Jesse Boykins III: "'Yeezus' Was A Soul Album! [EXCLUSIVE]

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Despite more artists blurring the lines between musical genres, we live in a world where labels are a necessity. Chicago-born singer/songwriter Jesse Boykins III doesn’t subscribe to those ideals. In fact he loathes labels and classifications of music and art in general. He continues to push his brand of R&B/soul into the next frontier by creating music based on feelings and emotions rather than what will sell at the particular point in time.

A prime example of all of Boykins’ musical ideals comes in the form of his new album titled “Love Apparatus.” The project is a collection of love songs draped over lush instrumentation that create a dream like state for the listener. The album is a cohesive body of work because Jesse Boykins III put his all into the music over a five year period.

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The Urban Daily got a chance to speak to the independent world traveler about his new project “Love Apparatus,” which is available for purchase, the true definition of what a soul album is, and why industry rule 4080 (Record company people are shady.) is still so relevant.

Come get familiar with Jesse Boykins III. If you’re already familiar, take a peek inside the mind behind the music.

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TUD: Can you tell me a little bit about your project “Love Apparatus”?

JB3: Searching for balance is what inspired the album. I think I started writing the album when I was 23 and I was asking myself a lot of in-depth questions about my childhood and my relationships with people who’re in my life. I just started writing. I just used the album as my journal. These are the entries to me trying to evaluate my life and get to a better place.

When I first heard the title for the album was “Love Apparatus,” I thought this was going to be an album full of bedroom sex jams. That’s not what the album’s about so could you explain the title a little more?

The title didn’t start off that deep. I write love songs. Well, I write songs about life and love. The cat who produced the album with me, his name is Machine Drum. So I took ‘machine’ to the thesaurus and found that ‘apparatus’ was a synonym. I was like, “Love apparatus. Whoa. That’s the heart!” [laughs] so when I thought about that I figured heart is life. Blood doesn’t pump through the body without the heart.

I read you like to craft your songs like you’re making a movie. How so?

I’m a real big fan of films and I’m a fan of certain directors. I admire the sense of progress in a film. I admire the sense of watching a movie again and again and finding something new every time. I like the concept that so I like to implement that in my music making. But it could be with the metaphors I’m using or the way I mix my adlibs or subtle little things I’ll do with the production that you might not hear the first or second time. I feel like my music has more life like that. When things have a cinematic feel to them, they last longer.