I would not want to be California dreaming when Ms. Jenae Williams walks into the room. Also known as, J-Star, the Bay-to-LA transplant is an accomplished singer, with experience playing the piano, the acoustic and electric guitar. This scintillating artist is perfecting another craft that would be a delight to our HipHopDX.com and Beauty & Brains readers -- J-Star can spit a mean verse.

Raised amongst brothers who stayed with a pen and a pad, Ms. Williams became immersed in the culture of hip-hop and of the sounds bumping out of the West Coast. Influenced by everyone from the late, great Tupac Shakur to Too Short, the 20 year-old is looking to cut her own path into the spotlight.

Having lost one of her brothers, adversity has not dampened the spirits of this West Coast champion. With an amazing vocal tone that would have one say, “Who’s that?!” Ms. Jenae Williams is putting her life in front for all to see and hear. Beauty & Brains is pleased to interview her as she talks about the ups and downs of MySpace, why she doesn’t have time for crybaby dudes and says that Jay-Z is overrated.

HHDX: You have beauty galore, obviously the look of a model, but what made you want to get into the music game?
JW: I just grew up around a musically inclined household. I grew up loving my parents, my brothers, Tupac Shakur, 50 Cent. I grew up listening to a lot of Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown, Too Short and Nas. I think that Jay-Z is overrated. Don’t get me wrong, Jay is tight, Nas is too, but he [Jay-Z] is kind of overrated to me. There’s something about Nas, though… I think that he’ll fuck Jay up!

HHDX: Do you think that by having your look that people are quick to give you a shot or put you in a specific genre-oriented box?
JW: Yeah, because some of the pictures that I have are provocative. So, they try to put me in the pocket of a Lil’ Kim. I think that I’m coming with another flavor. I’m from the Bay. The game needs some youth. Kim is too old to mess with me. When I spit, I rap like an MC! I don’t try to put myself in a female rapper’s category. I want to be in there with the big dogs. Don’t get me wrong, I look up to Kim, I would be blessed to be able to do a song with her.

HHDX: Well, you play the guitar and you’re also a singer – what is one thing that no one really knows about you?
JW: I keep my friends to a minimum. I don’t talk on the phone or text on a regular. Something that people don’t know about me… is nothing pretty extreme. A lot of people don’t know that I’ve played the guitar for awhile. People get it twisted because every time I go somewhere, people think that I’m a singer. A lot of people didn’t think that I was a rapper at first. I have been playing for about, man… four years. Continued on page 2 »