Jonathan Allen Burks Sr. (born October 4, 1964), better known by his stage name Jaz-O (formerly The Jaz and Big Jaz), is an American rapper and record producer. Active in the late 1980s through the 1990s, he became known in retrospect as the mentor of fellow Brooklyn rapper

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

. Burks, nicknamed "the Originator", debuted the artist on his 1986 single "

H. P. Gets Busy "H. P. Gets Busy" is a song by American hip hop group High Potent. It was released as a single in 1986. The song features the debut of Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, ...

". Burks signed with

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

to release two studio albums: '' Word to the Jaz'' (1989) and '' To Your Soul'' (1990). His debut

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP), ''The Warmup'' (2021), was the first release from Equity Distribution, a subsidiary of Jay-Z's

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an American entertainment company founded by Jay-Z in 2008. Headquartered in New York City, the company is a successor to his previous Roc-A-Fella Records label, with additional offices in Los Angeles and London. It serves as a re ...

. He has also been credited with production work for other acts including

Puff Daddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim (), is an American rapper. He is one half of Golden age hip-hop, golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, with whom he released four albums: ''Paid in Full ...

, Usual Suspects,

GZA Gary Eldridge Grice (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA ( ) and the Genius, is an American rapper. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both the first member in ...

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Cr ...

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe ...

M.O.P. M.O.P. (short for Mash Out Posse) is an American hip-hop duo composed of rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame, best known for their song " Ante Up." The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premier. The group is part of the Gang Starr Fou ...

, and

Group Home A group home, congregate living facility, care home (the latter especially in British English and Australian English), adult family home, etc., is a structured and supervised residence model that provides assisted living as well as medical car ...

, among others.

Early life

Jonathan Burks was born in the

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

borough of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and raised in

Marcy Houses The Marcy Houses, or The Marcy Projects, is a public housing complex built and operated by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and located in Bedford–Stuyvesant and is bordered by Flushing, Marcy, Nostrand and Myrtle avenues. The ...

, a housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Originally attending college to become an

accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certif ...

, he followed a friend's advice to become a rapper after hearing

Grandmaster Caz Curtis Brown (born April 18, 1960), better known by the stage names Grandmaster Caz and Casanova Fly, is an American rapper, songwriter, and DJ. He was a member of the hip hop group The Cold Crush Brothers from 1979 to the mid-1980s. He is best k ...

, and being inspired by

UTFO UTFO (an abbreviation for Untouchable Force Organization) was an American hip-hop group from Brooklyn, New York City. The group consisted of Kangol Kid (born Shaun Shiller Fequiere; August 10, 1966 – December 18, 2021), Educated Rapper (EM ...

's " Roxanne, Roxanne".

Career

Early years and signing with EMI USA

Raised in the same projects as Jay-Z, the two would meet and become friends, with Jaz-O being a rhyme mentor to Jay-Z. Sometime during the year of 1986, the two lyricists would soon form a rap group by the name of High Potent. Despite the group being short-lived, the two recorded and released several songs throughout 1986, before Jaz-O would go on to get a record deal with EMI USA. In regards to the signing, he stated:

I had been rhyming since I was 14. Do the math on your own! I became a legend on the east coast – which in the 'eighties' was quite remarkable, in about six years. I was always told I was the best most had ever heard. I put out a song in 1985 called "HP Gets Busy" on our own label (my manager at the time, Jack Walker and I), featuring two of my comrades from
Long Island, NY Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land area. The island exte ...
, and my young apprentice, Jay Z. We did shows regionally; NY and Pittsburgh mostly. Meanwhile, I was recording with friend and producer, Fresh Gordon. He helped me get a single deal on
Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Records is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Amber, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digita ...
after I collaborated on a song with him called "My
Fila Fila (; ) is a South Korean-owned athleisure brand headquartered in Seoul. The company was originally founded by Ettore and Giansevero Fila in 1911 in Coggiola, near Biella, Italy. Fila Korea acquired the brand in 2007 and launched its initial p ...
" (a response to
Run DMC Run-DMC (also formatted Run-D.M.C., RUN DMC, or some combination thereof) was an American hip-hop group formed in Hollis, Queens, New York City in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jam Master Jay, Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as ...
's, "
My Adidas "My Adidas" is the first single from Run–D.M.C.'s third album '' Raising Hell''. It is about Adidas footwear. Released in 1986, the song was written by two of the members, Joseph "DJ Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and was produced by ...
"). A mutual friend of Gordon and I, Marlon Prescott, introduced me to my soon-to-be manager at that time, Stan Poses. In four months Stan solidified a major artist deal for me, and I became the first rap artist ever to sign with EMI Records. I also became the recipient of the largest advance and recording budget of any rap artist at that time.

