A year after their debut album Opposites Attract, emcee Jean P and partner LAKIM will once again join forces for a new EP and album, but this time they’ll be backed by a record label.
“The fact that they want to get behind us and help me and LAKIM is such an honor,” Jean P said. “They really want to help get us to the next level and that’s where we need to be. We got the talent and they want to push us and get us heard to a wider audience.”
The label, Polar Entertainment, supporting the duo is based out of Columbus and is run by DJ and producer J Rawls, who is most known for having produced Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Team Yizzo back in 1998.
Jean P and Lakim Bryant, also known by his moniker “LAKIM,” have written and produced an entire record together but have never actually met in person, Jean P said. The album Opposites Attract was made entirely over email and social media. But, for their upcoming album, Polarity, the musicians will finally record in person.
“We’re opposite but we come together through hip-hop,” Jean P said. “Polarity is two opposites coming together to make each other great because we truly are a dynamic duo.”
Opposites Attract was titled for the two different lives that the duo led, said Jean P. Most known by his stage name, Jean Johnson is an Ohio native. Bryant is from Virginia and specializes in mixing and producing.
Bryant said that he draws from a lot of ’70s R&B and funk samples when creating beats for Jean P’s unique style of rapping.
“I’ve always had trouble finding a rapper I like and complements what I do, and I think Jean P does that really well,” Bryant said. “He knows the flow and rhythm of the song. … It’s really amazing to me.”
The emcee was recently featured on MTV’s RapFix Live, receiving advice from Juelz Santana and Trinidad James about his OU rap career.
Jean P also released Just Because in December, his first solo EP since going on a short hiatus last summer.
“I wanted to give (my fans) some quality jams and great music just because,” Jean P said. “There is no method to my madness. … I really appreciate Athens for being my first place where I built my career and it definitely helped me as an artist and as a person.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
