hhv.de - Each One Teach One #006 - Who's Jehst?
1 August 2010

William G. Shields, better known as Jehst or a slew of aliases including The High Plains Drifter and Jay Star, is an English rapper and co-founder of hip hop label YNR.

Born in Kent in 1979, Jehst spent his early childhood in Crowborough in Sussex before moving to Huddersfield where he went to the independent Huddersfield Grammar School on a scholarship. After being admitted to the LSE for a degree in Economics and Social Anthropology, Jehst subsequently dropped out due to an offer of a record deal and a opportunity to set up his own label. His debut release came in 1999 with the Premonitions EP on YNR, which he co-founded with Leeds hip-hop artist, Tommy Evans. His solo career extended further when he appeared on Task Force's EP Voice of the Great Outdoors (2000) with the track 'Cosmic Gypsies', which resulted in a long time association with Low Life Records. The release of four 12" records on the same label soon followed, while at around the same time in 2002 Jehst was also a pivotal member of the seven man group 'Champions of Nature', whose members included AM, Apollo, L. Dolo, Lewis Parker, Profound and Supa T. The group eventually released two EP's before disbanding, but not before the final release of the highly acclaimed full-length The Return of the Drifter. Issued in June 2002, it was a double release with an accompanying 11-track CD of the same name. This was essentially a collection of previously released tracks and a cross-section of Jehst's work up to that point. Following a steady rise of success in the underground Folk scene, a handful of guest appearances soon followed. Furthermore, Shields had begun collaborating with producers such as Evil Ed, Harry Love and Lewis Parker to further enhance his status as an established figure within the British hip hop scene. In 2003 he unveiled his debut album Falling Down, which featured guest appearances from Lewis Parker, The Sundragon, Usmaan and Klashnekoff. Jehst's next solo installment came in the form of the 2005 effort, Nuke Proof Suit. The following year saw Jehst's production project, Jehst Presents: Underworld Epics come to fruition. In 2007 The Mengi Bus Mixtape was released, accompanied by a string of live shows including a small run of shows in Australia.

Shields has also released material under the name 'Billy Brimstone' on his own label, YNR; the same label responsible for many up and coming and established British hip hop artists.

Jehst at hhv.de.