Jay Dot Rain

Coming to you live is a new voice out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama who goes by Jay Dot Rain. Admittedly a newcomer to his talents, what struck me first was his thoughtful lyricism and the care he obviously puts into his penmanship. What's more is that he knows when to be complex and when to be straightforward with his delivery, able to stay on top of cutting-edge Southern beats and recognizing when to inject extra melody into his hooks. His new EP, Cooley Fly Chronicles III, is an impressive release, and it's got me wanting to check out the previous two tapes in the series.

CFC3 features Scotty ATL and Stalley, two mentors of Jay's, as well as Lil Nardy. The beats comes from Block Beattaz, Nard & B, JayeLL, and more. Jay's stories cover his experiences coming up in the Deep South, including reckoning with the region's ugly racial climate past and present, and even his time spent honing his craft in Sweden. - Angus Walker - HotNewHipHop.com

Alabama hasn’t necessarily made the biggest national imprint on rap history but the good folks there aren’t exactly Wyoming either. Between Rich Boy, G-Side, Jackie Chain and Yelawolf, there’s enough impressive activity to constitute a scene of sorts, even if none of the aforementioned rappers had a sustained mainstream run. The newest rapper in that lineage to these ears, Jay Dot Rain, has been kicking around for a good minute but his latest offering, The Dixie Renaissance, is the first time I’ve been tempted enough to take the plunge. In retrospect, I probably did my ears a disservice.

Jay Dot Rain isn’t necessarily reinventing the rim with this project but that hasn’t been a stick to beat anyone with for about two decades now. Execution is where this man excels. Between his mostly laconic delivery and the subdued production filled with references ranging from the Wu-Tang Clan to Goodie Mob, Jay Dot Rain manages to elevate what could come off as pedestrian material in the hands of a lesser rapper. I hate to do it to the man but I can’t stop thinking The Dixie Renaissance is the best J. Cole album J. Cole will never make because he’s a bit of a dweeb. I also hated writing that last sentence because you might make the mistake of confusing Jay Dot Rain with an inferior rapper. Add that to the disservice tab.While most of the credit has to go to Jay Dot Rain for his assured delivery throughout the project, I’d be remiss if I didn’t note his connections to DJ Burn One and The Block Beattaz. You’d have to be a really shitty fucking rapper to fuck up a project with those veteran beatsmiths anchoring proceedings. It’s a lot easier to relate to aspirational everyday rap topics when you’re listening to said topics over the jazziest and sparsest synths this side of a St. Germain interlude. But the best part is that most of the swing still comes from Jay Dot’s voice.

Now that I think of it, The Dixie Renaissance is easily one of the better rap projects I’ve heard in 2015, given the weight I tend to give to cohesion and brevity. And if you’re wondering what the title is about, you’ll have to ask someone else. All I know is plastic silverware and dope rap. - PassionWeiss.com

Like so many great artists before Jay Dot Rain (G-Side, Jackie Chain, Stalley), the Alabama rhymer grabbed Block Beattaz to provide all of the production on Cooley Fly Chronicles II. It gets smokey quickly.

Rain makes his way between hard southern rhyming and auto-tune vibing. Both work well and the spacey bassy dynamite that Block Beattaz bring to the party work really well with Rain's range. Smooth southern soul. One could even argue that Jay Dot Rain is the Down South version of Drake.

The intro gives a proper warm-up to the talent and grind and dedication evidenced in Jay Dot Rain's delivery. The first Cooley Fly Chronicles dropped less than a year ago and Rain also released a project in between. He's not hanging around negative people. He's not about that bullshit. He's coming for your neck.

The Tuscaloosa, Alabama rapper dropped Memoirs of a Young Dreamer back in 2013. You can find plenty of great tracks on that project (“Van Gogh Flow”, “Red Cup Kickback”), but Cooley Fly II has a better flow throughout. More consistent. Perhaps it's because Block Beattaz provide all of the backdrops. Perhaps because Jay Dot Rain is improving with every release. Trap Jazz is around the corner. Apparently this is just a prelude. A taste of tomorrow. This'll hold me over for a while.

