BMP (Buffalo Music Players) Episode 43: AYAM JC

Ayam is looking for that "Big Dough" and it's in the EP Bread Head.

Ayam came to the BMP podcast with his friend and both talked about community and creativity, even magic. Along with tangents on ego-death, Ayam and the hosts talked about how the music is made, the videos that came with them, and well, more tangents on ego-death.

If you've seen Ayam around town, you're not the only one. An artist who has been doing what he's doing for ten years in Buffalo, he is constantly expanding his circle and even when it's not the money, something positive is created.

It's all here on the BMP podcast. Thanks for listening and remember to follow @buffalomusicplayers on Instagram.

BMP Sponsors are:

Captain Tom & the Hooligans

BUFFALO CREATIVE WORKSHOP

MAMMOTH CANNABIS

SHIANNE WAXING STUDIO

Theme for the Shianne Waxing Studio Commercial was Conducted & Composed by Philip Milman

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 1:22

The bringer of life. The bringer of unimaginable joy. The cause of catastrophic destruction. Knowing that you have something so powerful, wouldn't you want the best to take care of it? Pardon me for saying this. I am just a humble announcer. But if I had a coochie, I'd probably get it waxed at Cheyenne's waxing studio on 830 Elmwood Ave. You have power in between your legs. So why not have it taken care of by the best? Man, life just isn't letting up. I feel like the walls are closing in, and I don't have a way to stop it. I wish there was somewhere I could go. Some place where I could just get away from everything. And just be creative.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

There is. The Buffalo Creative Workshop. Who said that? Spirit of Creativity. I heard you're playing like all the duty the healthy. Okay, in the Grid Arrow Building on Elmwood Avenue. Use our space, our art supplies, and equipment to your heart's content. Let us hope you beat back the stress and feel centered again.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

Wow, that sounds great. I'll check it out.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

Always remember, if the world has your creative spirits in rut, come to the Buffalo Creative Workshop for a pick meal. More about Buffalo Creative Workshop can be found at Buffalo.creativeWorkshop on Instagram.

SPEAKER_05 3:09

Hello, BMP listeners. This is Benjamin Joe. And I am Max. And today we have a guest who's been making music in the city of Buffalo for about 10 years. His name is JC Iam. And he's uh just released a project called Breadhead. Yeah. Um JC, can you?

SPEAKER_04 3:24

Yes, yes, yes. Hey, what's going on, y'all? Yes. Uh my name is JC I am J C. I'm over here with my brother Bam, Bam Dino. So yeah, I just put out a project, uh, Breadhead EP, three-song EP available on Spotify, Apple, all screening platforms. Literally Bread, B-R-E-A-D, Head, H-E-A-D, E P. Um, so yeah, check that out. And I am J C is A Y A M dot J C and on all uh everywhere. Yeah, so check me out, check out the EP. But yeah, Breadhead EP, three-song EP, fun and exciting little thing. So check it out. Cool, cool. So got into music by being around uh the neighborhood, you know, a lot of the people that I was hanging out with when I was younger, they were already involved in the music. And it was real cool to me, especially like eighth grade, ninth grade. Um, a lot of the homies were recording themselves, writing, going to shows and like booking, you know, getting opening uh slots at certain venues for certain opening, uh certain acts that was coming in town. Um they were opening for tour and acts. Yeah, they're opening for tour and acts. Um I was lucky to be like backstage with Mellowhype and like School Boy Q a couple of times. Yeah. So being younger, like in eighth grade, ninth grade, being around that atmosphere. Um, shout out to some of the older homies that I was around who are still in the game today uh in Buffalo. Um, being around them, I was able to like see some areas that could need some help or that could help push things forward. So I'll just pick up a camera or make a little design and then you know, just to kind of help things moving forward. So that eventually led to me touching the mic and also recording eventually as well.

