What Is Nonchalant Radio? Q&A with Nonchalant Jay

Let me give credit to my brother Steve for coming up with Nonchalant in High School, all I did was rebirth it. Originally it was supposed to be a clothing line but that didn’t really work out.Nonchalant is an overall creative lifestyle brand.

How did Nonchalant transition from a clothing brand to a radio show?

I came up with this idea a year ago. I finished reading a book called ‘The Alchemist’ about discovering your purpose in the universe at a young age. It made me think about how much of a music fan I was growing up. From the first hip hop song I ever heard (California Love by Tupac) and also being a big fan of Usher. I actually used to perform his songs at talent shows growing up. Throughout middle school and high school I studied production and songwriting… I even attempted the rap thing in high school (that didn’t work out too well! ).

The book made me realize that I wanted to be involved in music my whole life. The main influence for the radio show itself was ‘SOULECTION’. I didn’t really take making my own music too seriously and I didn’t like rapping too much. The next best thing I could do that I enjoyed was music curation. And that was the birth of Nonchalant Radio.

There are many artists doing their thing in the music game. They have really quality music and are extremely talented. But sometimes they don’t get the recognition they deserve. I want to help these artists get that attention. With music curation, I feel like I can give back to these artists for the hard work that they put in by sharing their music and helping them along their journey.

Someone who is nonchalant is carefree, mellow, and comfortable with themselves. And that is what I want everyone to be! Not caring about what people think. The only person you should focus on at first is yourself.

In Hip-Hop: Nipsey Hussle, A$AP Rocky, Curren$y, Jay-Z, Nas, definitely a Kendrick fan. I enjoy listening to Drake but I wouldn’t call him one of my favorites. For R&B: Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Erykah Badu, Sade Adu. I recently got in to the afrobeat wave, Burna Boy is one of my favorite artists right now. Davido, Wizkid, Koffee, and more.

One of my favorite overall artists right now, technically a producer, is Kaytranada. One of my dreams is to work with him, one of my biggest influences ever. Also, Pharrell and the Neptunes have been a huge influence as well. They broke the stigma of having to be involved in the streets to make it in hip-hop.

How Has Your Childhood Influenced Your Musical Taste?

I mostly credit my music taste to my Pops. He has a collection of old vinyl records passed down to him by his grandfather. And a massive iTunes library that he actually just gave me access to again. Public Enemy, Pharcyde, Queen Latifah, etc. My music influence also came from MTV Jams, BET, and 106 & Park. I used to watch music videos all the time. The father of a family friend of ours also managed Dipset. Being around the Dipset team so much growing up made me become a big fan. I was also introduced to west-coast hip-hop at an early age. I realized I liked west coast production a little more than east coast.

It felt great. This is the first time in my life that I wanted to put my all in to something that I was extremely passionate about. I found myself working on mixes until 5am and having to remind myself to eat! I was thinking to myself… what makes people like Nipsey Hussle and Kobe great? Aside from talent and hard work, they were normal people that were obsessed with their craft. Once you become obsessed with your craft, you don’t want to settle for anything less than your best.

I can’t really describe it. Having people around me that really believe that I can succeed. Messaging me and promoting. Helping out any way that they can. Even emotional support, anything. I was surprised at how great the feedback was, I know the mix can improve but I’m happy everyone could enjoy the show.

We want to be exclusive and have a variety of sounds. We will be dropping twice a month. Mixes will be posted on Spotify right after each episode. The show will be short and concise to keep the listeners full attention. Most mixes will be less than an hour.

You can follow Nonchalant Jay on SoundCloud. My personal Instagram is @nonchalantxjay. To follow the brand, @stay.nonchalant.