Although the album contains plenty of atmospheric bass and slow motion hot boxes, it also has horns and pianos and guitars and chopped samples. It's everything you want in a project from Alabama. “Tunnel Vision” is my jam. And I could be wrong, but on “Victory Lap”, did Block Beattaz snag the same guitars as Kendrick Lamar's “Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe”? Dope.

“Grits N Gravy”, which already dropped, is the turn-up anthem, a trunk shaker that really first grabbed my attention with Jay Dot Rain. He closes the seven track EP with “Playa Made”, a slowed down track with singer Lamar Cole, crooning you to the heavens and bringing you to the edge of your seat, in anticipation for Trap Jazz. - NEONPAJAMAS

Juwaun Rainey, better known as upcoming Alabama spitta Jay Dot Rain. Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 22 year old rapper is a student at Alabama A&M in Huntsville, Alabama. Surely making a come-up and building his status and name, Jay Dot Rain is undoubtedly one of the hardest working emcees coming out of Alabama today.
After his recent trip to NY, Nicole Scarlett sat down with Mr. Rainey for a interview just to familiarize his fans and audience on exactly who this radical artist is. - Nicole Scarlett

The wait is finally over.

Reigning out of Sweet Home Alabama, The Cooley Fly himself has delivered a musical gem into the world. Gaining countless attention and verbal applause from viewers, Jay Dot Rain joined forces with super producers, Block Bettaz, to bring life back into Southern Hip-Hop. In this 7 track project, Jay Dot Rain demonstrates his diverse range of flows and lyricism in mesh with his favorite subject matters. - Nicole Scarlett

It’s safe to say that hip-hop is a global experience. In any country, state, county, and city you go you are likely to find some dope hip-hop tunes if you keep your ear to the streets. Meet Jay Dot Rain. Jay Dot is one of those dope artists that you’ll find in the most unlikely of places. Hailing from Huntsville, Alabama, a small but vibrant college town nestled in the deep south, Jay delivers raps with an agile and effortless demeanor, matched with a syrupy drawl that sounds great over the formidable production it is often coupled with. His new single, “How I Do,” produced by Block Beattaz, known for their work with Freddie Gibbs, Stalley, and Rich Boy, is a testament to this. The song is at once bouncy enough for a party and smooth enough for a car ride. Peep the track and download Jay Dot Rain’s brand new mixtape, Memoirs Of A Young Dreamer, here. - Dessy Digital

Jay Dot Rain releases his new single "Drive Me Crazy" featuring Lamar Cole today.

Produced by the Block Beattaz, the 23-year-old rapper confidently waxes on about his new flame over the electric backdrop. His flow shifts in between crisp double-time quips, keeping the theme fresh in the mind of the listener. "My niggas say I'm simping/But they don't see what I see, never catch me slipping/No simp in my pimp, no slack in my mackin'/I keep it like that," he raps.

Reiging from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Rain previously released his first full-length project earlier this year in CooleyFLY Chronicles. His latest track shows the musical growth he's made in a matter of months, capturing a Southern aesthetic that feels broad enough for coastal cats to vibe along to.

"Drive Me Crazy" will be included on Jay Dot Rain's upcoming mixtape Memoirs of A Dreamer, which features full production from the Block Beattaz. - Edwin Ortiz

Huntsville's momentum has slowed down a bit in recent years, with breakout star Jackie Chain stuck in label purgatory and critical favorites G-Side parting ways, but the city is still responsible for some of the most compelling Southern rap to come from outside of a main industry hub in the last decade.

Notable Artists: Jackie Chain, G-Side (ST 2 Lettaz and Yung Clova), Block Beattaz, Zilla, Jay Dot Rain, 6 Tre G, Bentley - Kyle Kramer

Jay Dot Rain is one of the new faces in indie hip-hop making a name for himself with his unique sound. Now one of Alabama's favorite underground artists after dropping his first solo project Black Sheep last year, he has created a very large buzz. After wrapping up a Summer tour with Bad Crowd and a constant stream of shows throughout the past year, Jay Dot is looking to shake up the hip hop world and represent his home state with his second mixtape, Cooley Fly Chronicles, which you can get here.