SPEAKER_05 5:19

Well, you hold yourself like an MC. You got the thing, you got the approach, you got the grill on your TV, you should see this guy, people. Like, I know this is just an audio only podcast, but I wish you could be here and go and see what we're doing. Oh, Bam's doing he's doing something. All right.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

How did you how did you first get that feeling of like help people? Because you feel like you've gotten into the scene because you like wanted to help your friends around. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:42

So yeah, I I was able to see the vision early, you know. I mean, I don't know if it was because I was young and I was still like, you know, open, dream-minded, but you know, it was a lot of people who were being actively trying to make things that they believe happen, and they was in the process of that already. You know what I mean? Bam was one of those people as well when we first met, you know what I mean? Um he's at a clothing line and he's also been doing music for a while. So having people like him around and seeing them being motivated and being like committed to an idea that they got also had me like, okay, you know, um there's no harm in also throwing a little extra support here and there, even if I don't really understand what's going on. I'm having a good time too, you know what I mean? But also when I was young too, like it was times where I was like, you don't want to be alone as a kid, so you want to be around your friends too. So naturally, you're gonna like, you know, do what you can to fit in, you know what I mean? So I was lucky to be around good people who was trying to do good things. So when it came to me finding ways to fit in, it was a position that was needed and purposeful, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 6:53

That's how that's how I was, you know. What was the uh do you do you write down your your bars? Do you I don't know what your process thought like?

SPEAKER_04 7:00

Yeah, so I I I I write, um, I do write pen and paper also, write on my phone. Yeah. Sometimes I just, you know, I had something comes to mind and it could stay there for long enough for me to put it on the mic or just put it on paper, you know what I mean? Absolutely. But that's like a rare thing, you know what I mean? So that's a real sacred, rare thing that I happens if I'm like having a good week or something, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 7:23

So it just comes in your head and you're just like, oh, you know, it's there, but you want to develop a little bit.

SPEAKER_04 7:27

That's correct. That's right. Yeah, yeah. Honestly, and that's like really my process with everything. Like, um, especially as I continue, like, um, every time I get an idea, when I first, you know, um started putting things out, uh, I was really excited to put things out. But the more and more I got, you know, I was doing things, the more and more I started wanting to take my time and letting things develop to where I felt like they was right. You know what I mean? Right, absolutely. So with that being said, like Big Do was recorded like in 2017. Whoa. Hey, that's like almost a decade, yeah. Uh uh Rich Rich was also recorded like in 2016. Wow. You know what I mean? It's one that's the second song on there on the project, which uh he shot a video for last week and it's coming out soon.

SPEAKER_05 8:19

Very good. Look, if anybody's listening, check out the videos on on uh on JC's uh page. They are really a lot of fun. Um I was telling him earlier, like and he's alluded to this here about the good people that he's had around him and collaborating with them on these musical videos and on his tracks as well. Um I just want, I mean, if you have the time, definitely look up Big Doe because that is just a very, very real, very um at the same time, like really well shot. You know what I mean? And some people try to go and put in like black and white pictures to make yourself look a little bit like more authentic or something like that. But like the angle that they were shooting at down the street in the house, like that was who do you who do you work with in the videography?

SPEAKER_04 8:57

So it was it was uh this this video was with uh my one of my the guys who working with my collective that we're part of. Um his name is Foo. Foo Foo, yeah, he's kind of Foo. Yeah. Foo's on the he's uh he's been doing some work around the town. He also does some work with like some cars, uh car companies on the west side, like some promo work with them. And I think he just did a uh some work with Hoka, the sneakers, or yeah, promo for them. Yeah, so he's he's active, he's serious, professional, you know what I mean. Like like I said, I'm blessed to be able to have people like that in my network, you know what I mean? Absolutely, yeah. So yeah, the video came together pretty good, down to earth, like you said, you know what I mean? Yeah, bam's in there, you know what I mean. He's got his green hoodies.

SPEAKER_05 9:43

Oh yeah, yeah, you are in there, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:44

So yeah, so it's just it's just like and that just uh splums into our natural, you know, our intentional lives, you know what I mean? Our natural intention. No, no, that comes. No, go help on. You want to get closer so you think you're driving by and I see I said, hold on, let me stop.

