“If it's my heart's desire to want to do something, it's going to happen.” Najee Janey’s Journey from Roxbury to Boston Calling

Credit: Andrew Allen

Some things are just meant to be, and Najee Janey performing at Boston Calling happens to be one of them! I got to check in with the Roxbury native to talk about his upcoming performance and much more. Check out our full interview below!

What’s your story? How did you get into making music?

Okay, so let's start from the beginning. My father introduced me to music at a very young age. I used to take piano lessons around the age of six. He had me attending elementary schools and charter schools that specifically tailored to my creative thinking and I was forced to do a lot of creative writing for homework. Like from K to to second grade, I went to Eliot. Then I went to Catholic school. Then as I got to high school, I want to say around at the age of 12, that's when I started rapping. For sure. Like that was the initial moment that I decided to rap. My cousin that I was living with, at the time, his name is Alexis. He was rapping I would hear him rapping before I went to sleep in the other room. So that kind of planted the bug in me. I would go to my cousin's house and watch and they would have MTV Jams and BET jams playing on the TV. That kind of installed the whole Whoa, like this is this is what that looks like on television. From there, I got my first rap battle in the fourth grade, against this fifth grader. The verse that I rapped wasn't even my rap. It was a 50 Cent song, the second verse in Disco Inferno, I used, and I won. It was that moment in the fourth grade I was like, you know what, that wasn't even my song, but I can do this. The fact that my whole grade and above believe that this is my stuff? I'm gonna push forward with it. From there, freshman year in high school came sophomore year, that's when I decided to have my first mixtape and I was selling my first mixtape in high school. At 18, I got my first management deal, my first introduction to the industry. Got introduced to a bunch of major label artists. Independent artists got the chance to be on with Sebastian Mikael, I don't know if you guys are aware, but he was with Slip-N-Slide Records and Atlantic Records and I was on like five songs on his first album, got to co-write his his single that amassed over close to 10 million streams on Spotify. Then I got the opportunity to co-write and co-produce another one of his singles. Both singles landed on Billboard last year, so I'll be getting my first two plaques this year. It's just like, since 18, I'll be 27, you know, I just been grinding really hard. I'm the own CEO of my own label. You know, I'm independent. Work for myself. That's kind of how we landed Boston Calling really. Everything else just from consistency.

At the end of last year, you released your latest project FOUR AGREEMENTS - what inspired this EP for you?

First of all, the records that are on FOUR AGREEMENTS are some of my favorite records. This Ain’t The Way and Toast To The Game were the only two songs that came from 2022. The other two songs, 24 Years and Freedom To The World, are from 2020. All those records, collectively, I felt where I am now in my in my career and where I am spiritually and mentally. I wanted to remind the world of an aspect of who I am. I do love to rap. I do love to sing and do everything else musically. But this project, I wanted it to represent where I am, like, it's my stamp. And don't forget, I can rap y'all. That's kind of how I looked at FOUR AGREEMENTS. On a spiritual level, for me, it was like, my coming of age and being aware of what I know I deserve and what I am willing and attracting into my reality.

I noticed, earlier this week, you posted some BTS footage of a visual you were filming - what was that for?

That visual was behind the scenes footage of a project that my homie Jon Glass. We have a single coming out for Valentine's Day. So it was just a visual to go along with the single in preparation. That's just what you guys are watching and getting a loop in on.

Let’s talk Boston Calling! How did it feel, being from the city, being told you’re being placed on this lineup?

Let me tell you, it was very, I don't even want to say surreal. I wasn't even surprised to be honest, subconsciously, because it’s just how my life has been been moving lately. It's like, if it's my heart's desire to want to do something, it's going to happen. I remember last year and in the years prior, seeing Boston Calling happening and looking at the stages and walking by when the festival was over. I'm seeing the remnants of what just occurred and just being like, you know, what I'm looking forward? The moment that I can be on stage like this. It's kind of just all in divine time. It's moving in the direction that I'm in. It was a very, very warm, affirming moment when I when I got the email.

Have you started planning your performance yet?

Yeah, I mean, me and my team, we've got the tracklist. We have the songs that we're going to attack on. I'm going to host some auditions for some background vocalists and a dance crew. That's also in the works, and then we're going to start rehearsing. So yeah, at least mentally we've been preparing, but physically, we're in the works.

What other artists on the lineup are you really excited to see out there?

Okay, Paramore were classics from when I was growing up. I'm gonna be honest with you. I know them by the songs. I don't know them by their names, but I'm gonna just say for now - Paramore. I'm looking at footage of a lot of the other artists that are on my Saturday when I perform. I'm definitely going to stay behind to just pick up on the years of hearing these songs on the radio and for the chance to see it in real life. Now, I'm gonna just say Paramore.

What other artists are on your dream list to collaborate with someday? Let’s manifest it!
Oh, thank you. This is what's going to happen right? I'm going to do projects, we're gonna say albums, with Anderson .Paak, Bruno Mars, Tems. I'll even get records for my favorite artists and the legends like Busta Rhymes. I'm definitely gonna have sessions with them and with the great singers as well because I'm a songwriter as well, so like even through that lane, every artist I've ever looked up to and listen to that is still alive. We’re going to be in cahoots with each other and working together.

In addition to music, you’re also the co-owner of Earf Life - what is that?

Me and my wife, we have a vegan catering business called Earf Life. Our mission is to replenish and revitalize what we consider the norm of healthy eating. We just want to introduce, you know, alternatives for baby food, vegan baby food, that you don't have to rely on outsourcing for. You can either farm it on your own, or just look for better products at your local convenience stores to eat with the family. We do catering services, we do meal plans, meal preps if you just want to eat on Friday cause you didn't cook and you want something very full of sustenance on the fly.

What what are your goals and plans for the rest of 2023?

I'm working on community give back at this point. I've been curating and chiseling my hip hop workshop. The goal and what I'm working towards doing is having my workshop throughout all high school schools in the city. I went to Latin Academy, so working through my high school, starting off first with my high school, and then branching off to nationwide. This year's focus is really to just expand and continue to spread seeds, and collaborating with with artists and collaborating with with other business people, entrepreneurs and building a legacy.

Here in Maine, our state motto is “The way life should be.” According to you, what is the way life should be?

It should be beautiful. It should be a representation of how you feel about yourself. It should be a representation of what your inner and outer realities reflect. I don't want to say life should be easy, but life should be understanding. It should be something that you never take for granted. Life is love. It should be peaceful.

Don’t miss Najee Janey performing live on the Saturday of Boston Calling! In the meantime, check out his ep FOUR AGREEMENTS here.