Jelani Imani is an Atlanta rapper, songwriter, and producer by way of Clayton County. He has declared himself a “couch artist,” meaning he writes, sings, raps, produces, and engineers music from his bedroom, which ostensibly has a couch. His latest release is the deluxe reiteration of his 2019 LP The Shell. The revamped album flexes its song-making muscles in the wake of what feels like the latest sonic wave felt by the tweens that shop—er, shopped—at Lenox Mall to the young adults populating neighborhoods from East Point to Pittsburgh.

In an interview with CLOWE USA, Imani revealed he produced the entire album. The learning curve was a little steep, but he knew the sound he was gunning for. “At first, I was so focused on low end and bass because if the trunk doesn’t rattle, that shit is wack to me,” Imani revealed. “My grandma be joanin’ me saying, ‘you still ain’t figured out that bass?'”

Imani grew up in Memphis with his mom as a kid. Before moving to Georgia, he spent the summer with his father. An artist himself, Imani’s dad gave him his CD to take back home, and it wasn’t long before the young Imani learned all the lyrics and would rap them like they were his. When he finally moved to Georgia, he would go to the studio with his father, who wound up penning an early single for Imani and his cousin called “Get Buck.” Once he got older, though, his father said he wouldn’t write raps for him anymore. If he genuinely wanted to be an artist, Imani would have to make it on his own.

Directed and edited by Planet Shubh (pronounced sh-oo-buh), the video for “Original” shows just how far the young phenom has come in just a few short years. The production is bouncy and propulsive and his fiery rhymes and swaggering performance carry the confidence of an artist who’s both assured of his talent and knows where he wants to take it.

“I want to leave a legacy as a black man who did great stuff for his people, his community, his world,” Imani says. “Music is the first step, and I’m going to put everything I can into doing this.”

Watch/listen above.

More Info
Web: jelaniimani.com
Bandcamp: jelaninimbus.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @jelaniesco
Instagram: @shitjelani
SoundCloud: @jelaniimani
Twitter: @shitjelani