For bookings or general inquiries contact: infojyst@gmail.com JYST, the name derives from the word "Gist", which means "the main or essential part of a matter" and that's exactly what JYST represents. His words told through song reflect the true essence of what life really is all about, the pain and the glory, the ups and the downs, the good and the bad. There is an old saying that states; "One who speaks the Truth, seeks the Truth". That is what separates the real from the fake. JYST was born and raised on the West Side of Dayton, Ohio, raised by a single mother who always pressed for her son to do right. But to no avail, and without a father present, the influence of doing wrong was hard to resist. From robbing, to eventually selling d**e. JYST did what he had to do at the time, reason being, he got tired of watching his mother and himself struggle. He worked several side jobs to keep his mother from knowing about his hustling, making 200 to 300 dollars a week, compared to making that and then some off of a pack in a matter of minutes just made sense. Over time he went from being virtually homeless to living good, and everything that came with it, the money, cars, clothes, women, and of course, envy. He got swallowed up in the streets, but he always planned to use his GOD given talent in music as a way out. One day in 1998, his transgressions finally caught up with him, by the way of incarceration. He felt as though his life was spiraling out of control. In a matter of a year, he had been locked up, he had lost two close friends to violence, he had been set up to get robbed, and his girlfriend at the time had an unexpected miscarriage. But while incarcerated he found refuge, and a way of dealing with his hardships through song. "What started out as me spitting rhymes for my celly, turned into me reciting rhymes in front of crowds of niggas!!" JYST replies. In which he found out, that this was his calling. Serving time got him reevaluate his life, this lead him to slowly change. Also finding out that some of the people he called friends let greed and envy of his success lead them to be spiteful of him. He stuck with rapping and finally took heed to people telling him to pursue that, instead of hustling. But with this decision, he came to the realization that if this doesn't work then it's back to doing what he knew how to do. Failure is not an option for JYST. So that's why he pours every ounce of his soul into every word. To quote him, "I'm not trying to be the best that ever did it, I wanna be the best that ever lived it!" JYST brings a different aspect of originality to the game. Staying true to himself, and not being concerned with what others may think, or following whatever trend that tends to be hot at the time. He refuses to be stereotyped or boxed in to any particular style or genre of music. He is an artist in every sense of the word, and makes music for anyone who will take the time to listen. Speaking to everyday people going through everyday life, (it might sound cliche, but by listening to him you will understand) he speaks to and for those who work a 9 to 5, to those who hustle, to those who are in school, for those who are broke and hopeless, to those with dreams to make it, and to those who have already made it. It's more than just music, it's a movement. This is his calling, "I WILL BE HEARD, I WILL BE FELT!!!" JYST is self made, with no gimmicks or ploys. He believes that when you rap from your heart and with a purpose, it has no choice but to be accepted. That's the way he approaches every verse, and being that he has seen life on both sides of the fence, it's through these experiences that give him a wide variety of topics to discuss. Not to mention this is what shaped and molded him into the man he is today. He knows where he comes from, and even better he knows where he is going. He's from the Midwest and feels as though every other region has had their time and with the exception of a few, the Midwest hasn't had the type of shine and respect it deserves, JYST plans to change that.