SPEAKER_02 10:03

I was like I think it was me on the phone right before. I believe so. Yep, yep. I'm at living proof. I said, dude, I'm in front of Living. I'm driving hold on, hold on, man.

SPEAKER_04 10:12

I was like, always happy financially.

SPEAKER_02 10:18

Everything we do is just we sit somewhere and we just hang it out. Yeah, yeah, sure. Getting our thoughts together. He said one thing. One thing I'll say about him, if I say something, it's his mission to make it real.

SPEAKER_05 10:36

Make it real. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

That's that's one thing I'll say about him.

SPEAKER_05 10:39

He's a manifestor.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

He's a nah, he's a doer.

SPEAKER_04 10:44

It takes one to know him.

SPEAKER_02 10:47

It takes one to know him, yeah. Anything anything we done like project wise was something that was said and then actually put on it. So like it's you know when he says bullshit if she's not he fired from that.

SPEAKER_04 11:03

Like, that's something how'd you get like that? Because you know that's a rare I'm gonna I'm gonna answer that same answer is the people I'm around because you know like that. Sword sharpened uh sword, yeah, sword sharpened sword, you know what I mean? So like man, for example, is a person who's zero bullshit, right? And he has a bullshit radar. So the minute he smells bullshit, it's done. That's a trait of people who are focused and locked in or know what they want and don't want, right? Yeah, so like being around that, it's just naturally understanding that how I was able to develop being around people like that. You know what I mean? You can find other people right now. You know what I mean? So it's it makes sense that you know we can work with each other because it takes you can't everybody like who understands this can't work with everybody because everybody doesn't understand that, you know what I mean? So it took for me to a point to get to a level where I can understand what's my part, what's my role to play, you know what I mean? And luckily enough, you know, as I'm going through my development, when I have people around who already understand that, they patient with you, you know what I mean? They give you they they give you some of a their understanding, you know what I mean? So it's just always good to be around, just have be in a space with people who make that space like that. You know what I mean? So I'm blessed to have my hands around. So I didn't just be in like doing music.

SPEAKER_02 12:20

I do have the sense like I got the second grade.

SPEAKER_04 12:27

This is one of the people who I met in the eighth grade. I was telling them, you know what I mean. This is one of the people who I met when I was like seventh, eighth grade, you know what I mean? So I grew up like on Brawley and Rogler area, but then like up until like sixth grade, seventh grade, I moved towards like uptown, right? And when I move uptown, that's when just one day I'm walking to the gas station. I see one of my homies from my new high school that I'm about to go to. Oh wow, he's in the car with this guy, and I had no idea who to do this, but it was just like just vibes like in the car for some reason.

SPEAKER_02 13:02

Cousin, you gotta be good. Just one of them people that don't just be hanging with everybody, yeah. He knows who the people are that he got around him. Same thing he's saying, like it's just a long line of being aware of what you got around you, yeah, and picking what you want because it's like you know you're gonna develop your trace. Like you said, like I smell I smell BS, I don't walk away from this, I'm gonna separate from those. But when you get around people embracing, like no, I see I see what you see the same thing as you, and like I said, you know, you pull it out the brain and make it physical, because he can see the same thing, and vice versa. And vice versa, yeah. A lot of good stuff, like that we still doing and still putting our our front front forward with doing all this stuff, like fashion shows and videos, and the collaborations, like being around like uh the networking, you know, letting up letting a bunch of people meet. Yeah, oh yeah, absolutely. That walk past them every day at the train station or something, driving right past us. You might be in the same line with this man, you know what I mean? Like, dang, I've seen him before. We're gonna be the ones who bridge the gap.

SPEAKER_04 14:16

We're heavy on that. Like I was telling you, I'm always loving building and connecting with people. You know, yeah, no, go ahead. Yeah, no, that's no, that was it.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

We're the same way, so that's a long thing.

SPEAKER_04 14:25

Always so it's long-winded answer to answer the question. That's how I got into the music.

