Denver hip-hop artist just released his debut album “Mountain Lion,” a deeply personal work that chronicles a life of struggle and a hope for redemption. Download “Promise Land” from Jahni Denver below.
By any standard, Jahni Denver has had a hard life. For years, he moved around the country with his mom, on the run and assuming various aliases along the way. (Presumably, “Jahni Denver” is an alias referencing John Denver, though the reference ends there.) Before he was 19, his sister and his best friend were both murdered. The hard life sent Denver spiraling, and he wound up in prison for cocaine possession. He describes this moment as his rock bottom, when he decided to reverse his fortune and lead a more positive life.
Hip-hop may never shake the blinged-out stereotypes of Bentleys, jewelry that needs insurance policies, and bottles of champagne that cost whole paychecks, but it’s about time it happened. It’s a culture that finds common roots in struggle, and the original emcees used fake-it-till-you-make-it logic, rapping about wealth and power until they had it. But today, whether it’s Eminem still pissed about decades old mistreatment or Kanye setting his sights on higher power with Christ comparisons or Talib Kweli rhyming about international freedom movements, hip-hop embodies vast and varied struggles beyond the acquisition of bling and ascension from the ghettos.
For Jahni Denver, hip-hop is not a means to find wealth and power, rather a hope to find peace for what has happened to him and redemption for what he has done. With slick, contemporary production and an often clipped staccato vocal delivery, Denver’s music is deeply personal, detailing the painful, tragic loss of those closest to him and the crimes he has committed to just get by. But he’s not glorifying any of this, nor is he is taking a “poor me” stance pleading for sympathy. It’s clear that Denver is seeking an understanding of the life he’s lived, and a release from the pain it has caused.
Below, download “Promise Land,” which features powerful gospel hooks from collaborator . Then check out the for the track and get the whole album on .
And it’s hip-hop week here at “Steal This Track.” Check back Wednesday for another Colorado hip-hop track.
Please note that downloads offered via Steal This Track are intended to whet your appetite, and are NOT CD-quality recordings. If you want those, please support the artists by buying their music and/or seeing them live.
If you’re a band or musician ready to expose your fresh sounds to the readers of Reverb, email your tracks — along with any interesting facts about them, as well as a photo or album art — to Steal This Track for consideration.
Josh Johnson is a Denver freelance writer and Reverb contributor. He is also a co-host/co-producer of the Denver podcast . He’s also a journeyman butcher. Seriously.
