Def Jam Records is in something of a youth revolution. The most iconic label in hip-hop history may be turning 35 this year, but it has its eyes newly fixed on the future, with some seventeen newly signed artists set to showcase on next monthâs release of Undisputed, a compilation recorded over several days last November in Los Angeles.
Front and center among the Undisputed lineup is Harlem, New Yorkâs latest ambassador to the music world, 18 year old TJ Porter, who in only a couple of years in the game has begun to serve notice of his intention to follow in the formidable footsteps of the greats that put his neighborhood on the rap map, including Mase, Dipset and ASAP Mob. The young MC has versatility on his side: early singles, like 2017âs âTrust Issuesâ, âQuiet Stormâ and âCanât Waitâ offered bar spitting life lessons; last fallâs Pregame, his release first with Def Jam, found TJ in melodic mode â celebratory on the breakout âGlowinâ Upâ and boastful on âTrickyâ; while his most recent EP, No DisturbanceÂ, released only two weeks ago, goes dark on âThe Donâ, admits to relationship infidelity in âCheatedâ, and claps back at doubters on âI Canâtâ and âHarder Than Everâ, featuring Jay Gwuapo and KJ Balla. The same theme is echoed on âDoubting Meâ, a recent collab single with Bay Swag. Itâs the doubters, Porter says, that motivate him.
Few doubted his basketball skills as a kid. The sport was his first love, and it appeared for years that TJ was destined for a career on the court and not the recording studio, until three years ago, when a broken ankle and the gang-related shooting death of his best friend Chico, who had always encouraged him to stick with music, inspired him to change his course, and he hasnât looked back. Heâs not short on confidence, and trash talking, those around him will tell you, is a talent heâs mastered, although in our conversation, he came across and appreciative and humble. He does admit that sometimes advice from the old heads falls on deaf earsâa fact thatâs been pointed out at times by his manager.
That manager, by the way, is Porterâs other not-so-secret weapon: Wayne âWaynoâ Clark, whoâs guided the career of Dave East, among others, and is best known these days as one of the co-hosts of Complexâs daily destination show Everyday Struggle. Not many artists can say their manager is a bona fide celebrity in his own right, and Porter admits itâs been a blessing and a challenge thatâs forced him to grow. All indications are itâs a relationship thatâs working just fine. TJâs got two tracks on Def Jamâs Undisputed, his own debut album, Voice of The Trenches comes out this spring, and, dropping today is his most sentimental single to date, âDo You Careâ which has TJ fully singing and reflecting more than ever on love. I caught up with TJ recently to talk about what heâs accomplished, whatâs ahead, and being at the vanguard of Def Jamâs next generation.
TJ! First of all, congratulations on the new song âDo You Care.â Itâs really amazing, so melodic, and kind of unlike anything we have heard from you before. Can you say anything about it, how it came together?
TJ Porter: Thank you! Yeah I made it last year. Like, January of 2018. And I was just going through something with this girl at the time, and I just wanted to put it in a song, the way that I felt.
Youâre singing more than ever on it! Did you always envision it being super melodic?
TJ: Yeah, I felt like doing it like that would make more of an impact, that you would feel me more, the message I was trying to bring across.
So the relationship that youâre talking about in the song, is it the same one that inspired âCheatedâ on your recent EP No Disturbance?
TJ: [laughs] Yeah. Itâs a here and there situation. Like I donât really know right now where it stands. But I wanted to drop it on Valentineâs Day. I thought it would have more impact. But I posted a snippet over the summer, and the snippet had went crazy. And then I told my manager, âI want to drop this thing.â And he was, âJust hold on, we gonna put out a plan for it.â And then it came about that I would drop it in February.
So just working out way backwards for a minute, the last video you dropped was for âDoubting Meâ.
TJ: Oh yeah, that was that was me and my boy [Queens rapper] Bay Swag. We had made that song in the studio, and we were like, âLetâs just shoot a video.â Me and Bay have got good chemistry on that song. So we went and shot a video around Times Square, and I think it got like 50 thousand views in like three days.
That song, and also a couple of songs on No Disturbance seem to address the doubters. On âI Canâtâ you talk about buying a new car, getting endorsements, all the girls who used to not write back when you were broke and now wonât stop texting you, and then with âHarder Than Everâ youâre basically responding to those who said you wouldnât make it.
TJ: With my songs, my motivation comes from people doubting me. It drives me to get better and better. Every time I feel like someone is doubting me, I go in the studio and make brand new, better songs than I made the last time. It drives me to be a better artist, and a better person. Because I just put my real feelings in the music, and I think people feel me when Iâm doing that. Because Iâm not lying.
