J Stalin
Encyclopedia
Jovan Smith, better known by his stage name J. Stalin (also stylized as J Stalin or J-Stalin), is a rapper
from the Cypress Village
housing projects in West Oakland
. 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". He is also the Owner of Livewire Records, President of Town Thizzness ENT, which is a sub-division of the late Mac Dre
's Thizz ENT.
and earned money as a child by selling candy bars on the BART
trains. Around age 13, he began recording and selling rap music. As a youth he sold drugs in his local housing projects and spent eleven months on parole
for drug selling.
in his stage name
because they shared the same initials, and "he was short like me, but he was always smashin' on everybody." In a recent interview he remarked about his home and lifestyle, "This is West Oakland, man. This is the bottoms right here." He went on to say that the crime rate in his neighborhood was so high, the city had remodeled the housing units in his housing project to remove the back doors so that criminals could not escape from home raids by the police.
J. Stalin's first widely released performances arose when a DJ Daryl, a local recording studio
owner, placed him on a track he was recording. A colleague of Daryl's, Richie Rich
and YoungDeezie , was impressed enough to put J. Stalin on three tracks in his 2002 album Nixon Pryor Roundtree
album and two more as a member of Rich's group, the Replacement Killers. He later recorded and performed with artists such as G-Stack, Beeda Weeda, Keak Da Sneak
and San Quinn
, E-40
, The Luniz
, The Team
, The Frontline
, Mob Figaz, Yukmouth
, Numskull, Shock G
, and others. As of 2006 he had released roughly 7 mixtapes and had four releases scheduled for 2007. Mekanix and Zoo Entertainment released "On Behalf of the Streets" in early May 2007. J. Stalin is the President of Town Thizzness, and the owner of Livewire Records. He is also the front man in his group, Livewire Da Gang. The Livewire Gang consists of many artists from various neighborhoods in North, East, and West Oakland. Some of these artists include, Shady Nate, Jay Jonah, Philthy Rich, Stevie Joe, Lil Rue, Lil Blood, HD, Ruben Stunner, R.O.B., Ronald Mack, Kiwi, and Mayback.
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
from the Cypress Village
Cypress Village, Oakland, California
The Cypress Village housing projects are a series of housing complexes stretching from 10th Street to 14th Street and Kirkham Way. Cypress is located in between the Acorn neighborhood and Lower Bottoms neighborhood in West Oakland...
housing projects in West Oakland
West Oakland, Oakland, California
West Oakland is a neighborhood situated in the northwestern corner of Oakland, California along the waterfront near the Port of Oakland and San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge. It lies at an elevation of 13 feet .-History:...
. In 2007, he signed to Zoo Entertainment Production Company run by artist Mekanix, who described his style as a variant of Hyphy
Hyphy
The word hyphy is Conor Devlin's preferred short word meaning "hyperactive." It was created by Bay Area rapper Keak Da Sneak when he used the term on an album he recorded in 1994. From the USA Today article: "Every record label was getting at us at that time, but we fumbled the ball," says E-40,...
known as "Go". He is also the Owner of Livewire Records, President of Town Thizzness ENT, which is a sub-division of the late Mac Dre
Mac Dre
Andre Hicks , better known by his stage name Mac Dre, was an American rapper.-Biography:Andre Hicks was born in Oakland, California but moved to Vallejo while still a child...
's Thizz ENT.
Biography
J. Stalin was born into povertyPoverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and earned money as a child by selling candy bars on the BART
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
trains. Around age 13, he began recording and selling rap music. As a youth he sold drugs in his local housing projects and spent eleven months on parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
for drug selling.
Musical career
Although young and boyish-looking, J-Stalin adopted a tough rapper persona. He references Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
in his stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
because they shared the same initials, and "he was short like me, but he was always smashin' on everybody." In a recent interview he remarked about his home and lifestyle, "This is West Oakland, man. This is the bottoms right here." He went on to say that the crime rate in his neighborhood was so high, the city had remodeled the housing units in his housing project to remove the back doors so that criminals could not escape from home raids by the police.
J. Stalin's first widely released performances arose when a DJ Daryl, a local recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
owner, placed him on a track he was recording. A colleague of Daryl's, Richie Rich
Richie Rich (rapper)
Richard Serrell, better known by his stage name Richie Rich, is a rapper from Oakland, California.He is currently signed to Mack 10's Hoo-Bangin' Records.-Early years :His rapping style is an influence on Snoop Dogg. In Snoop's own words...
and YoungDeezie , was impressed enough to put J. Stalin on three tracks in his 2002 album Nixon Pryor Roundtree
Nixon Pryor Roundtree
Nixon Pryor Roundtree is the fifth studio album by American rapper Richie Rich. It was released July 20, 2002 on Richie Rich's own label, Ten-Six Records. The album was produced by Bosko, DJ Daryl, Lev Berlak and Ruffa...
album and two more as a member of Rich's group, the Replacement Killers. He later recorded and performed with artists such as G-Stack, Beeda Weeda, Keak Da Sneak
Keak Da Sneak
Charles Toby Bowens , commonly known by his stage name Keak da Sneak, is a rapper from Oakland, California . At the age of 16 he was known as Z-Kush but became known as "Keak da Sneak" at 17, best known for his scratchy, gruff rapping voice and coining the term "hyphy" in 1994.-Career:Keak da Sneak...
and San Quinn
San Quinn
Quincy Brooks IV better known by his stage name San Quinn, is an American rapper from San Francisco, California.-Career:Born in Oakland, California, Quincy moved to the Fillmore district of San Francisco at the age of three...
