In 2020, Barranquilla, Colombia’s J. Palma debuted with his first single, ‘You Know’ out of Orlando, FL.
At an early age, he noticed a knack for writing music beginning, and he took to his laptop and microphone, where he began to hone in on his sound. Working diligently to establish himself in the world of Hip-hop, this rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer are known for his transitions from an energetic yet smooth flow to his relaxed melodic vibes.
Captivating us with another brilliant display of how he continues to flourish in his respective field, J. Palma has us hooked on the colossal energy of “Another Check.” Falling into a captivating scheme of buoyancy that bubbles through this masterpiece, the upbeat vibes that are conveyed have this song taking over our minds in a major way.
Containing all trademarks of a certified hit, the essence of his vocalization falls into a 2010s nostalgia, all while the mind-altering instrumentation fits directly into the new wave of Hip-hop. What we love the most about how J. Palma feeds his craft has to be the fact that he maintains a mainstream appeal, all while working against the grain and staying authentic to his style of artistry.
Bouncing along to the effervescent drum patterns that pulsate through the speaker, you’ll notice that your mind gets lost in the vivacious tempo, along with the lyrical feast he chooses to serve up. The witty lyricism that J. Palma conveys through a hungry vocal tone has us immersed in the mission to learn every single word and relay it back to the up-and-coming rapper while we patiently await his next drop.
Welcome to BuzzMusic J. Palma. A round of congratulations are for the release of your second studio single of 2021! We love to see you busy with your craft and making bops that people can get lost in. What moment or story sparked your creation for “Another Check?”
When it comes to writing music and the craft I have always tried to stay true to what’s real in my personal life. For “Another Check” I took a step back to really see how this life of mine is going. The cover art itself is sarcastic but the “sound” and flow on the song screams out confidence even in the lyrics. When people think of running up a check you’re really about to spend a bag on anything and everything in that moment. The cover art shows a check of $9.29, an amount that a lot of people may laugh at, even then you gotta do what you can and make it work, still breathing and still moving in this life, seeing the positives, and staying true to not having what others might consider a lot but best believe we still out here doing it.
How does the sound of this track compare to your previously released single “Toxic?”
Music and any other art form are up for interpretation, there might be a muse behind the art and reason for it coming to fruition but others may take something else away from it than intended and I feel like that’s what makes the art of music so amazing. While “Another Check” has the whole keep it pushing mentality and keep running it with what you have even if it’s not much to others, “Toxic” is pretty opposite. In “Toxic” it’s kind of having a conversation with yourself, being unsure if you have anything in this life and if what you have is enough to keep it going. It was written as a realization of how hard things can get in any or every situation. Society tends to create this image of what you need to be happy in life and at times it can affect how you see yourself and how things are going. The sadness behind it is real and will always stick with me. That feeling of hopelessness at times is necessary, at least for myself, to feel grounded and understand that nothing in the world stays perfect. In “Another Check” it’s more of an upbeat acceptance that this is what it is and we’re gonna run it regardless, while in “Toxic” you question if it’s enough not to be able to check all the boxes. It’s the same thoughts but not being sure if we can accept that this is just what it is or if it’s enough for oneself. The world puts together what a perfect life should be or look like and I myself never feel like those boxes get checked and that’s perfect enough for me.
Being relatively new to the music industry, how have you noticed yourself growing as an artist from your first release to now?
Real confidence and comfort within our music. The first song we officially released was titled “You Know” and was another song we considered a hype song like “Another Check”. Even though they both had that hype and that “F it” mentality, you feel the confidence coming through more on this song. Slowly getting more comfortable with my voice through every release, in the songs where a little more range starts to come through, and as well as learning to really float on a beat. All this time has helped us create a solid foundation for the “sound” of J. Palma
What’s the biggest takeaway that you want your audience to reflect on from the music you craft?
I just really hope that when people listen to my music an emotion can come from it. Not just listen but create a connection or bring up a memory. I know not every song may connect with people but I hope that when people do listen to my music they can create their own connections and feel like they’re not alone. Any time taken from someone’s day to listen to something I created is an insane thing to think about, but for someone to have a connection with something I’ve written would make that much more of an impact. I always make music connected to my own memories or how I view situations in my own life and I hope people can feel that. I hope when people listen they can see that I’m just trying to be as true to myself and the music as possible. I want people to truly feel like someone else can understand different situations that have happened in their own lives and that they’re not alone in this world. Whether it’s with hype or upbeat songs to the softer or darker ones someone has felt what you’ve felt. Just out here turning this life into music.