Jango – Describes Strongest Line He Ever Wrote & Biggest Obstacle For Black Teenagers

Pacific Northwest-based rapper/singer Jango presents ‘Forbidden‘, his new single produced by Jimmy Hill of Amplified Wax, the production house responsible for a platinum record for Matthew Koma, as well as collaborations with Myles Kennedy and Eva Simons. “Forbidden” will appear on Alone By Choice, Jango’s forthcoming mixtape produced by Hill and co-produced by Jango. Born in Connecticut, Jango’s first mixtape was The Pursuit, and he has toured with Crooked I and Eazy E3. “Being originally born a Jehovah’s witness there’s a lot of dos and don’ts when it comes to a significant other so as I grew older and farther away from the church my ideals and beliefs started to conflict,” Jango says about the song. “The love I’m singing and rapping about in ‘Forbidden’ is extremely forbidden in the church’s eyes. They consider this a sin. Throughout the song I knowingly am committing these sins but admit, ‘I just can’t help myself’ because the woman I’m describing is extremely seductive and has me caught up on her love. This song represents so much more to me that just a simple love song. It’s literally how I’ve experienced my love life. As a young kid I had this sweet ideal of love and how I’d be married before I had sex or became that intimate with a woman. Life however had its unexpected journeys and turns and I ended up committing sins I never thought I’d commit” Alone By Choice drops late March.

SFHH: You have a very versatile style. How did you put that together? What was the evolution?

Jango: One thing my manager told me when we first started this journey together was to not expect anything. I originally just rapped over beats and focused on just that when making a track. I didn’t have any real confidence in my singing until near the end of last year in the studio. I still consider myself a rapper but being raised by woman I was constantly surrounded by R&B music so you’ll hear that influence in a lot of my tracks.

SFHH: What do you feel is the strongest line you’ve ever written and why?

Jango Right now the strongest thing I feel I’ve written was “What are words, if you can’t hear me”. I wrote that for one of my old friends who passed away last year. It’s my way of saying that I wish I had done something then to save him instead of living in the now writing about how much I miss him.

SFHH: What’s a life motto you try to live by?

Jango: “Don’t let nobody tear you down”. In this day in age people are so caught up in social media they’re losing their touch on self-worth and appreciation. At the end of the day it’s my thoughts that matter most to me because I gotta live my life. That doesn’t mean other people’s opinions aren’t important, I just refuse to let anyone’s thoughts affect me in a negative way if possible.

SFHH: How do you think life is different for you as a Jehovah’s Witness as compared to someone in your age and position who is not? How do you feel about it?

Jango: At my age (21) usually dudes are drinking and having a good time. I think having lived the life as a Jehovah’s Witness allows me to grow older and still stay focused. I’m not immediately attracted to the worldly things like the average male would and I think that becomes my advantage. I don’t think it affects my music or image in a negative way because I’m able to relate to both sides of life. The more strict and religious side, and the worldly idealistic side.

SFHH: What do you think is the biggest obstacle facing young black teenagers today and why?

Jango: The biggest problem young teens have been facing and are still facing today is stereotypes. The T.V, social media, the news, and even the radio always portrays black males in a certain light. We’re raised socially to believe that because of our skin color we’re not expected to achieve as much as the man next to us with lighter skin. Ideals and thoughts like this poison our race because it creates a growing trend of young men who’ll continually expect less of themselves and achieve less for their culture. With my project ‘Alone By Choice’ I talk about being alone in order to find myself and how I take pride in what I, myself do. I hope the teens of my generation take the time to listen and absorb my lyrics for more than just words. We as a race need to raise the standards, and that starts with believing in ourselves.