1989: ''Word to the Jaz''

Several months after signing with EMI USA, Jaz-O visited

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he would record his debut album. Joining him on the trip was Jay-Z, as well as future

Murder Inc Records Murder Inc. Records, LLC, also abbreviated as The Inc. Records, is an American record label founded by brothers and record executives Chris and Irv Gotti in 1999. The label's flagship artist was Ja Rule. According to Chris Gotti, Murder Inc. h ...

CEO and producer

Irv Gotti Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. (June 26, 1970 – February 5, 2025), professionally known as Irv Gotti or DJ Irv, was an American record producer and music executive. Gotti started off as a New York hip-hop DJ in the 1980s, then becoming an A&R t ...

, who was Jaz-O's DJ at the time. After completion, Jaz-O released his debut album '' Word to the Jaz.'' The album was produced by Bryan "Chuck" New, Pete Q. Harris, and Jaz-O himself. The album peaked at number 87 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart. It featured a guest appearance from

on the song "Hawaiian Sophie", which peaked at number 18 on the

Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

chart. The single "Let's Play House"/"Buss the Speaker" peaked at number 26 on the ''Billboard''

Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart. During this time, Jaz-O also made a

guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...

The O'Jays The O'Jays are an American Rhythm and blues, R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in summer 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appea ...

's " Have You Had Your Love Today", which was a single released from their 1989 album ''Serious''.

1990: ''To Your Soul''

Jaz-O released his second album '' To Your Soul'' on July 16, 1990. Despite the album not reaching the

Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ' ...

, its two singles, "The Originators" and "A Groove (This Is What U Rap 2)", peaked at No. 13 and No. 18, respectively, on the

chart. Similar to his debut album, Jay-Z was the only guest, being featured on two songs.

1991–1996: Production work behind the scenes

Sometime after the album was released, Jaz-O was dropped from his record label and began to spend time working behind the scenes as a producer. At some point, Jaz-O connected with

The Lox The Lox (stylized The LOX or The L.O.X.) is an American hip hop trio composed of East Coast rappers Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss. Each hailing from Yonkers, New York, the group formed in 1994 and signed with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Reco ...

, and produced a demo tape for the group, which would become instrumental to the start of their successful career. Fellow

Yonkers Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

native

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...

, would receive the tape from a cousin who did music with the trio. Becoming a supporter of the group, Blige would pass the demo tape on to Bad Boy CEO

Sean "Puffy" Combs Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

while on a tour with

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Dalvin DeGrate, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and K-Ci & JoJo, JoJo. Formed in 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci began as a duo of DeVanté Swing and JoJo ...

. Liking what he heard, Puff shortly signed The Lox to a deal.

1996–1998: Involvement with Jay-Z's early success

Throughout the late 1990s, Jaz-O had quite a hand in Jay-Z's early solo success. Jaz-O produced, and was featured on "

Ain't No Nigga "Ain't No Nigga" (censored as "Ain't No Playa") is the second single from American rapper Jay-Z's first album, ''Reasonable Doubt'', and is featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 film '' The Nutty Professor''. It was released on March 19, 1996. Th ...

," the second single from Jay-Z's 1996 debut album, ''

Reasonable Doubt Beyond (a) reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems. It is a higher standard of proof than the standard of balance of probabilities (US English: preponderance of ...

''. The song is cited as playing a significant role in securing Jay-Z's record with

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

."Interview With Nick Raphael"
''

HitQuarters HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...

'', 25 May 2005. Jaz-O then produced "Rap Game / Crack Game," a track that appeared on Jay's second album ''

In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 ''In My Lifetime, Vol. 1'' is the second studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 4, 1997, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart and was certified ...

