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J. Stalin

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This article is about Jovan Smith. For the Georgian leader of the Soviet Union, see Joseph Stalin.

J. Stalin
Smith in 2019
Smith in 2019
Background information
Birth nameJovan Smith
Born (1983-01-25) January 25, 1983 (age 41)
OriginOakland, California, U.S.
GenresHyphy
Occupation(s)Rapper, songwriter
Years active2002–present
LabelsSMC Recordings

Jovan Smith (born January 25, 1983), better known by his stage name J. Stalin (also 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

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Smith 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

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He references Joseph Stalin in his stage name because they shared the same initials, and "...He was short like me, but he was always smashin' on everybody."[4][5] 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.[6]

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.[1] A colleague of Daryl's, Richie Rich 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.[1] He later recorded and performed with artists such as G-Stack,[7] Beeda Weeda,[8] Keak Da Sneak and San Quinn,[9] E-40, Luniz, The Team, The Frontline, Mob Figaz, Yukmouth and Shock G. As of 2006, he had released roughly 7 mixtapes and had four releases scheduled for 2007.[1][needs update] Mekanix and Zoo Entertainment released "On Behalf of the Streets" on October 31, 2006.[10]

Discography

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Albums, mixtapes, collaborations, compilations

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References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Black Dog Bone (June 2007). "The Mekanix (Dotrix & Tweed)". Dog Magazine.
  3. ^ J. Stalin, Early Morning Shift (album notes), Demolition Man Records
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Rachel Swan. "MP3 of the Day: J. Stalin's "Banga Dance"". East Bay Express. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
  6. ^ "Love in these streets: West Oakland". SLASH magazine. March 10, 2007.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
  10. ^ 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.
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