SPEAKER_02 14:35

You you computers, BC's computers, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 14:38

But yeah, yeah. You were talking about Big Doe a little while off mic, because listeners we have our conversations off mic sometimes because we always want to bring them up during the podcast. So maybe you can tell us a little bit about what Big Doe was about, like how it came to be.

SPEAKER_04 14:51

For sure. So Big Doe, yeah, Big Doe was um, it was it kind of just came out of nowhere, I'm not gonna lie. Like uh it was one of the situations where one of the homies sends a beat, you know what I mean, and uh just kind of like whatever you're feeling at the moment, you know what I mean, just come up, you know what I mean. So that's how the song actually came into being. It was sitting for a while. I liked it because it had a good catchy hook. Yeah, you know, and it's yeah, and it was genuinely me. So I I was okay with it, I loved it, and I hadn't I wasn't in a rush to put it out there, or you know, I I just like knowing that I had something good that I liked, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 15:29

I see you in that. Like as like an eighth grader or a high school student, just being like, yeah, big deal. But I'm not, but I'm still gonna but you had the you know, the wisdom, I guess, you know, power of understanding. Exactly. Yeah, I mean, I I mean, for me it's like I I guess something I'm just like I try to go and put it out as quickly as possible. Punk rock, you know what I mean? But um the way that you like took that idea and then manifested it made it more of uh of a hook, made it more of a mature understanding about the world. Like, you know, because if you came out with eighth grade, like with this, you'd be like crisscross, you know, just kind of loving it, but like laughing at you behind your back, just waiting for you for it to go and like come forward and uh and like you know, manifest inside yourself.

SPEAKER_04 16:12

That's a fact, and that's what Big Doe is all about. So it's a me, it's the people seeing me express, you know, how I'm prepared trying to for for wealth and manifesting that wealth, you know, putting myself in a position to manifest that wealth and how I'm I feel like I'm preparing myself and am prepared, you know, to be in that position.

SPEAKER_05 16:31

But is it just money?

SPEAKER_04 16:32

I mean, is other stuff so wealth for me is not just money, you know what I mean? Because it's always the people around me, you know what I mean? Because we could be in a situation where there's no money and we can somehow, somehow, something's gonna, we're gonna make something happen. And then there's gonna be money. But if you have nobody around, you know, it's harder and you're alone. You can't really enjoy life, you know what I mean? It's only so far you can enjoy things or get to by yourself until you realize like you need you you need other people to continue enjoying it or to achieve hitting those goals. You know, really happen by themselves. You know what I mean? So understanding that, it's like that's where my wealth is based, you know what I mean? Like the people I can build with, you know what I mean? Because for some people, wealth goes until they hit the top right here. But for me, that's like my bottom. So that's where my wealth starts, where I'm like, there's other people who come in and contribute, and then we build together and then we reap those benefits together, whether it's food, money, dah, dah, dah, that's where that, that's where my bottom line of wealth starts, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 17:38

Yeah, truth the sky is not the limit, it's just the beginning.

SPEAKER_04 17:42

The beginning, you know, yeah, especially after you get over yourself, you know what I mean? So yeah, so that's like that's what it was for me, you know what I mean. So that's what wealth, that's what that dough and wealth really is for me. But you know, just to draw people in, we'll start with the actual cash, you know. You said um, just to get over yourself, have you like experienced like ego death? Like, you know what's crazy? I guess so, in a way, but it's I wouldn't even call it ego theft, it's just like ego, I guess, evolution. Yeah, but because I just kind of got to understand that like, you know, I'm a I'm one person, I understand who I am and what I can and can't do, but I and now I understand that the world is big. So there's things that I that can be done, right? But I can't do it alone because I know what I can do and I know my bubble around me what I'm able to do. So, me understanding that and then seeing that there's more to that than just what's in my little bubble, it's like, okay, this is about to get exciting because now we can do things, you know what I mean, and really experience uh this bigger bubble because one person can't get to those fields of experiences by themselves.

