Meet ja XIII | Artist, Engineer & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with ja XIII and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi ja, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
My best friend would rap and write poems for fun back in middle school. He inspired me to do the same. We’d go around battling each other and asking who had better bars. Before I knew it, I had notebooks full of raps. I did not see it as a career mostly because I was too shy to put myself out there as a rapper. My cousin-in-law, Xscar, introduced me to GarageBand to record and FL Studio to make beats. Before then, I thought artists made their own beats. When I learned producers and engineers were behind it all, I couldn’t believe there was a way to make music for a living and still be lowkey. From that moment, I decided to become a musician.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My music is my therapy. I make music to express my thoughts and feelings. I always aim to be vulnerable. If I’m not feeling okay, I pour those emotions into a song. Maybe hearing what I’ve suffered can help someone feel better knowing they are not alone. I want the world to know even though we may suffer when nobody is around, we are not alone. If I’m feeling good, I pour those emotions into my music too. In hopes to uplift the person listening. My job is to be who I am and inspire people to feel better. That’s what I’m most proud of; being myself. I got to where I am today by staying true to me, being respectful, working hard and having faith. It’s not always easy or fun. My obsession, passion and creativity get me through most (if not all) challenges I face along the way. One lesson I am constantly reminded of is success is preparation meeting opportunity.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my friend visited for a week and I wanted to show him the best time ever, he’d have to chip in some ideas by day 3 because I rarely go out. My favorite places are the studio and the basketball court. But, since most of my friends live in Miami, I would HAVE to put them on to Nice Mon, Krab’s Hut, American Deli and Cook Out. Especially Nice Mon! Their oxtail is to die for. We’d definitely have to check out the Trap Museum because I’ve never been. Silverspot Cinema is a vibe, it’s one of those theaters that serves restaurant food. I’m a huge fan of being surrounded by nature and so far, nothing beats Cochran Mills Park at that! Last but not least, there are a few thrift shops in the city being slept on. I’ll save that sauce for when they do visit.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s been countless people who deserve a shoutout but none more than God. It’s his angels who guide me through my journey as a musician. Before giving credit to a few of his angels, I’d like to shout myself out for not stopping after every rejection, failure and doubt. The love my mom gave me and the discipline my dad taught me played such great roles in my successes. My group of close friends have been supportive from the very beginning, those guys mean the world to me. Also, my mentor Mac100it literally put me in a position that changed my life forever so major shoutout to him!

Website: https://linktr.ee/jaXIII

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ja.xiii/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ja_xiii/

Image Credits
All images were taken by creative director, Zach Scopes. @zachscopes on Instagram!