Meet Lonjevity J.E.V.I PE$CI

Lonjevity, we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Yes, thank you for having me. From the moment I came into this world I have been overcoming odds. My mom likes to brag about the day I was born of how she did an eight ball of cocaine in the bathroom of the hospital room & how I’m a “miracle baby” because of how much drugs she was on at the time of my birth (remember this was the 80’s) & because i was the first child born of 13 failed pregnancies. Despite all the drugs in my system there was actually very little wrong with me despite a few allergies which was astronomical considering i was a medical labeled “crack baby”. She claims I was born for a reason & jokingly believes that i am a modern prophet reincarnated detailing the story of the world helping others advance through art & poetry with an uncanny ability to predict future events and also later tested to solidify a 186 IQ which is questionable.

Yes my mother has struggled with addiction throughout my life & yes it has affected me like anyone else who can relate. I grew up unwillingly getting high off second hand substance smoke, up all night while various people “cooked” crack on our roach infested kitchen stove at not one but many different homes we moved around to or were evicted from. I remember the burning chemical smell that traumatized my youth in some instances looking back now realizing as a child I was high from second hand smoke, but at the time i didn’t see night terrors or falling down wooden steps breaking my nose or diving off furniture head first or making the local newspapers from getting brutally attacked by stray dogs, or slicing my wrists with a large peice of glass amongst other incidents were just some of the many occurrences resulting from second hand drug related issues. Raised catholic taught us suicide would “send us straight to hell to burn for eternity” so I couldn’t kill my self although attempting many times resulting in police, mental hospitals, straight jackets hospitals & cells that never ended well. I have witnessed first hand that side & know now not to even speak the word “suicide” in front of anyone or risk a minimum 72 hour hold. Before medical advances being diagnosed an ACOA (adult child of an addict / alcoholic) i am content & self aware through years of mental rehabilitation and forgiveness but not before many challenging years of hardships witnessing addiction tear my family apart. Watching how it affected loved ones was the hardest part. My brother Philosophy clinging for life in an incubator for months after birth and later battling a similar lifelong addiction due to our mother giving him a crackpipe one night when he was out of weed & our youngest brother Zachary given up for adoption at birth due to her addiction & lack of stability only through divine intervention to reconnect 38 years later having dealt with similar issues. As the oldest I was held accountable for more responsibility like paying bills & supplying her drugs not because she made me by threatening me as usual but because I was tired of seeing her coming home bloody and beaten from being robbed on multiple occasions in attempt to get drugs on the streets which was a case of choosing the better poison. So in turn I unwillingly became a dealer but it was better than risking her life getting it from somewhere else and also a source of income to keep the household afloat. At times of desperation she would intentionally call the cops on me or steal from me if I wouldn’t get her drugs, or worse make me watch her cut her wrists or take a whole bottle of pills with a handle gallon of vodka as a cry for help. I saved her life many times and sadly sometimes i wonder what if I hadn’t would it have been better? NO. I was diagnosed with asthma, ADD, PTSD, depression & anxiety at an early age and was put on a regimen of pills including zanax thorazine adderall and prozac amongst others before they were considered controlled substances or before mental health was a thing trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Growing up dealing with my mom’s addiction i never wanted to be an addict and even to this day refuse to abuse any substances.

Our lifestyle was masked only for brief periods of time until it continuously overflowed into our personal lives being expelled from the same art school that inducted me for my talents after being arrested on school property for selling drugs to students and fighting I dropped out in 10th grade but went back on my own recognizance and got my GED years later. In & out of government facilities losing friends to overdoses and violence became overwhelming in years that followed I persevered & maintained coping mechanisms through sharing my story with others and making music as an outlet that developed a love for hip hop which I feel may have saved my life. I do not blame her for her decisions or anything that has transpired resulting in present day circumstances other than appreciating her for going through what she went through to have me and the decisions she made wrong or right for making me the strong individual I am today. I love my mom & am grateful she is still alive today. Although I am plagued with mental health issues, I have adapted to coping with them organically (drug free) & remain optimistic with hope to be an advocate in telling my story & helping others going through a similar experience. We don’t know what we’re going through until after it has happened in retrospect we don’t realize how strong we are until being strong is the only option we have. It’s not about how many times we’re knocked down but how many times we get back up that defines us. Learning how to get back up repeatedly is an acquired skill that unfortunately takes practice. Being resilient & having the pure will to want to live a better life coming from poverty and pain created the willpower that drives us to do whatever It takes to change. Its almost like a super power, when pushed to certain limitations some humans have the ability to unlock & access unprecedented mental willpower as a survival mechanism.

