Inside Jah$tar’s Universe: The Philly Rapper Making Rap Weird, Exciting, and Revolutionary Again
When I meet Jah$tar, it is a hot Philadelphia afternoon. Temperatures push 90 degrees, yet he seems completely unaffected by these earthly conditions, wearing his typical sweatsuit uniform. As we walk inside, he marvels at the interior of the Drexel Westphal building, adding the comment, “damn, I should’ve stayed in high school.” But high school can’t teach what Jah$tar has – an unparalleled ability to transform intangible emotions into otherworldly sonic landscapes. Jah$tar, a rapper from Philadelphia, has continued to break the framework of the hip-hop genre, molding it as he sees fit into his own cosmic-surrealist lane. When you listen to Jah$tar, you never truly know where he’ll take the song next. Tweaked-out chaotic flows, unorthodox vocal inflections, unpredictable vocal pitching and speed manipulation, and intrusive ad-libs that sound like the voices of a schizophrenic episode are just a few of the traits that have become characteristic of Jah$tar’s sound. Unique in every sense of the word, Jah$tar offers an innovative, extraterrestrial solution for a current rap landscape plagued by Playboi Carti clones and nostalgia-bait acts. But where does this trailblazing nature come from? How does he remain so singular in his groundbreaking vision?
Jah$tar was raised in North Philadelphia, but he will tell you that he was born in space. And given his supernatural ability to create astral, ethereal soundscapes, it’s hard to dispute that claim. Art has shaped his life, with influences including his grandfather, a Rastafarian priest; his grandmother, who used to sing; and his cousin King Saladeen, a renowned contemporary visual artist who introduced him to this world of creativity. Creating mind-warping music that seemingly transcends dimensions is difficult for most, but to Jah$tar, it’s second nature. “I was just letting this shit run...Like everything was off of pure love for the art, love for what I was doing, and love for the people around me.” Jah$tar roots his art within energies, translating indescribable sensations into transcendent soundscapes.
As incessant overstimulation plagues our attention span and distractions dilute identity, remaining focused on your singularity has become an act of resistance. Jah$tar’s creative process is grounded within this resistance, standing firmly within his authenticity. “I feel like when you’re really being yourself, then it’s always going to smell like, ‘Oh damn, that’s Jah right there’. It’s just me sticking to who I am.” He continues explaining how important it is not to let outside influences disrupt your creative ecosystem. Jah explains that the second he lets anybody else’s opinions or perceptions consume his brain, then his art becomes rerouted. Once the brain is rerouted, it becomes corrupted, no longer resembling your unique voice. Jah$tar emphasizes that his leading piece of advice for creatives is to “stay true to themselves, and it’s always going to bleed. It’s always going to bleed through them as long as it’s them.”
From celestial, psychedelic synth-heavy songs to caustic, distorted, bass-heavy songs that evoke imagery of alien warfare, this skill has allowed him to venture into the unmarked territories of music with unprecedented comfort. This area of unknown serves as the ultimate motivator of Jah$tar’s sound and music, noting “if I’m not creating in a space that’s untouched and a space that’s never been seen before and that’s never been felt, smelt, or heard before, then it wouldn’t be Jah$tar.” Jah$tar relies on spur-of-the-moment feelings to dictate his creative process. “I could find inspiration in everything... It’s more energies. So, it’s like nothing that I can replicate.” Nobody other than him can replicate what he’s experienced. Funneling his experiences growing up in North Philadelphia through his self-proclaimed supernatural lens, he offers a solution to the staleness that has afflicted the current rap landscape. Music fueled by energies, translated through alien levels of creativity.