It seems things have really blown up for you in the last few monthsâbut does it feel like that to you? Or do you think youâre just on the launching pad?
TJ: I feel like Iâm still on the launching pad. I donât feel like I took off yet. Everything now feels like just the beginning, and Iâm waiting to get better and better. But when I do launch? Iâm gonna sky rocket.
You signed with Def Jam last summer, and the story is that you were at the point where you were frustrating that things werenât happening fast enough and were ready to walk away from music, and thatâs when Def Jam called?
TJ: Yeah I was thinking it had been two years straight that I was with Wayne, and I was making more music and more music, and it felt nothing was happening and that there wasnât any progress. I mean Wayne saw progress, but being in my shoes, I didnât see it. I see it now, but I didnât see it before. And so it felt like just, I donât want to do this no more. But Wayne met with Def Jam and played them some of my music that I didnât drop yet. And then I went in there and met with em and they just liked me as a person.
This legendary label, I have to say, seems to be really beefing up their young roster these days. The new Undisputed compilation features seventeen of you. Does it feel good to know that they are investing in new, young talent?
TJ: Well I feel like they have to, because itâs the future. You canât just stick with the old, you have to plan for the future, and they know that, all the new artists that theyâve signed, upcoming, are gonna be something. And before any of us has had big buzz or popped, they gave us respect.
Is it a challenge to set yourself apart and establish an identity for yourself, not only among these seventeen at Def Jam, but just in the music game in general? And how do you do that?
TJ: I feel like just being yourself, and talking the way the way you want to talk, and not having a filterâwell, Iâm not gonna say not having a filter, but not having limits on what you wanna say and how you wanna say it. Thatâs what makes you an artist.
Youâve got two tracks on Undisputed?
TJ: Yeah, they were done the first time we went to Cali. [November 2028] All the artists showed up and those got done. Me and Lul G linked up in the studio, we both just stood in there and he came in with his Bay Area swag, and I came in with the Harlem swag, and it went like that. And then with âRecountâ, my A&R, his name is Rico, and he makes beats too, and I told him I wanted some swag, metal-type beat. So he had made one, and then I was like âYo, I can get [Landstrip] Chip on the hook.â And I called Chip because Chip ainât have the studio until about 8, and we were in there at like 3 oâclock. But I called Chip and I was like, âYo come to the studio right now, I need a hook,â he did the hook and it came out fire. I just had to kill the verses.
You do have a variety of styles. Iâve heard you do aggressive hard hitting tracksââThe Donâ on the latest EP is pretty darkâbut then you can also go more sentimental, as we see today with âDo You Care.â
TJ: Yeah I try to switch up my styles, and be as versatile as I can, because any type of artist might want to jump on a song with you. Some artists might be like, âOh this donât sound right, I canât do this flow.â But I want to be an artist that can jump on any song. I can do any flow. You canât tell me I canât do a flow, because I can do it.
One thing that sets you apart from a lot of young artists is you can flex and sometimes youâll talk about bands or women, but thereâs like zero drug references in your lyrics. Thereâs no lean, no molly, no pillsâI think there was only, in âHarder Than Everâ maybe one reference to Xans. But basically, itâs like no drug references at all.
TJ: Yeah in âHarder Than Everâ, the only reason I put Xans in my verse is because sometimes you start off with something from the last verse. And in the first part of the song with Jay Gwaupo, he had said âpoppinâ like the Xanâ so I just said it again, to emphasize it. âPop it like a Xanâ. But yeah, I donât put drugs in my verses because I donât do any drugs.
You donât smoke either?
TJ: Nah, I donât smoke.
Is it something that just never interested you?
TJ: Nah I just feel like drugs put a limit on your career. Like, Iâve never smoked or drank, and it wouldnât be smart for me to start now. If I was to drink or smoke, I couldnât get the endorsement deals that Iâm getting. So why do that, and miss out on that amount of money, and that type of exposure?
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Do you feel like weâre living through a time in hip-hop where a lot of the most extreme personalities, those people who are expert trollers, who have outrageous looks and know how to troll and create drama, theyâre the ones who get the most attention?
TJ: I just feel like you need to be yourself. And if thatâs you, with crazy hair and all of that, popping pills and stuffâif thatâs you, then thatâs you. But thatâs just not me, Iâm myself, so I just try to keep it humble and be as tame as possible. Because you canât forget you.
Your full-length project is gonna be called Voice of The Trenches, a title that youâve had for a while. Whatâs the background that name?