Awareness & communication is key, the more you communicate & are aware of your mental health, the more you can make proper decisions based on your situations prior to moving forward, a support system is highly recommended but not necessary. I battle mental health naturally on a daily basis coming from a time when noone knew what mental health was or was looked down upon. Which is sometimes crippling with no supplements but I am at peace knowing i will always have to work at to overcome it. I am ok with constant learning & growth, realizing as our minds grow older they become stronger but also more vulnerable to certain genetic changes. Until the day comes that i maybe forced to take medical action i continue to exercise proactive preventive measures. The best way to solve a problem is to prevent it. Communicate & reach out if you need help do not stay silent like your mind wants you to. Which is also a tip with perception so change your state of mind towards mental illness embrace it & become familiar with it knowing your triggers & symptoms experimenting with control strategies like talking to others in a similar situation can create confidence.
You can hear more about this particular part of my life translated in the songs “My Tme” and “Long Road Home”

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Kenneth Andrew Roberts but better known by my stage name Lonjevity aka J.E.V.I PE$CI an acronym for Judgement Environment Violence & Instinct, the subject of most topics I rap about, Pesci was a nickname given to me by childhood friends with other mobb movie aliases based on my stature & volatile demeanor. I am an American independent Hip Hop R&B artist, producer, engineer, singer-song writer, videographer entrepreneur, influencer owner of JEVIPESCI Productions & a Co-founder of Lvstovdavillainz music group. I am also a clothing designer, tattoo artist, a Florida state Realtor & real estate business owner.

I grew up in a low-income environment in Wilmington Delaware 20 mins South of Philadelphia surrounded by violence & drug abusive conditions as an adult child of alcoholism & struggling addictions. I was Inspired by the creativity of the culture at an early age & began using hip hop as an escape to express emotions as a therapeutic outlet. Before the rise of technology, I was a B-boy fascinated with breakdancing, graffiti art & expressive poetry. I began practicing & performing live showcases & selling CDs on street corners while mastering all four elements of the culture, including break dancing, DJing, graffiti, & emceeing. Because of this, I was accepted into Cab Calloway School of the arts in Wilmington, Delaware majoring in art with a minor In dance, teaching after-school breakdancing classes. I was expelled after being caught selling drugs on school property in order to support myself & family. I dropped out in 11th grade & continued to hustle throughout my late teens & early twenties to survive resulting in multiple incarcerations becoming a 4 time convicted felon which made career opportunities challenging.

After much hardship, sacrifice, perseverance & determination I made a dedicated decision to ultimately change my life’s destined direction & pursue redemption through my talents essentially taking the necessary steps to recieving a full pardon in 2019.
To cope while battling the systematic afflictions of a convicted felon in society I invested time exercising the artform & expanding my experience. I didn’t have the financial means to go to school or afford the best equipment so I learned everything on my own with whatever I could save enough money to afford. I’ve always written poetry so I taught myself music engineering how to record mix master songs & video editing.

Years later I have since been featured on worldwide mixtapes, global Satellite radios, local newspapers, magazine articles & have notable mentions across various renowned platforms establishing myself as a serious artist. I just released my third full length independent album “Judgement Environment Violence Instinct 2” available on all platforms and excited to release my fourth album J.E.V.I 3 this year featuring some of the hiphop artists that inspire me today & some that have influenced me growing up.

I also recently started a home rehab investment business KAR Real Estate Group with my wife of 14 years another way to give back to the communities & provide housing for low income families which is a dream come true considering I was one of them.
While still struggling with mental health I am oftentimes not as public as I feel I should be as my affliction prevents me from being so which is a constant battle but am persistent at the war within. Continuously breaking barriers and striving for a better future in attempts to spread hope & create inspiration for those in similar circumstances.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Well, before I made the fateful decision of dedication to break the cycle of generational drug addiction & recidivism I would say I’d probably be incarcerated or deceased but since then I changed my life’s course & disciplined myself on becoming a cycle breaker to inspire, teach & encourage others in similar situations. I am a man of many “legal” hustle’s my wife says. I am an artist I own & operate my own production company called JEVIPESCI PRODUCTIONS which is an independent hip hop company specializing in musical artist talent services including recording, videography, engineering, promotion, marketing, & distribution. Founded in 2018, it was created as an outlet for assisting independent artists by providing opportunities to create & share their music with the world based in Orlando Florida. I also enjoy giving less fortunate talented artists the chance to have creative freedom to operate without funding from outside major record labels. Being self-made & self-taught, I wanted to give back by presenting opportunities that weren’t available to me, mainly for struggling artists in similar situations to mine. I am proud of the fact that although the universe wanted me to give up many times, I never did.

