Jenn Carter is one of the most visible faces of Brooklyn’s new wave, but her rise didn’t happen the way one imagined. While 41 exploded onto the Internet with records like “Notti Bop,” Carter said the band always believed their impact was more important than the drill moment that first introduced them to the world. Now, as the band prepares to release its long-awaited debut album, Area 41, Carter is reflecting on the journey from community notoriety to national recognition.
In this candid chat with SlopsShotYa at WonWorld Studios, Carter breaks down 41’s established chemistry long before rap, why early hits like “Deuce” and “Bent” were born almost by accident, and how the band deliberately distanced themselves from the controversy that initially surrounded their rise. The Brooklyn rapper also explains why she prefers making party records over diss songs, why female listeners are driving the flow of modern hip-hop, and how experimenting with Jersey club beats helped 41 push Drill into new territory.
Along the way, Carter talks about personal loss, the hardships behind viral success, and the mindset that keeps her focused as “41” enters its biggest chapter yet.
AllHipHop: The best improv, the best looks. I got a haircut, I’m not going to lie. Call your barber out.
Jenn Carter: Yo, I’m not gonna lie. Shout out to Drake. Drake’s going to cut it for me, you know. This is my current hairdresser.
AllHipHop: This is interesting. What’s wrong with you?
Jen Carter: I’ve been fine. Life is wonderful. The album is about to be withdrawn.
AllHipHop: I’m looking forward to it.
Jenn Carter: No, we’re working on a group album. 41 finally released its debut album. I can’t wait. I won’t lie. Fans have been waiting.
AllHipHop: Is it any different now that you’re both in album mode? How is it different from what you did before?
Jenn Carter: I feel like right now I’m really more focused on the studio and not just rapping. I realized that being an artist and perfecting your craft is more than just rapping to a beat. It includes mixing and mastering, sample cleanup, and more. We went back and forth on the label, but we finally got it done. I won’t lie. We have brought success to them.
AllHipHop: I’m proud to be from Brooklyn. But I’m older, so my 41st joint is the “Notti Bop.” Then I found out you guys had songs before that. But “Notti Bop” hits the algorithm, and you don’t just stop there. You all went back to training and then incorporated the jersey clubs into it. Did you know you can get good results in addition to training in Brooklyn?
Jenn Carter: One thing about all of us, me, TaTa, Kyle Rich, Dee Billz, J Gelato, all 41 of us, even from the beginning, we all knew we could rap. The drill bit just popped out at that time. “Rest in Peace Pop Smoke” was really the two songs that were about to hit the mainstream while Kay Flock was in prison. So we knew we could rap, but we used the practice to rap about what was happening in our environment as a way of getting our point across.
AllHipHop: So you know from rip, like, us artists first.
Jen Carter: That’s true. We knew from the jump that this wasn’t just a drill. We are more than just drill artists. We knew we were artists from the beginning. Even Tata is not a drill artist. He started with Auto-Tune. He said, “Man, I’m not rapping. Autotune is my thing.” And then he was here with us and the music was so energetic. He does have energy.
AllHipHop: Now you all have plaques to support it.
Jenn Carter: Now we have gold, platinum. I won’t lie. BET Nominated. all the best.
AllHipHop: Which song surprised you the most, like “I can’t believe this song is gone”?
Jenn Carter: Early on, “Deuce.” Because at that time I was not used to listening to songs first. It was indeed KR who invited me to the studio. I was literally playing with the instrument before I even stepped into the booth. I used to play piano. I used to play trumpet. I’ve always loved music and making music in some way, but I never thought it would be rap.
AllHipHop: So when did “Deuce” become a hit?
Jenn Carter: I was like, damn. We walked into the stall and it took 15, 30 minutes to finish. It was really like a freestyle. I had no idea it would get so crazy.
AllHipHop: Wait. Is that freestyle?
Jane Carter: Yes. For the first time I didn’t write poetry. I went in. I was in a store and there were little guys on it. I have no water. That’s what I think. It’s like the worst thing that’s ever happened to New York.
AllHipHop: This song also became popular during the call part. At that point everyone was like, “Okay, Jen Carter…” Now, when do you recalibrate and say, “We have to take the hot part seriously”? Because you’re one of the few people I can play in clubs, I can play you at block parties, I can play “Bent,” “Deuce,” “Presidential” around the ladies. I don’t want to be thought of as crazy.
Jenn Carter: A lot of people don’t know this, but it’s still early days. Around “Notti Bop”. “Notti Bop” dropped and we didn’t expect it to get so crazy. We just pop up in the hood. When this happened, we realized, it wasn’t worth it. This is not something we want to be known for. So we started changing that very early on. We want to show people that we don’t have to do this to become popular. That’s where “Bent,” “Deuce,” and all the party records came in, because we were really just having fun in the studio. The chemistry is there. You live and learn.
AllHipHop: It’s maturity and responsibility. Now, is the debate over?
Jenn Carter: For me, I really have to say no. I can’t speak for anyone, but to me, it’s just so weird. I’ve never felt comfortable putting people’s names in songs because I knew my potential. I know how far a song can go. No one wants to hear that all day long. People want to hear authentic pop music. If you want a diss, make it a bop. But personally, I’d rather go the female way, the party way, and be successful. Even if it is a happy song, a sad song, everything should not always be surrounded by negative things.
AllHipHop: Do you think your demographic feels this way?
Jenn Carter: Being a woman drove a lot of music. A lot of women don’t want to hear things they don’t even understand half the time. They want to hear about owning a Chanel bag, becoming beautiful, and feeling uplifted. Nowadays, that really brings traffic. Contempt can only go so far.
