Interview With Stoney Jackson: “Que Sera,” A Conversation On Art, Growth, And Manifestation
Goddess Shani: First, I want to thank you for taking the time to do this. I really do appreciate it. I was listening to everything, and the one thing that I felt from all the songs, even though they sound different and have their own sound, all of them made me feel calm. All of them put me in a state where I was able to think about other stuff, like a flow state. Was that intentional, or is it just a byproduct of your art style?
Stoney Jackson: Thank you for having me. As far as my music style, I feel like it's just kind of a byproduct of life. I'm a very calm person for the most part. So I feel like my music reflects kind of who I am and what I'm about. I've made music for a long time, and I've produced, and I've, you know, more recently started taking artistry more seriously. And I can honestly say that there's always been that consistent theme of, like, a very chill atmosphere, more so just conducive to thought.
GS: In “Shake It Off,” I kind of took it as an interpretation of having an ego death. You mention changing your thoughts. To me, it kind of felt like unlearning and relearning again. Could you break “Shake It Off” down for us?
SJ: Yeah, that's actually one of my favorite verses that I've done, but that whole project was more or less a conversation about imposter syndrome. So, “You Can Smoke Here,” if you go through and listen to the songs, a lot of them are touching on the topic and the feelings and the thoughts that come with second guessing yourself or having to constantly reassure yourself that you are who you feel like you are or who you think you are.
I feel like, with learning, there has to come an understanding that nothing is concrete, right? So, you learn one thing and you commit it as truth. But later on in life, you might learn another thing that totally contradicts the first thing you learned. It doesn't mean that the first thing you learned was bad information, but, for whatever reason, whether it be natural evolution of thought, or just not so much true anymore. But this new thing is very much something worth looking into seriously enough to consider and to also commit to as truth.
Truth is a very weird thing, and I don't want to go into too much of a tangent with that, but there are absolute truths, and then I feel like there are believed truths, right?
And the whole thing about ego death is that the things that you are killing, or the version of yourself that is dying, is a version that has committed a lot of things to truth that may not be true. Right? There's always conversation, especially as Black men, about masculinity. What it looks like, what we were taught it was versus what it actually is. And I feel like that is kind of a small scale version of the bigger, “Hey, sometimes you gotta unlearn everything that you thought was a fact to learn some shit that may actually be more beneficial to you in life.”
GS: I saw one of your stories. It was dated in 2024, and your caption was saying how you were manifesting more shows out of state. So, fast-forward to this year, and you're on tour with Curren$y. Do you remember posting that? Did you acknowledge that, like, “Wow, this is something that I've been manifesting”?
SJ: I definitely remember that post. I probably made that same post a few different times on a few different platforms, just opening up, getting out and doing more shows out of state, but specifically opening up for Curren$y because Curren$y is an artist that I've listened to for a long time. And as far as trajectory, I really, really, really respect the route that bro took because there was a lot of, from the outside looking in, other people looked at it with a lot of uncertainty. They couldn't really see the vision of what it is that he was going for. And I mean, shit, everybody's not going to see the vision. Like, that's kind of the whole thing with visions. They're not for everybody. But I got a chance to really watch an artist grow organically on their own terms, and I just have the utmost respect for that.
Aside from that, bro music is dope as fuck. It was really just a thing where it was a personal check mark, right? Like, just being able to do something that is on my hip-hop bucket list, which is long as shit, but that was a thing that was on my hip-hop bucket list as an artist. And shit, being able to do that shit was really dope, and it also is a testament to the power of manifestation. Like, I'm really big on that shit. I believe words have power. I believe that you can will the life that you want. I'm better in some areas than others, but it definitely showed me, like, yo, the shit that I see in my head can definitely be a reality.
Photo By Alexander King
GS: What was it like being on tour with him and his crew?
SJ: It was cool, like, I met his photographer. Really cool guy. I met Monstabeatz, which is one of his producers. We kind of breezed by Fendi P a couple times at the show. We standing off to the crowd, off to the side, behind the stage, watching the show. And bro kind of posted up too. Like, genuinely just cool motherfuckers. It was a very cool experience. Me and my DJ thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and we felt welcomed.
I didn't get a chance to run up on Curren$y but I'm also a person that kind of like, I'm big on personal space for myself, which makes me respect people's personal space even more. One thing I say I learned from the tour, it's Curren$y's tour, right? So, everybody is there to see bro. And the reality of it is, from the moment bro steps off that tour bus or the moment he get to the stage, there's groups of people in his face. They're trying to get his attention, rightfully so. But as a person that likes my personal space, I can see how that can kind of be overwhelming. I don't want to add to that.
So, I didn't really get a chance to chop it up with bro, but I'm a big believer on shit happening at the time and the speed in which it needs to happen. I feel like whenever it's time for me to meet bro and the situation I'm supposed to meet them, I will. But trying to run in front of somebody before they get on stage or after they get off stage, it kind of seemed like that's not really the opportune time to genuinely connect with somebody. So, I played the background.
