Jitta On The Track Leaves The Woods Of Connecticut To Make It Big With Drake

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If there’s one thing about Jordan Devin — the hip hop artist known as Jitta On The Track — it’s that he remembers where he is from. Citing lumberjacks as an influence is more than paying homage to Notorious B.I.G.’s hit Juicy, but an actual call out to his beloved home, the woods of New England.

“I lived in Maine for a year, and the town mascot was Paul Bunyan,” Devin says during an interview from the road. “I always liked Paul Bunyan as a little kid, so I keep that theme.”

A Paul Bunyan motif sounds as out of the ordinary as the thought of a rapper from Connecticut, a state better known for yachts and insurance than hip hop. But that’s just fine for the up and coming star from Southington. He says he rocks to the beat of his own mix.

Devin has found himself on Drake’s “Club Paradise” tour thanks to a contest sponsored by OurStage.com and the Real Hip Hop Network. The 2010 Southington High School graduate beat more than 1,400 other artists in the nationwide battle of emcees.

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Jitta On The Track is now the opening act on 20 dates of the tour, including a stop at Hartford’s Comcast Theatre on June 11. Jitta is also traveling in a customized bus, and will be the subject of a tour documentary.

The contest had other fringe benefits: days after winning, the 20-year-old signed on with DAS Communication, the management team behind Meat Loaf, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, and Ke$ha. The promise of a major record deal is just over the horizon.

For Jitta, the dream of the red-and-black lumberjack is a part of who he is. After spending his youth in Connecticut, Jordan Devin went through his formative years near Daytona, Fla. It was there, surrounded by the “dirty south” style of hip hop, that Mackenzie realized his musical identity was home in Connecticut rather than the south.

Listen to Jitta On The Track’s Mixtape ‘I’ll Be Right Back’:

“When I first started rapping, everybody’s talking about guns and this and that. That’s not where I’m really at,” Jitta says. “I’m not like a gangster or anything like that. I’m just a chilled back, bonfire and party type of kid.”

“I always felt like an outcast,” he says. “I knew I had to get back to the woods.”

As opposed to the southern brand of rapping, Jitta On The Track’s style is more on par with the old school New York style, weaving lyrics over old motown and soul samples. Jitta credits his uncle, a Meriden rapper known as ‘Mike Nice,’ with first exposing him to the art.

“When I was young he used to bring me to the studio,” Jitta said. “I got to just watch what he did, and I just kind of picked it up from there.”

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‘Jit,’ southern slang for a little man, was a term of endearment for the 6′ 2” artist. That nickname evolved into ‘Jitta,’ and the second part of his name is as much respecting his roots as drawing attention.

“I wanted to make it an old school vibe and something that sticks out,” he said, “So I put ‘On The Track’ after it. It’s a long name, and people won’t forget when I say it.”

In keeping true to himself and his roots, Jitta On The Track shows off his love for the Nutmeg state on almost every song, not the least of which is ‘Connecticut Girls.’ The club style banger gives hype to the ladies of UConn and the Connecticut State University schools, and has received airplay locally on 93.7 FM and at area clubs.

Saying the first leg of tour was a amazing experience, the chaotic pace of stardom also left Jitta On The Track with one simple goal when he returns to the woods he loves.

“The first place I’ll probably go is to my house, so I can sleep in my bed. I miss my bed.”

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JITTA ON THE TRACK is part of Drake’s Paradise Tour/ Hot Jam 2012 tour, Monday, June 11, at the Comcast Theatre, 61 Savitt Way, Hartford. J. Cole, Waka Flocka Flame, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz and French Montana are also on the bill. Tickets are $45 to $260. Information: 860-548-7370 and www.livenation.com.