JC aka Triple Threat, Behind the Scenes Interview with The Artist

Listen to JC  aka Triple Threat's latest single - Don't Stop

Arizona's open and spacious scenery along with (mostly) fantastic weather offers perfect venues to hold concerts, plays in the park, paddle boating on Tempe Town Lake, or just taking a stroll through one of the many greenbelts throughout the Valley of the Sun.

From time to time we here at Film and Fashion Futures like to give you a sneak peak into the lives of artist outside of the fashion realm. Although we LOVE our fashion and film family we want you to be right here with us in all aspects of entertainment. Remarkably, there is a tremendous amount of talent right here in the valley. 

I would like to introduce you to an East Valley young man that comes to us on a blossoming music career. He goes by the name JC also to be known as JC aka Triple Threat. 

He brings an urban pop vibe infused with his personality of voice acting showing just how skilled this young man is. A classic sound intermixed with today's pop culture lends to his unique sound. 

Since the release of his latest singles "Light Switch", "Don't Stop" and "I Know",  JC's recognition has reached international airspace. How wonderful it is to see one of our very own Phoenix-based rising star realize their dreams.

I was thrilled when we finally caught up with JC for some one on one conversating...

For some of those who don’t know already, why Triple Threat?
"There are a few reasons behind the name, but the biggest reason is that I brought it on field, in the classroom and on the stage as a student athlete & performer. In reference to football,  I played on Offence, Defense, as well as special teams. In the classroom, my grade point average was 3.7 & above. Finally, on stage, I can sing, rap & dance. These are the three main categories that led to the nickname “Triple Threat.”  My philosophy was to never cheat the drills, perfect practice makes perfect & always give a hundred percent in the game. I take that same discipline from football and put it into every practice and performance. I left it all on the field and in correlation I leave it all on the stage."

Do you write your own lyrics?

"Yes, I do. I write all my lyrics. If you listen to my lyrics, carefully, you’ll notice that I have a little  fun and create my own words and sometimes “juxtapose” phrases together. You’ll also notice that I’m heavily influenced Shakespeare.  I‘ve written a song for an all female punk band and intro’s for animated series and machinimas (this is the use of real time computer graphic engines to create a cinematic productions) too."

What else differentiates you from other artists?
"I don’t just spit rhymes on stage.  I come to perform and give you a show. I’m always thinking of ways to take my performances to the next level. A few months ago, to increase entertainment value, we added dancers to the production.  Based on the crowd’s response I can tell  they definitely love it.  Big shout out to Jenzi Russell (#Jenzi #JenziTaughtMe) for the amazing choreography and hours of rehearsal."

Have you always been a music enthusiast?

"From day 1, I have always love music. My first love was classical - composers like Beethoven and Vivaldi. From there, my parents exposed me to an eclectic range of music genres from old school hip-hop, jazz, rock, rap, to even country. I had love for all music in all its expressions then and now."

Any other musical interest? Instrument?

"I used to play the Alto sax and I really want to learn the piano."

Describe your sound.

"My sound is my voice, my thoughts, my emotions, my experiences in life. What I mean is on some days I feel more rock than pop, or more hip-hop than rap. My sound IS music. I want my sound to be ever changing and always improving."

Any particular genre that influences your sound? Or even another artist?

"All music influenced me, from classical to classic rock, and from R&B to even 90's grunge. Growing up in my household music was always playing. From singing Carmen (Opera) to rapping 2pac, we all share a love for music."

I noticed that you do not use curse words or any sort of degrading lyrics that offend. Do you find that to be a struggle on stage NOT conforming to the style of the rap game?

Disclaimer {OPINION ALERT}, "I feel that I should fill a song with real content instead of all this cursing filler. If you hear my song on the radio, I don’t want a parent have to turn off the song. On the other hand, there are some songs that wouldn’t be the same without the curse words. I get it!  Some people refer to me as a conscious rapper and it’s probably because I think words matter. I choose to use the best words to convey a thought or an idea. I rather help people up and have more peers, than put people down to feel special. Sorry, but this “Rap Game” thing to me is sooo played out. I don’t want to promote violence, perpetuate stereotypes and put people down. I’ve been through a lot in my short time of being alive. I don’t want anyone to experience or feel the despair that I’ve felt and faced. Is it hard being different? Yes, it would it be easier to conform to the Rap game standards? Again,Yes. See I don’t make music because it’s easy, in fact, I don’t want it to be easy because what wouldn't challenge me to become better."

