One Year Later...

A lot can happen in a year's time. Since my last post in 2011, I've performed a couple times,

 DJ'd a few events,

had an interview,

made some great memories with the kids of Pre-College Upward Bound,

did a little modeling,

and some acting,

Scenes from the stage play "Trouble Don't Last Always"

Scenes from the stage play "Trouble Don't Last Always"

The actors of the stage play "Trouble Don't Last Always" take a bow

Dee Jay KP

Matt O'Bryant

Athena Denise

Jaren Hampton

Jay Ware

Kanetra Robertson

Writer, Director, & Actor Thomas Mac

met the mayor,

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero

oh, and I got married.

So like I said, a lot can happen in just one year's time. I'm just trying to make the most of it. Until next time, kiddos. Take care!

"Change gonna come, Ohh yes it will"

Good people,

[CLICK THIS LINK] to watch Ya Boi J Wes perform "Too Cool"

It's been quite a while since my last post and I have several new readers now, so for my new post I feel I should just provide a short introduction of myself as well as a quick synopsis of my latest adventures. My name is Joshua Wesley better known as Ya Boi J Wes, and I have been creating music since the age of 15. Upon entering college, the drive to perform superseded the drive to create. Thus, I began to shift gears and seek opportunities to showcase my talents publicly. I've performed and participated in various talent shows, birthday parties, church services, and certain special events around the city of Knoxville, such as the Let The Fire Fall Youth Explosion at City on a Hill Church (pictured above),  the UTK Holi Show on UT campus in March,

the Tribute to The Edutainment Hip Hop Show at Patrick Sullivan's in April,

the Prison Break series from Pastor Jaime Goldenberg that began Easter Sunday at The Church at Knoxville,

the 'I Got BARS' 3-part series at Longbranch Saloon, put on by Knoxville's very own Mr. Kobayashi,

Ya Boi J Wes 'I Got BARS' a cappella cypher - [CLICK HERE]

 and the 'Healthy Kids Rock' Health Fair at Western Heights Dental with No1zShadow.

Ya Boi J Wes teaching the kids how to 'cat daddy'

The last few months have definitely been JAM-packed full of great opportunities, exciting new friendships, and memorable experiences. I've thoroughly enjoyed working on local projects with other artists as well as participating in some pretty intense discussions with several others. Also, I have cherished the times spent with notable figures around the city of Knoxville, such as Mr. Andre Canty, writer for Knox News Sentinel and Asst. Director at Beck Culture Exchange Center, and S. Christina Walker, co-pastor of PARADOX at The Church at Knoxville and author of the upcoming multi-media series book titled It's Your Drama.

With that being said, I am steady looking toward the future because there are some awesome things just waiting to happen - and I've never been more ready for them.

This is Ya Boi J Wes.

"It's been a long, long time coming,

But I know a change gonna come, ohh yes it will."

J Wes Love Da Kids!

Yessir!

Ya Boi J Wes will be at it once again, doing his thing for FREE on the East Side at Harriet Tubman Park for Operation: FREEDOM. Friday, May 27th from 1-4pm there will be free food, free games, and a free concert put on by Ya Boi J Wes and my partner No1zShadow. Like, foreal. Everything is free. Why? Because freedom doesn't cost anything. It's all about giving back. So don't miss this free event FRIDAY May 27th at Harriet Tubman Park behind Vine Middle School.

We Can't Lose!

Young & Blessed

Busy, busy, BUSY! - That basically sums up the month of April for Ya Boi J Wes. I've been here and there and performed 4 different times this month alone. Almost feels like I've been on my own little mini tour around the city of Knoxville. And this is just the beginning. April 15th, my partner No1zShadow and I set the stage on fire at Patrick Sullivan's in the Old City for the Live Tribute to The Edutainment Hip Hop Show.



[CLICK HERE] To Watch Ya Boi J Wes & No1zShadow LIVE Performance



Wednesday, April 20th, I was at The Church At Knoxville performing 'Battle Ready' for PARADOX ministries. A few days later, I was on stage performing a brand new song featuring Emory Quince titled 'Prison Break' - on Easter Sunday. The pastor at The Church at Knoxville, Jaime Goldenberg, brought the idea of doing a rap for Easter to me about a month ago. I couldn't tell you which one I was more surprised by: the immense excitement of a pastor wanting rap music for Easter Sunday, or the sheer idea itself of having rap music for Easter Sunday. Either way, I was honored to have been presented with such a rare opportunity. It took a while to write the beat because I wanted it to have the same intensity behind it as a real live prison break. The words took even longer to write, and I actually did not even finish them until the rehearsal that morning on Easter. But the service was amazing, as was Pastor Jaime's 'Prison Break' message. I then finished out the week by rocking the mic on Pellissippi's main campus for the 7th Annual Pellapalooza on April 27th.

B.E.A.S.T. M.O.D.E.

Yo!

What's happening, good people? I just finished my 1st collaboration, and I'm feeling so good about it that I decided to blog! "Ya Boi J Wes and No1zShadow and we've been ready for battle, come on." It was fun working with my good friend Mic A., aka No1zShadow. We share a lot of the same ideas, goals, and aspirations. It was difficult at times to get together and work because of our many other obligations, and we ended up having to record from two different locations. But, both of us being skilled producers, we recorded, edited, and mixed down our vocals, transferring these elements via email. The 'Beast Mode' project took waaaaay longer to complete than expected, but after receiving all the positive feedback thus far from fans, this awesome collaboration over the track from B.o.B.'s 'No Genre' mixtape was well worth the wait. No1zShadow and I plan on getting back in the booth for an original track here soon. But if you want to hear more from my partner RIGHT NOW, check out No1zShadow on YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter - "I'm No1zShadow. I Just Lead."

Beast Mode - Ya Boi J Wes feat. No1zShadow



Doing BIG things here, kids.

For a while, I wondered, 'what could my next blog be about?' I had so much going on in the last few weeks that it was difficult to decipher what would be more important to mention in this post. Well, after much thought, I decided I'd just mention a little bit about everything.

On Friday, February 4, 2011, City On A Hill Church hosted this year's Let The Fire Fall Youth Explosion. Tony Colson, the pastor at COAH, invited me to perform and represent his church in the event. Ecstatic about another opportunity to perform, I immediately agreed and began working on a new song. I decided to do something new because my previous material, not that it was inappropriate, just didn't seem right for an occasion such as this one. I struggled in the writing process, but finished the song 2 days before the explosion, leaving me one solid day to record and practice. The song originated from a poem I had written called "Too Cool"** to help encourage my own self to stand up for what I believe. It was a great honor to represent Pastor Tony and City On A Hill Church in this special event (Click here to see "Too Cool" performance from Youth Explosion).**

**Must be logged into Facebook to view

The Kid that Can't Lose

What's good people!?

It's Ya Boi J Wes, and I've finally entered the blogging world to better help fans keep up with the kid that "Can't Lose." Not only will you find links to my music, my photos, updates on shows and other upcoming events, you will also find my ideas, my thoughts, and my perspective on a variety of material not limited to just music. This is my blog, my online journal; I will speak my mind. With that being said, subscribe if you dare!

(Muahahaha)