Jersey club (originally called Brick City club) is a style of electronic club music that originated in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.DJ Tameil and other members of the Brick Bandits crew, who were inspired by Baltimore club's uptempo hybrid of house and hip hop. Other young producers also pushed for the progression of this style of music in the late 2000s. Similarly to its Baltimore influences, Jersey club is an aggressive style defined by its fast, “bouncy” groove at tempos near 130–140 BPM, but more prominent use of staccato, chopped samples and heavy triplet kick patterns. The style often consists of remixes of

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and R&B tracks. It is often accompanied by frenetic, competitive dances which have gained global popularity through

viral videos A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander Haupt ...

Style and characteristics

Jersey club has been described as a "fast and aggressive dance music" with roots in the Baltimore club scene's fusion of house music and hip hop. By comparison with the Baltimore style, Jersey producers prioritize harder kick sounds and more extensively chopped samples. The distinctive "bounciness" of the style is a result of its triplet percussive pattern, often derived from the beat of Tapp's "Dikkontrol."

808 808 may refer to: Music * Roland-808, Roland TR-808, a drum machine * 808 (film), ''808'' (film), a documentary about the Roland TR-808 * 808 State, British electronic group * ''808s & Heartbreak'', the fourth studio album by American Hip hop artis ...

bass sounds and sampled breakbeats from

Lyn Collins Gloria Lavern Collins (June 12, 1948 – March 13, 2005), better known as Lyn Collins, was an American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s and for the influential 1972 funk single, " Think (About It)". A favorite ...

' "

Think (About It) "Think (About It)" is a funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown's People Records in 1972. The recording was produced by Brown (who also wrote the song) and features instrumental backing from his band The J.B.'s ...

" are commonly employed, as well as varied pop culture references. Common audio programs used are Sony Acid Pro and FL Studio. Producers make use of "big kick drum triplets and vocal clips that call out dances, or chopped samples from top

and R&B tracks," and construct the tracks on "anything from jog shuttle MP3 controllers to

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

s and

Serato Serato (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a music software company. History Serato was founded in Auckland, New Zealand by Steve West and AJ Berstenshaw, who created software that changes the tempo of a recorded track without changing the pitch. S ...

." Brick Bandits member Dirty South Joe noted that "vocals are chopped, fragmented and layered over heavy bass kicks to deconstruct the source material, and rework it for the dance floor." He called it "aggressive, yet melodic and sexy." '' Billboard'' described it as "repetitive and loud .It lands somewhere between New York's

vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

and Chicago's juke with a little bit of that nasty from

Miami bass Miami bass (booty music or booty bass) is a subgenre of hip hop music that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The use of drums from the Roland TR-808, sustained kick drum, heavy bass, raised dance tempos, and frequently sexually explicit ...

." DJ Sliink summarized it as "a more urban take to dance music with chopped vocals and breaks."

History

Origins: 1999–2002

Chicago house Chicago house refers to house music produced during the mid to late 1980s within Chicago. The term is generally used to refer to the first ever house music productions, which were by Chicago-based artists in the 1980s. History and origins Disco ...

was popular in Newark's 1990s club scene, where it was referred to generically by some as "club music." Other styles such as urban club and juke were also played. By 1999, Baltimore house records such as Tapp's "Shake Dat Ass" and "Dikkontrol" were influential, and DJs such as Nix In The Mix, Mustafah, Torry T and Mista Quietman helped to introduce this sound to New Jersey. DJ Tameil, who became known for his

mixtapes as a teenager, later established connections with the Baltimore scene through Bernie Rabinowitz of the Music Liberated record store; he was subsequently introduced to Baltimore stars such as DJ Technics and Rod Lee. Tameil did not put artist names on his mixes, making it difficult for other Jersey producers to identify his sources. He began playing Baltimore records at teen parties and clubs in the downtown Newark area. Newark-broad-street

Tameil was among the first Jersey artists to produce his own club tracks in 2001 with the ''Dat Butt'' EP, released on his own label Anthrax Records. A week later the Newark group The OG's also self-released an EP titled ''Official Ghetto Style''. Tameil began to burn his own CDs and sold them on Broad Street in Newark. Around this time, DJs Tim Dolla and Mike V also began producing their own club tracks as the Brick Bandits to challenge Tameil's monopoly on the market. The two parties initially feuded but Tameil later joined the group, coining the phrase "Brick City club" in 2002 in reference to Newark's nickname "Brick City." They released popular mixtapes which featured both club and house tracks. Around this time, Bernie Rabinowitz died and the steady stream of Baltimore releases into New Jersey largely ceased, leaving Jersey artists to develop their own scene. Club parties, hosted primarily in ballrooms and banquet halls, began emerging in Newark and surrounding suburbs such as

East Orange East Orange is a city in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was the state's 20th most-populous municipality in 2010, after having been the state's 14th most-po ...

and Irvington. Despite violence in the city, parties thrown by the Brick Bandits or at the Branch Brook Skating Rink were known to be safe spaces for kids.