SPEAKER_05 18:51

You know what I mean? That's the beauty of having a band or having a crew because every player goes out. So it's a little bit a little bit like this one guy knows a place where you can record, good. And like there's the other person who knows two people that are crying up the joke, good.

SPEAKER_02 19:02

Like there's another person who just knows some really good bass trap, you know, like just people like that who just will hang on to it, like try to they think they're gatekeeping within just being an asshole and sending the hand and the resources to everybody, like you said, like we have conversation multiple. I had to tell him before, like, you can't help everybody, man. Sometimes you can't help each other.

SPEAKER_04 19:32

Yeah, but you get it, like you said, like different parts to contribute to learn experience, you know what I mean? And all those parts make that experience because without them, it's like that less of an experience as a band, like you get whether it's a song or a show, you know what I mean. The EQ, yeah. Yeah, you get it, you y'all get it, y'all get it, y'all get it.

SPEAKER_02 20:00

Everybody gotta plug into the EQ.

SPEAKER_04 20:02

We hear it, we got you, and everybody gets to experience that one that one experience in one y'all put in, you know what I mean? And y'all get to experience the reward of that too, you know what I mean? So it's like, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 20:14

It happened the way they expected it to happen, you know what I'm saying? We can contribute to that, that's a big deal, especially like in stuff like this where we don't have many resources, you know what I mean? Like when we did the fashion show, like that was like a big moment for me. Like, yeah, I looked at him, he looked at me at this like it's everybody should be able to have some sort of feminine deck, you know what I mean? Like a way, like if even if it do take more than one person, everybody gotta plug into the EQ, you gonna play that song, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 20:46

Like we're getting opportunities, opportunities fill in some shoes that the guy else was curious about, then have the confidence to do, maybe now you got a chance to execute it and feel that you know confirmation, you know? Just a hell of a film. So yeah, hell yeah, man.

SPEAKER_05 21:01

What's it like for you to play uh live? Or are you more of a studio rap?

SPEAKER_04 21:05

Like what the live guy. You are the live guy? I can't wait till my next show and make sure y'all get tickets, man. You know what I mean? My thing, I love performing because like my music is all me, right? It's all my uh emotions, how I feel, my view on the world. And I feel like, you know, I like to talk by myself sometimes. So when I get a chance to really talk to complain, I'm gonna get that mic and complain, you know what I mean? Like that's how I look at it. I get I get a chance to get on there and be like, ah man, fuck, you know what I mean? You know, whatever my song is saying, I feel like this, I want this, I feel like I'm not, you know, I want that bag, you know. Like that's how I look at it. Like, oh yeah, I get the chance to because day to day, we gotta be cordial, we gotta, you know, so who gives a fuck about how you feel, but like if you put it on top of a hot beat, you know what I mean? So that's why I so performing live, you know, I find a nice little exciting podcast. It in there because you know it's a chance to be myself on a you know uh authentically and I'm blessed because my music reflects who I am. I don't try to, I don't say things that are outside my reality, and I don't, you know, try to I don't try to step outside of my reality. So it's like an opportunity to really be out there and be myself and unapologetically, right? But it's about but I also know it's not gonna be offensive because I'm not I'm not on no bullshit. You know, when I'm telling you pieces of my life, I'm not here trying to be bigger or you know what I mean than any person. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 22:37

That's very cool.

SPEAKER_04 22:38

So yeah, so I just I like I it's like my my life is meaningful enough and the people in them is meaningful enough for me to be excited about opening that to people, you know, when I when I when it's time to, you know. When it's time, when the lights hit, when the show comes on, and you feel like time, right place, you know what I mean? Don't want to be yelling at somebody's grandma when she's having lunch at Gypsy Parlor, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 23:03

Sorry, grandma, I gotta do this. It's all part of the life, grandma. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 23:10

Hey, uh tell him, do you have a track out there that you think really like kind of shows what it's all about for for you?

