JEMS! - GEMS IN THE CORNERSTORE II (2024)

As JEMS!, Oakland’s Elujay and Baltimore’s J.Robb stretch outside the expectations of their respective projects, prioritizing looseness and immediacy, the jam above all. Their chemistry comes from years of collaborating, performing, refining ideas and tastes shared, contrasting, and complimenting, from old-school R&B and hip-hop to Lovers Rock and dancehall to contemporary indie, ambient, and the many innovative styles they’ve encountered in the UK. They titled their debut project GEMS IN THE CORNERSTORE (released in 2020 on Soulection Records) because the phrase conjured “a kind of urban diamond in the rough,” says Elujay; the feeling of finding something unexpected in the melting pot of a city, an allegory that’s even more apt for its multi-faceted, genre-spanning sequel, their first release on Secretly affiliate label drink sum wtr. This time around the duo recorded primarily in person, across sessions in Los Angeles, Oakland, London, and New York, inviting a sprawl of guests — Amaria, Chase Shakur, Louis Culture, Rae Khalil, with additional production from several friends — into a cohesive street-soul vision, “a feel-good record,” says J.Robb. Modern, polished, and still true to the mission, GEMS IN THE CORNERSTORE II is JEMS!’s latest batch, the work of two world-class artists who understand where their strengths meet and precisely what constitutes a desired vibe.

Creatively, the key to JEMS! is a freedom to blend the process; while J.Robb’s pedigree for future beats anchors their sound and Elujay writes and handles the mic, the two musicians come together on the production. Songs often begin as shells that one brings to the other. “We would get up every day and just like, throw ideas together and then that would build on itself,” says J.Robb. As songs formed, they embraced a Caribbean influence — J.Robb is Bajan, Elujay is Trinidadian — listening to old dancehall mixtapes on YouTube, and mapped out a stable of collaborators and players that skew UK-based. “We have a strong affinity for the UK scene, they have the best artists. We’ve been able to test songs out there live, getting a reaction from people in London was huge,” Elujay adds. “Not everyone has a platform to do different stuff, they might be locked into one sound as a solo artist. But with this project, we see it as a platform to reach out to our friends, people who are fans of what we do, and people we’re fans of, here we can showcase collaboration.”

For “FLIGHTS,” a feel-good fusion of R&B, dance, and reggae music, they worked with LA-based UK producer Budgie (fresh off Navy Blue’s 2023 LP) who pulled out the perfect Lovers Rock beat for Elujay’s tender cadence, with J.Robb’s textural production tieing it all together. They recorded “CREEPIN'” with Elujay’s live band in Oakland. “As a band, you gotta be locked into each other, there was no second-guessing any note,” says Elujay. “It’s a beautiful thing, having these solid people around you elevates everything.” The track showcases the street-soul shuffle of the record with smooth hooks, trailing harmonies, and a laid-back ‘90s pop bend. “BMW,” featuring South London’s Louis Culture, veers into hip-hop, with Elujay adopting a nonchalant rap persona, “a fake flex,” he says. “I just wanted the listener to feel cool.”

“STORMBLUS” leans indie while paying homage to classic pop and soul songcraft. J.Robb adds hard-hitting drums and collaborator Benji riffs overtop on guitar as Elujay spins tongue-in-cheek lines on riding shotgun and romance (“let’s put some miles on your car / let’s take the scenic route”). Following that track with “MASHUP” displays the record’s range. Driven by super-charged drum and bass breakbeats, the track stalls, stutters, and rides with verses from Atlanta R&B breakout Chase Shakur. Late album standout “BREANA” shines as a duet with LA-based neo-soul songwriter Amariam above the echoes of a distant rasta MC.

With all the voices, modes, and colors of GEMS IN THE CORNERSTORE II, the show remains distinctly Elujay and J.Robb’s, two artists casually making great music — “It’s not that deep,” jokes J.Robb. When it comes to jams, they don’t overthink it.