$cary Jerry: Player- Q&A
The Boston music scene is rarely tapped into by outsiders. $cary Jerry, a New York native studying at Boston University is one of the few who have made their mark on the increasingly growing hip scene in Boston. Receiving shoutouts from the city’s own Og Swaggerdick, Jerry’s relatable uplifting tracks have received tens of thousands of streams across all platforms. His most recent release, “Player”, samples and takes a different perspective on the late great fellow Bronx native, Big Pun’s hit song “Still Not a Player.”
Johnny Dube: What was your childhood like in the Bronx? What did the Bronx teach you?
$cary Jerry: Growing up in the Bronx at a young age taught me how to think quickly. Living in a fast paced city like New York, I always had to be on my toes because I never knew what could happen next. I was often placed in several tricky situations that helped me develop both my cleverness and hunger to succeed.
JD: How is life different in Boston than in the Bronx? What are some of your favorite spots in Boston?
$: Life in Boston is much slower and calmer than life in the Bronx. While it is completely different, it is a nice reset from the sometimes overwhelming pace of New York. My favorite spots in Boston are the Seaport and the sneaker store AWOL. AWOL has tons of drip and unique fits at good prices. The Seaport is beautiful to look at and is a great place to take pictures in the summer.
JD: How did you get introduced to music? Who are some of your inspirations?
$: I started listening to Hip-Hop consistently when I started high school. I went to school 2 hours from my home, so I used public transportation as a chance to enjoy music and explore new artists. The first artists I started listening to were Meek Mill and Kanye West. To this day, they’re still huge inspirations for me.
JD: What is the song making process like for you?
$: Usually I play a couple beats and hum melodies to each one.
The melody that sounds the most catchy is usually the one I go with.
After that, I mess around until I chef up a hook, then I get to working on the verse and bridge (if there’s one in the song). I usually use beats from producers who send me instrumentals on instagram or from my main engineer Gekko.
JD: You have made several tracks with your friend and fellow rapper Clay Clutch, what do you enjoy about creating music with people you are close to?
$: Clay (Clutch) is also from New York, so whenever we meet up it's always a great time. I love creating music with my friends. It gives me the opportunity to be extra comfortable, while still doing something I love to do. My audio engineer @prodbygekko is one of my best friends, so even when I’m recording songs I’m still laughing and enjoying myself. He’s also from New York too, which makes it easy to see him whenever I’m back in the city.
Clay (left) and Jerry (right) on set for their music video for Clay’s song “Sellout”
JD: How do you make time and manage being a full time student and a musician?
$: It’s very difficult for me to manage being a full-time student and musician. I usually end up investing too much time into one or the other at a particular time. I like being a full-time student though because it gives me an opportunity to gain a classic education, while still chasing my dreams. I usually work on music during the weekends or breaks, and work on school work during the school week.
JD: Do you have any upcoming projects that we should know about?
$: I have a lot of new music on the way. I’m holding off on the project for a little while because I just wanna show my listeners my versatility first. I have a lot of new sounds and experimental music on the way. You can expect a project around Halloween though because I always gotta drop during Spooky Season.
Follow $cary Jerry on Instagram here!
Stream his music below!
