Jason Winfree (born March 22, 1973), professionally known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Haystak is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

from

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

Early life

Jason Winfree was born to teenage parents in

Trenton, Tennessee Trenton is the county seat and fourth largest city of Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,264 at the 2010 census, down from 4,683 in 2000. History Trenton was established in 1824 as a county seat for the newly-created ...

, outside of Nashville and was raised by his grandparents. At the age of 15, he was arrested and convicted for bringing

Valium Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, a ...

and

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...

to school. He served two years and when he was released began a music career. He rapped about his life as so-called "

white trash White trash is a derogatory racial and class-related slur used in American English to refer to poor white people, especially in the rural southern United States. The label signifies a social class inside the white population and especially a ...

", exploring the social dimensions of being white and underprivileged in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

Career

In the late 1990s, he signed with a local rap label, Street Flavor, and began a business relationship with producers Kevin Grisham and Sonny Paradise. The partnership resulted in ''

Mak Million Mak Million is the debut album of Haystak Jason Winfree (born March 22, 1973), professionally known by his stage name Haystak is an American rapper from Nashville, Tennessee Early life Jason Winfree was born to teenage parents in Trenton, Ten ...

'', Haystak's 1998 debut album, followed two years later by ''

Car Fulla White Boys ''Car Fulla White Boys'' is the second solo studio album by American rapper Haystak. It was released on July 20, 2000 via Street Flava Records and Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at Street Flavor Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennes ...

''. By this point Haystak had garnered a substantial regional following, and underground hardcore rap publication ''Murder Dog'' began promoting his work. The attention attracted the label

Koch Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...

, who signed Haystak and re-released ''

'' in late summer 2000. Two years later, Koch released Haystak's third album, ''

The Natural ''The Natural'' is a 1952 novel about baseball by Bernard Malamud, and is his debut novel. The story follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked after being shot by a woman whose motivation remains mysterious. The story mo ...

''. Haystak released his latest solo album entitled ''

Easy 2 Hate ''Easy 2 Hate'' is a full-length 2-disc album released by Haystak Jason Winfree (born March 22, 1973), professionally known by his stage name Haystak is an American rapper from Nashville, Tennessee Early life Jason Winfree was born to teenage ...

'' on November 30, 2010 through Haystak, Inc. Haystak is divorced and has two children. In addition to rap music, he has been featured on film ''

Hustle & Flow ''Hustle & Flow'' is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton and Stephanie Allain. It stars Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper. It ...

'' where he played the DJ named Mickey. Haystak collaborated with fellow Nashville native

JellyRoll Jason DeFord (born December 4, 1984), known professionally as Jelly Roll (sometimes written as JellyRoll), is an American rapper and country singer known for his collaborations with Lil Wyte, Struggle Jennings, Yelawolf, Tech N9ne, and Ryan ...

on the albums '' Strictly Business'' in 2011 and its sequel '' Business As Usual'' in 2013. In June 2018, Statik G signed Haystak to his record label RhymeSick for a 5 year deal and immediately booked several national tours for the rest of the year into 2019.

Legal issues

In 2006, Haystak was charged and convicted of sexual assault. He was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days of supervised probation. In May 2014, he was arrested on domestic violence charges. In December, was arrested for intent to commit sexual abuse during a concert in Iowa and the jury found him not guilty after reviewing video footage from the concert. The accuser, who is also an independent artist, has since admitted he was innocent and performed on stage with him in 2019 in Nebraska.

Discography

Studio albums

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1973 births Living people Rappers from Tennessee 21st-century American rappers People from Lebanon, Tennessee