Jonwayne in London
- Text by Alex King, Video by Ed Andrews
Walking down Camden High Street, Jonwayne draws a lot of attention. Even without a camera trained on him he would struggle to blend into the crowd: as a big white dude with long hair and sandals, he cuts a distinctive figure. Most passersby would never guess this unlikely-looking rapper was the raddest guy in hip hop today.
Digging through the crates in Out On the Floor Records, he talks about his earliest memories of vinyl; playing Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade at high speed and “dancing around the room with my brothers like I was on cocaine.” He’s still fascinated by manipulating sound, sampling in unpredictable ways to get something different and unexpected out of old tunes. Looking back, these early musical experiments as a child were just the first steps to becoming a killer beatmaker.
The more we talk, the greater the disconnect appears between the thoughtful guy leafing through soul LPs and the rapper who has the world at his feet. Jonwayne is in London for the first time to perform at Gilles Peterson’s massively respected Worldwide Awards. Earlier, he hinted at his aggressive transformation, but no-one in the room is prepared for the badass who takes the stage. Supported only by a sampler, he singlehandedly holds the attention of everyone in the room. And then blows them away. After dropping the best performance of the night, he walks off with the Album of the Year award, for Rap Album One.
Until recently, hearing his name would have made you think of another Wayne, the cowboy and symbol of wooden Hollywood conservatism. But the rapper (born Jon Wayne) is on a mission to take the name back for himself, after the actor (born Marion Morrison) stole it from his great uncle, an American Revolutionary War General. As he keeps throwing it down harder and harder, it’s already happening: right now, Jonwayne is the name on everyone’s lips.
You can grab Jonwayne’s awesome Rap Album One from Stones Throw Records.
You might like
A new book explores Tupac’s revolutionary politics and activism
Words For My Comrades — Penned by Dean Van Nguyen, the cultural history encompasses interviews with those who knew the rapper well, while exploring his parents’ anti-capitalist influence.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Nina Utashiro builds disquieting, macabre sonic worlds
Huck x Eastern Margins — We caught up with the Japanese-German rap experimentalist ahead of her performance at Huck’s SXSW London joint event with Eastern Margins.
Written by: Isaac Muk
On Alexander Skarsgård’s trousers, The Rehearsal, and the importance of weirdos
Freaks and Finances — In the May edition of our monthly culture newsletter, columnist Emma Garland reflects on the Swedish actor’s Cannes look, Nathan Fielder’s wild ambition, and Jafaican.
Written by: Emma Garland
Huck teams up with Eastern Margins for a special SXSW London showcase
From Shibuya to Shoreditch — Taking place at Village Underground on Monday, performances will come from MONO, Nina Utashiro, Ena Mori, Jianbo, LVRA & Soda Plains.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Analogue Appreciation: Shura
I Got Too Sad For My Friends — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, it’s English singer-songwriter Shura.
Written by: Shura
After Assad’s fall, Syria’s musicians rebuild from the rubble
Spaces Between the Beats — Following decades of dictatorship and 14 years of civil war, the country’s classical and creative scenes have an opportunity to build from scratch. Andrei Popviciu speaks to the people hoping for a flourishing new era of art and sound.
Written by: Andrei Popoviciu