Buffalo (NY) independent hip-hop force Jay Erve returns with a purpose-driven single that's as relevant as it is motivating. "Pay Urself First," the lead single taken from his impending tenth volume, "Skin," sounds like a thesis. It's an instruction to prioritize your self-worth over outside validation.
Penned by Erve and co-produced with longtime collaborator Beatnoxx, the story here is one of cutting wordplay against a bouncy, layered beat. It's a surprising turn from the boom bap and alternative hip-hop underpinning he's often celebrated for. Still, it feels intentional, further proof that Erve, as an artist, is malleable and progressive. With each bar, he's chiseling a call-to-action, asking listeners to invest in themselves and their dreams, and in the places where they live, before reinvesting in systems that seldom return the favor.
The motivational heart of the track is also loosely based on Erve's life convictions. Outside of music, he has been a vocal proponent of self-determination and economic empowerment, promoting the circulation of money through local banks and Black-owned businesses. That philosophy pulses through "Pay Urself First." The song sounds as much like a soundtrack as a blueprint for living with purpose.
Fans won't have to wait long to see the message in action. A Michigan-based ripping video from the award-winning Top Flyte Productions is set to drop September 30th, adding another level of artistry and energy. As Jay Erve prepares to hit the road on an eight-city tour of the Midwest this fall, "Pay Urself First" is both a signal of what's next, a project filled with insight, motion, and conviction. For Erve, art was never about the surface, it was about planting seeds for growth and social change. On this single, he's here to remind us all that before we pour out, we must first pour in.
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