J. Stalin
J. Stalin | |
---|---|
Birth name | Jovan Smith |
Born | January 25, 1983 |
Origin | Oakland, California, U.S. |
Genres | Hyphy |
Occupation(s) | Rapper, songwriter |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | SMC Recordings |
Jovan Smith (born January 25, 1983), better known by his stage name J. Stalin (also stylized as J Stalin or J-Stalin), is an American rapper from the Cypress Village housing projects in West Oakland.[1][dead link] In 2007, he signed to Zoo Entertainment Production Company run by artist Mekanix, who described his style as a variant of Hyphy known as "Go".[2]
Biography
J. Stalin was born into poverty and earned money as a child by selling candy bars on the BART trains. Around age 16, he began recording and selling rap music.[3] As a youth he sold drugs in his local housing projects and spent eleven months on parole for drug dealing.[1]
Musical career
Although young and boyish-looking, J-Stalin adopted a tough rapper persona.
J. Stalin's first widely released performances arose when a DJ Daryl, a local
Discography
Albums, mixtapes, collaborations, compilations
- 2006: J Stalin & The Mekanix - On Behalf Of The Streets
- 2008: Gas Nation
- 2009: J Stalin & Guce - Giants & Elephants
- 2010: Prenuptial Agreement
- 2012: Memoirs Of A Curb Server
- 2013: J Stalin & DJ.Fresh - Miracle & Nightmare On 10th Street(Deluxe Edition)
- 2021: Wired In 3
- 2021: Early Morning Shift 4
- 2021: Diesel Therapy 3
- 2021: On Behalf Of The Streets 3
- 2022: J Stalin & DJ.Fresh - The Real World 6
References
- ^ a b c d e Garrett Caples (April 25, 2006). "Column: Ruling Party: Rising hip-hop star J. Stalin morphs from d-boy to Go Boy". San Francisco Bay Guardian.
- ^ Black Dog Bone (June 2007). "The Mekanix (Dotrix & Tweed)". Dog Magazine.
- ^ J. Stalin, Early Morning Shift (album notes), Demolition Man Records
- ^ Rachel Swan. "MP3 of the Day: J. Stalin's "Banga Dance"". East Bay Express. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
- ^ Kimberly Chun. "2006 Best Of The Bay: A Vision Of The Future". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
- ^ "Love in these streets: West Oakland". SLASH magazine. March 10, 2007.
- ^ Minister of Information JR (June 26, 2007). "Purple Mane: an interview wit' G-Stack of the Delinquents". San Francisco Bayview. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
- ^ Russell Morse (July 10, 2006). "Oakland is the New Oakland; Stem cell research and the Oakland rap revolution". Youth Outlook. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
- ^ Garrett Caples (November 21, 2007). "Out of the shadows: Shady Nate, the number two rapper of West Oakland's Livewire crew, emerges as a boss". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
- ^ Garrett Caples. "The post-2Pac pack: Did the death of Tupac Shakur throw Bay Area hip-hop into a tailspin? And is there really a "New Bay" rising?". San Francisco Bay Guardian.