If I could give any advice, it would be to never give up on something that you love or use as positive therapy & make mistakes to learn from. I use my afflictions & adversity as motivation to create more. Designing my brand, I began my clothing line in 2021 for #Jevipesciproductions & #Lvstovdavillainz through various merchandising companies.” I am an artist at heart so i also enjoy painting which you can find on my Etsy shop called “Stashhowse” original acrylic paintings, crafts & artwork. In 2021 I became a licensed Florida Realtor ® NAR member & owner of a Florida real estate business to also help families & investors find their dream homes or properties, accomplishing another way to give back something I never had.  The difference is I do this all with the same passion that influenced me towards helping & inspiring others. To pay it forward & carry on tradition brings me joy. Primarily focused on customary perspectives & values I have for life, not the money like everyone else. The purpose of building relationships helping families & artists while preserving an elemental culture by providing outlets I’ve worked hard to be able to offer & supply in order to advance a positive lifestyle forward throughout generations to come is my ideology. I am also a tattoo artist & have been doing tattoos for 12 years in my spare time so i enjoy expressing myself creatively through multiple forms of art.

In an ever evolving atmosphere of technology advancement picture you are an ant within a million colonies. Everyone with a device is creating content. I am older now so I had the privilege of seeing the evolution first hand from the first cellphones with landlines to smartphones tube computers with greenscreens to laptops & ipads listening devices like vinyl records to cassette’s CDs & ipods to streaming platforms etc. Its been overwhelming at times but fascinating adaptating & I’m grateful it makes us more resilient & convenient.

Being self taught finding how to utilize different tools to create i thought was most challenging but after utilizing & mastering what you’ve got surprisingly comes the harder part they didn’t tell you is marketing & promotion. Even before technology where it was more difficult to reach an audience 2pac once said “if i put out a hundred songs someone’s bound to like one” that ideology worked then & still does today. Same with Lil Wayne in the 2000s being consistent putting out alot of product & never giving up is reliable. Yes quality over quantity is great but in an ant colony, with quantity will come quality. The more you see someone’s face, name, brand or logo the more it comes to mind. Like politicians with signs every five feet, the more you see or hear the same thing over & over the more it gets stuck in your head, right? Its funny how the human mind works but it’s basic psychology that’s why radio DJ’s get paid to keep playing the same songs on repeat even if you hate the song when you first hear it by the end of the summer you’re singing it & retain certain memories when hearing it in the future.

Back in the 2000s you would get a different response from me but now I would say utilize all social media platforms even ones you won’t normally use. Put your story, face, name, brand, logo & sound everywhere thats available to you consistently. Because you never know how many people you can help or who’s life you will change in doing so, like a butterfly effect. If you do this right it can be rewarding. Now the tough news is most all major artists even your favorite independent artists pay for streams views followers subscribers verification radioplay marketing promotion. I know it’s sad… the exact opposite of what the culture originally stands for & represents “a voice for the voiceless” more like a voice for the one’s with the most money, not the most talent. You can blame it on big business industries who saw opportunity in manipulating a culture for their benefit & transforming it into what Hiphop has become today. I have always done this for therapeutic reasons & will always continue to do so but for those of you who are in it for the money you will have to spend money to make money period.

The way I’ve trained myself to think is to prepare for adversity daily. If I DON’T make mistakes something is wrong because i am not learning, If I can’t learn than I can’t evolve. Challenge your mindset to think this way & you will be courageous confident constantly positive & productive.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
They say behind every strong man is a stronger woman and its true. I’d like to give a shout out to my wife Ashley Roberts and her family who have been my support system through some of the toughest times in my life, for them I am eternally grateful. Ashley who’s been my rock riding by my side since day one in 2009 supporting my talent throughout our relationship which i talk about in many songs such as “Only if they knew about us” “Callin’ U” “Love like drugz” and newly released “Ryde Witta G” & “U & I” I am grateful & so appreciative to have a friend & companion that loves me for who I am despite my afflictions & supports my creativity which I can only imagine is unbelievably challenging at times I truly don’t know where I’d be without her because noone ever supported my talents the way she does. Honestly thank you to all of the people who ever told me no or kicked me when I was down, because they made me stronger & helped me become who I am today. Lastly a big shout out to you all at The Voyager & everyone that listens & supports my music, this craft & creative culture giving upcoming artists opportunities that might not be given elsewhere i am grateful for you all!