My City: J. Monday Puts Harrisburg, PA on the Map (Exclusive Interview)

After years of Philly serving as Pennsylvania's primary representation in hip-hop nation, the Keystone State's expanding its reach as Pittsburgh - and now Harrisburg - work to put themselves on the map. Truth be told, Harrisburg isn't exactly a well-known city in hip-hop households (yet), but one man might just have the skills to change all that. In the latest edition on our My City series, J. Monday sits down to talk about the hidden advantages of coming from a lesser-known city, what makes his music so relateable and explains that if you're looking for him, just check "The Hill."

RefinedHype: When people think about Pennsylvania they think of Pittsburgh or Philly. Being from Harrisburg, do you feel like an underdog?

J. Monday: Nah, not at all, shit nowadays it's all about swag, so it's not about where you're from all the time. Musically, I think the game is wide open, and from a fan's point of view I don't really think that matters. The substance in my music is relatable to a person in my "walk of life" whether your from Brooklyn, New York or Salt Lake City, Utah. Plus, I think that I represent Pittsburgh and Philly just as much as their artist represent me because it is a state thing. Harrisburg is the capital so it has huge potential, so I wouldn't say that I feel like a underdog but there is a lot of pressure on me because I'm telling a story never told. Music listeners only ask where your from if they are interested. Therefore, that might be an advantage because everyone is always looking for something new!

RefinedHype: How do you think your career and music would have been different so far if you had been from a larger city like Philly, New York, L.A. etc.?

J. Monday: Damn, good question! I think I would probably be in a better situation. That's not a knock on my city but you figure if you have talent that already came from those places then you have a better shot at the odds of making it just because some of the big wigs slid through those cities and Hip Hop talent has come from all of the above in some way shape or form! So, when industry suits go looking for talent they are gonna have to hit the spots where they found talent before. With that being said, I would probably be a lot further along in my career. As far as my music, I gotta say that it would be the same because at the end of the day, I am who I am and I was brought up a certain way and that "way" reflects my behavior, which in turn reflects my substance as a artist. If I was from one of those places who knows what would of or could of happened, but I know one thing, where I'm coming from - Harrisburg, I gotta have something something special because I'm sitting here chopping it up wit y'all! You feel me?

RefinedHype: What is it about your hometown that inspires you?

J. Monday: The fact that musically it's not on the map. I think Harrisburg is thorough and it deserves to be mentioned with the other cities that set trends. I think that's where my grind comes from! When I perform and people are unaware of my city, after the show they come up and say things like "Your hot, where can I find your stuff?" it makes me feel good because I'm one step closer to my goal. Another way Harrisburg inspires me is because it made me who I am as a person, it gave me my "point of view" as a artist. It's the true reason I have a buzz because I'm a product of my enviroment. That is where I get the substance that you hear in my music. If Biggie was from the Hamptons and Pac was from Beverly Hills we wouldn't have tracks like "Juicyl" or "Brenda's Got a Baby," so my city inspires my feeling and perspective as a lyricist.

RefinedHype: If I'm rolling through Harrisburg, where can I find you?

J. Monday: Shit, honestly everywhere. I have family members that live all over this place! On top of that I'm a authentic dude so I don't have any boundries I can't cross. Ya dig, from any hood to the projects. Shit, my grandmom lives in the projects. I'm from "The Hill" and I have homies that live Uptown so it's not like I can't just go anywhere here and be recieved with open arms. Maybe back in the late 90s to the early 2gs the city was more territorial but now things are a little different but I wouldn't recommend trying to make someone's block your own.

Also, I spend alot of time out of town doing shows and linking with other artists so when I'm actually home I want to see my folks so you can find me any and everywhere in the Burg! I have the damn capital building tattooed on my arm! You won't find me there [laughs] but I'm in any hood and no not the rap hood - the real hood [laughs].

RefinedHype: Last words? Shout outs? Confessions?

J. Monday: Shout out Refined Hype for having me. Check out my upcoming mixtape "The SeQuel" dropping in July. Also, check my "Druggz" video on YouTube and follow me on Twitter @thecapitalkid for more interviews and new track posts! J. Monday - real life and true stories! Harrisburg stand up!

As an added bonus, check out two J. Monday tracks, "Hello" and "Memories" right now below.