The new album from JEMS!, ‘Gems In The Cornerstore II’, is named after a term for an urban diamond in the rough, which this release surely is. Elujay and J.Robb’s second collaborative album represents an intersection of R&B, reggae and hip hop played out across feel-good soundscapes and steeped in lyrical depth. Elujay, an emerging artist from Oakland, has garnered attention for his smooth vocal delivery, introspective song-writing and innovative production techniques. While Baltimore-bred J.Robb is known for his effortless approach to music, complementing Elujay's style with dynamic beats and a rhythmic flow that infuses their collaborations with infectious energy.

An album that packs a strong homage to the UK music scene as well as recognisable Caribbean influences (Elujay is Trinidadian, J.Robb is Bajan), this project is a global coming together of musicians and sounds. Juicy contributions come from South London's Louis Culture, LA-based UK producer Budgie and California-raised Rae Khalil. You can hear the warmth of genuine friendships in the studio as Elujay and J.Robb bring it all together to forge a unique sound that resonates with a wide audience while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of their respective styles to deliver a genre-blurring experience. Here they discuss their shared commitment to creativity as they carve out their own niche that is destined to inspire artists to come.

How do you know each other?

J.Robb: I knew of Elujay through SoundCloud. Heard a song of his and thought he had a cool style. We didn’t formally meet until maybe a year later in 2017.

How did this collaboration come about?

Elujay: We made an album in 2020 called ‘Gems In The Cornerstore’ and this is a follow up sequel to it.

J.Robb: We had worked on a few songs a couple of times before, but the pandemic led to us calling each other every day and creating. It was a very free and fun process without much focus or intention. Maybe a year after that first album, we decided to lock back in and push ourselves to create not just for fun but also with the intention of pushing the boundaries of what we could do.

What are some of your biggest artistic inspirations and influences?

Elujay: My biggest influences on this record are Janet Kay, LTJ Bukem, Loose Ends, Omar Lye-Fook, and Sade. But I definitely pulled from songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Bob Marley, who are very conversational and witty with their words, and I’d usually show J all this music I loved, and he’d reinterpret it in his own language.

J.Robb: Biggest influences as of late are MIKE, Neptunes (Chad and Pharrell) and Kanye, who was a big influence on me growing up. Pinkpantheress inspires me to have more fun with music, she’s a super slept on producer. Sango is still one of the best ever.

How did your features on this album come about?

J.Robb: Me and Elujay would be sitting on the demos we had, and maybe if something didn’t have a second verse, we would think about who would sound great or who we thought was cool. It was a fairly easy process. I think we are lucky enough to have a bit of a reputation for making quality music, and it makes everything super easy when reaching out to artists we want to work with. Some features didn’t make the final track list in the end, but hey, maybe you’ll hear them another time.

What can you tell us about the lead single, ‘Flights‘?

Elujay: It’s spawned from a true story of a person who distracted me and made me miss my flight. With a nod to the 80s London genre of lovers rock, we made it feel true to the era of today.

What are your favourite tracks from the album?

Elujay: My favourite tracks are probably ‘Creepin’ and ‘Stormblus’. I think ‘Stormblus’ came about when I was in a folk pop rock kind of bag, which I tend to do in my music-making process. How it goes is that I get obsessed with a genre and make songs in that realm for a minute till I strike gold. ‘Creepin’ is just my rip on a Loose Ends song with a poppy topline. I wanted to give it to a pop artist but we ended up keeping it because it sounded sick over the street soul groove, which was refreshing because I don’t think people are quite making that right now. I definitely think our influence will reign over in the next few years, you’ll start seeing people doing jangly-type drums.

J.Robb: ‘BMW’ is so hard, coolest beat ever! ‘45’ is such a dark yet fun vibe, we killed that. ‘Creepin’ is a favourite as well. I went ham on those drums so I’m happy people vibe with it.

Did the making of this album bring any unexpected outcomes?

J.Robb: I had always wanted to work with Budgie. I respect him heavily; he’s got a fantastic mind and ear for samples. Besides him, I would say the features were unexpected. I was familiar with everyone’s work and figured we would cross paths at some point, so I’m glad that happened on this project.

Elujay: When we went to Oakland to finish the album, I called a bunch of my friends in the city and had them add parts to our record, which was a little unexpected but turned out fire!

How did the album art with Frank Dorrey come about?

J.Robb: I actually wasn’t familiar with his work. I’m usually off in a hole somewhere making beats and minding my business. Elujay brought him to my attention. I’m not the most informed on what’s going on in the art world, so that credit goes to Elujay. Frank’s work is great, and I’m glad he’s a part of this project.

Elujay: I just reached out on a whim to see if he wanted to get involved, because I’m a huge fan of his work, and he was down. It turned out sick.

What do you want listeners to take away from ‘Gems In The Cornerstore II’?

J.Robb: To recognise how great we are at making music.

Elujay: I want people to just vibe and know that hopefully this music adds to their lifestyle and brings good memories. I don’t know, just enjoy the tunes!

What’s next for Jems!?

J.Robb: Gonna let this breathe and live with the people for a bit. Maybe we’ll get back in the studio next year. I’m happy to be able to create with the homie and drop heat. I guess stay tuned for what’s next.

Elujay: We’ll be back with a new album sooner or later. We need to focus on touring and our own projects for a while. We put a lot into this and we’ll see what the universe has for us on the other side. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have a separate alias that’s doing its thing. It all informs whatever we do next in our careers.