J.Mack On Spreading Positivity, Pride, and Joy Through Their Music
Music and visual artist, J. Mack, is from Orange Mound, Tennessee, the historically black-owned neighborhood in Memphis. The neighborhood has a rich history that largely goes ignored due to high crime in the region during the 1980s and 1990s. However, many would be surprised to find that Orange Mound was one of the first communities established for African Americans in the country and that it was once a thriving hub of commerce and prominence.
Being from Orange Mound and making music since the age of three has shaped the work that J. Mack does today. They started dancing and playing piano and was involved in the arts for as long as they can remember, but they also have managed to weave in powerful messages highlighting and celebrating the history of their ancestry and people of color in general.
Their music is centered around what they consider, “Afro-futurism” which they describe as celebrating “blackness and all of its likeness, the diaspora, and a blend of everything that is black and aboriginal.” J. Mack’s music paints a picture of queer people and people of color from all over the world and shares empowering pieces for people to relate to and enjoy.
“I’m working on a visual album. I have been working on it since last year,” said J. Mack. “I want to put out a work of art rather than a hit on the radio. I don’t really care about the radio. I would love for my music to be on the radio but, already being marginalized as a non-binary person of color, I want to get proper work and assessment from my work. I want to put out an actual representation of black transgender and gender non-conforming people in film that is for us and by us.”
J. Mack also keeps a dream journal and has goals of turning these visions of creative wonder into films as well. “That’s basically what all these movies are sometimes,” J. Mack explains. “They’re dreams and your interpretation.”
J. Mack wants to use their passion for art to help elevate the queer people of color and offer space and roles in media. It’s about bringing pieces of themselves into their work and uplifting the community.
“I want to be able to pay my community for their work and their worth,” J. Mack explained. “To make real roles that aren’t created because the ‘cis-het-ass-people,’ yes, that’s right, will use a trans person and they don’t ever exemplify us in their great light or give us visibility. They’ll have the token trans person, token black person, or the token gay best friend, and it’s never us on our own.”
J. Mack combines film and music with their photographic memory to create meaningful pieces of art. They enjoy putting a lot of subliminal messages in their work. “I want to inspire, to enlighten, and to bring joy. I want people to feel emotion, to take it in and be able to understand it. I also want to see more of us out there,” said J. Mack.
The underlying mission of their work resembles much of the start of the community that they are originally from in Tennessee.
“We used to be a thriving community fighting for the liberation of all black people, and of all people, but it’s not like that now,” J. Mack said referring to Orange Mound. “it’s pretty violent towards trans people and gender non-conforming people in Memphis. I actually dealt with violence personally and was like, ‘I’m out.’ There’s a lot of dense energy there. A lot of pain and suffering, but the funny thing is that there are a lot of successful black artists who come from there and are in the industry running shit and doing things which is wild.”
J. Mack hopes that their music positively influences and encourages people to learn, reflect, and to better themselves. They hope for inspiration and for people to be able to do this while enjoying the music for entertainment purposes as well.
“I want them to know that they’re going to feel some good vibes,” J. Mack explained. “They are actually going to feel something. After listening to my music, they are going to go into themselves and learn about themselves and be inspired. They are going to wake up some more and learn how not to be problematic and be a decent human being. That’s what I aim for my art to be, so I don’t always have to go and talk to people. That’s not my job. You can get a professional to come to your job, or you can just Google it.”
J. Mack also passed along amazing advice for young people interested in entering into the world of music and the arts.
“Do your research. You don’t have to be signed by a record label,” said J. Mack. “It’s actually very easy to do anything that you want to do. You just have to ask for it and when you ask for it from the universe and believe in yourself and find your support system. You just can’t do this all by yourself. That’s not how the world works.”
J. Mack credits the support from their mom, the universe, their ancestors, queer people, among other friends. You can learn more about J. Mack, listen to their music, and join the community of support by visiting their Instagram @jmackent.