Jeshi
Birth nameJesse Greenway
Born (1995-03-21) 21 March 1995
Walthamstow, London
Genres
Occupation(s)Rapper, producer, songwriter
Years active2016–present
LabelsBecause Music

Jesse Greenway, known by the stage name Jeshi, is a musical artist based in London.[1] His music predominantly covers working class disenfranchisement under austerity in Britain through personal storytelling and powerful social commentary. [2]

Personal life

Jeshi was born to a working-class family in Walthamstow, East London.[3] He was raised predominantly by his mother and grandmother, describing his father as "absent", something shared by many of those around him.[4] Despite not having a particularly musical upbringing, he recounted spending "hours glued to the TV watching MTV" and Channel U (UK).[5] He has depicted his influences as broad, ranging from The Streets and Dizzee Rascal to Toro y Moi as well as Trip Hop bands such as Massive Attack and Portishead.[6] In a discussion with Don Letts for The Face, Jeshi described experiencing Stop and Search growing up.[7] He has also stated that he was physically assaulted in front of his family at the age of 15; he describes undergoing this experience, and choosing not to retaliate afterward, as a pivotal moment in his life.[4]

Career

Jeshi began making grime tracks with friends in the late 2000s, utilising the free music technology available to him at the time at school.[4] He released his debut EP Pussy Palace in 2016. Much of his early work was "super DIY... Recorded at home, in friend's bedrooms, kitchens... anywhere".[6] He followed up on this with a second EP titled The Worlds Spinning Too Fast which featured production from Mura Masa. He then took a hiatus from releasing any solo material however appeared on a feature track titled I Don't Owe U NYthing with Vegyn and Summer with Brit Awards Rising Star winner Celeste.

In 2020, Jeshi released his EP Bad Taste, which featured collaborations with Fredwave, John Glacier and a second collaboration with Celeste titled 30,000 FEET. The EP's lead single Coming Down features a sample from British electronic group Jungle (band). [8][9][10][4] Jeshi's second collaboration with Vegyn "I See You Sometimes" was featured in Chanel's 2021 Cruise Show.[11]

Jeshi released his debut studio album, Universal Credit, in May 2022.[12] The album is titled in reference to the universal credit policy, a Conservative Party-led overhaul of the British benefits system. The universal credit policy has been criticised for exacerbating inequality.[13][14] The album was described by reviewers as political, with subject matter ranging from partying to suicide and council housing maintenance.[10] Jeshi has described his choice of title as a way to "give power to words that often carry a negative weight for a lot of people".[15] The album's cover art depicts Jeshi receiving an oversized cheque for £324.84, a direct reference to the amount of money given to him monthly while being on Universal Credit and writing the album at the time.[16][17]

The music video for his track "3210" won the award for Best Independent Video at the AIM Independent Music Awards in 2022[18][19] and received a nomination for UK Music Video Awards.[20]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

  • Pussy Palace (2016)
  • The Worlds Spinning Too Fast (2017)
  • Bad Taste (2020)
  • The Great Stink (2023)

References

  1. ↑ Mohammed, Sagal (2022-05-27). "Jeshi, the UK rapper confronting class and the cost of living crisis". Dazed. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  2. ↑ "Jeshi: "I hate the term conscious rap"". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  3. ↑ "Meet the MC: Jeshi". DJMag.com. 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "'We've had our humanity ripped away': meet Jeshi, the rapper raging at the cost of living crisis". The Guardian. 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  5. ↑ "Self-Portrait: Jeshi". Stamp the Wax. 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  6. 1 2 Bell, Francesco Loy (2018-11-15). "New Noise: Jeshi". Wonderland. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  7. ↑ "Then and Now: Black Britain through the eyes of Jeshi and Don Letts". The Face. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  8. ↑ Cain, Rosie (2022-03-24). "The Simple Things: Jeshi and Kelvin Krash talk honesty, technology & politics". Ransom Note. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  9. ↑ "Now Hear This: New music from Megan Thee Stallion and Miley Cyrus, plus spotlight artists Jeshi and Pearl Charles". The Independent. 2020-11-21. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  10. 1 2 Murray, Robin (2020-03-25). "Jeshi Smashes It On New Single 'Coming Down'". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  11. ↑ Mukhtar, Amel (2022-01-17). "The 22 Musicians Set To Rule 2022". British Vogue. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  12. ↑ Cairns, Dan; Verrico, Lisa; Davis, Clive; Edwards, Mark. "On Record: pop, rock and jazz — March 1". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  13. ↑ "East London's Jeshi Drops Striking Debut Album 'Universal Credit'". Complex. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  14. ↑ "Universal Credit failing millions of people, say peers". BBC News. 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  15. ↑ "In conversation with East London rapper Jeshi". Fucking Young!. 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  16. ↑ McCormick, Neil; Hall, James; French-Morris, Kate; Platt, Poppie; Shutler, Ali (2022-05-27). "Liam Gallagher delivers the greatest record Oasis never made – the week's best albums". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  17. ↑ Pritchard, Will. "Jeshi: Universal Credit". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  18. ↑ "AIM Independent Music Awards 2022". TotalNtertainment. 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  19. ↑ "Dave, FKA twigs and TAAHLIAH among AIM Independent Music Awards 2022 nominations". Mixmag. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  20. ↑ "UK Music Video Awards reveals this year's nominees". Crack Magazine. 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
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