Jafari Eady (born 1983), better known by his stage name Blak Jak, is an American rapper. His major label debut, Place Your Bets, was released in October 2006.
Blak Jak | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jafari Eady |
| Born | 1983 (age 40–41) Decatur, Georgia, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Universal Records |
| Website | www.myspace.com/blakjak |
Biography edit
Blak Jak grew up in Decatur, Georgia, and learned about hip hop from his cousins, who had formed a group called the Ward Boys.[1] He took his name from the card game blackjack, which he played in high school.[2] In 2006, he released his first album independently, which included production by Shawty Redd (who had previously won recognition producing for Young Jeezy); the first single from the album, "Ride & Swerve", featured guest rapper Project Pat and became an underground hit in the Southern US.[3][4] Blak Jak continued to win fans after he released a mixtape with DJ Smallz, Roll da Dice, in the summer of 2006.[3] On the strength of the single, Universal Records offered Blak Jak a record deal, and the independent album was re-released in October 2006 under the title Place Your Bets. The single "Bobbin' My Head" scored radio airplay toward the end of 2006,[5] as did his collaboration with T-Pain, "Ball Out ($500)", in March 2007. In the summer of 2007, Los Angeles Dodger infielder Tony Abreu used "Bobbin' My Head" as his entrance music.[6] In a 2007 retrospective of Southern hip-hop, Roni Sarig noted, "New rappers such as...Decatur's Blak Jak served to keep Atlanta front-and-center in Southern hip-hop".[7]
Discography edit
Albums edit
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Place Your Bets
|
Singles edit
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B | |||
| 2006 | "Ride and Swerve" (featuring Project Pat) | 120[8] | Place Your Bets |
| 2007 | "Ball Out ($500)" (featuring T-Pain) | 112[9] |
References edit
- ^ Dolan, Casey (December 23, 2006). "Surfacing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
- ^ Rapper Blak Jak Announces Debut Album. Rap News Network, August 24, 2006.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Blak Jak > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
- ^ Jak of All Trades. The Fader, October 27, 2006.
- ^ Place Your Bets with Blak Jak on December 19, 2006. Iced Media, December 9, 2006. Accessed September 18, 2007
- ^ "2007 Los Angeles Dodgers Player Music". Los Angeles Dodgers. Archived from the original on August 13, 2007.
- ^ Roni Sarig, Third Coast: Outkast, Timbaland, and How Hip-hop Became a Southern Thing. Da Capo Press, 2007, p. 306.
- ^ "Ride and Swerve". Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles. Billboard. May 6, 2006.[dead link]
- ^ "Ball Out ($500)". Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Billboard. March 10, 2007.[dead link]