New Artist: Jesse Boykins III
At first glance, this 23-year-old looks like any other young black male who thinks his life surrounded by poverty coupled with his desire to make fast money automatically warrant him the "skills" necessary to be a successful rapper. But dig deeper and you'll see that Jesse Boykins III isn't your average wannabe rapper but, in fact, a quite talented singer.
At first glance this 23-year-old looks like any other young black male who thinks his life surrounded by poverty coupled with his desire to make fast money automatically warrant him the “skills” necessary to be a successful rapper. But dig deeper and you’ll see that Jesse Boykins III isn’t your average wannabe rapper but, in fact, a quite talented singer.
Born in Chicago and raised between Kingston, Jamaica and Miami, Fla., Jesse Boykins III was brought up to set and achieve attainable goals through focus and dedication. These values would help him later pursue his passion - music.
Boykins first began writing music in the fourth grade. He would pick up on what he calls everyday sounds that most people fail to notice and use them as a fuel to create melodies and write songs to be recorded on his Karaoke machine. Going forth, Boykins recognized a desire to discover music other than what was being heard on the radio.
Desperate to find new sources of musical inspiration, Boykins delved into the likes of Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway and The Beatles. Through the Internet he was exposed to these and other soul artists, studying their use of metaphor and imagery and rather than relying on gimmicks (like the aforementioned “aspiring rappers”), learned to create depth in his lyrics. Boykins’ hard work and determination lead him to perform with boy bands, jazz ensembles and eventually landed him recruitment at The New School University in New York City. While at The New School, he perfected his fine arts skills, which are evident in his original songs including “Itis” and “Chanel.“
Today Boykins remains in the New York City area writing and performing music throughout various cities. Jesse Boykins III can next be seen performing along with DJ/Producer Melo X and Singer Brandon Hines at The Black Apple IV on Tuesday December 15th in New York Hot Spot SOBs. Not in the area or can’t make it to the show? Check out the tunes posted on his MySpace page.
