THROWBACK SERIES: JVC Force: Cultural Icons (Interview)
By: Todd “DG” Davis
Rapindustry.com
Hailing from Long Island in the mid-1980’s, JVC Force quickly made a name for themselves with their high-energy style and sharp lyrical skills. Their influence on hip-hop’s golden age has proved enduring. Their innovative sound and authentic approach continue to inspire artists and resonate with fans decades later, cementing their place in hip-hop history. Their legacy goes beyond just a few tracks — JVC Force helped shape the sound of an era, showing that true artistry can leave a lasting impression. Their impact is felt in the work of many artists who followed, and their classic records remain essential listening for hip-hop enthusiasts. We recently caught up with them.
First things first, August 11th 2023 marked the 50th Anniversary of hip-hop — what exactly does that mean to and for you all?
B Luv: It was a great milestone; it celebrated the stay power of this thing they thought would never last – that was respected as a real music genre – in the beginning. Now it’s worldwide in movies, TV shows and commercials. It was a proud moment; a proud moment to be a part of it and to have an anthem that stayed the test of time was extra special, too.
To quote the late, great The Notorious B.I.G., “You never thought that hip-hop would take it this far!” — was this something that you all ever could’ve imagined?
AJ Rok: I can’t say I knew hip-hop would take it this far. I knew it wasn’t a fad like they said. We just celebrated our 37 year anniversary, and went on tour overseas. I can’t honestly say I knew I would still be performing at 60, and the fans would still be loving and requesting our music and wanted to see us perform 37 years later.
B Luv: Well I’m not going to say I imagined it, but watching hip-hop become a lifestyle with so many people gravitating to it, I knew it could only grow but probably not as far as it has gotten.
What are some of your fondest, most stand-out moments / memories during your lengthy tenure in this thing called hip-hop?
B Luv: Standout moments…going on tour for the first time when “Strong Island” and “Doin’ Damage” came out, seeing people around the world saying how they loved the songs.
AJ Rok: And, seeing all those people overseas who couldn’t speak English sing our songs word for word; that was definitely a standout memory.
B Luv: Going out on the road with guys I grew up with since I was 5 years old, rocking stages and getting to experience all this together.
That said, what are your future plans and / or goals for this 2026 season?
AJ Rok: Now that we showed the world we’re back and can still be doing it at a high level in 2026 has the potential to be a great year with madd shows and possibly some new music.
B Luv: Yeah, to continue to get out and rock in front of the crowds, meeting all those who supported us for all these years for the first time.
Switching gears here, what exactly do you all want people to get from your music?
B Luv: Good Times!
If you all could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
B Luv: Bob Marley, because I got to do a song for his estate with one of his sons. I produced a remix for “War” for Yankee B on G Street / V2. I always admired Bob Marley. Cold Crush Brothers is my favorite rap group of all time, but my favorite artist of all time is Bob Marley for what he stood for and his music had a lot of power in it. I would loved to have collaborated with Bob Marley.
If you all could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?
B Luv: Wembley Stadium in England.
On a more serious note, are you all happy with the current state of hip-hop?
AJ Rok: Happy it still exists, and so many are showing love for our era of music and still want to see us perform all these years later.
B Luv: The young people are the successors of what we and those who came before us built. I won’t say I like everything out now, but there is some quality joints and really good artists out there. There were hip-hop songs that came out in our era I didn’t like and many I did and ran to the store to buy.
AJ Rok: I am content to know I am not the demographic they are making music for, so some of it I don’t understand but it’s not for me like our music wasn’t for our parents, But, we not gonna be the old artists and all we do is criticize the current crop of artists.
B Luv: They selling millions of records, so their fans love it.
What do you all feel has and will continue to be the key to your longevity?
AJ Rok: The Fans! We have some of the greatest fans, most who have been riding with us for 37 years. We didn’t have a music video, there was no internet, no social media and cell phones with cameras when we started and the fact we are still relevant is solely due to our fans. And, we are constantly gaining new fans, second and third generation fans because their parents played our music in the house and they literally grew up on our music.
B Luv: People remembering when they met us and came to see us and remembering how they feel and how we treated them. Putting out quality music the people love.
Do you all have any other outside / additional (future) aspirations, maybe even completely away from entertainment?
B Luv: We both have careers and came up in households where you had to do other things, have multiple streams of income.
AJ Rok: I have a community newspaper and I am an Author; I want to put out more books, documentaries and I’ve been working on a screenplay or two.
Please discuss how you all interact with and respond to fans…
AJ Rok: We always interact with all our fans and friends online daily. Trying to answer every question, and just basically know we appreciate them.
What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? And, why?
B Luv: My favorite part is arriving at a venue and seeing all the people, realizing they all paid their hard earned money to come see us and that’s why we try to give the best show we can.
AJ Rok: In addition to performing, one of my favorite things is to create; I love the process of creating something new.
What advice would you all have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
AJ Rok: No matter what it is you want to do, you gotta work on it everyday and learn all you can about the business side and study those who are where you want to be.
B Luv: Yeah, make sure you take time everyday to perfect your craft.
Looking ahead, say five or maybe even ten years from now, where do you all see yourselves?
B Luv: Still making music, as long as God bless us to have a heartbeat in our body.
AJ ROK: Yeah I agree, rocking the mic and wherever things lead us, things are always involving in hip-hop, we trying to do all we can till we can’t no more.
B Luv: Staying healthy and keeping that battery in our back. I see us doing it, like I said, until we no longer have breath in our body. Me & A Rocking Til we can’t no more!
Any “parting” words for our readers?
AJ Rok: Again, to all the fans we appreciate you keeping our name alive all these years.
B Luv: Absolutely, we wouldn’t still be here without the fans; we love all of you…May The Force Be With You!
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