Jack Russell aka First Klass, was always a student of words and grammar. He first started liking music and listening to words when he was living with his grandmother in Harlem. From the words of Chaka Khan “Ain’t Nobody” to the words of Michael McDonald “I Can’t Forget”.
First Klass was in the 6th grade with a teacher named Ms. Morrison and Ms. Ben, when he first enrolled in a poetry contest. The poem’s name was Shattered Glass, the poem came in first place with the Department of Education and from then on First Klass was writing poems in junior high school. First Klass also listened to rapper’s rap, and he used to go home and write two raps a day about whatever came to his mind.
First Klass makes sure that he doesn’t curses a lot and kills a thousand people in his raps because people like his mother, his grandmother, his sisters, brothers, uncles, and cousins support and listen to his music, so he tries not to offend anyone. When he first started to count bars properly it helped him to structure better because without the basics and fundamentals of rap, everything would be out of whack and his song would make no sense. First Klass had no structure and people told him that he would not be able to do music. He has proved a lot of people wrong. It’s a form of meditation for First Klass to sit down and write his music. It gives him a voice and it gives him control over the crowd that is listening. He just needs an ear for a split second and he could get his message across and get the crowd to feel what he has to say.
People from all walks of life listen to music and the words behind it. From adlibs to punching into hooks and bridges, everything has to be well coordinated and put together when writing. That’s what made Tupac, Biggie, Smalls, Big Pun, Big L, and all the greats who they were from the flow. So they were playing to the mastering the fundamentals of writing and that’s why it’s important that you bust your pen and First Klass busts his pen.
First Klass was asked sometimes to be a writer by other artists, but he believes that in order to paint your own picture you have to draw that line and allow the artist to write on their own. When you love something the way you love it, you’ll find a way to achieve and accomplish that task. Even the greatest writers get writer’s block and have to somehow find a way to finish their stories.