Regional development: 2003–2009

Many young Newark producers soon began leaving for college or employment, causing there to be a temporary drought of producers around 2003 but spreading the style to other locations. Meanwhile, Tameil, Dolla, and Mike V were utilizing Sony Acid Pro, a

digital audio workstation A digital audio workstation (DAW) is an electronic device or application software used for recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations from a single software program on a laptop, to an integrat ...

that remains popular with Jersey club producers, to create music and support themselves. Around 2005, a younger generation began to emerge alongside these older producers, with groups like the Partyhoppers of Elizabeth, New Jersey, initially dissing and then joining the Brick Bandits. Around this time, the name of the genre changed to "Jersey club" to account for its spread beyond Newark, as increasingly popularity on college campuses and the success of Baltimore club raised the scene's profile on the Internet, particularly through Myspace. Around this time, the Jersey style drifted away from the Baltimore template and its palette became more distinctive as younger producer-DJs such as Nadus, Sliink, Jayhood, and R3LL began receiving recognition. R3LL, then a high school student, became known as a promoter of parties and later spread the music to college campuses in

North Jersey North Jersey comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of northern New Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquial one rather than an administrati ...

. Around 2007, Philadelphia began developing its own club scene influenced by the Jersey style. Around 2008, the genre began receiving airplay on major rap and R&B stations like

Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared ser ...

and

Power 105 WWPR-FM (105.1 FM) is an urban contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. WWPR-FM is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan; its transmitter is l ...

. By 2009, it had spread to 21+ clubs and new, older demographics. Around this time, the scene shifted toward competitive dancing and battling became a central element inspired by DJ Fresh's "Get Silly," along with MCing by figures such as Lil Man. Tim Dolla produced a hit track called "Swing Dat" in reference to the popular dance move, and subsequent dance tracks like DJ Fresh's "Get Silly" and Jayhood's "Patty Cake" and DJ Tone Dafire Marshal's "She Gotta Donkey" & "Get Downtown" went viral via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

International attention: 2010–present

By 2010,

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

artists from other scenes were drawing influence from the Jersey club sound, including Norwegian producers

Cashmere Cat Magnus August Høiberg (born 29 November 1987), known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for producing songs for artists including Kanye West, The Kid Laroi, Selena Gomez ...

and

Lido Lido may refer to: Geography Africa * Lido, a district in the city of Fez, Morocco Asia * Lido, an area in Chaoyang District, Beijing * Lido, a cinema theater in Siam Square shopping area in Bangkok * Lido City, a resort in West Java owned by MN ...

; LA club producers; " festival trap" and

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

producers with the support of

Mad Decent Mad Decent is an American record label founded by Diplo. The label has helped introduce Brazilian baile funk and Angolan kuduro to clubs around the world. Recently, it has popularized moombahton, a genre of electronic dance music created by D ...

and

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead si ...

; and dance artists such as Brenmar and the

Night Slugs Night Slugs is an English electronic music record label, established in 2010 by Alex Sushon (also known as Bok Bok) and James Connolly (also known as L-Vis 1990). History Night Slugs was originally started as a London-based club night by DJs/ ...

label roster. Concerns about appropriation of the style have become prevalent, with privileged outsiders coopting the sound to get bookings. R&B singer

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

, in her comeback single " Level Up," uses a beat structure that is similar to that which is used in Jersey club music. For

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station 99 Jamz, a ...

's single " To the Max", DJ Jayhood even claims that DJ Khaled was inspired by his Jersey club single "HeartBroken". Jersey club also played an essential role during the early and mid-2010s in the development of experimental dance genres, such as deconstructed club. Jersey club became an integral fixture of the alternative NYC party scene and was played at underground parties such as ''GHE20G0TH1K'' which served to be essential to the developing sound of deconstructed club music. The style and its direct derivatives have become known on the internet due to music sharing websites and social media such as

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...

Vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

and

Dubsmash Dubsmash was an American video sharing social media service application for iOS and Android. Founded in Germany by Jonas Drüppel, Roland Grenke, and Daniel Taschik, the company relocated from Germany to Brooklyn in 2016. On December 13, 2020 ...

across the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Meanwhile, native Jersey DJs such as Uniiqu3 and DJ Sliink have taken the sound to international audiences, and rave-like parties such as DJ Nadus's #THREAD and Uniiqu3's #135 have incorporated more eclectic formats of club music. When Uniiqu3 began DJing in 2009 at age 18, she was likely the only female DJ in the scene; today, other female producers such as Kayy Drizz and So Dellirious are also present. In December 2014, Newark hosted the Jersey Club awards to honor artists from the scene. In 2019, Uniiqu3 began the PBNJ party series bringing together club artists from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Jersey. In 2019, Jersey club artist Unicorn aka Killa Kherk Cobain's song "It's Time" shifted the Jersey club sound into the hip-hop mainstream after being debuted at the 2019 Summer Jam Concert by Hot 97's

DJ Enuff Ephrem Lopez (born January 25, 1969), known professionally as DJ Enuff is a DJ and radio personality from the United States. He mixes on-air for New York's Hip Hop radio station HOT 97 on weekdays from 4pm to 6pm. He is best known for being The ...

. Unicorn aka Killa Kherk Cobain ks credited as the first to person to rap on a Jersey club record after rapping on his 2007 collaboration with the late DJ K-Swift, "Tote It Remix". ''

Spin Magazine ''Spin'' (stylized in all caps) is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. Histor ...

'' described Killa Kherk Cobain's fusion of

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

rap, house music, and Jersey club as "the less innocent side of the Jersey club scene". Killa Kherk and his producer DJ Fade (a collective known as "Jersey Gods") have since lent their unique fusion of Jersey Club/Hip Hop production to mainstream recording artists, including Pop Smoke,

Fivio Foreign Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign, is an American rapper from New York. He rose to fame in 2019 with his single "Big Drip", which spawned a remix with rappers Lil Baby and Quavo. He is signed to fel ...

, Chris Brown, and Swizz Beats. Jersey club artist Cookiee Kawaii's song "Vibe" was a 2020 viral sensation, sparking worldwide fanfare on the social media app

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version o ...

. Track star and Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin, of

Dunellen, New Jersey Dunellen () is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,637, reflecting an increase of 410 (+5.4%) from the 7, ...

, has said she listens to Jersey club music. In September 2021, Jersey club producer and DJ Uniiqu3 had her breakthrough single "Microdosing" used to Soundtrack

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as ...

Fendi Fendi () is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925, Fendi is known for its fur, fur accessories, and leather goods. ...

"Fendaci" catwalk collection. In 2022

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

released his seventh studio album ''

Honestly, Nevermind ''Honestly, Nevermind'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian rapper and singer Drake, which was surprise-released on June 17, 2022, through OVO Sound and Republic Records. The album includes a sole guest feature from 21 Savage, and product ...

'' which contains the song "Currents", that was heavily influenced by Jersey club music and features the characteristic Some Cut bed squeak sample. The track "Sticky" uses the Baltimore Club five beat bass drum pattern.

Jersey club rap

2018-2020 were pivotal to the resurgence in popularity of Jersey club music as, for the first time ever, Jersey artists (rappers and singers) began making original rap songs using Jersey club beats. East Orange rapper Unicorn151 aka Killa Kherk Cobain, Irvington songstress Cookiee Kawaii, and Newark producer/DJ/artist Uniiqu3 began to format Jersey club beats into song format using their own vocals and lyrics for verses, hooks, and bridges. Morphing Jersey Club into this sample-free, lyric infused song format now allowed radio stations like

, Z100,

Power 105.1 WWPR-FM (105.1 FM) is an urban contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. WWPR-FM is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan; its transmitter is l ...

, and Sirius XM to play these records in regular rotation with Hip-Hop, R&B,

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

, etc. This allowed Jersey Club music to gain a much wider audience. Where Jersey Club music was originally pioneered, produced, and created by the producers and the DJ's, the years 2018 - 2020 saw the emergence of the first ever Jersey Club "Artists". Unicorn151 aka Killa Kherk Cobain, Cookiee Kawaii, Uniiqu3, Chad B and DJ Jay Hood fall into this new category of Jersey Club Artists. Unicorn151 aka Killa Kherk Cobain alongside producers Ace Mula and DJ Fade began experimenting with a new sound for Jersey Club music in 2018. While 99% of the Jersey Club music being created catered to dancers and children, Unicorn151, Ace Mula, and DJ Fade began producing songs that catered to their gangsta rap fans. Simultaneously in neighboring

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, the Brooklyn drill sound of Pop Smoke,

, and 22Gz was also becoming a worldwide phenomena, which naturally trickled its influence and sound to the neighboring boroughs of NYC and nearby New Jersey. DJ Fade and Unicorn, through mutual friends at the radio stations, were able to collaborate with these Brooklyn drill rappers to produce Jersey Club remixes for many popular Brooklyn drill artists. While the DJ Fade and Unicorn duo, known as Jersey Gods, were the first to fuse both sounds, these songs were not yet considered Jersey Drill, but rather Jersey Club mixes of Brooklyn drill and

UK drill UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. Initially borrowing heavily from the style of Chicago drill music before creating its own unique sound, UK drill artist ...

