Every week, Medium will post a story or review from the vault, #tbt style. This week: a feature from former Arts & Culture staff writer Jaleesa Jones on UNC alumnus and rapper, JSWISS. Originally published on the Canvas blog on April. 4, 2014, this blog is supplemental to an article on hip hop in Chapel Hill that will be released Friday.
When UNC alumnus Julian Caldwell first started rapping at 12 years old, he never thought it would become a serious pursuit.
Growing up in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., rapping was a pastime — something Caldwell and his friends did for fun while Nas and A Tribe Called Quest spun in the background.
Even after Caldwell’s parents gifted him with a basic four-track tape recorder, his rap alter ego, JSWISS, was still latent.
That all changed during the summer of 2009 when Caldwell performed at an open mic in New York.
“The open mic was the first kind of thing where I went, ‘Okay. I’m going to present myself as an artist,’” Caldwell said.
Now a freelance writer at NY1 News and The Rivertowns Enterprise, Caldwell still dedicates time to making music.
On Feb. 8, he performed at the Apollo Theatre as part of its 80th anniversary celebration.
Caldwell said the experience was surreal.
“I had performed in front of like 1500 people with a live band,” he said. “I look back at it and it’s like, ‘Was that really for me? I know I was there on stage, but it almost feels as if I was on stage standing next to the person performing, watching those people clapping for them.”
Caldwell said the community support in Chapel Hill helped nurture his artistry and groom him as a performer. He recognized Jack Sprat Café in particular.
“Jack Sprat was the spot. I performed there dozens of times,” Caldwell said. “Having those smaller venues to start out and constantly be able to get in was just great.”
Caldwell also attributes his growth to the music resources at UNC, including the media lab in the bowels of the undergraduate library.
He said he is excited to return to Chapel Hill.
“This has become kind of like my second home,” Caldwell said. “I’m excited to see my friends.”
Carson Koenig, a.k.a. Cayso, is one of those friends.
A UNC alumnus, Koenig collaborated musically with Caldwell as part of No9to5, a hip-hop group formed on UNC’s campus in late 2011.
Although the group members went their separate ways after graduation, Koenig said they still share a passion for making music.
No9to5 will reunite tonight, for a show at Cats’ Cradle Back Room. The show is a part of the ConvergeNC Music Festival.
“It’s going to be crazy when we get back together [because] nobody fell off,” Koenig said.
“Everyone was still driving hard and is coming back strong. Individually, every artist has their own style and is really good and fully developed,” he said.
Koenig also said for artists like Caldwell and himself, hip-hop is much deeper than just rocking the stage.
“We’re trying to transform a moment that could hit someone in the heart, that could really have a powerful effect on people.”
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