Jay Mumford (born Jarrett A. Mumford; February 26, 1977),[2] known by his former stage name J-Zone,[3][4] is an American record producer, drummer, multi-instrumentalist, former rapper,[3] and writer from New York City.[5][6]
Known for his quirky lyrics and trash talk style of rapping, Jay Mumford as "J-Zone" released a string of idiosyncratic and critically acclaimed albums in the late 1990s and early 2000s that acquired a cult following.[7][8] Of these, the 2001 release Pimps Don't Pay Taxes, was particularly noted; it featured rappers Huggy Bear and Al-Shid,[5] for whom he would subsequently produce a number of 12" releases.[9] In 2003, The New York Times cited his J-Zone, S.A. Smash concert in Brooklyn, New York as a noteworthy pop and jazz concert in the New York metropolitan region.[10]
Not finding commercial success, Jay Mumford as "J-Zone" eventually walked away from rap, and in 2011 published the book Root for the Villain: Rap, Bullshit and a Celebration of Failure.[5][8] The book has been well received; the Los Angeles Times Music Blog stated that "Like his albums, it's equal parts hilarious, self-effacing and sharp. He's the sarcastic older brother putting you up on game. It's a love letter to rap laced with sulfur, the flip side of Dan Charnas' similarly excellent The Big Payback."[4] The Washington Post Going Out Gurus blog called it "a must for every curmudgeonly grown-up hip-hop head",[8] while Nathan Rabin writing for The A.V. Club called it "one of the funniest and most honest books ever written about the modern music industry and its luckless casualties."[5]
In 2013, Jay Mumford returned to music with the release of the album, Peter Pan Syndrome,[11] which was listed as the 17th best album of 2013 by Spin.[12] After learning to play the drums seriously during his hiatus from music, Jay Mumford released the drum break album, Lunch Breaks, in 2014.[13]
In 2016 Jay Mumford landed a spot playing drums on new tunes from the 1970s funk band Manzel, his band The Du-Rites with Tom Tom Club guitarist Pablo Martin, and for personal drum break kits for Danger Mouse and others.[14]
Jay Mumford has continued working as a session drummer in recent years, appearing on Lord Finesse's Motown State of Mind album in 2020 and rock band Vampire Weekend's single, "Capricorn," in 2024,[15] in addition to his drums being sampled on the 2020 Madlib single, "Road of The Lonely Ones".[16]
In 2022, Jay Mumford was the drummer for live shows and select recordings for The Black Pumas guitarist Adrian Quesada's Boleros Psicodelicos album.[17]
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