'', released in 1997. Jaz-O also produced two tracks for Jay-Z's '' Streets Is Watching''. The album fared well commercially reaching #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and was released on May 12, 1998, by

Roc-A-Fella Records Roc-A-Fella Records was an American record label and music management company founded in 1994 by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Carter issued his debut album, '' Reasonable Doubt ...

and

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

. In 1999, Jaz-O appeared on Jay-Z's "

Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99) "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)" (or its edited title "Jigga What, Jigga Who (Originator 99)" for the song's title to avoid hearing the word "Nigga") is a single by rapper Jay-Z from his third album '' Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life''. It was ...

", a single that was released from Jay-Z's third album '' Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life.'' The song became a big hit in Jaz-O's career at the time. However, this would be one of the last times the two would work together on music, for their friendship soured shortly afterwards.

1999–2016: Feud with Jay-Z and forming Kingz Kounty

The long-standing feud between him and Jay-Z started when Jay-Z started

and tried to convince Jaz-O and fellow rapper

Sauce Money Todd Eric Gaither (born September 6, 1969) also known as Sauce Money, is a rapper who worked with Jay-Z in his early career. He was also featured on Big Daddy Kane's album '' Daddy's Home''; he appears on the track "Show N' Prove", alongside Sco ...

to sign with the label. They both refused. It is rumored that they did not trust Roc-A-Fella Records CEO

Damon Dash Damon Anthony Dash (born May 3, 1971) is an American entrepreneur and record executive. He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay-Z and Kareem Burke in 1994, and co-founded the fashion retailer Rocawear with the former in 1999. Early life ...

and label co-founder Kareem "Biggs" Burke. In addition, they were not satisfied with what they were to receive had they signed the contract ($300,000 in Jaz-O's case). Jay-Z confirmed this event on the song "What We Talkin' About" from the '' Blueprint 3'' album where he raps "Dame made millions, even Jaz made some scraps, he could've made more but he ain't sign his contract". Instead of signing with Roc-A-Fella Records, Jaz-O signed a deal with Rancore Records, and formed the hip-hop group Immobilarie. With the group, he released a collaboration album titled '' Jaz-O & The Immobilarie Family Present: Kingz Kounty.'' Jay-Z went on to diss Jaz first on a track titled "Fuck Jaz-O AKA Jaz Ho", released by DJ Kayslay and featuring

Freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

, Geda K,

Young Chris Christopher Francis Ries (born March 9, 1983), known professionally as Young Chris, is an American rapper. He rose to fame as one-half of the Philadelphia-based hip hop duo Young Gunz, which he formed with rapper Neef Buck in 2001. That same yea ...

, and

Memphis Bleek Malik Deshawn Cox (born June 23, 1978), known by his stage name Memphis Bleek, is an American rapper. He is best known for his affiliation with fellow New York City-based rapper Jay-Z, with Cox often described as his hype man and protégé. Cox s ...

. On the song, in which they rapped over

Styles P David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known Mononymous person, mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of East Coast hip hop group the Lox. Formed with fellow rappe ...

's "

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...

" instrumental, and later on his album '' The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse'', Jay-Z states: "I'ma let karma catch up to Jaz-O." Jaz then responded with a record titled "Ova" on a DJ Kayslay mixtape, and after the response from Jay-Z and the members of Roc-A-Fella, he released the diss record response known as "Ova Part 2" in which he raps over

N.O.R.E. Victor James Santiago Jr. (born September 6, 1977), better known by his stage name, stage names N.O.R.E. (an acronym for Nigga On the Run Eating) and Noreaga, is an American rapper, singer and podcaster. Santiago first rose to prominence as one ...

's " Nothin'" instrumental. During the long-standing feud between mentor and protégé, Jay-Z would still give Jaz-O credit for his success (while dissing him at the same time) as heard in the song "I Do It For Hip Hop" on

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...

's ''

Theater of the Mind ''Theater of the Mind'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper Ludacris. It was released in the UK on November 21, 2008, and internationally on November 24, 2008, by Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South. Ludacris calls the album "thea ...

