Jakk Quill Is living A Day At A Time (ADAAT). Yes Indeed!

Jakk Quill is a rapper/producer who hails from Nairobi Kenya. Jakk’s music has been grabbing the attention of Hip Hop fans due his lyrical prowess and delivery though his type of rap style is not widely embraced in the local scene since he raps in English mainly and  not Swahili and Sheng as most of the emcees in East Africa do.

Even though he had already announced his arrival on the Kenyan Hip Hop scene via his debut album New Decade Same Dreams I began catching up with him during his sophomore project Lost In Motion. It is this setting of finding himself that I decided to sit with him to try and find out who Jakk Quill truly is.

Lest’s take a walk.

• MkoKeNya

Welcome to Micshariki Africa kaka Jakk Quill. Introductions first, who is Jakk Quill? What are your official names, what do you do and where are you representing our Hip Hop Kulture from? Tell us something about your artistic name Jakk Quill, how did it come about and what does it mean or represent?

Thank you for having me, I appreciate you reaching out for this interview.

I am a rapper and producer from Nairobi, Kenya. I was born and raised here so this great city is where I call (and feel at) home. My official name is Leon Judd Jackinda. I was born on April 21, 1996.

' Jakk ' is a short form of my last official name. Actually, when I first started out rapping, I used to just go by ' Jack '. ' Quill ' came later on I think around 2016 or 17 just before I dropped my first Mixtape ' LATELY '. There are two reasons for 'Quill '. The first is, I remember just thinking about all the verses I had worked on ever since I'd started writing raps; all the ink I'd been spilling and I recalled the ' Quill ' ink that I'd grown up using all through primary school. The second is I felt that just like the classic ' Quill ' pen made from goose feathers, all the verses I was writing were classics. So ' Jakk Quill '. That's how I came up with my rap name.

Tell us more about yourself. Where were you born, how many are you in your family, your educational background, how was your child hood growing up? Also how did you get into music and Hip Hop?

About family. Well, my parents divorced when I was still a kid. I don't know how they arrived at the decision but I ended up living with my dad for the first almost 8 years of my childhood. Those were very fun times for me. My dad was strict as fuck but he also spoilt me. I can't remember wanting for anything honestly. But also, I was too cheeky of a boy to ever contain.

I was always outside playing with my friends or getting into some form of trouble. I have a song called 'Everything was Fine ' on my first album, NDSD, which expresses this desire...or nostalgia... that I think we've all had at some point to go back in time when everything was simple and carefree.

I think I was referring to those days back then. Anyway, I should mention that my mum was also always there. She actually used to work just close to where we lived with dad so she visited a lot. In '04 my dad got retrenched and had to go to the US in search of the proverbial greener pastures. So that's how I ended up living with my Grandparents in Umoja 1 Estate. I stayed for about six years till 2010.

But like I said earlier, I was quite the mischievous one growing up. In 2010, I was in secondary school (Highway Secondary School) by then and you know...peer pressure...adolescence, all that collided and my tendencies for mischief were in overdrive haha. I think my Grandparents couldn't handle my escapades anymore. And so that's how I ended up living with my mum in Imara Daima Estate, Embakasi, Nairobi. Stayed there for about four years until late 2013 when it was time for me to go to campus for my degree. I went to Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) where I pursed a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communication.

This transition also blends with me starting to find myself musically. All the while growing up, I'd always loved music. During my time in Umoja, I would spend lots of time with my Uncle Jeremiah who used to be a DJ back in the day. He introduced me to Rock and House music and I grew up loving that to bits. He was also a deep Hip Hop head but I think at the time I just gravitated more towards Rock and House music.

Even today I still love those two genres a lot. I remember during my high school holidays; my mum would leave for work and on some days, I would spend the whole day not even switching the television on. Just listening to rock music on the radio. Like a lot of rock lovers in Nairobi, I am still dealing with the loss of 105.5 Xfm. It hasn't been easy haha.

But all this is not to say I didn't listen to Hip Hop. I did. The first Hip Hop record I remember ever memorizing word for word was Chamillionaire's Ridin Dirty. I don't know what made me gravitate to it but I just did. Maybe it was the spitfire flow Chamillionaire employed on that record which just grabbed your attention by force. I also was tuned in to the big guys... Lil Wayne, Lil Jon, UGK, Paul Wall, T.I ...I remember my uncle and older cousin used to love Bone Thugs n Harmony. They would put that on as we played PlayStation 2 for hours on end.

