The Bay Area is full of talented emcees, singers and producers. This was and is the land where icons like Sly Stone, Carlos Santana, Grahm Central Station, Rosie Gaines, Sheila E, ConFunkshun, Tony, Toni, Tone and so many more have hailed from. That tradition has been carried over within the field of Hip Hop where we have seen icons ranging from Too Short to 2Pac, from E-40 to Digital Underground, from Hieroglyphics to Mac Dre. from Living Legends to Blackalicious and Zion I, the list is seemingly endless. Here in the Bay we have seen a burgeouning neo-soul/spoken word movement that is explosive. Within it we have grammy nominated artists like Mystic, Keyshia Cole and Ledisi. Artists like Goapele, Ise Lyfe, Michael Franti and Latoya London have made major inroads and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Standing head and shoulders amongst these giants is a sister who is no joke. Her voice is strong and vibrant. Her swagger exudes warmth and a confidence that is infectous. Her beauty is intoxicating-we’re talking about Ms Jennifer Johns. She may not be a regular on 106 & Park or Rap City. She might not be in regular rotation on Hot 97, but like her Bay Area counterparts who also aren’t routinely featured on such platforms, her name and work is known. Ms Johns packs clubs when she performs. She is always on tour, so much so that it took a good 3 months before we were able to hook up and sit down, because everytime we spoke she was either in places like Hawaii, overseas or in some other part of country rocking the mic and doing what the Bay does best-superbly executing that independent music hustle. We sat down to speak with Ms Johns the other night and finally celebrated the release of her sophmore album ‘Painting on Wax’. We started out by talking about Jennifer’s long tenure in Hip Hop. This longtime b-girl was once a part of a collective that called themselves the Nayo Movement. She and anumber of other women were not just about the business of rapping or dancing, but actually getting their business hustle down. They were an all female promotion and marketing company that played a key role in getting people’s product on radio and in the hands of key tastemakers. Women who have gone on to be executives in this industry like Thembisa Mshaka, Crystal Isaacs, Ingrid Best and several others who’s names escape me, did some big things in these here parts, from putting on music panel discussions to editing magazines to hosting seminars and more importantly providing women keen shining examples of how to get things done. Jennifer came up under those women where she cut her teeth and is now making it happen for herself. She felt it was important that people know that she’s b-girl and that she didn’t just show up overnight and get put on because of good looks. She’s paid dues. During our interview she talked about the importance of finding her voice as an artist and how singing and rapping our natural outgrowths of that journey. Bay Area artists like Mystic paved the way and let her and others know its ok to push the envelop and develop a sound that best fits you as opposed to trying to fit into somebody else’s cookie cutter mode. Jennifer noted she is fortunate to live in a place like the Bay Area that affords one the opportunity to be different without harsh penalties. We talked about the advantages and challenges she has being an independent artist. She thoroughly enjoys her freedom and has found that if you understand the game and have both your domestic and international hustle together you can do quite well. She credits fellow local artists Jahi and Blackalicious for giving her her first shots at going overseas and lacing her up with international game. (For those who don’t know Blackalicious is often credited with showing alot of Bay Area folks how to make bread and navigate the industry outside the states- major props to Chief Excel and Gift of Gab.) With respect to signing to amajor, Jennifer Johns clearly understands that being on a major will increase your exposure and get you massive air and video play. However, that doesn’t ncessarily mean you will make money or even generate album sales. She talked about how nowadays with the music industry in trouble, that labels have now resorted to taxing artists and getting a piece of the pie for everything they do including touring. Its not a good look she noted. Jennifer concluded with a sly smile, by saying the only way she would consider looking at a major label is if Clive Davis, Leyor Cohen or Jay-Z called her personally and even then its gonna have to be some sort of partnership. We concluded by talking about the direction and meaning behind many of her new album’s songs. Cuts like ‘love for the DJ’, ‘Let the Drums Moan’, ‘Golden Eye’ and Chasing the Sun are sstandout songs that put Jennifer Johns in a class by herself. We talked about the process she embraced to record keeping in mind that she writes all her material. We also talked about whether or not she and some of the incredible female artists in this region will come together to do something on a larger scale. She’s already recorded a song with Mystic who she describes as a big sister who has shown her a lot. Here in Oakland, people have been clamoring for her Goapele to do a song together. She says she would love to, especially when you consider that Jennifer, Latoya London and Gaopele all came up together and sung in the same choir early on in their careers. She noted that both their hectic schedules have prevented that from happening, but one day it would be great for all the female artists in the Bay to come along and do something big. In the meantime sit back and enjoy this interview Less