Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica (stylized as J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A), is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he first received widespread attention in 2007, after the release of his mixtape, Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge). The success of the aforementioned mixtape and the stand-alone single "Exhibit C", subsequently led fellow American rapper Jay-Z to sign Electronica to his record label, Roc Nation in 2010. His debut studio album, A Written Testimony was released in 2020 and followed up by Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn), after years of speculation and delay.
In 2007, Jay Electronica released his first mixtape, Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), via MySpace. It was downloaded over 50,000 times. That success and his catalog led to Electronica joining the Rock the Bells Tour in 2008.
Later that year, producer Just Blaze and Jay Electronica selected songs for Guitar Center's GAIN project, Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 and included a (previously unnamed) song which Just Blaze named "Exhibit A (Transformations)."
Just Blaze would later (October 27, 2009) debut "Exhibit C" on Tony Touch's Sirius Radio program, where it quickly caught on, making its way to terrestrial radio stations like New York's Hot 97 and spawning artist remixes from MCs AZ, N.O.R.E, Saigon, Joell Ortiz and others.
A bidding war ensued with Jay finally signing (November 12, 2010) with Roc Nation. Though fans and critics anticipated a full-length debut, Electronica's output in the subsequent decade consisted of several collaborations and non-album solo songs.
On February 7, 2020, Jay Electronica announced via Twitter the completion of his album, A Written Testimony, which was recorded over a 40-day period. It was released on March 13, 2020.
On October 5, 2020, Jay Electronica announced via Twitter that his previously unreleased album, Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn), was available for streaming on Tidal after the album had surfaced online two days prior.
In August 2021, Jay Electronica was featured on the song "Jesus Lord" released on Kanye West's album Donda.
Personal life
Jay Electronica performing in 2018
Jay Electronica and Erykah Badu were in a relationship for five years and have a daughter together, born in 2009.
Jay Electronica had an affair with Kate Emma Rothschild, the wife of Benjamin Goldsmith, resulting in the breakdown of Goldsmith's marriage.
