The name Jumaine Walcott aka Jay Anderson is one that youths should emulate. Humble, focused, ambitious and a goal reacher all these best describe this US based Essequibo Boy.
Like many third world youths he was uprooted from his ‘country boy’ lifestyle at age 13 to start over in the big apple complements of his father with the promise of a better life.
Now, nine years later he has completed high school and college and he recently graduated with two degrees, a major in law and a minor in criminal justice. Ultimately he is aiming to one day be a Criminal/ corporate Lawyer as well as a politician but music is his first love and thats no secret.
“In my mind I envisioned that i would be intimidated and sure enough I was told that I wouldn’t fit in.” One girl in 9th grade, as he recalled told him he didnt belong and that his dreams were beyond achievable especially since he was a ‘foreigner.’ However, that has changed dramatically, ” alot of the people who taunted me are now my well wishers and sideline cheer leaders,” he confides.
The culture would have shocked many who came from slipping out of the house to go swimming, climbing trees and two seasons to a fast paced first world experience. Intimidation and peer pressure was the order of the day but those which could have been barriers were in fact used as facilitators and the ever present motivation from his mum, Lurine Jones a Guyanese nurse working in the big apple.
Though he couldn’t swim he joined the swim team in high school and did pretty good but given his Guyana primary school talent shows he leaned into music. He had written one poem when he found his mojo. Jokingly he says it was about romance and girls.
“My brother had hip hop instrumentals and one day i was vibing to the tracks on a web cam and there is where i realized that i could do this. It was a case of music coming to me more than i was going to it from age seven when mum bought me a keyboard, a guitar and a microphone.”
Now Jay Anderson is arguably one of Guyana’s best Hip Hopsters with countless tracks, three singles and three videos.
Looking back a couple of times he was approached by talent scouts including a European based Record label to drop school and do music. But while the offers were tempting his mum was a stickler for “education and qualification first anything else after.” Jay Anderson with a sense of pride admits, “I dont regret my mum’s stern Guyanese values because she is a long term person and thanks to her I’m a graduate on my way to higher heights with a firm educational base and music is still there.”
Having graduated he moved to completing several conferences with the United Nations but with those concluded he is now taking a break from academics and his focus is going to be on his music… so look out for this Guyanese kid as he goes full steam into his quest to land on the music main stream circuit in hip hop, as dance hall, pop and R and B because he’s gunning for the top.
His releases todate are: my life, do it the way I wanna, don’t do it and Popular. As he works on being booked for live appearances on local and international stages he is set to release several songs in two weeks time.
His advice to third word youths is: ” Stand for something and believe in you while taking kind the wisdom of years and you can and will be more than just popular.
By Mondale Smith in New York