Elements of The Heartland: J.Bu$h Brings it Home
- Ripley Scott
- Mar 23
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 23
The Smoky Mountains, with their deep valleys, rushing rivers and foggy peaks, pulse with a rhythm that runs through J.Bu$h’s veins.
But what does East Tennessee sound like?
That’s a question the local hip-hop artist is working to answer.
Hip-hop has always had a regional identity, defined by the styles of its cities. Memphis is grit with a blues drummer’s cadence. Atlanta is futuristic swagger. New York is sharp-edged storytelling.
But Knoxville? Knoxville’s hip-hop identity has always been harder to define—not because it lacks talent, but because it never carved out a cultural landmark the way other cities have.
That’s changing.
After all, J.Bu$h doesn’t just make music—he practices alchemy. Each project is a
transformation, an excavation that refines another layer of self.
With his latest project, Tanasi, J.Bu$h isn’t just recording an album; he’s creating an origin story for Knoxville hip-hop. A living, breathing soundscape where each note is as much a reflection of self as it is a love letter to home.
His four EPs, each a chapter named after the classical elements, serve as the foundation for a greater whole, culminating in the fifth and final act—a full-length album.
The process is raw and personal, yet through its vulnerability, it solidifies into something communal—music that doesn’t just reverberate, but transmutes.
The title itself is a reclamation. Tanasi, the original Cherokee name for Tennessee, serves as a reminder of this land before it was paved over and its stories were rewritten. This project is about coming home—to roots, to self, to the things that matter.
That intention is evident in every choice he makes.
The raven, a recurring figure in his cover art, isn’t just aesthetic—it’s a symbol of wisdom, of transformation, of something that exists between worlds. Much like the project itself, it bridges the seen and the unseen, the personal and the universal.
And it’s fitting, too, that his creative home is The Birdhouse, the community space where he not only records but also cultivates connection. It’s where he played his very first show, and now, it’s the home of his studio—a full-circle moment that ties his journey back to where it all started.
J.Bu$h speaks with reverence about his home.
“This land is spiritual. The Indigenous people who lived here understood that. There’s an energy to it that I wanted to tap into.”
That connection is further reflected in his decision to weave in elements of The Heartland Series, the iconic television documentary chronicling Appalachian history and culture.
“I grew up watching The Heartland Series,” J.Bu$h says. “Sometimes we aren’t mindful of the synchronicities in our lives, or we don’t trust ourselves to take them seriously, but they don’t just go away.”
Sometimes, it takes a deeper, louder synchronicity to pull things into focus.
For J.Bu$h, that moment comes while hiking through the Smokies with his son, bouncing around ideas for lyrics and beats. Something clicks. He realizes that honoring the land and its history is just as important as honoring himself.
On that trail, a voice enters his mind—one that eventually leads him to an unexpected yet fitting decision: to incorporate the words of Bill Landry, a storyteller whose reverence for this region mirrors his own.
“I stopped on the trail for a moment to look out at the view,” he recalls. “All of a sudden, I could hear Bill Landry’s voice. And it just made sense. This is about honoring where I come from.”
Bill Landry, the storyteller behind The Heartland Series, is a recognizable—if not nostalgia-inducing—voice for most East Tennesseans.
By adding Landry’s words to the project, J.Bu$h isn’t just paying homage; he’s grounding his music in the same deep reverence for home that Landry has always embodied.
That connection was there from the beginning, even before J.Bu$h fully grasped the scope of what he was creating.
At first, he was just writing, letting ideas flow, hearing beats in his head, feeling that pull toward home. Over time, that impulse grew into something larger.
What started as one project became four interconnected EPs, and eventually, it became what could now be called his magnum opus.
Tanasi Chapter 1: Water was the first to arrive, a meditation on emotion, fluidity and the lessons found in surrender.
The chorus of the EP’s opening track, Barefoot, drives it home: “Do the work, I’m going back home.”
Home, both as a physical place and a metaphorical concept, is the beating heart of Tanasi. And, like water, this journey is about learning to navigate emotional depths—to let things flow, learn to adapt and practice equanimity.
As J.Bu$h explained a few days after the release of Water, each chapter brings its own test.
“What I’m learning through these projects is how to grow differently through each element. Water taught me about my emotions—how I handle them, how I balance my energy. Earth? That’s the physical world—my body, my surroundings, my finances. Air is the mind, the belief systems I carry. And Fire is passion—how I balance it, so it doesn’t burn everything down.”
He pauses before adding, “Because once you find your fire, you also find your shadow.”
With the release of Tanasi Chapter 2: Earth, J.Bu$h is stepping into the next phase: grounding, stability and resilience.
This grounding goes beyond the music itself—J.Bu$h is known for showing up, consistently present at performances across Knoxville.
Whether he’s in the front row at a punk show, a hip-hop set or a noise performance where someone is playing an instrument made out of scrap metal, J.Bu$h is there.
He has a huge respect for Pilot Light, Knoxville’s long-standing independent venue, and recently saw the band Super Bachelor there.
He was an immediate fan and would love to collaborate with Kat Brock, the band’s vocalist and guitarist. “She brings such a genuine, raw energy to the stage,” he says with admiration.
For J.Bu$h, that respect goes beyond just the music itself—it’s about integrity.
“Some artists get on stage, and you can tell they’re fully themselves. They’re not trying to fit into anything—they’re just in it, in the moment. And as a listener, you feel that. It speaks volumes,” he says.
That’s what he sees in artists like Kat Brock and spaces like Pilot Light—a commitment to staying true to the music, to creating without compromise.
His presence is more than just support—it’s a way to stay connected to the scene and the people who are a part of it.
When asked why he believes so deeply in Knoxville’s music scene, J.Bu$h answers with brevity: “Because that’s hip-hop.”
This deep-rooted belief in community led him to co-found the highly respected Good
Guy Collective over a decade ago.
The collective isn’t just about making music—it’s about fostering collaboration, mentorship, and mutual support, uplifting both emerging and established artists, including its own founders.
The collective played a key role in shaping the visual identity of Tanasi, helping J.Bu$h select the custom merch for each EP.
These carefully crafted items are more than just promotional pieces—they’re extensions of the project itself, thoughtfully designed to reflect each element.
Chapter 1: Water’s release featured “God Water”—bottled water adorned with a
custom label, symbolizing water’s spiritual and life-giving essence.
For Chapter 2: Earth, the merch included cookies stamped with the word “Tennessee,” honoring J.Bu$h’s roots and the grounding force of the Earth element.
With each purchase, fans receive raffle tickets, with the winner at the full-length album’s release taking home a complete set of merch from the entire Tanasi project—pieces that aren’t just items to wear or use, but something you can carry with you.
As for what J.Bu$h carries with him, he holds, at his core, a simple but profound philosophy: “My value is in here.”
He taps his chest when he says it. The outside world—its noise, its expectations, its fleeting validations—doesn’t define him. He returns to this truth when things get hard.
It’s an alchemical process of its own: pressure and struggle refining him, burning away what doesn’t serve and leaving behind something stronger, something real.
And there’s more to come.
Tanasi is still unfolding, and if the first two chapters are any indication, the full picture will be something undeniable.
This isn’t just an album. It’s a transformation in real time. It’s an artist pushing himself to grow, to refine, and to invite his neighbors along for the ride.
J.Bu$h is doing the work, and he’s bringing it home.
**To hear what hip hop sounds like in East Tennessee, check out the first two chapters of Tanasi, now streaming everywhere, and keep an eye on our live music calendar for Chapter 3’s release show, coming soon.
Follow J.Bu$h on Instagram @jbush865
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