In 1989 JazO blasted onto the video scene with his first major debut single, “Hawaiian Sophie” and a debut feature on The O’Jays number one single “Have you had your love today?”. JazO was the first rap artist signed to EMI Records. He released 2 albums and an EP from 1989-1991. During this time Jaz produced his own songs along with Prince Paul, The Large Professor, The 45 King and others. After taking a hiatus in 1992, JazO re-emerged producing the classic “Ain’t No Nigga” for Jay Z in 1996. Jaz continued his string of production classics for Jay Z including “In My Lifetime” the remix, “Rap Game, Crack Game” and featured on his cuts “Bring It On” and “Jigga Who? Jigga What?”. From that period to date, Jaz has accumulated volumes of songs of his own to be released in 2006 titled JazO: THE LEGACY (Kingz Kounty Entertainment/Red Line Music Distribution, Inc.) Being the producer of the demo that got The Lox their deal with Bad Boy in ’96, JazO has blessed the likes of Rakim, M.O.P., Foxy Brown, Queen Latifah, Kool G Rap and numerous others. But Jaz is most well known for his ‘triplet style’ of rhyming which he is majestically titled “The Originator”. JazO currently has a new single “Be There” which will be followed up with a similarly titled DVD documentary “JAZ-O: Be There”.

JAZ-O DISCOGRAPHY

1986 – HIGH POTENT (THE JAZ & JAY Z) “H.P. Gets Busy” (Get Live Records) (1st record featuring JAY Z)
1987 – FRESH GORDON Featuring THE JAZ “Feeling James” & “My Filas” (Tommy Boy)
1989 – THE JAZ Featuring JAY Z “Hawaiian Sophie” single (EMI)
1989 – THE JAZ “Word to the JAZ” Album (EMI)
1990 – THE JAZ Featuring JAY Z “The Originators” single (EMI)
1990 – THE JAZ “TO YOUR SOUL” Album (EMI)
1991 – THE JAZ “A GROOVE (This is what you rap 2)” single (Slammin’/EMI)
1991 – THE JAZ “Hypocritters” single (EMI)
1991 – THE JAZ “YA DON’T STOP” EP (EMI)
1997 – BIG JAZ featuring JAY-Z & Sauce Money “Foundation” & “Waitin’” (D&D)
2002 – JAZ-O & THE IMMOBILARIE Present “KINGZ KOUNTY” Album (Kingz Kounty/Rancore /D&D/RED)
2005 – JAZ-O “Be There” b/w “Street Runna” 12” single (Kingz Kounty Ent./Red Line Music Dist.)
2006 – JAZ-O: THE LEGACY Volumes 1-3 (Kingz Kounty/Red Line Music Dist.)

PRODUCTION CREDITS AND FEATURES

1989 – THE O’JAYS featuring THE JAZ “Have you had your love today” single (EMI)
1995 – JAY-Z “In My Lifetime”(remix) single (Payday)
1995 – GROUP HOME “4 give my sins” Produced by BIG JAZ from Livin’ Proof album (Payday)
1996 – JAY-Z “Ain’t No Nigga” single feat. FOXY BROWN Produced by BIG JAZ (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
1996 – JAY-Z featuring JAZ-O & Sauce Money “Bring It On” From Reasonable Doubt album (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
1996 – M.O.P. “World Famous”, “Born 2 Kill” & “Lifestyles of a Ghetto Child” from Firing Squad album (Epic)
1996 – TRICKY “Live W/ Yourself” Produced by BIG JAZ from TRICKY presents Grassroots album (FFRR)
1997 – The L.O.X. “I Got The Power” Produced by JAZ-O
From the Puff Daddy & The Family “No Way Out” album (Bad Boy)
1998 – RAS KASS “H2O Proof” Produced by JAZ-O from Rasassination album (Priority)
1998 – QUEEN LATIFAH “Court Is in Session” Produced by JAZ-O From Order In The Court album (Motown)
1999 – RAKIM “It’s A Must” Produced by JAZ-O from The Master album (Universal)
1999 – MEMPHIS BLEEK “Live Life 2 tha fullest” Produced by JAZ-O from Thicker Than Water Soundtrack (Priority)
1999 – JAY-Z featuring JAZ-O and AMIL “Jigga What, Jigga Who (Originator 99)” (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
2002 – GZA / The Genius “Legend Of The Liquid Sword” Produced by JAZ-O from Legend Of The Liquid Sword (MCA)
2002 – KOOL G RAP “Black Widow” Produced by JAZ-O from The Giancana Story album (KOCH

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VH1.COM / Jaz-O Reminds World Where Jay-Z Got His Blueprint Rapper/producer finally re-emerging from protégé's shadow.
by Soren Baker

After tallying a string of modest hits in the late 1980s and early '90s and helping Jay-Z establish himself as a hip-hop force, Jaz-O felt disenchanted with the music industry. Yet the industry has love for the Brooklyn rapper/producer, as evidenced by the reception his new album, Jaz-O & The Immobilarie Family Present Kingz Kounty, is getting.

