Jay IDK is a rapper who has been on our radar for some time now. The young emcee established himself as a force to be reckoned with all the way back in 2014 with his debut mixtape Sex, Drugs and Homework, and he has had our attention ever since. Now, however, comes a big change. A big one.

It's time to say goodbye to Jay IDK and hello to simply 'IDK.' In addition to a brand new moniker, IDK has undergone a serious switch-up in his aesthetic, one making its exclusive debut right here on Highsnobiety. We also caught up with IDK for a chat to discuss his rapid evolution, get his thoughts below.

So first and foremost, why the name change? Was there something in particular or a specific moment where the idea hit you?

Originally, when I first created my name behind bars, it was always supposed to just be IDK. It wasn't until I got out that people adopted the "Jay" and added that in. For me IDK is just taking things back to the root of what I created years ago.

And the aesthetic as well, tell us a bit about your new look and what inspired it.

I just don't give a fuck about what people think anymore. Right now it's about what I like, and finding ways to separate myself. I've kinda always been that way. Changing my hair color or just having a different style, has been something that I've done since high school. Style is art, and I'm more of a Basquiat than a Claude Monet, you feel me? I always like to stand out and attract attention. I guess that's the Gemini in me. You're going to also see a lot of fitted hats. To me dad hats are dead... dead... sorry if you have a collection, I'm dealing with this now too. I'm constantly finding the next thing that a lot of people don't really do.

Lastly, I have to say this before I leave this subject, remember this, quote this... in 2017 a lot of people ain't really fly, they just wear expensive shit. They let the designers handle the art aspect for them and claim all the credit for being "fresh." There's nothing wrong with having help but when you act like it's all you, that's a form of plagiarism.. Ight next question.

I hear you also have a new tattoo? What is it? What does it signify to you?

HXLY stands for Hated By Others LOVED by you. This is our movement and what we believe in. I saw that fans were getting this tattoo before me, so I couldn't let them be the only ones with it, when I'm the founder of the movement. It's going to be one of many.

I understand you have an attachment to your Jordan 3's, can you tell us a bit about that?

When I was in jail I saw a photo of Ye wearing them with leather pants and a fur coat. I fell in love with them ever since. Also, I just feel like it's time for them to come back. The 3's are my second favorite Jordans next to the 4's, which I'll explain at a later time. For me the 3's go with everything! And like I said before, I like to stand out. No one is really on the 3's anymore because they haven't been re-released. It took me forever to find these. Right now I have multiple pairs of the Black Cement 3's for this reason. So when you see everyone wearing these again, just know that IDK is one of the reasons.

This may seem blunt, but, why now?

I now have a new understanding of myself. Most people won't admit this, but I am just now finding out who I really am. This is something that bothered me for years until I sat down and just said, "you know what... I'm gonna figure this out." I literally wrote my life story from beginning to current times as much as I can remember it. It helped me find so many answers... and one was the origin of my name, my style and look.

Are you into astrology? Do you think one of your planets might be in retrograde?

I'm not heavily into astrology, and I don't know what the fuck retrograde is, but fuck it... it sounds like it makes sense so yeah... retrograde time, peace.

For more of our interview features, read our chat with the chillwave icon Washed Out right here.