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Action Jackson!
The skinny on the fearless DJ Fisk aka:Justice Jackson
by Chris Tarver
Guest Reporter
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By Armando Manzanares
Today's hip-hop market is oversaturated with thugs and pretty-boys. With so many rap artists sounding like carbon copies of each other, we seldom hear of artists who possess talent and originality. It's even more rare to hear of an artist with the courage to combine the two. Be surprised no more, Justice "DJ Fisk" Jackson is here.
Jackson recently released an EP called Revenge of the Skinny Man. The EP contains five tracks and serves as a showcase of lyrical skills, concepts and "anti-bling" anthems. "Gladiator" sets the tone for the EP, showcasing Jackson's skills as an emcee as he takes verbal shots at the competition behind clever vocal samples of some of rap's most respected lyricists. Other standout tracks include "Skinny Man" and "Ironjust," but the highlight of Skinny Man is "Denise." The song is a charming love story with a bizarre twist that showcases Jackson's ability to successfully combine the elements of storytelling and songwriting. All in all, Skinny Man is a much needed and appreciated retreat back to true hip-hop.
Both Jackson's personality and music are spitting images of one another; the music is a product of the personality, not vice versa. At first listen to his music, one might assume that Jackson is just another angry rapper. That's not the case at all. After a couple of listens and a thorough conversation with Jackson, it's evident he's venting his frustrations about the current status of hip-hop. Both the man and the music tell the story the way it is and the way it should be. As a result, he can come off as intimidating; but Jackson is just speaking the truth.
Jackson is an African-American Studies major at Metro. As station manager for MetRadio (88.3 FM), he has full control of the daily operation of the station. In addition, he has a daily mix show from 12-2 p.m.
Although he enjoys his duties as station manager for MetRadio, he made it quite clear he's dissatisfied with the lack of support from the Federal Communications Commission. Apparently, MetRadio has just enough wattage to operate within the boundaries of the Tivoli Student Union. MetRadio intends to start a Dollar-a-Watt campaign in order to generate enough funds to gain support from the FCC. If MetRadio does indeed raise the funds needed for more wattage, it's still not guaranteed the FCC will provide the necessary power for operation outside the Tivoli.
Jackson has been a mainstay in the Denver hip-hop community for awhile, yet he feels he hasn't been getting the respect he deserves. After doing the music thing for about 15 years, he feels he's underappreciated as an emcee and a deejay. According to Jackson, being a deejay is more gratifying than being an emcee, mainly because there's more interaction between the deejay and the audience.
Like many industry insiders and loyal rap fans, Jackson is discontent with some of the issues and concerns plaguing rap music. On a positive note, Jackson is delighted with the progress hip-hop has made, especially the fact that deejays such as DJ Clue and others are getting one million dollar contracts and worldwide exposure. However, Jackson also feels that hip-hop is stagnant right now and needs an injection of creativity.
"The problem with Denver is that cats need to stop copycatting', get your style, and be your own man," said Jackson.
Jackson credits local artists, like Live It Up Entertainment and DJ Piranha Jonez, among others, with their efforts to move hip-hop in a positive direction. His education is his main priority, but Jackson has made it abundantly clear that he's the one to replace Jay-Z as the king of rap. In fact, when asked who he feels is the one to be the heir to Jay-Z's throne, straight-faced, he simply replied "Me."
Jackson was instrumental in setting up the recent Erykah Badu concert and after-party. His manager is heavily connected to the Universal Music Group, so when a Universal artist comes to town, Jackson will be at either the concert or the after-party.
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By Armando Manzanares
"The thing with Erykah Badu is just the beginning, G," said Jackson, "You're about to see DJ Fisk all over the place in a minute."
In addition to concert promotion and booking, Fisk hosts College Night at the Paramount Theatre on Thursday nights and has released a number of compilations, mix tapes, EPs and singles. Fans can expect the LP Revenge of the Skinny Man in stores in May.
The recipe reads like this: talent, originality, experience, drive, and the courage to question conventional methods. The future looks very bright for Justice "DJ Fisk" Jackson.
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