In high school, we used to have these sessions where we would do freestyles during break times. I had a couple of mates who used to do Hip Hop (music) already. So it was kind of always there. But never in a million years would I have guessed that in just three or so short years, I would be the one deeply interested in rapping and having dreams about actually making it as a rapper. That's one of the things that I just think about from time to time and I just laugh to myself like..."Who knew?"

The shift, however, was not random. I'm talking about the shift from me being simply a lover of music to me having that first spark in me to start writing my own raps and have these dreams of going big with my music.

The album that turned me into a lover of Hip Hop music was Drake's Take Care. To date, that may be my favorite Hip Hop album of all time. After Take Care I was mad about Hip Hop. I remember it dropped in 2011. I used to love listening to The Jump-Off show on Homeboyz Radio 103.5fm which came on every evening from 7pm to 10pm. They had records from that album always in rotation. That album has a lot of classics in my opinion.

But still even after Take Care, though I was now interested deeply in Hip Hop and it was almost 90% of what I was listening to, I still wouldn't say I saw myself rapping and doing this Hip Hop thing. At that moment, rap music was just something I really loved listening to but I still wasn't doing it.

The next thing that happened is J Cole’s Born Sinner. That one. That one sent me over the edge. If Take Care was the plane with my dreams on board taxiing onto the runway, then Born Sinner was the plane taking off. I knew I wanted to rap. I wanted it bad. I wanted to rap as good as J Cole did. I wanted to live that life I heard him talking about on his records. I wanted to have that effortless swagger and bounce in my step and in my talk. I wanted it all.

Like a weird coincidence, these albums dropped within a time frame when I was just about to go to Campus. Which was important because it coincided with me now having my own space away from home where I could explore my interests. I fully dived into my passion in rap music and basically I have never stopped since then. That's the short (or long) story of how I got into rapping.

What type of rapper are you and how did you grow and master the craft of not only rapping but also writing dope lyrics?

I don't think I would box myself into a particular style of rap because I do various iterations of it. On some records I'll be making what people would call 'conscious rap' on other records I might be trapping a bit and having my fun with it. Sometimes I might be on some spitfire type of flows just like that early Chamillionaire record I was talking about or I might even be singing when I'm feeling confident enough to do so. I really do what the occasion calls for and what my creative spirit feels like doing on any given record.

About mastery, I'm still chasing it! I don't ever want to feel like I am now a master at it because I feel like there's an arrogance that comes with that mindset. I refined my craft through practice, patience and consistency. I feel like skill...talent, these are important no doubt. But consistency will always beat them any day any time. Plenty of people are so damn talented at various things but they lack that focus to tap into their process and be patient with it. To put time into bettering it every day and appreciate those small wins along the journey as you keep your eyes on whatever bigger picture you have in mind.

I knew you after I came across your sophomore album Lost In Motion. Take us back to your debut album till the current projects, how many projects do you have and when were they released?

My debut album was New Decade Same Dreams which dropped in April 2020. Lost in Motion came a year and a half after that in October 2021. I also have two mix tapes that came before my albums, Lately and The Stash both on October 10, 2018 and 2019 respectively. There's also a collaborative mixtape, JxR, which I did with first name Ricky in 2019. So, in short, there's a lot of work out that any new fan can dive into. (NB: Jakk Quill also release an EP mid this year title Finding Flows).

Your project Lost In Motion was nominated as one one of the Hip Hop Albums of the year during the Unkut Hip Hop Awards 2021?  How did you feel knowing that your peers saw something in that project and thus nominated it?

Nominations and awards are a great thing. It's a good feeling to know that your work is being recognized in important places by influential people in the culture. I basically spent all of 2021 putting Lost In Motion together. A lot of time and effort went into that album. So yeah, that nomination was an honor. Also, I have to shout out Steph Kapela who was featured on ' Gone '. Kapela worked with me at a time when he had no reason to. It's not like I was adding anything to his buzz or whatever. He was already who he is. But he just genuinely fucked with my craft and wanted to show love and support. In an industry where the egos are bigger than the names, I'll never forget his support man. I would say that was my first big feature in the KE Hip Hop scene.

Tell us more about your albums New Decade Same Dreams and Lost In Motion. What were they about on a personal level and how do you feel you have you grown from your debut to your sophomore album?

So, my first album, NDSD. That was an important one for me because I felt like it was my official introduction to the world. As is always the case, I wanted to have my best foot forward when working on it. NDSD was like a statement. Like, “Hey world. Jakk Quill here. Just a young city boy with some rap dreams in him. Got my eyes on ascending to the very top of the rap world not only in Kenya or Africa but globally. In these 11 songs, you'll get a feel of where my mind is at as I jump into this New Decade. You'll get glimpses of my story. So, buckle up and let's go on this ride together. World domination is the goal. Watch out for me."

