A Tight 45 with Tabari McCoy - Episode 050 – The Reinvention of J-Zone

A Tight 45 with Tabari McCoy

Imagine giving a decade of your life to building a music career ... Only to find yourself hating your catalogue years later. What would you do?
If you're Jay Mumford a.k.a. J-Zone, you nearly leave the business entirely, only to come back, leave again and completely re-invent yourself. Which is exactly what he did.
And now, he couldn't be happier – and his band The Du-Rites couldn't be making funkier jams if they tried.
Beginning his musical career as a teenager interning as the famed Power Play Studios in Queens, NY in 1992, J-Zone released his first album – Music For Tu Madre – as his senior project at Purchase College (SUNY) in the late 90s. He would spend the next decade making ribald rap music that was lyrically influenced by the likes of 70s icons like Dolemite and musically by groups like Slave and the Ohio Players. His production talents (often found on his own label, Old Maid Entertainment), saw him work with a number of artists including Gnarls Barkley, the Lonely Island, E-40 and the late Biz Markie among others.
Then, in 2008, he quit.
He would return briefly between 2013-2016, releasing two more albums under his J-Zone moniker, 2013's introspective but still curmudgeonly Peter Pan Syndrome and 2016's Fish N' Grits. He would also release a book (Root for the Villain) during his hiatus detailing his musical career, in addition to teaching at his alma mater and writing for outlets such as Ego Trip and SLAM Magazine. Now, he is pursuing his true passion: Playing drums as a member of The Du-Rites, the band he started with longtime collaborator Pablo Martin in 2013.
On this episode of A Tight 45 (out on all major platforms on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021), Mumford tells the full story of music career as well diving into where it's going on the eve of The Du-Rites new six-song EP, Pressure. Tabari also manages to find the time to ask one of his favorites a number of random questions longstanding fans will want to know, including whether or not he ever heard from Lucy Liu and what his dream car would be if he could get it.
Check out this episode and others you may have missed at https://atight45.buzzsprout.com/or wherever you get your podcasts today! For more on Tabari or ask a question, be sure to visit www.tabarimccoy.com or email [e-mail].