. In 2019 Ace Mula was commissioned to produce Jersey Club beats for Unicorn151 aka Killa Kherk Cobain to rap over. Ace Mula's beats were specifically tailored for

, drill, and Gangsta rap, which allowed Unicorn151 to maintain his natural rap cadence, while the beats switched between trap, drill, and Jersey club beats throughout the songs. This specific usage of Brooklyn drill inspired production on top of Jersey club beat patterns gave each record a distinct sound that could easily be identified as having origins in New Jersey. These newfound Jersey club rap records inspired many rappers in Newark and the surrounding areas to embrace their homegrown sound and begin rapping on beats infused with Unicorn151 and Ace Mula's signature Jersey club sound. In 2020, PBS Soundfield visited Newark for a documentary to interview Uniiqu3, Unicorn151 aka Killa Kherk Cobain, DJ Fade, and DJ Tamiel for an in-depth segment detailing the newest evolutions of Jersey Club music and this new generation of Jersey Club Artists. In 2021, Newark-based Jersey club rapper Bandmanrill released a

reel A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the ends ...

via Instagram and

where he joked about rapping drill lyrics over a Jersey club beat. The skit went viral as fans took an immediate liking to Bandmanrill's drill-like flow, cadence, and lyrics over the Jersey Club beat. Bandmanrill went on to turn his skit into the full length single and video titled "HeartBroken" produced by Newark producer McVert. This sparked a widespread social media debate on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook as to what this new sound should be called or titled. Jersey Drill or Jersey Club Drill? In 2021, Unicorn151 aka Killa Kherk Cobain, Bandmanrill, and Ace Mula released the first official Jersey Drill song and music video titled "Jack N Drill". Together they solidified and jump-started the Jersey Drill movement by collaborating on the "Jack N Drill" single, which was followed by a drill-style music video signifying that this sound is officially the "Jersey Drill" sound. The title "Jack N Drill" is a triple-entendre play on words. "Jackin" is street slang for stealing or robbing. Newark, New Jersey is historically notorious for " car jackin" so it can humorously be said that New Jersey is "jackin" or forcefully taking the drill sound from the UK and Brooklyn. "Jackin" is also street slang in NYC for "claiming something with pride". Many NYC drill artists tout that they are "jackin" a certain gang affiliation. Thus, "Jack N Drill" can also be interpreted that New Jersey is pridefully claiming the drill sound as their own sub-genre. "Jack N Drill" also plays off of the story "

Jack and Jill "Jack and Jill" (sometimes "Jack and Gill", particularly in earlier versions) is a traditional English nursery rhyme. The Roud Folk Song Index classifies the commonest tune and its variations as number 10266, although it has been set to severa ...

", which can be interpreted that New Jersey and Brooklyn Drill see themselves as partners overcoming the same obstacles and working towards the same goal. In 2021 Ace Mula produced and released the first ever full length Jersey Drill EP titled "Jack N Drill" featuring artists Bandmanrill and Unicorn151 aka Killa Kherk Cobain. Jersey Club producer DJ 809 also produced and released a full-length Jersey Club / Jersey Drill album featuring rappers MBM Franko and Unicorn aka Killa Kherk Cobain on the lead single titled "Jersey Drill". While many in the Jersey Club music scene refer to and recognize this sound as Jersey Drill, there is a debate as to whether it should actually be recognized as "Jersey Club Drill" since there are many New Jersey rappers who utilize the drill rap cadence over Brooklyn Drill and

UK Drill UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. Initially borrowing heavily from the style of Chicago drill music before creating its own unique sound, UK drill artist ...

beats without any of the Jersey Club influence. Popular New Jersey drill artists include Unicorn151 aka Killa Kherk Cobain, MBM Franko, Bandmanrill, Ib Mattic, Daidough, and Baby ATM.

Dance culture

Strong emphasis on dance accompaniment is a major element in Jersey club culture, as evidenced by performances at Jersey club-centric events, including Essex County's Highlights Festival held annually in the summer. The 2016 Running Man Challenge, a viral meme in which participants filmed and shared short clips of themselves performing a dance resembling

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

to the 1996 song " My Boo," was based on well-known Jersey club moves. The original videos were posted on

by high school students in Newark-adjacent Hillside.

References

{{House music House music genres Dance music genres Music of New Jersey Culture of Newark, New Jersey Breakbeat genres