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In an era of rap music where artists often employ flamboyant images and exaggerative storytelling for recognition, both underground and mainstream, it’s ironic that one of the industry’s most dynamic new personas is Philadelphia’s own Jake Lefco, one who uses his government name on a CD package, has a blue-collar mentality to his career as an artist, and isn’t ashamed to paint a realistic picture of the average young adult’s weekend festivities.

215 Hip Hop: Why did you choose to use your full given name as your stage name? Do you think this choice paved the way for an appropriately titled debut, “And You Are?”

Jake Lefco: I found out the name “MC Sun Burn” was already taken! …heartbreaking shit. All my life I’ve just been Jake Lefco, and I’ve never had any nick names that stuck, so the idea of creating a stage name out of thin air seemed way too artificial. Plus, I’m honest and straightforward in my music, so I think using some clever, catchy alias would take away from that. Being a brand new artist in the public eye, I knew that at first, cats would probably be like “Jake who?!?!” So the album title “And You Are?” as well as the “Hi, I’m Jake Lefco” interludes help hammer home the not so flashy name.

215: A lot of emcees release waves 12-inches or even whole albums of material more focused in the art of lyricism before putting out a more introspective project, why did you chose to do this the first time around? Do you have any plans to release projects that are more strictly about the art of rhyme in the future?

Jake: I just write what moves me. Sometimes that means an introspective song,
other times it means 48 bars showcasing my rhyme skills. I’m not exactly
sure what you mean by “material focused in the art of lyricism”, because for
me the art of lyricism is always there, regardless of the content of a song.
Whether it’s a more personal joint like “Wonder Years” or a battle-oriented
track like “Keep An Eye Out”, the art of rhyme is wrapped up in the
wordplay, the delivery, and the lyrics. If you’re asking whether or not I
have plans to put out entire projects of more typical battle rap, then the
answer is no. For me, an album full of any one thing gets boring, so I
prefer to mix it up. But if you’re just asking if there will be other
releases that are less introspective, the answer is yes. “And You Are?” is
all about me, and it’s just about as personal as it gets.

215: What can be said about the next project, “Missing Trooth”? Why release another album so soon after the recent debut? Will the dental hygiene pun have any special meaning in its theme?

Jake: “Missing Trooth” is craaazy! I can’t wait for that to drop! It’s another
Jake Lefco full-length album, jam-packed with all types of flavor. One of
the things that’s dope about “Missing Trooth” is that, after “And You
Are?”, I don’t need to spend so much time or energy introducing myself to
the listener, which opens up the doors to some next level shit. I’ve been
able to branch out a little more, incorporating some talented guest singers
like Keisha Hutchins, Ohsha Kai, and David Cope, and some ill guest emcees
like Reef the Lost Cauze, Briz, and Side Effect. I’ve also become much more
comfortable taking risks with my song concepts and my delivery. I came up
with the “Missing Trooth” title and recorded the material during a period
of time when I had a missing front tooth! So that gap in my grill became a
fitting metaphor not only for the unfinished goals in my music career, but
also the search for truth and meaning in my life and most importantly, it
was a good excuse to get the personalized dental floss that I’ve always
dreamed of!!

215: There’s a line in “And You Are?” where you mention making music for ‘black & white, rich & poor’… Do you think failing to accomplish this by either making music that is too white or too unauthentic in attempting to receive ones ‘ghetto pass’ is where a lot of white emcees go wrong?

Jake: Regardless of race and class, I think no matter what an artist does, it’s
impossible to please everyone. I also don’t believe that music can be ‘too
white’ or ‘too black’. What it can be is too fake. My twin brother Fake Rightgo is a perfect example; he’s got skills but he tries way too hard. I
can’t stand that dude! Regardless of where you’re from, what color your skin
is, and how much money you have, the music you make will only be felt if
it’s a real reflection of you, and that goes for all genres. I have
definitely seen white emcees who, in attempts to be accepted by their black
audience, end up trying to be something they’re not. It’s a shame too,
because in these cases, everyone sees through it, and nobody will give the
music a chance. I don’t think it’s all about race though. I’ve seen black
emcees play themselves in the same way by trying to be more hardcore and
’gangsta’ than they truly are, and they get laughed at too!

215: Although I don’t normally like to bundle rappers according to subgenres or other people’s sounds, people are eager for information on what to expect in your music… If you had to compare yourself to 3 other artists, who would they be?

Jake: Common, Black Thought, Biggie, De La Soul, Will Smith, Special Ed, and …Ashlee Simpson. I’m not great at counting.

215: As someone who grew up in the suburbs, it surprises people when I tell people that being into hip-hop was natural, as it was normal for all the kids in my town to embrace the music at ages 9 or 10. Did you experience a similar environment growing up, or was expressing interest more taboo, like in most suburbs in the ‘90’s?

Jake: Nah man, it was the same for me growing up. I mean, I spent the early part
of my childhood in Philly, but even there, my neighborhood was a more or
less suburban environment, and I was surrounded by hip-hop! Rap’s pretty
much all we listened to.

215: Was your recent relocation to NY a professional or personal decision? Either way, have you been exploring networking opportunities in hip-hop’s capital?

Jake: Actually, both; I was looking into moving up here to push my music and get my
name out beyond the local Philly scene, and around the same time my girl was
admitted into grad school in Manhattan. So we both moved up here together.
And yeah, I’ve been real busy networking with a bunch of independent emcees
and DJs from NY. I linked up with King Cut, my show DJ, who’s been working
with me in New York and Philly, and I’ve been volunteering for a non-profit
organization called Urban Art Beat, mentoring middle school kids in the
South Bronx. Things are good.

215: You’ve mentioned going to high school with Scandal and being around when he formed 40th Dimension with Happ G… Do you consider Scan a mentor in developing your own skill, or is rhyming what brought you two together in the first place?

Jake: Back in the 40D days, Scan was definitely a mentor for me. When I was just
getting started as an emcee, he and Happ G reached out to me in a big way
when they had me as a guest on their album “The Crop Report”. But over the
last few years, Reef the Lost Cauze has been the most consistent source of
inspiration for me. Not so much as a one-on-one teacher, but with the moves
he’s been making, he’s become a mentor by example.

215: As a final thought, how will Jake Lefco change the game?

Jake: Next Wednesday afternoon at 2:45 pm, I’m going to be the first rapper to
stand on his head, while eating a fruit roll up, and wearing a snow suit…
all at the same time!