'' album, where Jay-Z says "Shout out to Grand Master Flash and to Caz and even Jaz's bum ass". Soon after the "I Do It For Hip Hop" diss from Jay-Z, Jaz-O responded with his own diss record titled "Go Harder" which starts with Jaz-O rapping over his protege's "Brooklyn Go Hard" beat before the beat changes. In late August 2009, Jaz-O was featured on another song dissing Jay-Z, titled "Gangstas Ride" with West Coast rapper, The Game. Jaz references "Ether" with the line, "Jaz-O, stupid motherfucker, not Shawn, never been bashed on a

Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

song". The song was fueled by beef between Game and Jay-Z at the time.

2017–2020: Reunion with Jay-Z and signing with Roc Nation

In December 2017, Jaz-O and Jay-Z reunited at Jay-Z's ''4:44'' concert, seemingly ending their feud. In 2019, it was reported that the two had worked out a music deal for Jaz-O's Kingz Kounty Media Group to be distributed through

's Equity Distribution. On February 7, 2020, Jaz-O released an extended play (EP) titled '' The Warmup'', on Kingz Kounty Media Group. It was distributed by Roc Nation's Equity Distribution.

2021–present: Other ventures and releases

Jaz-O has since moved his 'Kingz Kounty Music Group" to Rival Distribution. He released "Lookin' Like", a collaboration single with

Nipsey Hussle Ermias Joseph Asghedom (born Airmiess Joseph Asghedom; August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle, was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip-hop scene in the mid-20 ...

, on July 2, 2021. The song's music video was directed by Da Inphamus Amadeuz.

Musical style

Influences

Jaz-O cites

as an early influence. Caz was the artist who made Jaz-O decide to become a rapper.

Rhyming and flow style

Jaz-O was the rapper to pioneer the triplet flow, which allows the rapper to

flow Flow may refer to: Science and technology * Fluid flow, the motion of a gas or liquid * Flow (geomorphology), a type of mass wasting or slope movement in geomorphology * Flow (mathematics), a group action of the real numbers on a set * Flow (psyc ...

far beyond sixteen syllables within the 4/4

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

, being able to add extra syllables to the sixteen multiplies the syllables into twenty-fourths, which makes a triplet of an eighth. Since the 1990s, the triplet rhyme technique has become a common distinction among some of the most respected hip-hop lyricists. Several rappers who are well known for the technique include his former apprentice

Twista Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (also known as Tung Twista), is an American rapper. He is best known for his Chopper (rap), chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastest ...

, and

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (formerly known as B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e and also referred to as simply Bone Thugs or Bone) is an American hip hop group formed in 1991 in Cleveland, Ohio. Consisting of rappers Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie ...

, as well as

Fu-Schnickens Fu-Schnickens were an American hip-hop trio from 1988 to 1995, based in Brooklyn, New York. History Fu-Schnickens was composed of Chip Fu (Roderick Roachford), Moc Fu (Joe Jones), and Pac Fu (Lennox Maturine). ''Fu'' stood for unity and ''sc ...

Spice-1 Robert Lee Greene Jr. (born July 2, 1970), better known by his stage name Spice 1 (an acronym for "Sex, Pistols, Indo, Cash and Entertainment"), is an American rapper from Hayward, California. He began releasing albums in 1991, where he gained p ...

, and

Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper and singer. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold ...

Personal life

Jaz-O was known to be a visible figure in the

Nuwaubian Nation The Nuwaubian Nation, Nuwaubian movement, or United Nuwaubian Nation () is an American religious organisation founded by Dwight York circa 1967. Since that point the group has repeatedly changed its name, as well as many of its teachings and pra ...

during the 1980s. Nuwaubian beliefs and symbolism were prominent in the earlier years of his music career, and Nuwaubian fashion influenced his wardrobe.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Word to the Jaz'' (1989) * '' To Your Soul'' (1990) * '' Kingz Kounty'' (2002) (with the Immobilarie)

Extended plays

* ''Ya Don't Stop'' (1991) * '' The Warmup'' (2020)

Singles

Production credits

Besides being an emcee, he has produced songs for several hip hop artists other than Jay-Z, including

M.O.P M.O.P. (short for Mash Out Posse) is an American hip-hop duo composed of rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame, best known for their song " Ante Up." The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premier. The group is part of the Gang Starr Foun ...