, E-40
E-40
Earl Stevens , better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and investor from Vallejo, California. He is also part of the rap group The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. His solo debut album, Federal, was released in November 1992, after The Click's debut...
, The Luniz
The Luniz
The Luniz were an American platinum-selling rap duo from Oakland, California, formed by the rappers Yukmouth and Numskull. They released an internationally successful hit in 1995 entitled "I Got 5 on It", two versions of which appeared on their album Operation Stackola...
, The Team
The Team (band)
The Team is a hip hop group from The Team is a [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] group from The Team is a [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] group from [[Oakland, California|Bay Area] and [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], [[California]]...
, The Frontline
The Frontline
The Frontline, commonly known as Frontline, is a rap duo from Richmond, California consisting of Left and Locksmith, also known as Lock. The group is associated with West Coast hip hop music.-History:...
, Mob Figaz, Yukmouth
Yukmouth
Jerold Dwight Ellis, III, better known by his stage name Yukmouth, is a Grammy-nominated American rapper from East Oakland, Oakland, California. He is the founder of The Regime, Smoke-A-Lot Records and Godzilla Entertainment.-Career:He is a member of the platinum-selling rap duo Luniz along with...
, Numskull, Shock G
Shock G
Gregory E. Jacobs , known by the stage names Shock G and Humpty Hump, is an American musician and rapper, known as the lead vocalist for the hip hop group Digital Underground...
, and others. As of 2006 he had released roughly 7 mixtapes and had four releases scheduled for 2007. Mekanix and Zoo Entertainment released "On Behalf of the Streets" in early May 2007. J. Stalin is the President of Town Thizzness, and the owner of Livewire Records. He is also the front man in his group, Livewire Da Gang. The Livewire Gang consists of many artists from various neighborhoods in North, East, and West Oakland. Some of these artists include, Shady Nate, Jay Jonah, Philthy Rich, Stevie Joe, Lil Rue, Lil Blood, HD, Ruben Stunner, R.O.B., Ronald Mack, Kiwi, and Mayback.
Studio Albums
- 2006: On Behalf of the StreetsOn Behalf of the StreetsOn Behalf of the Streets is the debut album from J. Stalin.- Track listing :# Intro# Actin Like... # So Cold# That's My Name# I Was Told # Party Jumpin # The Function...
- 2006: The Real World: West Oakland
- 2007: DJ Fresh Presents: The Tonite Show (with Beeda Weeda)
- 2008: Gas NationGas NationGas Nation is Bay Area rapper J. Stalin's second album, released in 2008. Gas Nation was named Bay Area Album of the Year by SFGate.com, beating out San Quinn's From a Boy to a Man.-Track listing:# "Lyrical Exercise"# "My Niggaz"...
- 2009: The Real World: East-West Oakland Edition (with Mayback)
- 2009: Giants & Elephants (with Guce)
- 2010: Prenuptial Agreement
- 2010: The Annulment
- 2010: Women & Money (with Lil Kev)
- 2010: The Real World: Part 3
- 2011: Memoirs of a Curb Server
Mixtapes
- 2006: Stamp of Approval: The Mixtape
- 2006: R.N.B. Mixtape
- 2006: Demolition Men Presents: Early Morning Shift (Mixtape Magazine Edition)
- 2007: Warning Shots Vol.1 (Mixed by DJ Edit)
- 2007: Demolition Men Presents: Early Morning Shift (EMS Mixtape Vol.2) (with Shady Nate)
- 2008: Welcome to da Slap House
- 2008: Warning Shots Vol.2
- 2009: Prenup: The Leak
- 2010: Demolition Men Presents: Early Morning Shift (EMS Mixtape Vol.3) (with Philthy Rich)
- 2011: I'm Sellin' Dope
Studio Albums
- 2007: Pay Ya'Self or Spray Ya'SelfPay Ya'Self or Spray Ya'SelfPay Ya'Self or Spray Ya'Self is a group album from J. Stalin, Shady Nate, and Jay Jonah, released on Livewire Records. This album features many other artists from the Livewire camp, as well as Bay Area vets such as Shock G, Eddy Projex, and The Jacka....
(Stalin, Shady, Jonah) - 2009: Livewire Radio
- 2009: Livewire The Empire
- 2009: Livewire Radio 2
- 2010: Livewire Radio 3
Music Videos
- 2005: 808
- 2006: Let's Get It On Tonight
- 2008: Show Me
- 2008: Paint The Town
- 2009: Lyrical Exercize Pt. 1
- 2009: Try Again Tomorrow
- 2009: Rock Day
- 2010: D-Boy Blues 2010
- 2010: Across the Water Feat. Philthy Rich, GoldToes
- 2010: Stop My Shine
- 2010: Everyday my Birthday
- 2010: Last Night
- 2010: That Quick Feat. A1
- 2011: Lyrical Exercize Pt. 3 Feat. L'Jay
- 2011: Self Made Millionare Feat. Lil Retro, Lil Blood & L'Jay
- 2011: Dopegame Feat. L'Jay
- 2011: No Middle Man Feat. Berner
- 2011: Colder Blood Feat. The Jacka, Berner, Fam Syrk