The collection, which was released Tuesday, includes the mixtape favorite "Let's Go!" (which features Jaz-O, Jay-Z and singer Shareefah) and the DJ Premier-produced gems "718" and "Love Is Gone."

Kingz Kounty seems like the perfect vehicle to reintroduce the multitalented Jaz-O to the scene. "I always wanted to do it, but I had given up a couple of times because I'm not really into the politics and the bullsh-- of the industry," Jaz-O said. "I'm just a musician at heart. I was disappointed in a lot of things. I feel right now is the best opportunity for me. Skillwise and lyricwise, I never really lost a step."

Many of the Jaz-O songs that appear on Kingz Kounty were originally slated for Jaz-O's forthcoming solo album, but he wanted to help put some of his protégés on before making a full-fledged return.

The two most promising members of Immobilarie are rapper Dibiase and producer Zukhits. When Jaz-O connected with fellow Brooklyn resident Dibiase at New York's Port Authority a few years ago, the two realized that they shared similar musical and literary passions. They soon decided to go into business together.

Dibiase's younger brother, Zukhits, happened to be an up-and-coming producer. Zukhits, whose wide-ranging beats carry Kingz Kounty, shares production duties with DJ Premier, Jaz-O, Craftworks and D.R. Period on the album.

Jaz-O feels especially proud of Zukhits. "Productionwise, he's my protégé," Jaz-O said. "What's so good about it is that his music sounds nothing like me. I like that, because he took what was necessary from me and utilized things that he came upon on his own and made it grow. I appreciate that, because I didn't want to make a mini-me."

As has been the case throughout his career, Jaz-O showcases those important to him. Pioneering hip-hop MC and lyricist Grandmaster Caz, who penned the Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" and was a member of the Cold Crush Bros., appears on the Kingz Kounty cut "Slut."

"When I heard Grandmaster Caz, it was like a light came on," Jaz-O said. "His timing was just perfect, his voice was perfect and he wrote all of the routines that the Cold Crush did. A lot of them were jingles from old pop and R&B songs, but it was crazy the way he flipped them. I didn't know it could be like that. From that day on, I endeavored to get my timing like that, to have the same clarity and vocal punch."

Jaz-O also extended a hand to Jay-Z early in his career. Then known as The Jaz, Jaz-O featured Jay-Z on his first two albums, including the singles "Hawaiian Sophie" and "The Originators." When Jay-Z emerged with Roc-A-Fella in the mid-'90s, Jaz-O was then known as Big Jaz and produced early Jigga hits such as "Ain't No N---a."

After a few years, the two drifted apart. When Jaz-O was preparing for what would be Kingz Kounty, Jay-Z delivered only one verse, for the single "Let's Go!" Jaz-O is more disappointed than bitter about the lack of involvement from his former protégé.

"Everything that I did for him as far as his career was concerned, I did all of those things to be an agreeable person," Jaz-O said. "The feeling just wasn't reciprocated in the way that I understood it. I feel that there is a code to friendship, and I never thought that we would do things together in the business as business. I thought it was all personal, that we were on the same page. Obviously we weren't. I really found that out when I tried to get back in the game."

Despite Jay-Z's lack of involvement, Jaz-O has plenty of work to keep his mind on other endeavors. He produced "Black Widow" for Kool G Rap's next LP and contributed an untitled track for GZA/Genius' next album. He is also working with M.O.P. and is managing singer Shareefah, who appears on three Kingz Kounty songs.

Of course there's a Jaz-O album in the works, too. "My album is going to express what Marcy Projects was and what it really is and what it's going to be," he said. "It means a lot to me, and during the course of my album, people will start to see that it's very important because it has a lot to do with the shaping of hip-hop today. It has a lot to do with who and what I am, why I am this way. It has a lot to do with the truth."

After more than a decade in the business, Jaz-O feels content that he's on the right path to acceptance.

"People have been surprised," he said. "They're like, 'People not only remember this cat, they're actually checking for this cat.' The world is already starting to know. Like, 'Damn, where did that come from, from your boy [Jay-Z]?' I was standing in front of Hot 97 one night and Lil' Cease and them were outside. They were like, 'We heard the song, man. Now we know where it came from.' I appreciated that, because sometimes I need to hear that. Going years and years being around people, it's good to see that people really recognize the sh--."

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Check out the JAZ-O article at HIPHOPGAME.COM

JAZ-O VINYL IS AVAILABLE AT THE RED LINE STORE