Jehst Explained

Jehst
Image Upright:1.25
Birth Name:William G. Shields
Alias:Billy Brimstone
Birth Place:Kent, England
Birth Date:1979 8, df=yes
Origin:London, England
Genre:Hip hop
Occupation:Rapper, producer
Years Active:1996–present
Label:Low Life, Reprezent, YNR
Associated Acts:Nmonic, Champions of Nature, Groundwurq Entertainment, Klashnekoff, Lewis Parker, Task Force, Harry Love
Website:YNR Productions

William G. Shields[1] (born 21 August 1979), better known by his stage name Jehst, is an English rapper and co-founder of hip hop label YNR Productions.

Biography

Born in Kent in 1979, Jehst spent his early childhood in Crowborough in Sussex before moving to Huddersfield where he went to Honley High School. After being admitted to the LSE in London for a degree in Social Anthropology & Law, Jehst subsequently dropped out due to an offer of a record deal and an opportunity to set up his own label.

His debut release came in 1999 with the Premonitions EP on YNR Productions, which he co-founded with Leeds hip hop artist, Tommy Evans.[2] Premonitions was recorded in Leeds with Evil Ed on production and featuring a number of early YNR artists such as Tommy Evans, Nmonic, Asaviour, Taharka, Usmaan, Nexus 6. An initial run of just 500 copies of the Premonitions EP are thought to have been produced and distributed by hand (these early copies can be distinguished by the blue ink used to print the text on the label.)[3] Jehst's solo career extended further when he appeared on Task Force's EP Voice of the Great Outdoors (2000) with the track 'Cosmic Gypsies', which resulted in a longtime association with Low Life Records. The release of four 12" records on the same label soon followed, while at around the same time in 2002 Jehst was also a pivotal member of the seven-man group Champions of Nature, whose members included AM, Apollo, L. Dolo, Lewis Parker, Profound, and Supa T (a.k.a. The Sundragon). The group eventually released two EPs before disbanding, but not before the final release of the acclaimed[4] [5] album, The Return of the Drifter. Issued in June 2002, it was a double release with an accompanying 11-track CD of the same name. This was essentially a collection of previously released tracks and a cross-section of Jehst's work up to that point.

Furthermore, Shields had begun collaborating with producers such as Harry Love and Lewis Parker to further enhance his status as an established figure within the British hip hop scene. In 2003, he unveiled his debut album proper, Falling Down, which featured guest appearances from Lewis Parker, Supa T, Usmaan and Klashnekoff. Jehst's next solo instalment came in the form of the 2005 effort, Nuke Proof Suit. The following year saw Jehst's production project, Jehst Presents: Underworld Epics come to fruition. In 2007 The Mengi Bus Mixtape was released, accompanied by a string of live shows including a small run of shows in Australia.

Shields has also released material under the name 'Billy Brimstone' on his own label, YNR; the same label responsible for many up and coming and established British hip hop artists.

Jehst's next album The Dragon of an Ordinary Family was released in June 2011. The first single from the album, "Starting Over", was launched by a viral marketing video campaign in which a supposed Jehst fan recorded footage of the rapper appearing as a worker of the Post Office. 'Jehst Is My Postman' later turned out to be a PR stunt, as this recording was followed up by a music video of the single, featuring many other rappers dressed in a variety of costumes.[6]

Jehst has continued to release both his own and others' music on his label YNR since then, including albums from Confucius MC[7] and others. He has frequently collaborated with other hip hop artists from the UK including Loyle Carner,[8] Lee Scott,[9] Lord Apex[10] and many more.

In 2020, Jehst released a collaborative EP with Blah Records co-founder Lee Scott under the name GROUP.[11]

Graffiti

Jehst was a founding member of a graffiti crew called TCS (The Chemical Soulz) alongside SpyMaD and Reap. TCS were credited with reviving the graffiti scene in Halifax during the mid 1990s. TCS eventually grew to become a large group of graffiti artists and taggers so the more exclusive group PCP was formed as an offshoot to focus on bigger pieces that were more technically challenging. Jehst and SpyMaD joined PCP and were active for a number of years in the North of England with the majority of the groups output being in Halifax and Huddersfield. [12]

Discography

Albums

Mixtapes/Productions

EPs

Singles

Appearances

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Jehst. 22 August 2012. Crack. 9 September 2021.
  2. News: Jehst Biography . britishhiphop.co.uk. 9 August 2007. 6 August 2008.
  3. Web site: The Making of the Premonitions EP.
  4. Web site: Jehst: Re-Return of the Drifter - fabric blog . Fabriclondon.com . 8 June 2011 . 21 May 2020.
  5. Web site: Jehst :: The Return of the Drifter :: Low Life Records . Rapreviews.com . 20 September 2011 . 18 December 2015.
  6. Web site: Rob Boffard . Jehst – an analogue rapper in a digital world | Music . The Guardian . 18 December 2015.
  7. News: Tempest. Kae. 2 September 2018. Confucius MC: 'I've seen illiterate kids learn raps in 10 minutes'. en-GB. The Guardian. 7 February 2021. 0261-3077.
  8. Web site: Bringing The South Back: Loyle Carner Interviewed. 7 February 2021. Clash Magazine. en.
  9. Web site: 18 October 2017. Interview // UK hip hop pioneer Jehst on his new concept album Billy Green is Dead. 7 February 2021. NITELIFE. en-GB.
  10. Web site: 26 September 2020. Kiko Bun, Lord Apex & Jehst Join Pitch 92 On "Good With Me". 7 February 2021. GRM Daily. en-GB.
  11. Web site: GROUP ft. Lord Apex - Everything I Know [Stream]]. 2021-04-26. The Pit London. en-GB.
  12. Web site: Halifax and Huddersfield . www.graffiti.org . 1 November 1998 . 17 January 2021.
  13. Web site: Jehst: The Dragon Of An Ordinary Family – The Remixes . Wordplaymagazine.com . 30 January 2014 . 18 December 2015.
  14. Web site: Jehst- The Dragon of an Ordinary Family (Remixes) - Broken Culture | Uk Hip Hop, D&B and Underground Music . Broken Culture . 18 December 2015.

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