But I definitely got a chance to watch how that shit goes and really think, like “This is a thing. As a person that likes that personal space, this is the thing that you are going to have to deal with. You cool with that?” And, you know, it was a nice conversation I had with myself.
GS: I personally want to know, what did you start the set off with?
SJ: I started all my sets off with “Make Cents” because I feel like “Make Cents” is a real cool introductory song. Like, I'm spitting on there. The beat is fly, it's nice and it kind of feels cinematic in a way. So, that's what I start off all my sets with, especially with new crowds, because you only really got a few seconds to catch a motherfucker's attention before they kind of tune out or, like, go get a drink. So, I feel like that's a cool song to get people acquainted with me with.
GS: In “Makes Cents,” how you have the quote from “Notorious Thugs.” Of course, everybody will hear that and think of Biggie, you know. But as somebody who grew up on Jet Life, I hear that and I think of Trademark Da Skydiver on “Oxygen.” Were there any JetLife members or affiliates that you grew up listening to or met while you were on tour?
SJ: I can't lie. I'm a little bit older. So, my JetLife affiliate, air quotes, that I woulda loved to see. I'm not going to lie. Fiend, bro. I really, really, really want to meet, bro. Fiend come off as a real cool ass nxgga, and he's been around for a long time. He's really a OG, especially in the Louisiana music community, but just in a rap community in general. Fiend is definitely, like, a big homie. So, that's who I really wanted to see. Like, if I was just going to run into somebody backstage, I definitely wish it would have been Fiend.
GS: “Go Wild”. You said that you were bumping Stevie. How does he influence your music?
SJ: Yeah, that's definitely a reference to Stevie Wonder, and Stevie Wonder is an amazing songwriter. Outside of just being a great singer, Stevie Wonder's songwriting is just so fucking good. One of my favorite songs in life is “All I Do” by Stevie Wonder, and I play that song maybe 20 times a week, and that's not even an exaggeration. I play that song 20 times a week because, man, it touches something in the soul.
And because, even though we don't do the same type of music, I feel like the theme of connectivity is something that I take away from Stevie the most. All of his catalog, you hear that shit and you feel that shit in a place where it's like, man, you almost can't explain it. It's almost like, and not to sound cliche, but it sounds like he's speaking directly to your soul. Everybody can relate to Stevie Wonder songs because he speaks to just the common experience as humans, especially as Black people, and I feel like, in my music, I always want to create that same level of connectivity.
Again, we do two absolutely different things. He's a generational talent, right? And I'm, you know, not to downplay rap, but I'm rhyming words. So, there is a need to work harder to make sure that my art form does what his does.
GS: This goes back to how I said your music feels calm. Seeing that you're a plant dad with multiple plants, and they look great, both of those things are calming and self-care in a way. When you're making music or working with your plants, do you notice a crossover? Does it influence how you interact with the other? You know, how you do one thing is how you do the next thing. I'm curious if there's an overlapping sense, feeling, or vibration that's happening when you do both of those activities?
SJ: For sure. Patience, intention, and attention. So, dealing with plants, I feel like, it teaches you a profound level of patience because it's not something that's an immediate gratification thing, right?
You can plant a seed, and you might not see anything sprout from that seed for a few weeks, and it could be the smallest of things, like the smallest leaves. But you kind of have to allow this thing the space to unfold on its own. It's not a process that you can rush, and I feel like good music is the same. You can't really rush it. Even when I create, I'm trying to get more into the space of creating at a higher clip. But the reality of the way that I create is, it's very intentional and very not methodical per se, but I do things in a very specific manner.
Even my last EP, it has five songs because I recorded five songs.
I don't do the making a whole bunch of music and then cherry picking and putting together and curating. I would like to get into that space because I feel like that's a skill set that I would like to learn. I would like to be able to create music at a high clip, just so I have it. But right now, I create in a very specific manner. I'm creating these songs with the intention of doing these things. I feel like I get that from plants because they make you have to be patient.
They make you have to be intentional with the things that you're doing, the care that you offer them, right? So, some plants you miss, right? Some plants you don't have to do that. Some plants hate that shit. Some plants you water often. Some plants you kind of gotta let the soil dry all the way damn near before you can rehydrate it because they're fickle. Every plant needs its own brand of care.
Nothing is cookie cutter, and I feel like that's the same way I make music. I don't really make music for just general, "I'm making a whole bunch of motivational songs," and "I'm making a whole bunch of get money songs." It's not a thing like that. “You Can Smoke Here,” again, was more of a conversation of me working through my imposter syndrome. So, the songs that I was making reflected that, and I was very specific, and it took me a long time to find.