TJ: I feel like a lot of people in my community donât get heard enough. So I feel like Iâm just supporting everything that we want outside people to hear, Iâm putting into the music. So thatâs why I call myself the âvoice of the trenchesâ, because I talk what everybody is feeling, and I get it out there. I get out the message from the trenches. My community I call âthe trenchesâ, you know what Iâm saying? I get the message out for them.
How important to you is representing New York, or even specifically representing for Harlem? Do you think now because of the internet that weâre in a time when maybe being from a certain place doesnât matter as much?
TJ: I feel like it does, because Iâve got a lot ofânot pressure, but Iâve got a lot of expectations. Because everybody feels like Iâm the next one out of Harlem and New York to pop. So itâs like, they talk about Diddy and Camâron and Mase and you see a legacy there, so. And you start to feel like youâre up next, and you canât let that down. Youâve got to keep pushing.
With Harlem, youâre talking for starters about two of the most iconic crews in hip-hop, in The Diplomats and ASAP Mob. Were those guysâRocky or Yams or Ferg or Camâronâinspirations to you growing up?
TJ: To me they was like superstars. Like Cam for me growing up, thatâs what you wanted to be as a kid. And Rocky, I knew Rocky when I was young. I knew him through friends. Because I was always the kid that would hang out with older guys. I didnât hang out with a lot of people my age. And Rocky he was a legend in the area that Iâm from. So I knew himâmatter of fact I was on IG Live with Rocky just yesterday!
You mentioned Wayno earlier, but I have to ask you what itâs not having this, basically, celebrity as a manager. Not many artists are in that situation!
TJ: Yeah I donât feel like most artists have managers who are celebrities on their own, and thatâs something I had to adjust to. Because Iâm seeing all these other up-and-coming artists with their managers, and they are with them every day. And I had to get used to learning how to do stuff on my own, but one thing about Wayno is he told me from the jump, like, âIâm gonna teach you the business. Because thereâs gonna be stuff that Iâm not gonna be around for, and so you are gonna have to know. And like, me and Lâthatâs my day-to-day managerâweâre on top of everything else if Wayno is not around.
You linked up with Wayno before he was hosting Everyday Struggle. So I would imagine once he got that gig he had even less time!
TJ: Yeah it did. And I just had to learn to pull my own weight and pick myself up as an artist. And instead of people knowing me as, âYo thatâs Waynoâs artist,â everybody sort of knows my name now, Iâm buzzing, and itâs justâIâve got my own identity now.
I saw one video interview where Wayno was talking about how great you were, but then he added, âbut also TJ doesnât always want to listen.â
TJ: Well, sometimes I just trust my gut. And usually it works. Lately, itâs been working, and itâs like when I feel something, I just go with it. And I donât let nobody tell me. Because the thing with me is Iâm ready for any repercussions or any consequence or any downfall that might happen if I make a mistake. A lot of people are not ready for the repercussions of a mistake, and they just do stuff without thinking. I think throughout the whole process of what Iâm about to do before I do it. So Wayno was just talking about that, but itâs true that I donât like to listen sometimes.
That reminds me of that line youâve got in âGlowinâ Upâ about people wanting to tell you thereâs rules, but you say âI got the feeling Iâm making the right songsâ?
TJ: Yeah, that was justâlike, a lot of people was trying to tell me the type of music I need to be making. And they was like, âThis type of music got me here so far, why am I gonna switch up and start listening to you when Iâve been listening to myself?â
Do a lot of older peopleâA&R, other artistsâtry to give you advice?
TJ: A lot of people do try to give me advice and I take into account everything that everybody says. I donât brush it off, because at the end of the day, Iâm fresh in this game and youâve been in the game for years, so I just listen, and I just take notes. Sometimes youâve got to know when to talk and when to humble yourself. A lot of artists donât know when to humble themselves.
Whatâs your writing process like? Do you have to sit down and focus on writing?
TJ: Nah sometimes I just go in the booth and I mumble stuff, freestyle. And then other times I will sit down and think of topics. I might write down ten topics, and Iâll write a hook for each of the topics. And then Iâll go and freestyle the verses.
Do you think that you will keep coming back from time to time to more relationship-oriented songs, like the new one, âDo You Careâ? Or are the topics, the lyrics going more in a different direction now?
TJ: I feel like Iâve got a lot of topics. My topics varyâtheyâre everywhere. Because I want to grab every fan base. I donât want to just grab one fan base. I am open to rap, hip-hop, melodicâI am open to everything.
TJ Porterâs Voice of The Trenches will be out in April. Monday night heâll join other new Def Jam artists for an Undisputed showcase at SOBâs in New York.