Jewell Caples (June 12, 1968 – May 6, 2022), better known as Jewell (), was an American
contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music.
The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhy ...
singer best known for her work with
Death Row Records
Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ...
in the early 1990s. She was called the "First Lady of Death Row Records".
Career
From 1992 to 1997, Jewell provided vocals on albums from various Death Row artists such as
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...
,
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
, and
2Pac
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
, in addition to motion picture soundtracks produced by the label. Her biggest solo success was her 1994 cover of
Shirley Brown's song "
Woman to Woman", which peaked at #72 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
''
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
and #16 on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart.
Jewell was among many artists who departed Death Row between 1998 and 1999 due to financial and legal issues involving CEO
Suge Knight,
and her singing career wound down in the 2000s. In October 2011, she published the memoir ''My Blood My Sweat My Tears'', in which she claimed that her past association with Knight prevented her from gaining another recording deal.
An accompanying soundtrack to the book was released.
Health issues and death
Caples was hospitalized in 2019 after she stopped breathing and collapsed while shopping at a
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
, with the cause not made public.
In an October 2021 interview, she said that she was given six months to live, and hurried to release her final album, ''Love + Pain = Musik'', as a result.
Caples was hospitalized twice in March 2022 due to a self-described "lung injury illness", during which she had eight pounds of fluid removed from her heart, legs and lungs.
She died at age 53 on May 6, 2022.
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
References
External links
*
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1968 births
2022 deaths
Singers from Chicago
Death Row Records artists
American hip hop singers
20th-century African-American women singers
21st-century African-American women singers
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