WORD Magazine - The Soul of Urban Culture

Psalm 118, verse 1 opens in a proclamation, “O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: because His mercy endureth for ever”.

The significance of this scripture to Jully Black and her debut album, This is Me is two-fold. For one, it is the reference that her ska-sounding, pop-ready radio single “Sweat of Your Brow” draws upon. Secondly, it is a description of the current state of her mind, body and soul as her debut album is finished and is set for a June 21st release.

However, the road getting here is one that, even in retrospect, is hard to chart. After commencing her exploration of her own musical talent at the age of seven, while in church, Jully continued to develop as a songstress into her teenage years. The sheer power of her voice and personality reverberated far beyond her residence along Toronto’s Jane-strip. In the mid-90’s, she joined The Circle, a collective of Canadian Hip Hop heavyweights (Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Saukrates, Solitair, Marvel, etc.) as their lone female vocalist. The initial result was her presence, mostly for eight bars of a hook, on songs by the aforementioned emcees. The latter result was a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music and, later on, MCA.

Up to that point, relatively speaking, she had been one of the most successful Canadian Black female vocalists in the history of our industry, yet it is a story overshadowed by unmet expectations, and disappointments best taken as ‘learning experiences’. Not only was Jully attempting to forge her career and make a name for herself, she was also clearing trails in an industry with very little precedent and faith in what she was offering.

As much ground as she was able to cover, and as substantial as the exposure that she gained had been, that opening chapter is one that had a very obvious glass ceiling. Chapter two, the one that is being authored as we speak, commences with a different tone: “I’ve been where I’ve been. Everybody’s been somewhere and everybody’s struggles are all equal, so I don’t think it’s up to me to harp on my struggles. I celebrate my struggles because that’s what got me where I am right now”.

As to where she is right now, Jully asserts, “Grounded, grateful and prepared for what’s to come”. In terms of her professional career, she explains that, “In a nutshell, I was with a former label and now I’m with a new label, which is my own, Jully Black Entertainment Incorporated/ Universal Music Canada”.

There is a level of peace and satisfaction in her voice as she continues, saying, “I’m just in a very self-reliant state. As far as my creativity, I was working with a lot of different people, in terms of emcees and songwriters, but now this is me. It’s time for people to hear what I’m about, feel what I’m about, realize that I’m more than eight bars”.

Of the new label situation, Jully adds that, “To me, in my opinion, this is the only time that I feel ever in my career that I’ve been taken seriously and been given the opportunity to make change, and to take chances, and to contend and to not be pigeon-holed and bottled in to something that is someone else’s perception”.

While countless vocalists have become bitter by what has been described as a lack of infrastructure and support, Jully has found wisdom in her uphill battle: “My message to other artists out there is that, ‘if you don’t know who you are, then you’re not ready’. I thought I was ready two years ago, with the other label,” she says. “And years before that when I first got into the game, but now I’m confident with where I’ve been, who I am and where I am going”.

Speaking with Jully, maturity and faith exude from her person. Part of this is from overcoming, while the other part is in embracing the many blessings that have come her way. One of the most recent gifts, was a role in the theatrical production Da Kink in My Hair, which was the first Canadian production to play at Toronto’s Princess of Wales theatre.

Aside from keeping her busy while the set-up to her June 21st release was being planned, Jully explains that, “Being in Da Kink taught me that everybody is equal”. Elaborating on this point, Jully says, “We all contributed to the piece and the piece wouldn’t be complete without all of us. It taught me discipline. It taught me how to pay tribute, homage and respect the ancestors every night. Just to really get out there and give. We did 106 shows and every show was different. We have a duty, I have a purpose, and no matter what is going on in my life, no matter what’s going on backstage, when you get on that stage, you are a storyteller, and that’s what I learned. I met a group of women that I will always be connected to because they are a part of my DNA now”.

Of how the experience differed from her years on stage as a solo artist, Jully says, “Performing in theatre, is basically not being selfish, you are highlighting and accenting the piece — you play your position”. On performing, she says, “When I’m with my band, the focus is me, but I actually have to give that much more, because the expectations are that much higher. Both help each other, I approach performing differently, I am a lot more grounded and I understand that whatever comes out of my mouth was supposed to come out. Just love what God gave me”.

And while the tangible benefit of her role in Da Kink can be found in a new level of professionalism, there was also a much more intangible gain from that experience. Of D’bi Young, a lead actress in the production, Jully reveals, “She was the first person that taught me how to give thanks and call upon the ancestors. To really call upon them when you feel like you’re heavy laden and burdened and you can’t move on, to just know that the ancestors already went through it, paved the way, died for us, and we’re here just to deliver the message”.

And the messages are many. “Hurt U Bad”, is a hard hitting venting of a broken heart. “Free to Love Me” is a sad, but sweet, apologetic confession of longing for a love lost through her mistakes. “Living in the Ghetto” is a Saukrates assisted expression of having seen the harder side of life. “I Travelled” is an ode to the sacrifices and survival of her mother in making the life that she has been able to experience, which draws on the deep gospel influence in her sound. And that is four of 14 solidly written and produced cuts.

Of the album Jully, surprisingly, argues, “To me, this is not my album. This is our country’s album. I’m just a representative. Whether you’re Donovan Bailey running track”, she pauses, “I am a musical Olympian and I am representing Canada everywhere I go”. Revealing the bigger vision within her heart, she adds, “I would like to be internationally known, loved and accepted so that others, especially Canadians, women could have a Shero that was born and raised right here, a Black Woman that will be, one day, fans choice with Shania, Celine and the rest of the women that are celebrated”.

So finally, after walking a long, winding road with many, many battles and unforeseen obstacles. After many mirages, that proved to be illusions of oasis in dry, and empty deserts, Jully has arrived; not at a pinnacle, but at a beginning, at an entrance to a trail that she is truly prepared to progress along.

And so she begins this journey to bring the songs that she has extracted from her soul to the globe, proclaiming that, “This is Me”. In the words of her mother, the primary Shero in her life, “Finally, that is you. Finally, you’re music sounds like where you are from”.

A New Beginning

for Jully Black