The beauty of rap and hip-hop isn’t just in the rhythm, flow, or undeniable hooks that pull you in. It’s in the storytelling, the way an artist can represent where they come from, speak to the realities around them, and stand for something that extends far beyond the music itself.

How you tell that story matters.

Brooklyn-based artist Jourden is the kind of storyteller whose voice makes you stop and listen. There’s an intention behind both what she has to say and the way she chooses to say it.

Her new EP, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, has officially arrived, and we spoke with Jourden about everything from her musical influences and Brooklyn’s impact on her sound to the evolution of her artistry and the stories behind the new project.

With a sound that marries classic hip-hop, neo-soul, alternative hip-hop, and Caribbean rhythms, Jourden draws heavily from her Bajan and Trinidadian heritage.

Reflecting on the sounds she heard growing up and how they shaped the way she creates today, she says: “The music I grew up listening to definitely contributes heavily to my music style and sound. My mom would play reggae like Gregory Isaacs, Beres Hammond, and Buju Banton. She also put me on to more eclectic alt-rock and classic rock sounds like The Bee Gees and the Grease soundtrack. My dad was the hip hop guy and put me on to Jay Z and Biggie, as well as other artists he would work with and manage like Keyshia Cole. It helped develop my ear to know the variety that music can have, as well as inspired my fusion of genres and sound.”

Beyond the sounds she grew up with, Jourden also points to several iconic artists as crucial influences on her development, including Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, The Notorious B.I.G., OutKast, and A Tribe Called Quest. Of those influences, she says:

“With Lauryn, it was The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. I don’t think as a musician, human, or as a young Black girl, you hear that album and come away the same after. Her musicality, melodies, and lyrics set the tone for my exploration and opened the possibilities of my mind on what was possible to achieve.”

She continues, reflecting on the different qualities she took from each artist:

“With Erykah and Tribe, it was a feeling, a vibe. They were overly cool, swaggy, and the music they made seemed to embody that vibe perfectly. It almost justified their personas. I wanted my whole lane to feel synonymous like that. With Biggie and OutKast, it was mainly lyrical content and flow. They were the first time it clicked to me that you can seriously manipulate words to work for you. Bend them, use similes, metaphors, and all types of devices to get your point across. That and storytelling, they were my first guides in terms of that.”

That relationship with language and storytelling has remained central to Jourden’s artistry. As her career has developed, so has her approach to creativity, which she now describes as more intentional and disciplined:

“My relationship with my art has evolved most recently into a disciplined approach towards creativity. I think it’s true that you can’t always produce art from this whimsical and magical place that comes over you from time to time, but sometimes it’s true that you have to find the inspiration, seek it, and search for it. I’m in that stage, like a basketball player putting up shots every day. I try to do something pertaining to my artistry daily, whether I feel the whimsy or not. I feel creatively right now, I’m looking for how I can surprise myself with something that feels exciting, whether that be through lyrics, flows, melodies, or sonics. I’m excited for what I discover next.”

That sense of discipline and self-discovery carries directly into A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, a project whose title nods to Betty Smith’s classic novel and reflects Jourden’s exploration of “facilitating growth in environments designed for survival over success.”

While Jourden admits she hasn’t yet read the novel, its title still resonated with her and became a powerful starting point for the project:

“I have to be honest and admit that I haven’t yet read the book, yet. But still, the title of her book is one of the things this project is inspired by. The name is so visceral. I can visualize it, and at the same time, infer about the deeper motifs that a tree growing in Brooklyn can invoke. The meaning I personally attributed to it was finding ways to grow despite my environment, not helping to facilitate that growth in a complementary way. Rather, it was the environment I was placed in that forced me to evolve into the person I’ve become. The motif of growth through a tree and the chaos of Brooklyn, being my place of upbringing, felt like a perfect storm to house the experiences this EP represents.”