SPEAKER_04 23:16

You know what? If you want to really know how I who you know who I am on uh you can check out uh I like it. It's the third song on uh Breadhead EP. It's called I Like It. You know, that's a song really just you know me explaining how what I do with this money hunger and this drive for my goals is for the people around me and the people I love, you know. So I also throw a little twist in there about how like, you know, I'm for I like I like money and uh I'm ashamed that, but yeah, it's me. You know what I mean? I I love money, but it's me. It's like I I love money, I like it, yeah, I like it, and it's me, but I'm ashamed of it, but it's me, and I do it for these reasons. So that's basically what the song is about, you know what I mean? Oh yeah. Um, so that's that. If you want to get to know me, if you want to have a good time and turn up with me and the rest of my community with Ben and the homies, Rich, our second song on the project. We just shot the music video last week Friday. Very, very dope. I'm gonna show y'all some behind the scenes. I would love to put y'all on this email list. You know what I mean? If you're listening to this, subscribe to the email list if you want to be part of this community or be up to date with the stuff we got going on. Um, we just shot a video for Rich. It's a very turn up hype song. You see the community in the videos coming out real soon. Um, so you're gonna see everybody who's helping me get to where I'm at, and everybody who's involved in what we got going on, you know. So the video's coming out soon. Shot by Foo again, by Foo. Check them out, you know what I mean? So you'll see Bam in there, you'll see Brandon in there. Oh, yeah, uh Executive produced by Brandon Dante, another good friend of mine. Brandon Dante. Yeah, right. We go it's another one, we go back to fourth grade, yeah. Wow, we go back to fourth grade. So this is like the people that I'm with. It's a blessing because this is more than just the music, you know, type of thing. Exactly, exactly. So look up for Rich. Um, the second song, EP. It's uh the video is coming out real soon. Shot by a few trades if you want to turn up. And uh the third one, I like it, is if you want to get to know me.

SPEAKER_05 25:27

Yeah, well, I think we got I got enough for today. Uh JC, thanks for coming in.

SPEAKER_04 25:32

I appreciate you. No problem, Max. My man, damn. Good to meet you back. Hey, you guys enjoy the bags, man. Oh, are we? Yeah, oh yeah, come on. Yeah, no, we good, we good. We're good, we're good. Thank you guys for tuning in, man. You know, we'll uh a lot coming soon. I just want to give a quick um shameless plug. I have a we got a this I'm part of a collective, right? And Bam and I, we are putting together a collective branding as well, right? And uh what we do is uh we kind of take care of each other and we take care of the town, you know? So we have this uh initiative where we're giving out free sandwiches to the homeless and the poet monthly. So that's something that we're doing in the town, and uh it's a bunch of different artists, um, musicians, photographers, clothes designers, and videographers, including Fru and Dam, who all contributed to this project. And um, you know, so I just want to give a quick shout out to this uh group that who's helping everything make happen and the community initiative that we're going. So it's called Free Sammy, it's free turkey sandwiches. If anybody wants to get involved or knows of anybody who may be interested or may need some, feel free to hitch us up on uh DM or uh on Instagram, excuse me. Contact us on Instagram, bringjoy716 or Buffalo Bam Soul Wavy. And uh yeah, that's that free Sammy.

SPEAKER_05 26:54

Alright, listeners you heard it here first. Thank you very much for being with us listeners. I hope you can turn tune in next episode, and uh peace to you and those around you.

SPEAKER_03 27:10

I'm full of drive it's a habit. I'ma go get it, can fight it. I fell in love with the magic. Get the magic. Things that I want, y'all fight for. The ones that I love, y'all fight for. In love with the money, I'm tragic. I pick it up cause I want it. Money in the moment, I like it. Money in the woman and I like it. Money in the moment, I like it. Money in the moment and I like it. Money in the moment I like it. Money in the moment, I like it. Money in the moment and I like it. Money in the moment, I like it. I am a bitch and I'm no it. And I know it. I'm scared of me and I know it. And I know it. Well, I'm a bitch, can get ugly. I keep it safe with my friends in me. My friends in me. You see I'm real. You see my flesh in front of D. I'm in my head. I'm in my head, it get ugly.

SPEAKER_01 27:58

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