My Block: Jesse James Solomon

The up and coming rapper aka 'Jesse from South East' shows us round his Elephant & Castle ends

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Welcome to My Block—a new series, part of the Levi’s® Music Project, where we take you to the block, estate, ends (or semi-detached—we don’t discriminate) of some of the UK’s brightest music talents. Here, we’re given first-hand accounts of their musical backgrounds and how their area and their community helped shape them into the musicians they are today. For our fourth trip, we head over to South East London to meet introspective rapper Jesse James Solomon. Get to know.


Jesse James Solomon's take on rap doesn't follow the path usually trodden by UK rappers. Lyrically, his bars are more introspective and are delivered at a much more considered pace. He differs, too, when it comes to the production behind his songs. None of his songs could ever be described as drill, road rap or trap. If anything, the low-slung, silky beats are closer to R&B or even something more experimental than that. Though he doesn't literally sit at the console, teasing out beats from Ableton and the like, the South East London rapper insists on being directly involved throughout, often writing beats with the producer. 

His journey into creating music full time started as early as primary school, where he was taken under the wing of a teaching assistant who saw something creative in him, something that needed an outlet. Eventually, after considering football as a possible future when he was in his teens, Solomon returned to making music. He would link up with friends from his block to make music together, eventually finding themselves someone who had access to a studio. Often when we think of London rappers and artists, we think pirate radio. For Solomon, that time had already been and gone and the tidal force of gentrification had already begun sweeping away community centres, youth clubs and all the kind of spaces that once birthed grime.

In spite of that, community spirit remained and between Solomon and a few friends and family, he was still able to lay down the first building blocks of his career—recording his first tracks and playing his first shows. We caught up with Solomon to discuss his resourcefulness in the face of gentrification and some of the stories that would influence his upcoming debut album.

My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)

We’re here for the Levi’s Music Project and the My Block series. What block are you representing?

Elephant & Castle, but I grew up all around South London. That’s always home for me. That’s my block.

How did you get into making music?

I think I made my first song when I was in primary school. I had an assistant teacher at my school, and he was a rapper. He formed this little group of kids that were a bit naughty that he felt needed an outlet. So he’d bring us out of class once a week and we’d have an hour of writing music and stuff like that. Then, one day, he took us to the studio and we made our first song. But then after that, I didn’t make any music for a long time. When I was in secondary school, I was playing football; my goal wasn’t to make music. But then when I dropped out of education, that’s when I started making music properly, when I was about 16, 17.

Do you produce?

I don’t know how to use the software but everything I make, I’m always a part of the creation of that. 

“During my childhood, I didn’t listen to much rap music at all. My dad played saxophone so I’d always hear that.”
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)

You mentioned the teaching assistant who got you into making music, but when you stopped and got back into it, what was there anyone in your community to help you?

Not really. To be honest, I did it all off my own back. Actually, someone at my school was making music and he knew this guy that had a studio in Clapham Junction where you could pay £30 for an hour. I asked him where he was recording and he told me, so I wrote a song at home one day; I wanted to record it, and he took me over there. I paid my £30 for an hour and that’s how I made my first song.

What are those other kids from that primary school group doing? Are they still doing music?

Yeah, there’s one kid: my friend Misha. To be honest, I’m not that tight with any of them anymore, but I saw Misha last week at a party and he’s playing the trombone in a jazz band. He’s doing really well. My mum actually went to one of his shows recently.

My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
“The first rap album I listened to was Illmatic. That was the first rap album that I fully learnt all the words. I used to live by that album.”

For a lot of musicians, especially in East and South London, pirate radio played a really big role in their development as artists. Did that influence you? Were you involved in anything like that?

No, I’m young. I was born in ‘96 so I guess when that was all going on, I must’ve been in primary school. So I was a bit too young for all that. I did listen to a lot of it. It’s where I got most of my favourite music growing up, but I was sort of catching up on it. I wasn’t actually listening to it as it came out, but maybe a few years later I’d get to it, all the grime stuff. I was a bit too young when it first came out. Maybe that’s why I’m not a grime MC.

So what kind of stuff did influence you?

During my childhood, I didn’t listen to much rap music at all. My dad played saxophone so I’d always hear that. I’d just be listening to what he was listening to. He listened to a lot of Stevie Wonder, a lot of Motown stuff and a lot of jazz. So that’s pretty much what I was listening to. I was young, living at my parents. I guess later on in secondary school, I was spending more time with my friends and was more interested in what everyone else was into. I think the first rap album I listened to was Illmatic. I’ve got an uncle that used to take me to loads of concerts, all the first shows I went to when I was a kid. He took me to see Dizzee Rascal, Kanye and all of that. But he give me Illmatic when I was really young because it was one of his favourite albums. That was the first rap album that I fully learnt all the words. I used to live by that album.

As a musician himself, was your dad encouraging when it came to making music and entering the industry?

Yeah, he was obviously a big reason that I have this love for music but I was playing football and I always wanted to be a footballer when I was younger. But either way, he was always really supportive of what I wanted to do. 

My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)

You said there wasn’t that much in the community for young people to make music. Is it still the same now?

When I got a bit older, it did improved, but at that point I already had management and I already had studios I could use. There was a new youth club that opened up but they’ve closed now. They had a studio and a lot of people went there to make songs. That was only around for about a year, until my area started getting gentrified. They just got rid of that whole place, and it was a really good space. I saw a lot of kids going there and getting into music. It was a good outlet.

Is there anything that can be done to reintroduce youth clubs, community centres, anywhere where young people can go and make music or find an outlet?

I don’t know if that can happen. I don’t know if anything can change. Especially now, in Elephant & Castle. The people that live there, a lot of the people that would go to these kinds of places, they're being pushed out. I have a lot of friends who grew up in Haygate Estate, which was one of the biggest estates around, and that just got knocked down. I’ve got friends that have been moved out of London and relocated so far away. Most of the people in Elephant & Castle now are rich little businessmen and older people. There’s still good parts of it that are still really cool, but the way it’s changing and how fast it’s changing... I don’t know if anything can be done.

“I never really used to go record shopping. The first vinyl I ever owned was one of my own.”
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)

So tell us a bit about Paisley Park.

This is a park where me and a friend of mine, Lewis, used to bunk off school. We used to go to a place called Bagel King which is a little food spot on Walworth Road. We used to get a bagel in the morning and then go to the park. We’d leave quite early so our parents thought we were going to school [laughs]. Then we’d just go to the park, eat food and chill. We spent a lot of time there, so I thought it’d be a necessary place to take you. It’s where I realised school wasn’t for me. I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

Maybe they’re not as relevant anymore, but where there any record shops you used to spend time in?

Nah, I don’t know of any record shops around here. I never really used to go record shopping. The first vinyl I ever owned was one of my own.

That’s not the way people usually start their record collections.

Yeah, it’s mad. Very sick.

What does the future hold for Jesse James Solomon?

Obviously, the album. That’s actually why I wanted to do this My Block series; there’s a lot of stories on the album about my childhood and growing up around this area. I don’t really wanna say much more than that, though. I want to keep it under wraps, but I’m working on that at the moment. I’ve got a headline show coming up in January, but I’ve yet to release a date for that. That’s gonna be at a place called Amira, near London Bridge. I went to see it the other day, and it’s really nice. But the main thing is the album. That’s the focus for now.

The Levi's® Music Project is a global initiative designed to provide access to music and inspire the next generation of creators. Learn more here or search #SupportMusic.

My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)
My Block: Jesse James Solomon (credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes)

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