Ryck Jane Talks Exclusively With TCR About Singles “No Problems” and “You Gone Learn Today”
The first thing we see in Neesin Williams’s vibrant video for “You Gone Learn Today” is Ryck Jane’s earrings.
The first thing we see in Neesin Williams’s vibrant video for “You Gone Learn Today” is Ryck Jane’s earrings. They’re hard to miss — and they also might’ve been a challenge to wear. The two matching accessories that dangle from the rapper’s lobes appear to be made of solid gold. But the most notable thing about them is what they signify. They’re L.A. logos: twin declarations of allegiance to the city and scene that made her.
Even without the earrings, fans would know exactly where Ryck Jane was from. It’s not just her California drawl, the left coast pattern of her cadences, or the hard Los Angeleno funk that forms the bedrock of her irresistible recordings. It’s also in her dedication to glamour and her scrupulous attention to every detail of presentation. Jane knows exactly how to showcase her fierce individuality. The new artist she is, but she handles herself like a showbiz veteran. She believes that she was born to inhabit the spotlight — and single after single, she demonstrates that her confidence isn’t misplaced.
“You Gone Learn Today,” her newest single, is her boldest declaration of autonomy yet. On the track, Ryck Jane raps about the inevitability of her rise and underscores her theme with a performance that’s relentless, colorful, and loaded with personality. Call it a message to the nonbelievers — who are getting harder and harder to find. The production backs up her boasts: the track is muscular and hypnotic, decorated with a thick, serpentine bass synthesizer lead, skittering beats, a thumping kick drum, and chanted backing vocals. The deep musicality of the “You Gone Learn Today” arrangement is a reminder that long before Ryck Jane found fame as an independent rapper, she’d distinguished herself as a trumpeter.
That horn shows up on “No Problems,” the bonus Ryck Jane cut. The track is a centerpiece of Jane Got A Gun, the rapper’s scalding 2023 album. It’s slinkier and more subtle than the rambunctious “You Gone Learn Today,” but as the video makes clear, it’s another message to the world that Ryck James can’t be stopped. Just like the “You Gone Learn Today” video clip, “No Problems” is a showcase for the artist’s unique, and unerring sense of style. It’s all here, and it’s all wild, and worn with the self-possession of a queen.
What made you want to become a musician? I love music. And I began playing at a young age when my mother made me take piano lessons. I naturally had an ear for music and could pick up notes and melodies easy. I loved how music made me feel and I wanted to add my gift to this art form.
What has been your proudest moment as an artist so far? My proudest moment as an artist was when I produced an instrumental album called “Ryckstrumentals: Beats, Loops and Vibes,” and my fans went to Bandcamp and purchased this album directly from me. I was surprised by the love and support from them. And I actually made more money from doing this then I ever have with streaming my music. The love was real. And I realized that people really could support my music.
How do you usually overcome creative blocks when writing music? I usually overcome creative blocks by listening to other music. Either a different genre or artist to help me get my creative juices flowing. This usually helps me to think outside the box and come up with something fresh and new.
Could you tell us about “You Gone Learn Today”? “I’m not what you thought. Ain’t what you think. I am much broader than what people think.” This song refers to me letting people know who I am as an artist. Sometimes people automatically have assumptions on who I am and what I can do. But this song breaks it down and informs fans of what it really is, and they gone learn after they listen.
What was the inspiration behind “No Problems”? The inspiration behind this song is that I can perceived as a lowkey and shy person, but if I’m pushed hard enough in a negative way, that lowkey person will no longer exist. This song just lets people know that it’s all good until you do me wrong.
Which line from each song holds the most personal meaning to you? For You Gone Learn Today, it is that first line I mentioned earlier: “I’m not what you thought. Ain’t what you think. I am much broader than what people think.” For the song “No Problems”, the line that holds personal meaning to me is: “I just want respect man. And no I’m not the next man. You better come correct man. These n**as bet not test me.
What was the experience like working on the music video for both of these tracks? For the “You Gone Learn Today” video: This was my first high budget video. From the hair, wardrobe, makeup and extras, it was all very new to me for this video. And this was the first time working with my friend Neesin Williams who is an amazing creative, artist and director. The day we met to go over the treatment, he prepared this Powerpoint presentation of how the video would go and it just brought me to tears because I never had someone invest their time and efforts into a video where they actually saw my vision and wanted the best outcome for it. Neesin was professional, specific and really helped bring this video to life. It was also great working with Joe Brown as the choreographer for this video. He was also very professional and hired the 6 dancers for the video. He gave excellent movement direction and had great ideas on how to showcase myself properly throughout the video. Both guys were great to work with and I look forward to doing more videos with them in the future. I have made love for the video crew, the dancers, the hair/makeup artist, the stylist, the assistants, the photographers and everyone involved in this video. This was special to me and I will forever be grateful for them.
For the “No Problems” Video: I initially had no plans of shooting a video for “No Problems”, but I got so much positive feedback from many of my fans who really liked the song, that I randomly decided we had to shoot a video for this. I had the pleasure of working with Ashley Eberbach of Burnone Productions on this video. And since we’ve done other videos in the past, we have a relationship and understanding that makes the video process with her very easy. I had a great time with the “crew member” extras and everyone involved in the other scenes. We only had the rental space for 4 hours and we were somehow able to get enough footage to create this video. It was a quick shoot and there were many moving parts, but it worked out. The rain that day didn’t stop anything, and we had a cool time shooting this one for the people.
What can we expect next from you? People can expect more music, more vibes, more content, more Ryckstrumentals and more balance that we need in music today!!
Follow Ryck Jane
