By Derrius Edwards – @rawcommnc
Birmingham, Alabama native Jabo is applying pressure in Atlanta’s music scene one track at a time.
As an affiliate of Young Scooter and Future’s BMFBG collective, Jabo’s effusive lyricism and bravado has enabled him to spearhead the role as someone to keep an eye out for in hip-hop.
With hits like “Drop” featuring Yo Gotti and most recently “Never Stop Working” featuring Young Scooter and Yung Bans, Jabo has garnered the attention of many and has not disappointed the slightest.
Adversity, hardships and tough times have all played a role in manifesting the man behind the music. Jabo’s ability to use his experiences as tools of inspiration have equipped him to serve as more than a voice of reason, but also as a voice for the streets.
In this over-the-phone interview we caught up with the artist to discuss new music and what’s coming next in his career.
How did the name Jabo come about?
It was my nickname coming up. My grandma used to call me Jabo around the house and when I started rapping I chose that name because people already knew me by it.
Talk to me about CGE
Complete Game Entertainment. It’s an independent label, started from the ground up in 2012. It’s a real label with a real movement and a real campaign behind it. My financial advisers believed in me, put some money behind it and the rest was history.
What was it like growing up in Birmingham?
It was like the typical hood. You had your bad people and your good people. In my neighborhood we had a lot of black-owned businesses, like Mr. Bilbrew, he stayed at the end of the street. He owned like 2-3 houses on the block that people were staying in. Mr. Thomas, across the street, he owned the corner store, know what I’m sayin’. We saw a lot of poverty stuff coming up but we also saw a lot of drugs, lot of gang activity and other stuff. So, it was a good balance of the whole ghetto-experience.
Any noticeable differences between Atlanta’s music scene & Alabama’s ?
Big differences. In Atlanta, mostly everybody that’s here already poppin’ or they on. If they ain’t poppin’, they poppin’ 
where they at. Like it might be someone you never heard about, but they poppin’ on they side of town. Down here they not scared to help each other and pull the next man up. It’s nothing for these producers to get around and help you out. Lot more networking as opposed to the Alabama scene, everybody tryna be the king of wherever they from. Tryna be the big boss of the situation they around instead of tryna be one big conglomerate and everybody levitate to the top. Then there’s the music. Alabama is more pain and suffering music and real-life. Up here, it’s more of a wave and more about the drip. Having fun with the cadences and the music. There’s a lot of differences, but I definitely like the Atlanta music scene a lot better.
How did you get started in music?
I always came up around music. My dad had a gospel group back in the day. He had a studio at my grandmother’s house, so I always been around instruments and studio equipment. So, I just naturally gravitated towards it. Being around my older cousins, listening to stuff like: Crime Mob, 2-Pac, NWA, Eazy E. Sneaking in they stuff, and I just took a liking to it. I worked at this clothing store when I was 16 and my manager use to get all the DJ Clue mixtapes. He sold throwback jerseys and all that so he was into that whole New York East-Coast hip-hop scene. So, at the time, I’m 16, I’m impressionable as f***k. He passing me all these different CD’s, so I’m knowing who these different rappers are. Fast forward, in 2006, I got shot and shit. I was playing baseball at Alabama State and after I got shot, I couldn’t play baseball no more. I fell into the music heavily and it was just on from then.
What inspires your creativity as an artist?
When I go in the studio, I’m not the type to have a slew of people coming in and out of the studio, so it’s typically just me and the engineer, some good weed, and the beat lead me. It’s like the beat tell me what to rap about. I use to write when I first started out, I was old-school with the shit. I don’t do it like that no more, because the music come naturally now. It’s kind of like riding a bike. Once I got to that point, I was like aight I can put the pen and paper down now and I can just go off emotions, or off the head. I just pull inspiration from anywhere really and just piece it together.
Talk to me about your track “Never Stop Working” ft. Young Scooter and Yung Bans
That track came about when I was with Scooter one day. We was going around to a few clubs and ended up getting some studio time at Patchwerk. He was working and doing his thing, ended up doing the hook on the record. I put a verse on it. He let me have the record, and shit that was like a gift from him to me. Then we decided to get a third verse on it and Yung Bans was part of the whole Black Migo Freebandz situation so it was perfect.
How are you affiliated with BMFBG?
(Photo Credit – @xclusiveproduction)
Really through Young Scooter. We came out with this song called “Water Whippin”. One day his manager was like “Jabo got a record for Young Scooter”, so I took it over there. Everybody was in the studio ya know, Casino, Gunna, whole gang was there. He laid the verse down and I don’t think he thought much of it. But once we took it to the club, it was like shit lets shoot the video. We took it to BET and all that and it just went. Me and Sunny got together, BMG Sunny, and we dropped “Free Game”. I was in the studio, he came in for a verse but he didn’t have the flash drive for the beat, so we just ended up getting a whole different beat. So, we did “Play With Pots” and just started working together every day. That really solidified me with FBG.
Then I got to meet Future, and it was like shit, it was amazing. I got to meet Future when he was being talkative, being open. And it’s like when he was being open, you sit back and listen cause he gone say some good shit that you need to know. I’ve also met Future when he was on his music shit and just vibin’ out to the music. But if you ever get to catch him when he being open, talking and shit, you let em’ go. Cause he gone say something to really spark a fire in you to make you go get that money. Like, the nigga is brilliant bruh, he brilliant. No cap.
Any advice for up and coming artist?
Do your research, read, and stay consistent with your music. Doing something consistently each day, that’s the only way to cut it. Then, once you get the music done, you really gotta know where to take the music to get it heard. You gotta take it to somebody that know hit records. Radio a whole different ball game. It’s a lot to it, that’s why I always tell people to make sure you research the game if this what you wanna do.
Closing remarks
Just know I’m coming harder than ever this year. The whole catalog is on every streaming platform. We done did what we were supposed to do. I done been on 106 ‘N’ Park, I’ve charted records. Now it’s just about re-branding and taking over my lane. I’m working my way to the top.
