Vid Pick: Jonathan UniteUs (aka JohnNY U) – Hi-Life

Jonathan UniteUs, aka JohnNY U., is living the hi-life, and it has nothing to do with being handed Miller’s least expensive beer.

For the O.I.S.D. (Operation Industry Shut Down) emcee, the hi-life is about having your mind right, as he notes on the smooth, jazzy, track, “I’m only gonna be as good as how bad I wanna be.”

Wanting to know more about his “Hi-Life,” I caught up with Jonathan UniteUs to ask him about the song, his recent Regular Everyday Mind project, and what’s up with our New York Mets.

Other than having your mind right, and your money right, what is the hi-life to you?

Having clarity. Being able to still enjoy the things, and people, that make me love living. Issa mood.

“Hi-Life” is a previously unreleased track. Why wasn’t it on your recently released EP, Regular Everyday Mind, and what made you want to release the song now?

I recorded this track around 2014-ish, and decided to hold it until I had a visual for it, which wasn't completed until the end of summer/early fall of this year.

It pre-dated the R.E.M EP, and had a totally different direction. No worries, because I plan to release it with a remix version physically, and digitally, soon. 

Speaking of your Regular Everyday Mind project, what was the concept behind it? Tell everyone about the idea of a regular everyday mind.

The EP was inspired through me continuously observing certain patterns of my own, and society’s movements, specifically throughout this year. I noticed how everything felt like it was out of an uber dramatic movie as far as media, political, and socially charged topics go.

On the other hand, I also noticed how (through) a push for change in how we think, communicate, and reason, we're becoming stronger by the day.

All in all the project’s foundation is from the elements of self-sustainability, fear/uncertainty, love, and death – the cycle which I classify as the “Regular Everyday Mind.”


What about you is most definitely NOT regular, or everyday?

Hmm, well, for a lil’ while now – about 4 to 5 years – I've enjoyed listening to sports more on the radio than watching on television.

As a child I ate many a raw carrot in attempts to mimic Bugs Bunny. My eyesight is better than 20/20 in my opinion {laughs}.

And I got punched by a mannequin arm while working a stock job in 2008. The right jab resulted in a chipped tooth, and I'm still looking for revenge! 

I hope that someday soon you get your revenge! Finally, we are both Mets fans. Is our team going to get it together in 2018? Is Mickey Callaway the answer?

HEALTH is the answer! If all of our starters can be kept to a healthy, and strict, pitch count/throwing regimen, and the rest of the team can actually stay healthy for a good chunk of the season, sky’s the limit.

If there's anything I can be sure to expect from Mick it’s that he keeps the arms consistent, and the team ERA low. '18 is our year!

For more Jonathan UniteUs, follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.