What sparked your interest in pursuing a career in music, and what was your journey to becoming a musician or band like?
My journey started as a young kid growing up in a musical family. My grandma being the original musician/artist singing folklore music in the Smithsonian to my uncles being singers and my cousin being one of the most established musicians in the country. It was only right that I got invested in music. I started singing in the church and school choir once my sister discovered that I could sing accidentally. I got introduced to the trumpet at the age of 9 and started learning a lot of instruments including trumpet, Piano Etc. The Hip-hop, Reggae and pop rock Culture was on the rise during the early 2000’s which had a really big influence on me. Once I knew I had a voice, I started freestyling and becoming very expressive with my new found talents.
Who are some of the musicians or musical acts that have had the most significant impact on your work and your sound?
Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Lil Wayne, Big Sean are just a few artists that influenced my sound. Each of these artists. Has something unique that I studied and pulled from. They all share something in common which was their tiny bit of insanity. They all continued to make music regardless of all of the odds stacked against them.
Can you describe the progression of your musical style and what sets it apart from others in the industry?
When I officially decided to make this my lifestyle, I started producing my own beats at an early age which allowed me to develop my own style, because I was marching to the sound of my own drum. I got influences from producers like Lex Luger, Key Wayne, Tyshane AKA Beam and Di Genius just to name a few. My goal is to always have a sound that’s true to who I am, a sound that can resonate with people from all walks of life. My message doesn’t fit the agenda. My message represents me at every single point in my life. I want to express my who I am artistically and honestly to those who choose to listen.
Could you elaborate on the backstory and significance of your artist or band name?
My name came from a few things. In middle school I use to game and my gamer photo was a Jaguar car and I named myself Jag Fresh. I listened to a song called “Miss Me Kiss Me” by Cold Flamez, in the intro of the song they say “Dolla sign H stands for hooligan” I had such a weird infatuation with the word idk if it was because of a phase I was in at the time or if it was because the word just has a catchy sound. Whatever the reason was, it stuck with me. I decided to Spell it differently and tried to give it meaning because my Policeman father wouldn’t stand for his last son to be a “Hooligan” so I gave it a whole new meaning, He.Understands.Life.In.Gods.Initial.Nature. It’s understanding that to work on one’s self you have to understand that your destination has been ordained and you have the choice to choose which road you can take to get there. Some roads get you there slowly but surely, some roads get you halfway, some roads get you there fast and some roads never get you there at all. I wanted to let people know that from the introduction of my name that you have a choice. The way your life plays out depends on where you decide to let yourself take you.
How do you typically approach the songwriting process, and what role does collaboration play in your work?
Typically, I record melodies or one liner into my Phone recorder then I build a beat around that idea and create a song. If it’s a song produced by a frequent collaborator producer or artist, I just freestyle until something jumps out to me then I write it down. Another way I work is I take my time to write in my notes and create something conceptually. I love collaborating with other writers and artist because it helps me see art in a different way makes me appreciate it more than I ever have.
Can you share with us a particularly meaningful or personal song in your discography, and what inspired it?
I released an EP in 2023 called “Gods Timing” on that record I have a song called “Thank you” which is a song that I think is God breathed. Keep in mind the entire EP was a surprise to me because it wasn’t the ep that I was working on at the time. During this time, I’m in between The Bahamas and Canada struggling to get my permanent residency and with Covid around and about, it was hard to work, especially regarding my situation. I came back to Canada and God told me that he needed me to stop what I was doing and start a new project. In disbelief, I kindly and respectfully declined his request, but he called me back and said I’m not playing with you make it now. That kind of call can definitely give you a heart attack. Gods timing has to be one of the easiest body of work I’ve ever made thanks to Kirk “Kaj” Jones and everyone else involved. “Thank you” is the 4th track on the EP and is the most important song on the EP. I wrote this song when I was in a valley that I felt was so low, that I couldn’t see rain clouds even if I wanted to. I felt like the worst provider on earth not being able to work waiting and waiting on something that seems like it would never reach. Thank you is always a hard phrase to say when you don’t even know if what you’re saying thank you for is going to come. I wrote “Thank you” as a thank you to God and everybody who helped me and held me down during the slowest and hardest times in my life. Being able to perform this song now that I have already obtained what I’ve been waiting for is surreal. Thank you is definitely a timeless song.
Could you discuss the evolution of your live shows and performances, and what you aim to convey through them?
Since I started performing as a youngin’ in church, I always played with a band, it was always something that was natural and felt great to do even though it was me doing renditions of other songs. That practice was something that I kept with me throughout my career. When I first came to Canada I started performing only using beats, once I developed a community of musicians that I trusted and believed in and vice versa I started performing in certain settings with my Newly created band with Kirk as the Music Director and multi Musician, Brian “isiata” Marshall as the Bassist, Miguel Thompson as the drummer, and Jordan as the lead guitarist. On any and many occasions we were able to bless the people with our expertise.
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