Listen back to the on-demand archive of Baller's Eve as Jay Dot Rain was live in studio to talk about his past, present and future projects. - EVR.com

Alabama’s own, Jay Dot Rain, is the definition of progression. It’s dope when you can obviously see, not only the talent increase, but a fan base as well. With that being said, his most recent project, Memoirs of a Young Dreamer, is impressive. Without many acts to ever come out of Alabama and get national attention outside of Rich Boy, Yelawolf, most recently Doe B and a few others, Jay Dot is really trying to leave his stamp on the rest of the country by helping Alabama develop some kind of sound, or better yet, show the variety Alabama has to offer.
Memoirs of a Young Dreamer, isn’t a very complex piece of work but it is extremely complete. When I say complete, I mean that there is a clear message of the entire tape: I’ll do whatever it takes to make this music shit work and I’m doing it with the same people I started with, while carrying Alabama on my shoulders. This is shown most on songs like, “How I Do”, “Crimson City Cooligans”, and “Van Gogh Flow” which are also the first three records that start off the project perfectly. It’s no secret that Jay Dot Rain is still in college in Alabama as well as raised in the state. On this project he also gives an inside look of life there, which is always ill when a musician is able to do that, but mostly because without many mainstream Alabama artists gaining national attention, it’s something we all wonder about because we don’t get as many perspectives as say, an L.A., New York, or Atlanta. In case you haven’t heard Memoirs of a Young Dreamer, or Jay Dot Rain period, his annunciation of words and delivery isn’t as country as the ones who have come before him, but it doesn’t affect him negatively at all, because when you’re dope, that shit is irrelevant. He’s great at being able to tell his story and keep the most common things that everyone can relate to (Fashion, success, cars, etc) a part of his story without sacrificing the content like on, “La La La” ft. Wynt Early. He also eases two records on there that most would say are ‘for the ladies’, with “Drive Me Crazy” ft. Lamar Cole and “Think About It” ft. Bama Starz. Once again, those tracks stay true to the overall theme of the tape. And just in case anyone may have thought Alabama rappers couldn’t really spit, “Youngest In Charge” (Video below) is a record that proves that completely wrong.

Overall, Memoirs of a Young Dreamer is in the top ten of my favorite Hip Hop mixtapes that I’ve heard this year so far, especially from an indie artist. It could have very well been album, with the direction, the understandable/comprehendible theme, the quality, and all original music. I haven’t heard of most of the people he features on the project outside of Big Sant and TheCoolIsMac but every single person who is featured came with it and held their own. I love it when that happens. Best way to listen to this project is definitely in the whip, on the way to work or when in need of motivation to make your dreams, whatever they may be, come true. Pay attention to Jay Dot Rain and salute to the whole Kipset. - Steven Dingle

Jay Dot Rain, one of, if not THE dopest MC coming out of Alabama right now recently dropped his latest project, Cooley Fly Chronicles II. The front line member of the KIP$ET collective delivers again with a body of work fully produced by the Block Beattaz. I really feel like I’m from Alabama, when I listen to Jay Dot, which I consider a good thing. Forever repping for everyone working hard to come up, Rainey will be sure to have you wanting to get out and get it. Nothing ever wrong with motivation music that’s actually dope. Don’t be late to the KIP$ET campaign and download Cooley Fly Chronicles II HERE. - Steven Dingle

Jay Dot Rain returns with a new single called "Grits N' Gravy." Produced by the Block Beattaz, the song has a laid back feel with banging 808s and horns in the backdrop. The Tuscaloosa, Alabama native rides the beat with his precise flow, alongside fellow rapper Wynt Early. "Wavy Crockett in the flesh/Go get your surfboard," Jay boasts. His upcoming mixtape, Trap Jazz, is slated to come out in March. - Edwin Ortiz

Just last week we dropped, Alabama native, Jay Dot Rain’s lead single off of his upcoming project The Dixie Renaissance, Dozen. Now, hopping off of his Digital Tour dates, he’s back with the visual for it. After live shows with Krispy Kreme donuts being handed out not to mention that time we received a doughnut box filled with the Mcee’s dozen of cds, he continues his moniker and shoots the video in a local Krispy Kreme shop.Neon lights, great angles and transitions to match, the ORGNZD directed video shows us another side of Alabama and keeps us intrigued with another sneak single of Box Chevy. If you were waiting for a more “Alabama” sound, here it is. It takes us back to the classic days of the side A & B of tapes and records. Alabama, this might be the one. - The Source