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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. Burks, nicknamed "the Originator", debuted the artist on his 1986 single "H. P. Gets Busy". Burks signed with EMI to release two studio albums: Word to the Jaz (1989) and To Your Soul (1990). His debut extended play (EP), The Warmup (2021), was the first release from Equity Distribution, a subsidiary of Jay-Z's Roc Nation. He has also been credited with production work for other acts including Sean Combs, Rakim, Usual Suspects, GZA, Kool G Rap, Queen Latifah, M.O.P., and Group Home, among others.
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, 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 after I collaborated on a song with him called "My Fila" (a response to Run DMC's, "My Adidas"). 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.
Jaz-O then produced "Rap Game / Crack Game," a track that appeared on Jay's second album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, 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 and Def Jam Recordings.
In 1999, Jaz-O appeared on Jay-Z's "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)", 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.
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 .
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, Geda K, Young Gunz, and Memphis Bleek. On the song, in which they rapped over Styles P's "Good Times" instrumental, and later on his album , 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.'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's Theater of the Mind album, where Jay-Z says "Shout out to Grand Master Flash and to Grandmaster 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. The song was fueled by beef between Game and Jay-Z at the time.
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.
| + List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name ! Year ! Title ! Artist(s) ! Album ! Peak position | ||||
| 1986 | "H. P. Gets Busy" | High Potent (with Jay-Z) | ||
| 1987 | "I'm In Love" | |||
| 1989 | "Buss The Speaker" / "Let's Play House" | Word to the Jaz | No. 26 on Dance Club Songs | |
| "Hawaiian Sophie" | Jay-Z | No. 18 on Hot Rap Songs | ||
| "Word To The Jaz" | ||||
| 1990 | "The Originators" | Jay-Z | To Your Soul | No. 13 on Hot Rap Songs |
| 1991 | "A Groove (This Is What U Rap 2)" | No. 18 on Hot Rap Songs | ||
| "Hypocritters" | Ya Don't Stop | |||
| 1996 | "Waitin'" / "Foundation" | Jay-Z, Sauce Money, Tone Hooker | ||
| 1999 | "Jigga What..." | Jay-Z, Amil | Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life | No. 84 on the Hot 100 |
| 2000 | "Kingz Kounty" | Kingz Kounty | ||
| 2001 | "Let's Go" | Jay-Z | ||
| 2002 | "Love Is Gone" | No. 20 on Hot Rap Songs | ||
| "Ova" / "Deadly" | ||||
| 2005 | "Be There" | |||
| 2021 | "Lookin' Like" Remastered | Jaz-O / Nipsey Hussle | The Warm-Up |
| + !Year !Artist !Song !Album | |||
| 1995 | Group Home | "4 Give My Sins" | Livin' Proof |
| Jay-Z | "In My Lifetime" (Remix) | In My Lifetime 12" | |
| 1996 | Jay-Z, Foxy Brown | "Ain't No Nigga" | Reasonable Doubt / The Nutty Professor |
| Stephanie Cooke | "Live W/ Yo Self" | Tricky Presents Grassroots | |
| Da Rahnjaz | "Daily Basis" | ||
| M.O.P. | "Born 2 Kill" | Firing Squad | |
| "World Famous" | |||
| "Lifestyles of a Ghetto Child" | |||
| "Born 2 Kill" (Jazz Mix) | |||
| 1997 | Teflon | "Gotta Get Ova" | My Will |
| Memphis Bleek | "4 BKLYN/Hard Days" | ||
| P Diddy, The Lox | "I Got the Power" | No Way Out | |
| Jay-Z | "Rap Game / Crack Game" | In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 | |
| 1998 | Usual Suspects | "Crazy" | Streets Is Watching |
| Ras Kass | "H2O Proof" | Rasassination | |
| Queen Latifah | "Court Is in Session" | Order in the Court | |
| 1999 | Rakim | "It's a Must" | The Master |
| Memphis Bleek | "Live Life 2 tha Fullest" | Thicker than Water | |
| 2000 | KT | "Bang Out" | |
| Sauce Money | "Chart Climbin" | Middle Finger U / 3 Strikes | |
| 2002 | Kool G Rap | "Black Widow" | The Giacana Story |
| GZA | "Legend of the Liquid Sword" | Legend of the Liquid Sword |
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