Ras Kass John R. Austin II (born September 26, 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop Supergroup (music), supergroup The Hrsmn, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is als ...

, and others.

Solo

* 1995:

– ''"4 Give My Sins"'' ,

Livin' Proof ''Livin' Proof'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop duo Group Home. It was released on November 21, 1995, through FFRR/Payday Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios in New York. Production was handled by Gang Star ...

* ``````:

– ''"In My Lifetime" (Remix)'' , In My Lifetime 12" * 1996: Jay-Z– ''"Ain't No Nigga" (featuring Foxy Brown)'' ,

The Nutty Professor (soundtrack) ''The Nutty Professor Soundtrack'' is the soundtrack to Tom Shadyac's 1996 comedy film ''The Nutty Professor''. It was released in June 1996 via Def Jam Recordings, and contained hip hop and R&B music. The album fared well on the ''Billboard'' ...

* ``````:

Stephanie Cooke Stephanie S. Cooke is a journalist who began her reporting career in 1977 at the Associated Press. In 1980 she moved to McGraw-Hill as a reporter for '' Nucleonics Week'', ''NuclearFuel'' and ''Inside N.R.C''. In 1984 she transferred to London, an ...

– "''Live W/ Yo Self''" , Tricky Presents Grassroots * ``````: Da Rahnjaz – "''Daily Basis''" , 12" * ``````:

– ''"Born 2 Kill";'' ''"World Famous";'' ''"Lifestyles of a Ghetto Child"''; ''"Born 2 Kill" (Jazz Mix)"'' ,

Firing Squad Firing may refer to: * Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination * Firemaking, the act of starting a fire * Burning; see combustion * Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms * Execution by firing squad, a method of ...

* 1997: Teflon – "''Gotta Get Ova''" , My Will * ``````:

– "''4 BKLYN/Hard Days'' , 12" * ``````:

P Diddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

– ''"I Got the Power" (featuring

)'' , No Way Out * ``````: Jay-Z– ''"Rap Game / Crack Game""'' ,

* 1998: Usual Suspects – ''"Crazy"'' ,

Streets Is Watching (soundtrack) ''Streets Is Watching'' is the soundtrack album to Abdul Malik Abbott's 1998 Streets Is Watching (film), film of the same name. It was released on May 12, 1998, via Roc-A-Fella Records/Def Jam Recordings. Production was handled by Mahogany, Jaz- ...

* ``````:

– ''"H2O Proof"'' ,

Rasassination ''Rasassination'' is the second studio album by American rapper Ras Kass. It was released on September 22, 1998 via Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at Stu's Kennel, at Audio X Recording Studios and Enterprise Recordings in Burbank ...

* ``````:

– ''"Court Is in Session"'' ,

Order in the Court ''Order in the Court'' is the fourth studio album by the American hip-hop artist and actress Queen Latifah. The album was released on June 16, 1998, by Motown Records and would be Latifah's last album with Motown. It is partly dedicated to the N ...

* 1999:

– ''"It's a Must"'' , The Master * ``````: Memphis Bleek – "''Live Life 2 tha Fullest''" ,

Thicker than Water (soundtrack) Thicker than Water may refer to: * Blood is thicker than water, a proverb Film * ''Thicker than Water'' (1935 film), a Laurel and Hardy film * ''Thicker than Water'' (1993 film), a television film * ''Thicker than Water'' (1999 film), a dram ...

* 2000: KT – "''Bang Out''" , 12" * ``````: Sauce Money – "''Chart Climbin'''" , Middle Finger U / 3 Strikes (soundtrack) * 2002:

– ''"Black Widow"'' , The Giacana Story * ``````:

– ''"Legend of the Liquid Sword"'' ,

Legend of the Liquid Sword ''Legend of the Liquid Sword'' is a 1993 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' comedy film loosely based on Gu Long's ''Chu Liuxiang'' novel series. The film was written and directed by Wong Jing and stars Aaron Kwok as the titular protagonist. The film inspired ...

References

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