Domo
Audio By Carbonatix
The last two years have been busy for Dallas rapper Jovaun. In June 2020, he lost his brother, rapper Uncle Skitz, shortly before dropping his debut album, 1PLAYAWAY. Jovaun had always wanted to be a rapper, and often accompanied Skitz as he recorded his music. Determined to carry on his brother’s legacy, Jovaun put pen to the paper and began a rap career of his own.
As a child, Jovaun says his love of music began “in the backseat of my dad’s car, when I was still in a car seat.” He listened to everything, “from Spanish, to country, to hip-hop, to rap.” But he began taking the pursuit of music seriously alongside Skitz.
“He helped me tap into the songwriting industry,” Jovaun says. “Having him and having multiple friends around me like him, who make great music, inspired me to start making music. [Skitz] taught me how to write music and helped me get my foot in the door.”
Channeling the energy of his brother, along with the braggadocious spirit of Biggie Smalls and the wisdom of Tupac, Jovaun maintains his motivation.
Though he carries a heavy heart from the events over the past three years, he continues to persevere, specifically on a track called “I Can’t Lie.” Over a piano-driven, percussion-heavy track, Jovaun delivers rap-singing vocals, as he says, “I’ve got too much on my mind to worry about them other guys,” noting that he’s “way too focused” to worry about naysayers or to get involved in any draining relationships.
He delves more into the latter on a track called “See Me On,” on which he prioritizes his own ambitions over an aloof girlfriend.
“It’s pretty much me talking about the the young ladies who want to be around, but they don’t really support me, or I don’t feel supported by them,” Jovaun says of the song. “Which is why I’m saying, ‘They don’t want to see me on, but they don’t want to see me gone’ either.”
“Anytime I make a song, I pretty much ask my daughter what she thinks of it … because I feel like her ear is the best ear, and she doesn’t just say yes to everything.” – Jovaun
On his latest track, “Run It Up,” which dropped this past Friday, he hammers it home that he has bigger plans. The track features a confident Jovaun, listing the ways he’s come far in the past couple of years. Over a thumping, bass-heavy instrumental, he raps: “Imma run it up / I ain’t have no choice / Baby I’m a star, you can hear it in my voice / If you can’t spend a bag with the gang, what’s the point?”
At the moment, Jovaun is working on an EP. He goes through a meticulous process when selecting the songs he wants to put out. But the most important ear is that of his four-year-old daughter.
“Anytime I make a song, I pretty much ask my daughter what she thinks of it,” Jovaun says, “because I feel like her ear is the best ear, and she doesn’t just say yes to everything. Like, she’s told me ”No, I don’t like this,’ or ‘Yeah, I like this.’ So that’s where I get a lot of creative juices.”
As an independent artist, Jovaun has already accomplished some incredible feats. He recently opened for fellow Dallas rapper Tay Money and linked with “Mood” rapper 24KGoldn during SoWhat Festival, though he didn’t note whether a collaboration is underway.
But in all that he does, he carries the memory of his brother, which he says has shaped him into the best artist he can possibly be.
“I pretty much listen to everything he told me before he passed,” Jovaun says. “If you have to re-record a song 10 times, do it. Make sure you’re buying all your beats. Make sure the producer knows that you’re going to work with their beat. Make sure you’re taking all the constructive criticism and actually putting it into play.”
