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, and in support of #BlackLivesMatter. Hutson, a charismatic and multi-talented artist who’s been making a name for himself with his backing band, the Extraordinary Gentlemen, has been hovering on the verge of the big time for a few years, but there aren’t a lot of people who think of Calgary as a possible new epicentre of Canadian hip-hop. Hutson may be the one who helps change that. - Andrea Warner, CBC Music