By Jairo Rodrigues
She is described as the best female hip-hop artiste in Guyana. She dreams of taking the music industry to new heights. She was featured in multiple shows and was proven to be the best replacement for Rick Ross when he did not show up in Guyana – She is Aisha Taylor Jones, better known for her stage name A-TayJah.
Aisha Jones grew up in Georgetown and spent most of her childhood vacations with her grandparents in New Amsterdam, Berbice. She described her childhood as amazing despite the fact that her dad wasn’t always around owing to him living abroad. She still has the closest bond with her extended family. She said they are there for her; she grew up around a lot of males who loved and spoiled her unconditionally and along with the compassion she favoured the company of her grandfather the most, “him being a ‘country man’ he knew so much taught so many things like how to pluck chicken, how to make a cricket bat from a piece of wood, a toothbrush from a coconut tree branch, and even a few coin tricks.”
She said her aunts taught the basics: how to cook, etiquette, and in some ways influenced her fashion sense. She described her mother as the best because, as she said: “Most of who I am today is because of her. The loving, caring, non-judgemental attributes she possesses have been embedded in me and watching her go out of her way and sacrifice for me just so I could have the better things in life and get as close to my dreams as possible are the most admirable feats that are etched in my character.”
Aisha is a St Joseph High graduate; before that, she attended Marian Academy for eight years.
When asked for how long she has been interested in music, she replied, “From as long as I can remember. I have a divine passion for music. When I was younger I always wanted to be a singer and after admitting to myself that I’m not that good of a singer, I started writing poetry, and songs, along with a few short stories.” She continued to say that her passion for dance came from her love of music. It was only about two years ago she developed the desire to rap. “I found that I was really good at it, and in my spare time or when I got an impulse to I would get into it and just let my flow go.”
It was at the University of Guyana that she met her friend Leroune Souvenir who she would rap with as he sings whenever they don’t have classes. “He was my first motivator, he was always on my case saying, ‘Budday you good, you should record something.’ Since then I thought to myself that this is part of what I love. I shouldn’t let this talent go to waste.”
Other motivators include her younger brother Konrad who she says is her biggest critic and adviser; her best friends Cheyenne, Derwayne and Krystal who remind her daily to follow her dreams; her sister Tremayne and her mom who believes in her without doubt.
She draws her inspiration from Bob Marley and Michael Jackson. She said, “Their music just gets my lyrics flowing together in my head.
“Hip Hop to me is a way of expressing yourself, its more than just a genre of music – it’s a form of life style. Some may say a ‘foreign state of mind’ but to me it’s more. Its being who you are and going after what you want; standing up for your beliefs and despite where you are from and the challenges you face always pushing yourself to fulfil your passions and dreams regardless of the things people may say along the way.”
She described her songs to be on a conscious level, about life and everyday experiences and challenges we all face; something for everyone no matter the age, social status etc. She said her songs target whoever loves quality music and something to jam to.
She sees herself on the international scene just being the best entertainer she can be and a proud ambassador for Guyana. When asked how she feels about Don Giliani who is seen as the icon of Guyanese Hip Hop, she said, “I don’t see him as a threat. He is our only well recognized hip hop artist and he’s good at what he does. He’s more of a mentor for me, and my goal is not to beat him at it or be better than him in such a way that would cause conflicts but to mould and groom myself in such a way that my talent is seen at the level he’s at and maybe higher. Because we both have our own style and flow in rapping and live for the passion of music. So I wouldn’t say threat but more of a reason; a reason to push myself to be better.”
For the Grand Finale of the GT&T Feel the Beat Competition, Aisha was featured in a performance with song bird Jackie Hanover. When asked to comment on the connection with Jackie, she said, “Jackie is my buddy. I always admired her as a local artist. I’ve seen her perform and she always gives me goose bumps. I always had it in mind that she’s on the list of people I want to make music with. We became friends on Facebook soon after we met up at UG and just maintained that bond from there on. It was Jackie Hanover who invited me. She made contact with me and was like ‘hey I want to do a song with you’. She sent me the song and, well, the rest is history.”
She described the thrilling Feel the Beat performance to be awesome. “The crowd’s reaction when I made my entry on stage was overwhelming. That sort of energy is why I love doing what I do; having people who know nothing or little about you screaming out for you and gyrating to your performance is truly an amazing and unexplainable feeling.”
After Rick Ross did not show up in Guyana for his concert, Hits and Jams had the idea to stage a competition where prospective Hip Hop artistes would compete. Aisha ‘A-TayJah’ Jones won the competition with the most applause by the audience and was the producers’ favourite. Asked about this accomplishment, she said, “That is another experience I’ve placed in my archives of memorable experiences. I was nervous beyond control but I went out there and gave it my all and the response from that built my confidence tremendously.”
She said she had no idea what to expect. “I was just doing it for fun and the response I received was crazy and when they announced I won, I was excited. And to this day people see me and always stop me in my tracks just to say how talented I am and how much they love my flow and that they’ll be supporting me all the way.”
She said her most accomplished work is promoting her dance crew: 592steppaz. She mentions that in her career she is not sure of what is next. “I’m unpredictable, spontaneous, whatever comes next, just be sure to know it’s going to be extravagant.”
She plans on becoming a great entertainer, her back-up plan is to pursue her education to earn her Masters and PhD in psychology and then anything else comes after.
She describes her social life to be very simple. “I wouldn’t say I’m a clubber. You wouldn’t always find me there unless it’s a special event or something, but I do like partying and hanging with my friends. In my spare time you can either find me writing, taking photos, editing photos or working on dance routines.”
Off stage, she’s your average university student. When her head isn’t in the books, she is at dance practice with her dance crew or working on her music.
