Jaguar Wright
What's in the Philadelphia water system?
There is an epidemic running rampant through the city of steel
and Beanie. It started with the hip-hop musicians/rhyme technicians/musical
collective called the Roots. At a time when most people were
searching for old dusty records to feed into samplers, they
were searching for ways to emulate the sounds from those same
records with instruments: guitars, basses, and drums. A unique
concept in these days of electronic blips and bloops.
In an industry that thrives on fast food
music, they refused to be part of the charade. They couldn't
(wouldn't?) mingle in the clubs, spilling champagne, and smacking
girls butts; they were the outcasts. That isolation has allowed
Philadelphia to mine the talents of quite a few soul artists.
Artists that stand out because they're less interested in
a marketing strategy as they are in stretching the boundaries
of honest communication. It's a hard thing to come by today,
honesty. But when it's in the air it stands out like a funky
pair of socks being brushed across your nose. It's a natural
response to a disturbance of your comfort level. Its what
Philadelphia's artists have been infected with … the
need to shock your system, the need to give you some honest
communication.
Following in the wet, muddy, footprints
of The Roots, Jill Scott, and Musiq, comes a new voice to
that crew of musical rebels... Jaguar Wright. If a name is
any indication of an artists persona, than a large ferocious
cat can only hint at what Jaguar's about.
When wild animals are caged they become
even more fierce and determined to break free. Growing up
in a very, strict, religious household may have stirred the
ferocity of Jaguar's musical style. Her father sang in church,
weddings, and other social functions, which she was required
to attend. But the shows provided oxygen for her burning creative
embers. Pops was a little bit inspiring. At the same time
though he restricted her from listening to commercial radio
or records. Stomping out some of those flames. This at a time
when Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Minnie Ripperton were
at their peak. Respite came from summer block parties, where
he couldn't just up and pull the plug. In Mission Impossible
mode, she and her sister would sneak into the backyard or
garage around midnight and listen to the radio.
When her mother and father would go out,
she and her sister would get their jam on, hanging on to the
sounds up until the last minute before he walked through the
door. Looking out the window … He pulls into the driveway...
"uh oh, here comes ... What are yall doing in here? Nuthin."
They had do be slick with it.
Her first attempt at music came through
hip-hop. She had a tattered notepad full of rhymes. Big Poppa
found it and tossed it in the fireplace. It didn't deter her
though, she continued to hone her craft, and later joined
a rap group called Philly Blunts. She performed with the group
in and around Philly for four years. When they disbanded she
switched her focus to singing, and would hit studios in New
York, Philly, and New Jersey performing as a backup singer
and singing hooks for local artists. She soon began to work
on her own material and got a chance to perform at a local
Philly gathering of female artists called The Black Lily.
Founded by the Jazzyfatnastees, Black Lily was an arena for
early performances by Jill Scott and India.Arie.
Jaguar broke loose with a thrilling performance.
One that made her a regular at Black Lily and garnered her
a spot on The Okayplayers Tour. Now officially a member of
the Roots Collective and with a buzz about her improvisational
and audience centered performances, she is set to release
her debut album called Denials, Delusions and Decisions on
MCA/Motive Records. The album features production from seasoned
flavor veterans, James Poyser (Erykah Badu,) Scott Storch
who blessed Dr. Dre's last album. These guys simply provide
a backdrop for Jaguar, as she has two hands on the wheel making
sure her vehicle is steered in the right direction. "It
was important to me to have an album that was completely me,
which is why I wrote and co-arranged my whole album. Jaguar
as an artist is the purest part of me. I want to uplift people
the way music has for me. I want people to put on my music
and be touched by it." With the strong belief that hers
is a god-given talent, Jaguar says that she's just warming
up.
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