NDSD dropped as the new decade, the 2020s, was beginning hence the name New Decade Same Dreams. I started rapping during the first half of the last decade, and now it's a New Decade and I STILL got me the Same Dreams of going global with my rap music.

On the other hand, Lost in Motion (LIM ) is now me settling into the decade. It's me being literally Lost in the Motions of not only trying to build a name for myself in the rap scene but also the Motions of life outside rap. LIM is a manifestation of my growth as well musically and as a human being. LIM coincided with me being on a self-care journey that was necessary for me to grow into the person I envisioned myself being. In the album's backside cover art, there was a phrase at the top which said " the journey is Inwards. Master your Motions."  That was really the entire mindset and driving energy behind LIM and the lyrics encapsulate this intent.

Which project or song do you love the most and are normally proud of yourself for having done it?

I don't know man. I'm really a fan of myself to be honest haha. I like everything I put out. If I didn't like it, I would never have dropped it.

But one notable record for me is probably ' Break it Down '. It was on LIM. I like the drums on it. They are very fun. Also, the switch up in subject matter and mood. It's starts off as this very fun, funky, danceable record and right when you think it's almost over, it switches up into this somber record where everything goes out and only the piano and strings remain and I pour my heart out in this rap-spoken word type of fashion…I don't know.

It's one of those records that feel like I was connected to the Soul of the World itself. I didn't even struggle to make it. The words just came pouring out of me. As an artist, there are songs you sweat for. You spend hours, days; sometimes even weeks, trying to find the right lyrics. The right flows and pockets. Then there are songs that come so naturally, it's almost like they were already there somewhere in the universe and all you were is just a vessel used to channel it into the physical world. Break it Down was already there. I just channeled it.

I see you referring to yourself as Audiocaine? What or who is Audiocaine?

Audiocaine is simply another alter ego I have. It's like my personal rap signature the same way an artist signs the corner of their canvas with their name in very small print after the painting is done. It's like people talk about drugs, specifically cocaine, and how great or addictive it is and whatever, but my music is better than that. Way better than drugs. Way more addictive and pleasurable because at the end you're not harming yourself by being addicted to my music. This ain't cocaine. This is Audiocaine.

Tell us about your working relationship with ADAAT records? Are you signed there or do you own this record label?

ADAAT Records is my own label. At first it was more of a mindset that came to me at a time when I was living waaay too fast. I was partying endlessly. Drinking way too much. Just the young and wild artist stereotype really. Even though I wasn't realizing it, I was losing myself. Some of the subject matter I address in LIM was derived from the times I was living in this manner.

There is nothing deep behind its meaning. It just means "A Day at A Time." It's a cliche that gets thrown around every day but I feel like most people don't really tune into the ideology behind this phrase. So ADAAT Records came to my mind at a time when I realized I needed to tune into this mindset and take my life a bit slower.

I can't be on these records talking about leveling up and having these big dreams on one hand but on the other, I'm living recklessly and in a manner that was almost making it certain that I would never have a shot at achieving all these dreams I had. Preaching water, drinking wine they say. I had to take a step back. Recalibrate. Check my own self.

Really take in and internalize the bigger picture and think about the steps I needed to take to get there. ADAAT was one of those important steps. I do put my music out under this label but it really has more to do with just music. It's a mindset. A reminder to take care of yourself. To stop rushing and enjoy life in the 'now' and also move in a way that sets you up for success in future. I hope fans can tap into this mentality as well. I would be so honored by that. That's a different kind of impact to have beyond the music.

"Sportsperson" your IG bio reads? Tell us more about this and what other things you do apart from rapping?

Haha that's just a personal joke for me nothing serious. It's like I'm very competitive with rapping almost like a sport. So I'm more of a sportsperson. Though also, I do encourage my fans to stay fit if they can. It's important.

The biggest challenge for Kenyan and East African Hip Hop at the moment according to me is lack of events. How have you managed to navigate through these muddy waters of events?

I don't like to focus on the challenges too much. In my opinion, challenges are always going to be there. Whether it's a lack of events or it's limited financial resources…whatever. There's always going to be a challenge. For me, at the moment, the way I am responding to challenges is resilience. Rising above these challenges and doing my music at the highest level I possibly can. At the end, if I make music that I love making and I stay true to my art, then I'm good. Everything else will go how it goes.

Why did you decide to use the English language instead of Swahili when it came to writing your lyrics and rapping?

