His Ghanaian grandfather Joseph Ghartey was a poet and playwright who managed Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) for many years, and his grandmother Sabina Hope was an established singer and musician.
He returned to the United States to finish high school in Brooklyn, NY, and later attended college in Boston.
Settling in New York he worked as a singer, songwriter, arranger and producer in partnership with his brother Joseph "Joe" Ghartey.
Ghartey recently described his style as smoothly transitioning between R&B, Hip Hop, Highlife, Hiplife but with a universal sound and appeal.
Though popular in his homeland Ghana, Jay has attracted hundreds of thousands of fans all over the world with his universal sound and appeal.
He announced his intention to build two similar schools in Winneba and Cape Coast, that he describes as his ancestral hometowns.