AllHipHop: Can we expect a solo project from 41?
Jenn Carter: A solo project is definitely coming, but we are 100% focused on the debut album. All is one and one is all. We get bigger, each of us gets bigger. We might as well give the fans what they want. Their requests remain unpublished for the longest time. We were about to feed them and we kept holding them unreleased.
AllHipHop: What’s the title?
Jenn Carter: District 41. I won’t lie. It will really go down soon. Don’t say too much.
AllHipHop: How did the group come to be?
Jenn Carter: Really early on, before music. I knew KR before music. I knew Diels before music. I knew Gelato before music. TaTa and Dbo know each other. This prompted KR to take TaTa with him. We’re hanging during the quarantine pandemic. Everyone was out of school and I was in my junior year of college. Didn’t graduate. I was like, damn, what am I going to do? I’m trying to make money. I don’t want a 9 to 5 job. There’s nothing wrong with working 9 to 5. But I always wanted to be my own boss. That’s what rap is like. It becomes a hobby and then it goes away.
AllHipHop: Did you expect it to click so quickly?
Jenn Carter: Anyone from Brooklyn, our generation knows that before we were 41, we were popular on Facebook. We didn’t rap, we didn’t do anything, we just got a thousand likes on a photo. We use this to our advantage. We moved to Instagram and we were seen as real rappers. It’s a different lifestyle on Instagram. Everything went smoothly. Our aesthetic as a group attracts more people. I’m glad it all happened for one person, for everyone, to this day.
AllHipHop: It’s been ten years since I discovered Brooklyn Driller. Do you think drills are dying?
Jenn Carter: I don’t think practice is a dying genre. People grow from training. Drill rappers, as they get older, will say, “This is so weird.” But unfortunately, there’s still black-on-black crime in the environment, and drill is a way for people to express that. It may not be as big as it once was, but it’s not over yet. New people create different types of exercises every day. And drill bits aren’t always dismissive, either. Cash Cobain extended it to sexy diamonds. Another example of how a drill never dies.
AllHipHop: But I’m talking about the sound. You all implemented the Jersey Club sound and it lasted longer. Whose idea was that?
Jenn Carter: K and I were locked in the studio early on. When we hear a beat that we know is a hit, we look at each other. This is what happened to “Deuce” and “Bent”. Once we hit the beat and we danced non-stop for five minutes before rapping, we knew it was made for a party. “Bend,” we danced for probably 20 minutes. Shout out to MC Vert, slow down. This is a new Jersey drill that is a reducer for the Brooklyn drill.
AllHipHop: “The President” looks like you all knew it was going to go away.
Jen Carter: Shout out to black boy Max. One day, he picked up the rhythm. I went in first again. It took me about 30 seconds to complete. We were back to back. The editing is crazy all over the place. Suits are everywhere.
AllHipHop: How has life changed since it took off?
Jenn Carter: The biggest change is money. But my journey has helped me overcome many of the problems I’ve faced in the past. It brought closure to me. It makes me feel that all this is not without reason. Losing my dad in quarantine has devastated me. This was before I started rapping. That same year I started rapping and it started taking off. I thank God every day and realize how lucky I am. It could always be worse. A lot of people would like to be in my position. This is what I spend every day doing.
AllHipHop: And with that comes the hate.
Jenn Carter: People won’t understand you. It doesn’t matter. More people get to know you. My fans can relate because they watch my live streams and they understand the stories in my songs. There is a story behind everything.
AllHipHop: Do you have a name for your fan base?
Jenkat: Not yet. They tried to work with Turtle Tinker, but I wasn’t cheating. They tried to say that my Wi-Fi signal was not good during the live broadcast. I’m not robbing. But I still agreed now. My Twitch profile picture is a turtle with my avatar on it.
AllHipHop: How serious are you about streaming?
Jen Carter: I tried. But while you’re still struggling, the hunger is elsewhere. There’s no way I could spend two to four hours a day. Sometimes I come home very tired. I have been out all day and come home after watching a show. If I had time I would stick with it for another hour. But being consistent every day, that’s not who I am now. However, I do enjoy live streaming because I am who I am.
AllHipHop: Do you think live streaming is necessary for artists to be successful these days?
Jenn Carter: No. Streaming isn’t for everyone. Some people have commitment and talent but no personality. Some people have personality but no commitment. You don’t have to stream. These are two different categories, two different lifestyles.
AllHipHop: The no editing part is crazy to me. Anything can happen.
Jenn Carter: Streaming is real life. The smoke alarm is going off and I need to change the batteries, little bastard. But it’s authentic. The Clippers will do it for you. They’ll slap on the worst possible headline and do it for you.
AllHipHop: Who’s next? Because you are not “next,” you are all here.
Jenn Carter: How could I not say Zeddy Will? He’s been running. The run isn’t over yet. When he abandons the plan, people will know what happened. DTB works too. I often listen to my brother. I like people because I understand their music better. Really bad for me.
AllHipHop: We have to do this. The top five are dead or alive.
Jen Carter: Pop Smoke. PnB rock. I gotta put Drake in there. Tupac. 50 cents
AllHipHop: Honorable Mention, Women.
Jen Carter: Nicki Minaj. Nicky is still the GOAT. Nothing she says will mess up the fact that the work is already there.
AllHipHop: When will Area 41 drop?
Jenkat: Soon. coming soon. This time it’s true. April. The fourth month. That’s what I say the most.