At the end of the day, nothing is new under the sun. We just take what is already there and inspires us, we observe it and when it's time for us to do it ourselves, we take after it and if you're good at it, you make it better and inspire those to come. As earlier mentioned, my main influences were Drake and J Cole. So naturally, when it was time for me to do my music that's what I gravitated towards because that's what lit my inner artistic flames.

This year you've already blessed your fans with an EP, Finding Flows and word has it that you are in the studio cooking something for us album wise. What should your fans expect and who are you featuring this time around considering that you normally feature very few people in your projects?

I can only confirm that yes, my next project is cooking. That's all I can say for now. I'll definitely make more details available when the time is right.

Which producer do you normally work with and why?

I've been producing a lot of my new music lately simply because I wanted to get better at the craft. But if I'm not producing it then I'm working with 5Starbeatz. We have a number of records together but I feel like Die Hard was the record that solidified our working relationship. I remember I had the song written down already to another beat but as soon as I heard the Die Hard instrumental that he sent me, I knew right away that it was the one.

Since then, I've always just worked with him no questions asked. It's not that I don't think there are other dope producers out there, I've just never been that adventurous when it comes to reaching out to producers to collaborate. But as soon as I put this next body of work out, I plan on venturing out and working with a wider pool of producers if only to see what different kind of sounds I can cook up. I've already started experimenting with this. I have a few records in the tuck that are from other producers that will be coming out in the next few months.

Which top 5 producers and emcees do your look up to regionally?

Honestly, I would be lying if I said I am that in touch with the network of producers in the scene right now. My process is very closed in. I don't spend too much time looking at what's going on in the scene. I've heard a few people here and there but I don't want to mention names just for the sake because I feel like 'look up to' is such a heavy term. I don't think there's a producer or emcee I look up to.

I would say though that there are people's work I like. Production wise, I like HR The Messenger's work. His beats are very soulful and hard hitting. I actually have one of his productions on my upcoming album. The title of the record is ' Pinnacle Chase '. Mad tune. I also like Zooci Coke Dope and MashBeatz from South Africa. I actually really like Rapper-Producers because they just understand the music in a different, more intricate way. HR The Messenger, Zooci, A-Reece, Nasty C. All these are rapper-producers who put out some dope work consistently. Rap wise I would say Nasty C is one collaboration I have my eye on. AKA and Sarkodie are also dope. I’m sure there's plenty more but those are the names I can think of for now.

What’s your take on the current state of Hip Hop music in Kenya and East Africa?

I will speak for the kind of Hip Hop that I do; i.e., what is considered a 'Westernized' type of Hip Hop. I think it's still finding its footing. This kind of Hip Hop is still not the most popular in the region. Most times, when people see you rapping in a style that is considered American, their first reaction is to question it or brush it off as inauthentic or whatever but I really don't tap into that type of energy.

Because at the end of the day, I can't force myself to like or do what does not inspire me. And I can't really apologize or make excuses for my interests. I just do what I do. Like what I like. And that's it. So at the moment, this kind of Hip Hop in East Africa is still not as strong as say in the South but I'd say, though found only in pockets, the fan base is definitely there. And for that fan base, I hope I represent everything there is to love about this kind of Hip Hop.

You have worked on with videographer Qubicsams on a number of your music videos. Why is this so?

Qubicsams is a dope videographer with whom I've worked with on four visuals so far. We just have a creative synergy and like I said before, my process is really closed in. Once I have a working structure, I don't really like to shake it up too much. I've also worked with Darkroom Media in the past who were very important in helping me execute a number of music videos and get my name out. In this industry, it’s already hard getting your name out with visuals. Without them, it's almost impossible. So shout out to Qubic and Darkroom. I'm definitely looking forward to working with even more visual creatives in future as the opportunities keep presenting themselves.

As we wind up our interview I would like to know what is it that I haven't asked you that you would like us know?

I don't know man; I think we've covered a lot. Can't give them everything can we now? Haha. But all in all, just a message of gratitude. To you for showing interest in interviewing me. This must be my first interview across the Kenyan borders if I'm not wrong.

I think I've been play listed in Ghana before. But never an interview. So that's a milestone in itself. Appreciate it. Also, a thank you to my fans. Whether it's from my first song on SoundCloud or you just knew me from my latest music video for ' Mindin my Biness '. I appreciate ya'll and I thank you for your support. It motivates me every day. Now and always it's #Quill2thmfwrld

Kindly share with us your socials. Thanks sana for your time and we look forward to your future projects.

Instagram: jakkquill_ke
Twitter: jakkquill
YouTube:Jakk Quill

And also as Jakk Quill on all streaming platforms.