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Meet Jazzmyn Rodrigues of Jazzmyn RED in South of Boston

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazzmyn Rodrigues.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Originally from Massachusetts, I moved and grew up in small urban centers in Massachusetts and New York. I came from a home where my Dad earned his degrees from the streets, while my Mom did so from universities. That combination helped shape my unique perspective on life. I began writing and rapping at 7 years old, and three years later started singing. However, my affinity for rhyming is credited to my father, a local emcee who was constantly flowing and beat boxing. Eventually, my passions led to professional training at Bristol Studios in Boston, where I further refined my genre-blending approach to music. I remember my senior year of high school, I told my Mom I didn’t want to go to college and wanted to pursue music full-time. She said it wasn’t an option and encouraged me to do both. I received a Bachelor Degree in Communications and Africana Studies, first attending University of Massachusetts Boston and ultimately graduating from Bridgewater State University in 2015. This combination led me to pursue social justice advocacy and urban education in my professional career path and greatly influenced my artistry. I began getting serious about my music career in the last year of college. I released a mix tape in 2013 called Caught Red Handed and released my debut album Writing HERstory in January of 2017. My growth personally, professionally, and artistically during those two projects is evident to any listener. Since the release of my album Writing HERstory, I have been blessed to gain numerous accolades in the music industry including 2017 Album of the Year from the New England Hip Hop Awards, celebrated by Women in Music Boston and Spotify in Somerville, and was recently selected as the brand ambassador for a national hip hop platform, Hip Hop Season, out of NYC as the only representative from Massachusetts and only woman. Professionally, I have gone on to become the Program Manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mass Bay’s Mentor 2.0 program. In my role, I am both teacher and mentor to some great kids at Boston Green Academy in Brighton, MA. I use music in the classroom to teach about important issues that are relevant for my students. This year I also organized a two-day hip hop workshop where the students explored the history of the genre, hands-on DJ lessons, song-writing sessions and live performances. Art is an important tool for self-expression that is often overlooked and a great way to relate to adolescents.

Has it been a smooth road?
No, definitely not. Most of the struggles I have encountered, particularly as a young woman in this industry, is that some people don’t take you as seriously as you take yourself. You can get shut out because it is a male dominated industry and if you don’t have a mentor and supportive people around you it makes it that much more difficult to navigate your creative journey. Thankfully, I had the support of my family and also my mentor who was more like a brother to me as well as a great artist in his own right, Carlos “Loko Los” Rivera. There were plenty of times I was overwhelmed and felt that I was undervalued as an artist and in those moments, it was almost like Carlos knew I felt like that. He would contact me with a friendly reminder of the fact that I cannot give up now. Carlos was murdered in 2016 in his home in Rhode Island and until this day his murdered has not been found. You cannot imagine how incredibly difficult this loss has been for his family and has also left a huge hole in my heart. Since then, I vow to keep pushing through my music career not only for me, but for him, I do this for the both of us now.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
As an artist, I boldly share stories of truth about our communities, families, relationships, and society as a whole based on my own experiences. Often, these reflect my own personal struggles and tragedies, which I have fought to transform into triumphs. This is not uncommon subject matter in artist circles but it is unique in today’s hip hop scene. Hip hop was originally created to share these very types of stories and was used not only as a form of self-expression but for political and social causes. I am swimming against a tide of commercialized hip hop and am staying true to the roots of this art form. I also like to blend my talents of rhyming, singing, songwriting, and spoken word poetry to create powerful messaging in my music. There are not too many artists out there who utilize this unique blend of art forms in their creative process. I pride myself in bringing the vibe of the classic 90’s style into present day and sharing this with my students. I also have a series of motivational videos that I produce with uplifting messages that can be found on my social media pages. I like to create these messages because we all need a little extra TLC.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Boston is full of many creative and talented people, it has a longstanding tradition of arts, music, and culture. I feel like the music scene in Boston is growing and expanding and I hope that it continues to do so. As of late, there has been many conversations being had, discussing ways to improve access to creative and performance spaces for musicians and artists in the city. Hip hop has struggled greatly in not having a creative or performance space that is welcoming to the genre. I hope these conversation lead to more options for artists like me.

Pricing:

  • Writing HERstory Album available on all digital retailers for $9.99

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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