I'm doing this thing now where I'm doing these EPs, but I'm finding one producer and I'm letting them do all five tracks because I like the flow and the way it's coherent in the sound, and that shit takes time. You know what I'm saying? Getting five beats that you feel flow together well enough to be a project, but also properly convey the feeling that you're trying to put out there, that shit takes time. So, I definitely feel like my plant care and the care in which I take of my music is very similar.
GS: On “S.T.T.P.,” you mentioned focusing on the road and not where you were going. Have you always been the type of person that could stay present, or did you have to work your way up to that point? Is it something that's still a little bit difficult and you have to remind yourself?
SJ: It’s always a process. I feel like the world we live in kind of aids in the feeling of us not being able to be present. It's a thing that you have to consciously put forth an effort to do every day. I'm not going to sit here and say, yeah, I wake up every morning and I'm just properly motivated and in the moment and ready to seize the day. Some days, I'll be pissed. Some days, shit is not doing what I feel like it should be doing. Some days you battle with your own expectations. But try to constantly remind myself that it is, in fact, more so, like, the cliche ass adage, it's all about the journey, but that's a real thing. You really gotta learn to appreciate the process.
Like, going to the gym. The end goal is to be physically fit. But if that's what you're looking at and you're trying to get to that point, when you're not getting to that point in the time that you feel like you should, you become discouraged, and that contributes to you kind of like falling out of it. But if you just enjoy going to the gym and find things in the gym that you enjoy doing, like, you go to the gym because it's a peaceful place for you. You go to the gym because you enjoy putting your body through this rigorous whatever. You know what I'm saying? Like, you find things that you enjoy in the gym that have nothing to do with the end goal.
It's a very present thing. Like, I go to the gym so I could experience X, Y, and Z in that moment. Not because, you know, in 5 months, I want to be buffed with a six pack. That could be a goal, but I mean, that's only going to sustain your motivation for so long. And that's another thing, I feel like it's a conversation of motivation.
It's easy to stay motivated when your end goal seems very close because it's like, oh, I'm not going to be doing this shit for a while. But what if you are? What if you are doing that shit for a very long time? Are you still enjoying pursuing whatever it is you're pursuing? Like, been doing this music shit for a long time, but I thoroughly enjoy all the ups and downs and ins and outs of what pursuing this thing entails. There is no finite end goal that I'm going to anymore because this shit is ever evolving. That's kind of the thing about goals. In the reality of it, they're ever evolving. You could say, “I want to make X amount of money.” Alright, you get there and then what? Or you get close and then what? You're going to be like, “Well, I want to make a little bit more.” Of course you do because goals evolve. That's what they do. So, you really have to enjoy the process of what you're doing to truly reap the benefits that come from it, I would say.
GS: I'm honored to have listened to “Que Sera” early, and it is a great song. I like the fact that it sheds light on your evolution because, like I mentioned, that story from 2024 where you’re manifesting, just getting out of your area, to now having streams all over the world. There was a line in there where you said, “You too scared to jump, so how you know that you can't fly.” I love that line. Sometimes we don't really try because of fear. So, when you're having this moment now, going on tour, and I'm sure other opportunities have risen because of that, were you scared of those opportunities at first?
SJ: So I won't say the opportunities presenting themselves cause fear. What I will say is, I feel like as humans, we experience this feeling of shock when things work out. I, in the past, have been more of, like, a cynical person. So I will kind of, not even intentionally, just, I will play the worst case scenario game, right? Or the ‘if it don't game,’ right? And that doesn't really serve you as a person. It's something I'm actively trying to get out of because I hate ‘woe is me’ ass shit. I feel like it falls in line to that. But I will say there are times where things happen.
And I'm like, ‘Ooh, shit. Fuck!’ It's like that black and white video of that little girl where she just kind of standing in the bathroom and she's looking around. She like, ‘Shit. God damn.’ It be like that. It's not necessarily fear as much as it's just like, ‘Well, shit. Alright, cool.’ But I will say it does put a fire under my ass, so to speak. Where it's like, ‘Yeah, nigga.’ Because, you know, you battle with imposter syndrome, and it's some fly shit happening. You be like, ‘Yeah, nigga, of course it did, ’cause nigga, I'm exactly who I think I am.’ Because you are. But you gotta carry that shit more often. It can't just be when good things happen. It's even more important when bad things happen, when shit is not going your way.
GS: For anybody who has not listened to you yet, what is something that you want them to know about you, and what song should they start with?
SJ: If I'm introducing Stoney Jackson to a new person, the first thing and most important thing I want them to know above all other things, above anything else, I'm cold as fuck. I'm cold as fuck with this rap shit. I take a lot of pride in what I do, and it shows. But if I'm putting you on and it's a thing where I really want you to understand me as an artist, I definitely say go check out my freestyles on SoundCloud.
I feel like those are really good precursors to the moment that I really started taking artistry seriously again. Really was talking like some really fly shit, some real motivational, self awareness shit, but definitely I was talking. So I'd definitely send people that way.