Alien perfectly describes the sound of Jah$tar. He pairs ethereal, astral melodies with often abrasive, distorted bass, creating an otherworldly soundscape that perfectly blends dreamy with nightmarish. This rare blend is seen best through 2024’s “KRY A RIVER” from his second joint project with London-based producer Jay Trench, STILL KRAMPIN. The song opens with a hypnotic, extraterrestrial synth loop with glitched alien-like sound effects injected into each beat. And as an eerie organ is added, the tension rises before the distorted beat drops on cue to enough gunshots to fuel an entire war with “KRAMPAHOLICS” and “REAL KRAMP SHIT” tags dubbed over top of the chaos. Jah$tar is unfazed by this overwhelming composition, taking form within the chaos that has just built over the previous 27 seconds. His vocal inflections emulate someone in a crazed state. The astral feel of the song's beginning has morphed into alien warfare, fueled by chaos and raw energy. Occasional quick retreats from the chaos offer a false sense of security within the listener before Jah$tar’s “WHAT THE FUCK” adlib drops the listener right back into this warzone. This jarring 2:47 experience sends listeners through a roller coaster of mayhem that sits at the very core of Jah$tar’s mission. This song reflects the intersections of chaos, energy, and space, which have become such pivotal themes within Jah$tar’s art.
We know he draws from the extraterrestrial, but what is it about space that is so intriguing to Jah$tar? He points to the endless unknown that defines space, adding, “Earth doesn’t fuel the same power that the abyss does. Earth doesn’t fuel the same power that the infinite opportunities of space [does].” Infinite opportunities have become a defining trait of Jah$tar’s sound. As Jah$tar creates a sound unlike anything else within the industry through his unusual sonic pairings, alien vocal delivery, and anarchic, disjointed flows, it’s only fitting that he finds liberation through the unboundedness of space.
Out of this world may be an understatement. AIK, short for Advanced Interstellar Kidz, has become the motto of Jah$tar’s mission. “I don’t care if you’re an old lady, if you’re an old man, we all still have that child heart, we all have this child-like heart.” This child-like heart is at the core of everything that Jah$tar does. His ability to push the boundaries of the rap genre stems from his childlike imagination. Jah$tar never lost that spark of his inner child, always dreaming of how he can innovate and improve upon his sound and vision. “And we all have dreams, and we all have admirations and different things we want to do in this shit. And if you’re really AIK, it’s nothing that can come in between you and your vision.” Jah now has 4 AIK mixtapes. AIK is plastered across all of his social media. He often refers to his supporters as AIK, while at other times it seems to refer to a broader, overarching philosophy of life, music, and their fusion. He goes even further, describing AIK as a “blood oath”. He makes it blatantly clear that his vision extends way beyond music. He sees AIK as a calling to transform the landscape of rap music through a spirit of rebellion and child-like imagination. This blood oath sets Jah$tar apart from all other artists in the industry. Rather than chasing the latest trend, he’s willing to die for his vision. AIK is a movement larger than music. It’s a revolution rooted in sound yet equated to all facets of life. There is no passive way to partake in the movement – you have to live it to feel it.
Jah$tar offers a vision of a liberated future for music, unbound by traditional genre and norm constraints. A true surrealist, Jah$tar’s music serves as a vessel for the subconscious. Through his ability to transform intangible energies into ethereal yet abrasive soundscapes, he pushes the boundaries of traditional understandings of rap. I’ve always found beauty in artists who truly move the cultural meter, challenging the audience’s pre-existing comfort. Jah$tar follows in this rich history of innovators, showing no signs of slowing down. He seeks to disrupt. He doesn’t want you to be comfortable; he wants you to feel. Given the current political climate dominated by conservative, fascist ideals, it is now more crucial than ever to have boundary-pushing artists who look to move culture forward. Through AIK, Jah$tar seeks to spark a movement of rebellion and nonconformity. Jah$tar isn’t here to reassure; he’s here to provoke. He expands the limitations of the rap genre, turning discomfort into a gateway towards infinite possibilities.
You can find Jah$tar on Apple Music, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
You can also find him on Instagram @jahstarshit and @starsocietyair.
#FOR THE KIDZ coming soon January 1, 2026!