J.Vocal

Just A Vessel

On December 25th, 1976, Jason D. Foster, also known as J. Vocal, was created. Born into a musically enriched family, J. was destined to fall in love with music. Since age three, he began recording his voice with the help of his Grandmother. He performed renditions of gospel tunes he heard from his mother and her sisters who had a local gospel singing group. He learned to read at age three, started playing piano at age seven, and has been performing ever since. His birthplace, Beloit, WI is a very close-knit community. Being a center-point between cities like Milwaukee and Chicago, IL., Beloit has created a sound all its own. His family's gospel group, as well as countless other groups and bands have been in the area since the late 70s, so the musical influence of the area is a big factor to J. Vocal's sound. An unbelievable balance of melodic harmonies and hip-hop driven production, J. Vocal has become a voice of "Beloit Soul Music." As he grew up, he became known as a fabulous vocalist. He continued listening to artists like the Isley Brothers, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Guy and others and developed his song-writing talents. It was all just a hobby, but with family problems and financial hardships, J. decided that music would be his and his family's way out of struggle. J. Vocal has been writing songs for 9 years and shows no signs of stopping. He has expanded his musical knowledge to include production, vocal arrangement and studio engineering. He has written songs for other R&B artists, as well as hip-hop. He is trying to bring that "Beloit Soul" to the masses. "My music will always be a reflection of myself-- Lots of class, but still hood," he speaks of his upcoming project, 'Music Therapy--Tape II: Hidden in Plain Sight', which includes the first single "Better Man". "Hey, the songs write themselves. I'm just a vessel. My music is real, but it doesn't have to go over the top. I talk about real situations, i.e. sex, drugs, infidelity, etc, but it is done in a way that everyone can listen to it. A good example of what I am trying to do would be the song 'Between the Sheets' by the legendary Isley Brothers. You obviously know what he is talking about, but do you notice the level of class in which he approaches the topic? That is what I want to mimic. The ability to address whatever topic I feel, but having the tact to represent myself and Black music well. Coming from a small town, I have people all over the spectrum who enjoy me. I am trying to train myself not to exclude people due to my content. But, at the same time I will always stay true to who I am as a person. So I try to find the balance with my work. In a world where it seems "fronting" is a way of life, I think my real approach will be a breath of fresh air." - J. Vocal