Letta J, the Founder & CEO of Coexist Gaming joined HOT 97 and talked bridging the gap between music and gaming. She also talked her musical upbringing, creating the viral “Not Like Us” video game and more.
Jaye was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Both her parents being pastors, Jaye grew up singing in church and eventually became the youngest member of the Grammy Award winning Potter’s house choir.
The Texas native has been nominated for two Grammy’s including Best Gospel Album and Best Urban Contemporary Album. Jaye describes herself as a “multifaceted, neurodivergent person, yearning for meaningful, significant connections.”
Jaye’s Journey In Gaming:
Another love for the artist is gaming. She says she’s “been playing video games” since she was four years old. Which inspired the creation of the Coexist Gaming. “I always say, if you don’t like the world that you live in, it may be because you were meant to build a new one. I was inspired to create Coexist Gaming because I understood the need for inclusion, in yet another white male dominated industry” she expressed.
She continued: “I also knew how important representation was. If you can’t see it, [you feel like] you can’t be it. While we are an inclusive brand and have a very diverse community, I wanted to highlight and prioritize the needs of people of color and women specifically by building safe spaces, providing access and creating opportunities for those people. The gaming industry is the largest entertainment industry in the world; bigger than music, film and traditional sports, combined. There was an opportunity for us to tap in, and finally leverage big business not just as consumers, but as the creators of the IP.”
Not Like Us Video Game:
At Coexist Gaming is where the infamous “Not Like Us” video game was created. The game was developed by Richie Branson and allows players take control of Lamar while swinging a bat at an owl. “When we say we are highlighting the intersection of where pop culture and gaming coexist, this is an example of what it looks like. When we say, we are building the worlds and bridging the gap between creators and gamers, this is what we mean. Big ups to our team of #avengers who are here for the mission, the impact and the vibes” writes the Coexist Gaming Instagram account.
“This game is a free love letter to video games and hip-hop,” Branson writes following the release of the game. He describes himself as a “just a random brotha who designed games for Bleacher Report and worked for Epic Games as a game designer on a little game called Fortnite.”
Jaye is proud of the space she was able to create at Coexist Gaming and all of its many accomplishments thus far. “I am really excited that we have accomplished some really celebratory feats. We hosted the NBA 2K draft at our flagship location. We have built hundreds of video games, placed music in several games. Several of our members have received million-dollar publishing deals with big publishers, they received jobs with studios and formed their own. We have hosted internships, and provided jobs for 100s of people. Even record deals have been secured because we have had over 5000 thousand artists perform on our stages.”
When it comes to the future of Coexist Gaming, Jaye says she “envisions gaming revolutionizing the way businesses and consumers coexist across the globe, and am excited to be trailblazing those paths through the tech we are building. Because it is important that we continue creating safe spaces that will incubate talent and produce valuable content that will continue to amplify voices across the world, we will be opening up multiple locations throughout the country and internationally.”