Hip-hop at 50: Jay Jackson's 'album that changed the world'

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As hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023, Local Spins occasionally asks Michigan artists to reflect on the important albums that shaped them. Today we’re talking about Jay Jackson from the Last Gasp Collective.

Jay Jackson of Last Gasp Collective: Growing up in a religious household, I fell in love with hip-hop. (Photo/Kendra Petersen Kamp)

Editor’s note: Every musician is inspired by the important recordings that have influenced their careers. Today, the “Albums That Changed the World” series focuses on hip-hop, which celebrates his 50th anniversary as a genre later this year. Over the next few months, we’ll be asking Michigan artists to think about the hip-hop music that has influenced them the most. To wrap up January, writer Rosboissonneau presents the music that changed the world of Kalamazoo producer and frontman of his collective Last His Gasp Jay Jackson. By the way, tonight (January 31st) at 9pm PBS premieres Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World. Click here for details.

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Multi-instrumentalist, rapper, producer, composer and bandleader.

yes, Jay Jackson Seemingly did it all.

And while he admits the pandemic has put the brakes on virtually all musical activity, there’s no stopping it.

“It slowed things down. We were gigging and touring non-stop,” he says of the award-winning Kalamazoo-based hip-hop outfit Last Gasp Collective. “I don’t think anyone in the band had a full-time job.”

Last Gasp Collective (Folo/Derek Ketchum)

That has changed, as many, if not most, of the members have taken other jobs and the band members themselves are scattered.

Jackson grew up in a religious household, where gospel music and the occasional Motown song were virtually the only sounds. “The only thing that was allowed was music. The church had a piano and a drum set,” he says. He was also drawn to basketball his court, and after going to Indiana Tech to play basketball, he moved back to the Kalamazoo area to rely on his family to support his family.

“When I quit basketball, I really focused on music. I went to open mics and stuff. That was my entry. I met a lot of people.”

In fact, that’s how the Last Gasp Collective started. “It started with an open mic and rap playing over live instruments,” he says. He began creating backgrounds on his laptop and presented them to instrumentalists to learn and perform on stage.

The band released ‘Our Daily Bread’ last fall and was nominated for Album of the Year at the upcoming WYCE Jammy Awards. Jackson is currently working on his solo release.

1. Kirk Franklin, ‘The Nu Nation Project’ (1998) – It is almost impossible to choose 3. i listen to a lot of music I became hyper-religious. Before I was 12, I had no exposure to secular music outside of Motown. But in the albums that shaped me, this was repeated non-stop: at home, in the car, at church, in the choir. Where gospel was transitioning, more hip-hop and R&B came in, and little pieces from outside gospel came in. I thought music could evolve. It can be uptempo, beaty and clean. There was mostly stigma. Hip-hop objectified guns, shooting, and women.
listen: “revolution”

2. Kanye West ‘The College Dropout’ (2004) – In my early teens, that album completely changed my life. Otherwise I wouldn’t be playing music. It showed the positive side. I didn’t have to be a bad person. It sent me in pursuit. Hip-hop eventually became my favorite style and what I do. It was during this decade that he took the Last Gasp Collective seriously, mixing everything from his minor ninth chords to hip-hop with live instruments.
listen: “All Falls Down”

3. August Green “August Green” (2018) ――It is a group with Robert Glasper and Common. When it came together, I said, “That’s what we sound like.” It’s very jazzy, like early hip-hop with strings and choruses when Kanye was doing chop samples. It formed my approach.
listen: “Black Kennedy” (live)

Currently using: Tomo Kouta “Lyrics to Go Vol. 4” (2023) – I listen a lot, so this is tough (as much as 3 inspirations). Listen to music before lyrics and vocal delivery. Every song touched my heart. It was produced by Statik Selektah and the two (Selektah and Kota) complement each other. It’s a mix of live drums, sampling and digital. I am learning drum patterns.
listen: “Wales”