So where does this inspiration to write your own songs come from? You are way too young to have any real-life issues.

"Everything I see can be a song. Anything you feel can be a song. I see it like this, the life you live is real. You can speak on your life experiences and make it a song. Age is not a true qualifier for a song’s value. I’ve experienced the following:

Racism - racism from both sides - Some Black people hating me for my whiteness and some White people hating me for my blackness. As a kid, I thought I would be loved twice as much and not half as less. The unfortunate thing about this is that each side feels that I don’t have a valid opinion on racial issues that absolutely affect me. So basically, on one side...I was the white friend who happened to be the “black.” At times, racial slurs were said in front of me regarding black people and I was expected to agree or go along with it. On the other side... I, simply, wasn’t black enough to hang out with the black kids. Through my travels with sports, education and performances, I’ve seen and been around many different types of people and the thing that I noticed the most is that there are no different races. You have the human race, different levels of melanin and different ethnicities. We all love the same. We all cry the same...We all hate the same. The tears we cry are the same regardless of ethnicity. The pain we feel is the same regardless of the level of melanin. The wanting of love and compassion is universal among all species. As Shakespeare wrote, “if you prick us, do we not bleed?” “If you tickle us, do we not laugh?” “If you poison us, do we not die?”

Sexism and learning disability - being treated differently in an educational environment, because of being a male. Instead of feeling nurtured and encouraged, I often felt humiliated. It was easy to see that certain teachers preferred girl students over boys. Being a boy who had dyslexia made me an easier target. For example First Grade Teacher: “JC, go to the front board and answer this question.” I replied, “I don’t know the answer.” Teacher says, “I know.” “Go to the board.” “Now class, anyone who scores lower than JC, no recess for any of you.” Needless to say, my spirit was broken"

Is there a juicy story behind ‘Lightswitch”?

"I don’t kiss and tell, but yes."

So a little birdy told me you used to play football. How was that?

"It’s really hard for me to talk about so I will say this...Football was a great experience for me. I made new friends and got to be apart of something bigger than me. Some would say there was a time when Football was all I lived for. Not like I watched it on TV or knew a statistic of some guy that doesn't even know I existed. I mean... I would train every day before my practice started, I ran a mile after each game. I loved football and that was my goal in life. To play college? Maybe even go Pro? Possible, but I will never know what all my practice, training, and all my sacrifices would have added up on the field. When I broke my back I could not play ball again. It hurt me, but I found a new passion that allowed my thoughts to become words, words to lyrics and  lyrics to songs. Music was my saving grace and ironically, I can thank my injury for that. All the hard work and dedication brought me to this point in my life. I would not change it for one moment, even if I could."

How far would you like to take your career?

"You ask as if there is an end for me. I want to do it all. Life's too short to pigeon hole yourself in just one thing. I want to make hit songs, make movies, act, voice act, I want to live life to the fullest."

Were was your coolest performance?

"SXSW was one of the coolest places I had performed. There were so many people. It was almost overwhelming. I’ve never experienced anything like it. The people...the characters...the music...the performances were over the top. We heard there were over 300,000 people in attendance. I will never forget the many experiences and people I met there. I have to give a shout out to Quincy “Big Heff” Taylor & DJ Jonny’O  of Nerve DJ’s Radio for the opportunity to perform at one of the biggest music festivals in the nation."

To keep up with all JC's success we will be following him with new music releases, local and national interviews, and tour dates. Film and Fashion Futures strives to keep the community informed of the success of talented performers such as JC aka Triple Threat.

Remember to Read.Like.Share.Follow JC on
Twitter-@akatriplethreat
Instagram-@jc_akatriplethreat
Facebook-JC aka Triple Threat Fan Page
Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/jc-aka-triple-threat/sets/jc-aka-triple-threat-playlist

Stay tuned for Part II with JC aka Triple Threat...

See you on the runway,
Toy Taylor

Photography provided by Artistry by Holly Lyn

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Thanks to the Chronic Behavior team. We appreciate you for your continued support.