Net Artist: Yung Jake

“When you rap ur saying 'I’m a rapper and this is a rap and I’m gonna tell you something to a beat in the form of a rap. And I’m good at rapping and these are other things I’m doing with my life.'”

Yung Jake in a “text” interview with Paddy Johnson

Figure 1. Meet Yung Jake

When the idea of “net.art” was first introduced or labeled in 1994 by artist Vuk Cosic (Greene 2000, pg. 162), participants could not have imagined how net art could or would evolve. At the time of its “accidental” labeling, the idea of something going “viral” was non-existent. Artists from across the globe worked simultaneously to create images, build community and explore the possibilities of the internet as a means of creation and dissemination of ideas across time and space. Rachel Greene compares the community and its purpose to Andy Warhol’s Factory in that “the people as well as the methods of production and distribution were all part of the project’s meaning” (Greene 2000, p 163).

Fast forward to 2014, artists working in all mediums and genres are more connected to one another, their audience, and quite possibly themselves than ever before. Creating net art is still a very fluid political process in which creators and consumers “exploit the inherent capabilities of the Internet, making both more participatory, connective, or dynamic” (Ippolito 2002, 485). Net art is multi-dimensional, evolving and devolving as old technologies fade away underneath the light of new more innovative ones. Social networking is a major component of net art. With photo, video, and audio-sharing apps accessible through smart phones, artists create, edit, and upload net art from anywhere at anytime. The process and dissemination is a part of daily life in a very tangible way.

Figure 2. Datamoshed Yung Jake

Meet Yung Jake, “internet incarnate, rapper, memester, artiste of the online world” (Hive 2013). Jake’s medium is video (see figure 1).  Utilizing the self-reflective style of rap music and clichés in current digital culture, Yung Jake has seemingly infiltrated our computers, taken over and produced a work of “art” so multi-dimensional that we as the viewer find it hard to distinguish what is part of the art and what is a potential computer malfunction. The viral video Datamosh explores the process of datamoshing while forcing the viewer to engage with video imagery that is intentionally distorted. The pixilated images throughout the entire video ask the viewer to reimagine these “video glitches” as art as Jake repeatedly states that this is “not a video glitch” or “bad internet” but his own doing (see figure 2). Through the lyrics and imagery, Jake addresses stereotypes found within the rap music culture (references to sexual pursuits and the objectification of women common in hip hop) as well as the tech community (“it’s cool cause it’s nerdy”). Additional references to pop culture, such as Justin Beiber, David O’Reilly, Vimeo, Photobooth, reinforce the meaning and purpose behind the project.

Disclaimer: the video you are about to watch contain adult language and sexual content. 

The virality of this Datamosh is satirized in Yung Jake’s follow-up video E.m-bed.de/d (see figure 3). Using the audience’s computer screen as canvas, Yung Jake documents the life of a video gone viral. This journey begins at the video’s release and connects it to every relevant social networking space (see figure 4 and 5). The multi-dimensionality of the video is illustrated in the layering of pop-up windows, the use of double-entendres, and the repetition of the artist has he is moving simultaneously and independently through the multiple windows (see figure 6). Each video invites the viewer to participate in the experience but offers only the illusion of participation. While the references, the images, the blogs, the social networking sites are just as much a part of our own daily lives and interaction, we cannot “like” the video or “click” the link to follow a thread.

Figure 3. Screen Shot of the "Opening scene" of E.m-bed.de/d

Figure 4. Flickr 

Figure 5. tumblr

Figure 6.

Disclaimer: the video you are about to watch contain adult language and sexual content. With that said, prepare to be blown away!!  

Throughout our daily routines, we find ourselves moving seamlessly through multiple spaces IRL and IVL simultaneously. We may be texting a co-worker, updating Instagram, and sharing a video while sitting at a coffee shop chatting with a friend. Frankly, we appear quite comfortable navigating that many spaces at once. This interconnectivity of our real life and virtual spheres is illustrated in the video as the “Banner Bitch” walks out of the advertisement and into Yung Jake’s bedroom (see figure 7). 

Figure 7. Crossing Spaces

The narcissistic imagery and text found within E.m-bed.de/d (see figure 8) offers validation to the artist whose name and praises are littered throughout the piece. The self-reflective nature of Yung Jakes language alludes to an audience that is equally self-involved. “Haters thumbing down” and “bitches liking” are sources of validation for the rapper in what appears to be a forum where he has no control. However, the video is completely controlled by the artist despite his lackadaisical attitude and demeanor toward his sudden popularity.  

Figure 8. omg

While these videos are visual buffets of digital capabilities, they are also a visual commentary on popular trends in technology use. By acknowledging the key players in the social media phenomenon, Yung Jake harnesses their power as a useful tool for disseminating art. Art that calls attention to the amount of Internet consumption fused into our daily existence. Art that speaks to a need for validation found within these spaces. Art that offers a way to navigate the process of identifying and defining ourselves in the interconnected, always connected space of the virtual world.

Resources:

Greene , R. (n.d.). Web work: A history of internet art. Art forum, Retrieved from https://elearning.psu.edu/courses/aed811/sites/edu.courses.aed811/files/content/history_of_net_art.pdf

Hive, M. T. V. (n.d.). Art + Rap + The Internet = Yung Jake. MTV Hive. Retrieved February 25, 2014, fromhttp://www.mtvhive.com/2013/03/04/yung-jake/

Ippolito, J. (2002). Ten myths of internet art. Leonardo,35(5), 485-498.

Jake, V. 10/17/2013 Y. (n.d.). Portraits: Yung Jake.ILLROOTS. Retrieved February 25, 2014, fromhttp://www.illroots.com/watch/portraits-yung-jake

Johnson, P. (2013 11–14). Yung Jake, Video Prankster and Meta-Rapper, Turns the Hustle into Art. SPIN. Retrieved February 25, 2014, fromhttp://www.spin.com/articles/yung-jake-internet-rap-embedded-datamosh/

Mishka Bloglin » Blog Archive » Checking Up With Yung Jake. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2014, fromhttp://mishkanyc.com/bloglin/2014/02/12/checking-up-with-yung-jake/

Sinclair, K., Manager, S., & Frontier, N. (n.d.). Yung Jake: Leading a Net-Native Generation of Storytellers | Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved February 25, 2014, fromhttp://www.sundance.org/festival/blog-entry/yung-jake-leading-a-net-native-generation-of-storytellers/

theybf’s image. (n.d.).Photobucket. Retrieved February 25, 2014, fromhttp://s368.photobucket.com/user/theybf/media/June%2009/fdeb9ba4.jpg.html?src=pb

Yung Jake - E.m-bed.de/d. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/yung-jake-gets-embedded-with-an-anthem-to-virality