Eastside
“Eastside” from Jahny Wallz's new EP "Life Lessons, Vol. II" is a reflection of his childhood that gives voice to the accomplishments of underprivileged students who strive to succeed in college. Though “Eastside” is the last track on the album, the catchy track is the first song chronologically in Jahny's musical journey. “Eastside” is about the importance of understanding what people go through and being open-minded and considerate to both sides of social issues. “This song represents what I stand for: don't judge a book by it's cover.”
“I wrote this song during a break from college my sophomore year. Some of my college professors were quick to discredit my street knowledge and criticize me for not knowing certain things at the college level. This song is about the non-traditional real-life accomplishments that underprivileged students overcomes to not be ignorant after coming from the ghetto.
I was home on break in Brawley and the doorbell rings. It was a local drug addict asking me for a piece of bread to eat. I started thinking about how privileged I was despite my struggles at college and it struck a chord. I realized things could always be worse. I felt nostalgic and picked up my guitar. Hitting a B minor chord, lyrics just started flowing from my heart. I improvised most of the first verse and wrote most of the song on the spot. I edited and finished it within that week.”
Based on the dark chord progression I, VI and V, “Eastside” has a lot of underlying energy which sounds a bit angry. Jahny describes how writing the song was a form of therapy to commemorate overcoming struggles not recognized by the university bureaucracy. Songwriting was a productive outlet to tell a story in the eyes of a young child seeing, experiencing, and living the struggles of drug addictions, violence, and prejudice within his own family and community. “I wrote the song as a reflection of my years as a young paperboy, seeing all of the real life struggles that my family and community battled and overcame.”
