The Rise of Jersey Club
If there is one sub-genre of hip-hop which could take centre stage in the next year, it is Jersey Club. Jersey Club is an energetic and fast paced sub-genre of hip-hop club music originating in the 2000s and had its first viral resurgence in 2020 with Cookiee Kawaii and Tyga’s “Vibe (If I Back It Up)” that racked up over 50 million streams and two million TikTok features. The hit song’s mainstream success helped push Jersey Club music to the forefront of people’s minds. However, Jersey Club, or Brick City Club, dates back much further than the 2020s, tracing itself to the 2000s in Newark. Inspired by the blending of house and hip hop in Baltimore, early originators such as DJ Tameil and the Brick Bandits brought the fresh sound to clubs around Newark. The new style spawned a number of DJs and groups who were eager to get in on the new club craze. From the initial ground swell, the subgenre spread from the inside of Newark basement parties to the rest of Jersey, making its way as a mainstay in the Jersey music scene.
Jersey Club is rooted in its dance culture and incorporates several musical elements that gets people up and moving/shaking/boogie-ing. The key ingredients is its iconic kick pattern and upbeat tempo that can be heard in almost all songs across the genre. Jersey Club is also known for using chopped vocal samples which prompt a call and response from the crowd. As a genre that is centred on dancing, it is unsurprising that a unique style of dancing emerged alongside it. Described as hyperkinetic or frenetic, this style of dance matches Jersey Club’s bouncy triplet percussive pattern. These competitive dances can be seen outside the club and across social media such as the Running Man challenge which was inspired by dances from both the Jersey and Baltimore club scenes.
Today, the sub-genre has been seeing a rise in popularity with inspiration from adjacent areas such as drill from Brooklyn and the Bronx. Artists such as BandmanRill took the Jersey sound and adopted the street-heavy themes of drill to create crossovers from across the Hudson River such as “Jiggy in Jersey” featuring Bronx native and upcoming drill artist Sha EK. Other artists have also looked to soften these club songs up by including more RnB elements such as “Cupid Remix” by 2Rare. But outside of the New York/New Jersey state lines the sub-genre has been picked up by global artists who’ve looked to pivot towards dance music. One of the biggest examples from this summer is Drake on Honestly Nevermind who incorporates elements of Jersey Club into songs such as “Sticky” and “Currents”.
Check out the playlist below for a handpicked collection of Jack’s Jersey favourites:
Header by: Rida Chaudhry