That concept of growth also extends into the EP’s sonic landscape. For Jourden, creating a project that reflected Brooklyn’s multifaceted identity meant pulling together a similarly diverse range of sounds and collaborators: “Sonically, for it to be reflective of how multifaceted and diverse Brooklyn is. New York is obviously the birthplace of Hip Hop, and the best rappers in the world have come from Brooklyn 😉 So, naturally, everything I do is rooted in hip hop and hip hop culture. The collaborators I chose, moreso helped enhance the world of the song each of them were featured on. Queen Naija has such a powerful and soulful voice, and for the emotions I was conveying on ‘Hard,’ she perfectly fit and elevated the record to the vulnerable state that was needed. Then, on the other hand, is a master songwriter and artist. He immediately lifted the song’s energy and brought the Caribbean connection we share to a perfect melting point, at the intersections of rap and reggae.”

Within that world, one song stands out as particularly personal to Jourden. “‘Cross Colors’” became an opportunity to explore grief, identity, and the shared experiences that connect people across race and circumstance:

“The song that’s most meaningful to me on this project is ‘Cross Colors.’ This track is probably one of my most vulnerable and reflective songs I’ve ever created. The subject of the song is how, across all races and colors, we all experience life fundamentally in similar ways. While musing on my own personal struggles, I came to this realization and wanted to write about it in a reflective but unifying way. I lost my father and my uncle at a young age, and I also reference them within the hook as homage and respect. When I first wrote it, it was therapy, but now it serves as an example of my triumphs despite adversity.”

That personal connection to Brooklyn is also impossible to separate from the realities of watching the borough change. With rising costs, gentrification, and the disappearance of longtime neighborhood institutions and creative spaces, Jourden reflects on what she believes remains at the heart of being from Brooklyn:

“Not to be morbid, but structurally, a lot of the old Brooklyn is gone and can’t be repaired. But what I hope always remains is the personification of what it means to be from the borough. The community feel and family vibe of your block. The unique style and presence you are exposed to during the summertime and how Brooklynites, no matter how near or far, carry the sense of pride that being a native invokes.”

For Jourden, that connection to Brooklyn isn’t only about the larger cultural identity of the borough. It’s also found in the small, everyday rituals that make it feel like home. So, naturally, we had to ask what her perfect day in Brooklyn looks like:

“A perfect day in Brooklyn would start with a bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel. Salt, pepper, ketchup, and mayo, paired with an Orange Strawberry Banana juice. I’d follow it by going down to Brooklyn Bridge Park and chilling for a bit, maybe getting a slice of Grimaldi’s or a scoop of ice cream from Ample Hills. For dinner, I’d start with a glass of white wine and dinner from Sisters Restaurant. I’d finish the night off on my rooftop with a blanket, a Beats Pill, and some roll-up.”

Of course, Jourden’s experience as a woman navigating a traditionally male-dominated genre has also played a role in shaping her approach to her career. Rather than allowing those expectations to define her, she says her focus has been on being recognized for the full scope of her artistry: “I think pressure is inevitable. More than approaching my artistry differently was the pressure to be compared in equal skill set level. I feel I fall into the best female rapper category way more than I fall into the best rapper period category. For me, the chip I wear on my shoulder is making sure I get my do, as the artist I am, not just because of my sex, I want to be compared to the best to do it, despite their gender.”

Ultimately, that desire to be understood beyond a single category or expectation is at the heart of what Jourden hopes listeners take away from A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. The project is a reflection of her contradictions, her evolution, and the intention behind every creative choice:

“I hope after listening to A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, the listener feels like they get a better understanding of me through the choices I made through the project. Sometimes I’m light and colorful, and sometimes I’m intense and dark. Sometimes I’m in love, and sometimes I want to be raw and not give a F. But through all of those choices, there lives an intention that guides the weight of my choices and decisions. I hope they feel the effort put into it, but most of all, I hope they can resonate with some of what I’m saying and enjoy it enough to listen to it over and over again.”

Photo Credit: Tara Newell

Connect with Jourden: Website | Instagram