Finding a Jerei song that doesn’t have at least one reference to St. Louis’ Southside is like trying to keep him from talking about the neighborhood when he isn’t making music. It’s a futile effort. The South City-based rapper speaks about his hometown with a vigor that makes you also want to be from there, too.
“From the Southside with love, the only way to do it”, he raps on “Peace”, a single from his 2019 debut project, Groovy Blues, in which his mellow, fast-paced bars about the pursuit of solace in his personal life add a diaristic element to his music that feels conversational.
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With the Southside in his corner, Jerei, born Jeremiah Camp, knows he can conquer anything. He’s a delightful, St. Louis–style embodiment of Andre 3000’s evocative “The South got something to say” proclamation at the 1995 Source Awards. (Jerei lists the Atlanta rapper as an inspiration, and his nickname/stage name is based on an Andre 3000 character of the same name in the 2005 film Four Brothers.) He plans to give listeners a taste of what he has to say at his first solo show, taking place at Blank Space on April 21. We talked to Jerei about his love for South City, his upcoming performance and the future of St. Louis’ rap scene.
How did you get started in music?
I’ve always been a fan of music. I played the violin in fourth and fifth grade, and I played the trumpet from seventh grade all throughout high school, so I was always around music, but I didn’t start writing my own lyrics until I went to college. It’s been seven years now, so it started around 2015. I was just kind of in a weird state, personally and mentally, so I just needed an outlet, and I feel like music was that for me.
How would you describe your sound?
I would like to call it a groovy blues sound, because I have a groovy element to my music, but the blues element comes from being from St. Louis and my love for jazz music.
You talk about the Southside a lot in your music. Where did you grow up and what makes that part of the city unique?
I grew up on Shaw and 39th Street, but now I live by the Ted Drewes on Chippewa. I’ve always been around it, and the south has always been a part of me since I’ve lived in St. Louis. It’s one of the more cultured sides of St. Louis. It’s not the safest side, but it’s a little more comfortable over there, I guess. The arts scene is great, too. If you want to get out there and be into the arts scene, you have to go to the Southside to get introduced to it.
How does the Southside influence who you are as an artist?
It’s everything. It’s where I’m from. Growing up, not a lot of people appreciated the Southside like I did. You would hear more about the Northside or the Westside or even the Eastside before you would really hear about the Southside. That’s kind of where the inspiration draws from. You’re going to talk about the Southside if you’re talking about me. Just bringing awareness to it.
You released your debut project, Groovy Blues, in 2019. How did that come about?
People believing in me more and more, doing more shows, getting Spotify placements and stuff like that gave me the confidence to actually put something out that was lengthier than just an EP. Also, the connections I was making—the other artists and the features that came to me—just developed into a whole project. I wanted to give it an album feel without calling it an album. It’s very personable.
What are you working on now?
Singles. Got a couple of singles lined up. We just shot a music video for one that’s about to drop.
How did this solo show come about?
Really the momentum off of Jordan [Ward’s] show. I think it was me wanting to do my own show, but also me wanting to do something around 4/20. It’s not specifically the way my music sounds, but it makes sense that you can smoke weed to my music.
Your music is very relaxing. Why are you drawn to that vibe?
That’s just who I am. The vibe I bring to myself and my music and my approach to my writing, too, is me not wanting to think about it too much, and I don’t want to force a bar or anything. I just kind of let it happen. [I learned that from] going through things that you kind of overreact to, or you kind of overthink, but also realizing that it wasn’t worth that energy. It’s kind of like Jordan [Ward’s EP] – remaining calm throughout life. There’s no real reason to be anxious or real reason to be upset. I’m just confident in myself knowing that things are going to be OK at the end of the day, so I don’t have to be worried.
And it’s a process for sure. I’m 28 now, so probably three years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to say that. It’s a slow build. My mom says, “Life’s a journey, not a destination.” If I don’t get it today, I can get it tomorrow.
What can people expect from the show?
Live band. High energy. Special guests. A performance from Akeda Keyz. Nico Marie will be DJing. It’ll be a really great show.
You seem to thrive in collaboration and community, which is indicative of the music scene in St. Louis. Why is that important for you?
We all want to see each other win. We don’t have a choice but to support each other. We’re stacked. We got a lot of talent in this city. I think the rap scene is in good hands. Besides Smino, most of the popular rappers from St. Louis, like Nelly and Chingy, broke out like 15 to 20 years ago. That’s a problem, but there are also artists like Smino and artists like Jordan [Ward] that can break that, too. We got a lot of talent. We got a lot of great people that have a platform that can do something in the city, and we’re breaking the whole stigma that you have to leave St. Louis to make it. Nobody’s broken out of St. Louis yet, but I think it’s bound to happen.
Do you see yourself staying in St. Louis?
For right now, yeah. I would like to travel to different cities to work and still network, but for the most part, I’ll be stationed in St. Louis. I have a lot of confidence in what’s happening here in the city.
Jerei’s Blank Space show starts at 9 p.m. on April 21. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.
