Finding Home: Jay Versace's journey to becoming himself
We all look back at our youthful shenanigans with hands covering our faces, eyes wincing, mentally going back in time and acknowledging the uncomfortable fact that we were under the impression that we were ‘cool’. Social media introduced a way for teenagers to put themselves out there for no other reason than being entertaining. A hub for this kind of entertainment was Vine. The app had an ingenious gimmick of six-second videos that challenged creatives to be funny within a very short time limit. A slew of comedians, artists, and actors alike have gained notoriety via the success of their work on the app but very few are as impressive as Jay Versace.
Jay caught the attention of millions around the world with his high energy and bombastic expressions. Eventually, a myriad of memes was created from Jay’s expressions and reactions. Historically, this is the beginning of the end for most Meme-famous creators. Once your content is reduced to a reaction or a “mood” by people who don’t even know your name, your whole being is reduced to “black teen making a funny face”. But Jay is so much more than that, and he knew it. In 2021, 7 years after the world was introduced to Jay, he’s lightyears ahead of his peers.
Jay wears confidence like an aura. His self-assurance is refreshing in a world where insecure artists run rampant. After coming out as queer, Jay made it explicitly clear that he doesn’t want to be known as “the gay guy”. This penchant for avoiding labemism is very important. Being typecast, in any capacity, is a death sentence for any truly talented creative; once you step outside of that typecast, you’re then labeled as inauthentic or try-hard. Jay is also aware of the responsibility he carries being a public figure and does his best to be a positive role model for those who may be closeted without a positive figure to look up to.
A major shift in his life would come in 2018 when he released his first beat on Twitter. The reviews were mixed, most of the responses, ironically, were memes of Jay expressing their excitement or disappointment in this new venture. What some called a one-off quirk was actually a genuine passion for the creative. He studied the art of production with the mentorship of Knwledge and Pink Siifu encouraging him every step of the way. Jay’s production style is foggy, soulfully hypotonic, and inviting. His debut would come as a collaboration with Buffalo artist, Westside Gunn of the Griselda rap collective. The song, aptly titled, “Versace” samples a syrupy slow loop of The Clark Sisters’ “They Were Overcome” which meshes with Gunn’s helium tone like PB&J.
Being a fan of music, Jay has a vast array of sounds he can pull from. Be it a gospel song he heard growing up in church or an r&b hit he heard at a cookout; he does his best to simultaneously make his music sound familiar and unpredictable. His next production venture would be with Griselda signee, Boldy James on a 10 track project. It was met with critical acclaim and people started to notice and respect Jay for his work. On June 25th, 2021, Jay would receive his largest look to date.
Tyler the Creator released his 6th album, “Call Me If You Get Lost” with an outro executively produced by Jay Versace. The consensus is that it’s a perfect victory lap on a perfect album. Boisterous bass lines and exotic flutes are draped over the triumphant horn sample Jay provides. Anybody familiar with Tyler’s catalog is aware that he prides himself on producing all the beats for his album. Jay Versace sits next to Jamie xx as the only two producers on Tyler’s new album. For Jay to be the only other producer on the album and having just started fairly recently, is incredibly telling of his skill and dedication.
As of late, Jay has signed up for Twitch, a live streaming service, where he live-streams his beats and works on beats from scratch while engaging with his rapidly growing community. He’s also announced that he’s stepping away from Twitter and focusing all of his energy on Twitch and leveling up his skills as a producer. In an interview, Jay mentioned that he wanted people to notice that he’s not the same kid they met on the internet. He then corrected himself and said he hopes that they notice his growth.
Jay Versace will always be funny, silly, and entertaining but that’s not all that’s there. Jay is a multifaceted creative who constantly looks for ways to better himself, his craft, and his community. Instead of complaining about being an unwanted role model, Jay uses his position to instill a safe space for those who may need it. A far cry from the rubber-faced teen on Vine, Jay is confidently living his dreams and putting in the work to ensure his legacy as one of the most distinguished artists of the new age.