It’s just after noon on a Tuesday in March, and CJ Fly is going “coronavirus shopping.” The 26-year-old Brooklyn rapper and founding member of Pro Era may have released his long-awaited debut album but he’s more concerned with making sure he and his girlfriend have enough fresh fruit for the coming weeks. “Of all times for me to be dropping an album, it had to be during the end of the world,” he tells me over the phone, live and direct from Whole Foods.
Even amidst these dire circumstances, CJ has grown accustomed to this kind of hustle. Born Chaine St. Aubin Downer Jr. to a Bajan mother and a Jamaican father, CJ has been surrounded by music his entire life. While his father would turn the radio dial to Hot 97 and reggae radio stations in his dollar van, his mother played calypso and soca throughout the house; music from the islands became his “first love.”
It wasn’t long before rap music nudged its way into CJ’s ears. He was inspired by fellow West Indian artists, like Busta Rhymes and Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest, who didn’t shy away from using patois in their lyrics. Rudebwoy was conceived as an opportunity for CJ to celebrate his West Indian heritage properly. “I feel like it’s not celebrated enough,” he explains. “A lot of people not from the culture capitalize off it, so why can’t I show love to my roots?”
