How does a musician who's busy making moves know when he's truly arrived in the hardscrabble industry that has chewed up and spit out many before him? Maybe it's when he hits a million streams on Spotify. Or when he's making room on his mantel (or in his bathroom, if he's Questlove) for a few more Grammys. Maybe it's when MTV plays his music video. Or when he helps bust a few more cracks in the glass ceiling that's keeping his colleagues from being seen and heard. Local artist, performer and aspiring mogul Jacob Morrow can already cross a few of those milestones off his to-do list. He's chipping away at the others, as well as the moment of professional affirmation he's envisioning for himself: hanging up a couple of platinum records in his studio.
Morrow, who's 28, was born in Baltimore, raised in Pittsburgh and moved to the Harrisburg area when he was 13 years old. He says music and rhythm have always been a part of his world, even when his creative output was more headache inducer than harmony maker. “I was always that little baby banging on pots and pans in the kitchen.” But those early stand-ins for percussion instruments eventually became the real thing when he began taking drumming lessons. He sometimes played in church, and also joined concert band in middle school. He was even in a rock band for a little bit. He was influenced by many musical genres and styles; Morrow says he listened to anything and everything—well, almost everything. “Earlier on, I was kept away from a lot of hip-hop because of the content,” he says. “In the '90s and early 2000s there was a lot of stigma about hip-hop. I really wasn't allowed to listen to a lot of hip-hop, but I would sneak and listen to it. As a drummer, I was connecting with the beats I heard in the music.”
Following his graduation from Cumberland Valley High School in 2013, Morrow set his sights on Kutztown University. But there was one (very large) item of potential dorm décor that didn't make the cut: “When I went to college, my mom got rid of the drum set. It was just collecting dust, taking up too much space.” It seemed that piece of his past didn't fit anymore—literally or figuratively. “I was on the brink of forgetting about the music,” says Morrow. He planned to study electronic media and pursue a career in video production. But a fortuitous partnership—thanks to whatever algorithm was used to pair up roommates at random at the school—saved the day. His sophomore year, Morrow was matched up with Exodus Murphy, a singer. Morrow told him he dabbled in song writing and rapping. They recorded one of Morrow's songs and felt an instant connection. The two would go on to form their own hip-hop soul group, Manifest! HB. Morrow says they began winning talent shows and booking gigs at KU parties. “That's when we really tried to start formulating things. From then to now there's been a lot of trial and error and a lot of growth.”
Part of that trial and error was figuring out how to pay the bills while pursuing their passion. Soon after graduation in 2017 Morrow moved to Bethlehem to be closer to MBPro Studios, where Manifest! HB laid down many of its tracks. Morrow also did work as a solo artist, Jake Supreme. He found work in video production, primarily for companies outside the region. But the lengthy commute wore him down. And getting paid per project—as opposed to a steady salary—wasn't ideal. He tried other jobs—factory work, call center—before finding a better fit first in management and then in sales. “I was out here grinding,” Morrow says. “But we were always doing the music, and I was always making moves.”
Probably the biggest move was the creation of Abstract Music Empire Entertainment, of which Morrow and Murphy are CEOs. “It was something that was always brewing since college,” says Morrow. “It was always an extension of what we were doing. In college we were doing everything that we are doing now, but we didn't know how to organize it in a way that made sense. We were creating these events, hosting these events, putting together these shows, getting artists together. All the stuff a record label would do.”
They're working on raising capital to begin signing artists. And when that time comes, Morrow says he believes they'll have no problem tracking down high caliber talent. “There is a hip-hop scene in the Lehigh Valley. And I think people maybe who aren't in it don't really know about it. But the people that are in it do know about it. There are a lot of people here who make good music and deserve to be heard but a lot of people won't give them a chance.”
Morrow also realizes that he might have to enlighten some listeners to garner mainstream support in the Lehigh Valley. “Hip-hop has that stigma,” he says. “We have to pass through that. One of the ways we do that, we make positive music that still bumps. You can feel good about having a good time. You can feel good about your son playing it in the car on the way to work and not be offended.” A hard-fought victory for the Abstract Music Empire team was booking gigs at Bethlehem's Musikfest in 2021, 2022 and again this year (August 8). Morrow says proving that a hip-hop show and a family-friendly event can co-exist has opened doors for other performers like him.
There have been other victories as well—Morrow debuted a music video for his song “Jet” at the Emmaus Theatre in March. Manifest! HB's music videos have been played on MTV, VH1 and BET. Morrow's solo efforts landed there, too, but he's cautious about basking in that glow for too long. “When you make it on MTV the first time, yeah, that's really cool, but realize that one spin on MTV is just one spin on MTV,” he says. “It only equates to a certain amount of money.” The problem, he says, is that a lot of artists don't understand the business side of the music industry. “You can make it by doing the right things, but so many young creatives don't know what to do once they have this talent and the passion. It takes a lot to get to where you want to be. That's where I feel like I can help.”
One of Morrow's main goals for Abstract Music Empire is creating a creative cohabitation space in the Lehigh Valley. Think “WeWork” for artists: a one-stop shop where people can come in for photo shoots, video production, writing and recording. Morrow says they want to offer courses to teach young people the business. They're also working on building their brand, plus their website (abstractmusicempire.com) and, eventually, a subscription base to support it. It will offer music, videos, streaming content and the chance to interact with the artists. All the while, Morrow continues to write, record and perform as one half of Manifest! HB and as Jake Supreme.
Morrow realizes he's aiming high. Very high. He's OK with that. “You have to be comfortable being a leader and stepping up, and I've accepted that,” he says. “It's all about articulating your dream and your vision and never giving up.”
Published as "Insight" in the July 2023 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
