"I guess you were involved in the initial kick-start for the particular project. On my Instagram, I make a lot of random little moving image sketches and one of them, I ended up using a Jonwayne beat from a beat tape called Here You Go that he made for House Shoes' [Street Corner Music.] I think you left a comment on the post and cc'ed Jon, at the time and he dropped me a line to tell me about his new album," animator and director RUFFMERCY wrote within a recent email. I seriously had absolutely NO IDEA I was even remotely "involved" within the "creation" of Jonwayne's latest RUFFMERCY-directed video, until a few short hours ago. "He thought the sketch I had made for that beat could be a great starting point for the skit/track "LIVE from The F**k You" he had on the album Rap Album Two. We had a little [conversation] on [Instagram] about the aesthetic and a possible idea of half-type, half-something; Jon himself suggested I draw him as a blob. After we chatted, I spent about two weeks drawing the elements, then a week comping it together. I'm really pleased with it, it's a small video really, but I think it's subtly one of my better ones," Bristol-based visual artist Russ "RUFFMERCY" Murphy further detailed.


"LIVE from The F**k You" was premiered over at okayplayer and stems from Jonwayne's long-awaited return-to-form, Rap Album Two, which he fitting described to Michael Eric "ZO" Gonik as "the first thing that I'm putting out there that feels like an actual mission statement from me as an individual." 2015's Jonwaye Is Retired EP seemingly marked period of immense self-reflection, temporary "retirement," new-found sobriety, weight loss, overall lifestyle change, and ultimately, a shift from long-time label Stones Throw to Authors Recording Company; although, a re-invigorated and slightly more sharp-tongued Jonwayne soon emerged with four stand-alone singles ( "40 Winks," "Jump Shot," "That's O.K." and "Wonka,") beat tapes Here You Go Pt. 1-2, as well as an expanded 2xLP version on House Shoes' Street Corner Music, tactfully leaked throughout 2016, and a proper full-length comeback with Rap Album Two at the top of 2017. Not only are his two latest releases Here You Go and Rap Album Two currently available on Street Corner Music and Authors Recording Company, respectively... but Jonwayne additionally unleashed his first published collection of poetry, Line Segments By: Jonathan Wayne also on Authors Recording Company. However, its first edition of 200 is unfortunately, already sold out. I'm sure those with the appropriate means will likely still be able to find copies online with a bit of earnest diggin' through the troves of digital crates!