JD Era facts for kids

JD Era (born April 15, 1985) is a Canadian rapper known for his clever lyrics. He has worked with famous artists like Nas, Gza, Kardinal Offishall, and his longtime friend, Drake.

In 2008, JD Era won Best Rap at the Toronto Independent Music Awards. He also won a major freestyle competition called the TAG Records’ Survival of The Freshest. In 2013, his album No Handouts was nominated for a Juno Award, one of Canada's biggest music prizes.

Early Life and First Steps in Music

JD Era was born on April 15, 1985. He grew up in Mississauga, a city near Toronto, Canada. From a young age, he loved listening to rap music, especially groups like the Wu Tang Clan.

By the time he was 14, he was already rapping. At 16, he started writing his own rhymes. As he got older, he began competing in local rap battles. A rap battle is a contest where rappers take turns making up rhymes on the spot, which is called freestyling.

A friend named Bad Nuze invited him to a recording studio, and from that moment on, JD Era knew he wanted to be a professional rapper. He chose his name because "JD" are his initials and "Era" means a period of time. It was his way of saying, "it's my time to shine."

Music Career

Starting His Career

At first, JD Era found it challenging to go from freestyle battling to writing complete songs. In 2005, he recorded his first singles, "Ride Clean" and "Take Me Home." These songs were played on Canadian radio stations, which helped people discover his music.

In 2007, he released his first mixtape, Prince of the North. A mixtape is a collection of songs, similar to an album, that artists often release for free to gain more fans. He also made a music video for his song "Paper Chase," which made him more well-known across Canada.

Gaining Fame

In 2008, JD Era won the Best Rap award at the Toronto Independent Music Awards. He also won a big freestyle competition sponsored by TAG Records. Around this time, he became a co-owner of the music company Black Market Music Group.

In 2010, he released another mixtape called I'm Coming to America. This project, which included work with his friend Drake, helped him become popular in the United States. The mixtape was even nominated for an award.

Working with Stars

In 2011, JD Era released the mixtape Th1rt3en-Black Tape. Music videos for his songs "You Know This" and "Fame & Fortune" were shown on TV channels like Much Music. He also wrote the theme song for a popular basketball TV show in Canada called Court Surfing.

A major moment in his career came in 2011 when he met Raekwon, a famous rapper from the Wu Tang Clan. They toured together across Canada and the United States. JD Era is the only Canadian artist signed to Raekwon's record label, ICE20. In 2012, they released a song together called "Payday 2."

The No Handouts Album

In 2012, JD Era released his album No Handouts. Raekwon helped him put the album together. It featured work from famous music producers like 9th Wonder and Lex Luger.

The album was a big success. In 2013, it was nominated for the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year. This nomination showed that he was one of the top rappers in Canada.

Recent Work

Since then, JD Era has continued to release new music and work with other artists. In 2013, he was a guest on the song "Unorthodox" by Tony Touch, alongside legends like Ghostface Killah, RZA, and Raekwon. He also appeared on the song "K... K... K..." by Mad Child.

In 2014, he released a free mixtape called Barz Vol. 1 and launched his own website. He has performed live with many famous musicians, including Nas, Method Man, Rick Ross, and Mac Miller.

Awards and Nominations

Discography

Albums

Key Singles