Jay Ant Upgrades Hyphy on “Ask YB”

“Imagine growing up on wavey ass hip-hop like Tribe, then being slapped in the face by Mac Dre. That’s kind of my sound.”

Jay Ant HBK gang
Photographer Amber Asaly
October 08, 2014

Jay Ant, the HBK Gang member perhaps now best known as that dude who made G-Eazy's best beat, has a new tape on the way. Titled Blue Diamond Dreams, it will be “real vibey” Ant said in an email. “Imagine growing up on Pharrell, 90s R&B, deep house shit, and wavey ass hip-hop like Tribe, then being slapped in the face by Mac Dre. That’s kind of my sound.”

The tape title is a two-part reference: For Ant, the color blue represents a sense of fulfilled calm. One time, he read in a dream book that dreaming about diamonds meant you were reaching a new level in life. Like the rest of the HBK guys, Jay Ant is throwing youthful energy into building a sustainable career for his twenties; he hopes this tape will “encourage people to always keep dreaming” as they grow into themselves.

Below, hear lead Blue Diamond Dreams single “Ask YB,” named after the popular Bay area slang. Its singing is dreamy but the template is classic HBK: straight-to-the-point slap. 

Jay Ant Upgrades Hyphy on “Ask YB”