Jay Whiss facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jay Whiss
Whiss performing in 2015
Background information
Birth name	Jordan Whiston
Born	(1992-09-24) September 24, 1992 (age 32)
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Hip hop
Years active	2011–present
Labels	Universal

Jordan Whiston (born September 24, 1992), known as Jay Whiss, is a Canadian rapper and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. He first became known internationally after his song "Watch This" was played on OVO Sound Radio in late 2015. Whiss also appeared in the Noisey documentary 6IX RISING (2017). This film showed the hip hop culture in Canada. He is one of three members of the hip hop group Prime Boys, along with Jimmy Prime and Donnie.

Prime Boys released their first album Koba World on July 27, 2018. The album received a high rating from Exclaim! magazine. Jay Whiss was also featured in the short film Remember Me, Toronto (2019) by Mustafa the Poet. He started his solo career in 2019 with his EP Dark Clouds. This happened after he signed with Universal Music Canada. His first solo album, Peace of Mind, was released on March 3, 2020.

About Jay Whiss

Early Life and Music Start

Jay Whiss was born in 1992. His mother is Irish and his father is from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. He was an only child and was raised by his single mother. They moved to St. Lawrence, Toronto when he was very young. Jay Whiss lived in many different places as he grew up. He says he had a normal childhood, playing hockey and soccer.

When he was 11, he moved to another part of the city. But he still spent time in The Esplanade area of Toronto. He went to many high schools but left before finishing. Jay Whiss says no one in his family was a musician. However, his mother worked part-time at HMV and brought home many music CDs. This made him love music. He remembers his father telling him, "you know the lyrics to every song but don't do your homework." His early music heroes include Ludacris, Missy Elliot, The Notorious B.I.G., and Jay Z. He also looked up to Canadian artists like Solitair, Kardinal Offishall, and Point Blank.

Beginning His Career: 2011–2015

Jay Whiss decided to start rapping in the summer of 2010 when he was 17. He wanted to express himself through music. He released his first song, "Chasing a Dream," on January 3, 2011. He was 18 at the time. He then released "2011 Til Infinity" on February 6 of the same year. Both songs had music videos directed by Tristan Prime, who is a friend of the Prime Boys group. These early songs did not get much attention.

In 2013, Jay Whiss and his group, Prime Boys, started to get noticed in their local area of St. Lawrence. They became known across Canada with their song "I Heard," released in November 2014. Jimmy Prime, a key member of Prime Boys, helped make "The Six" a popular nickname for Toronto. Many rappers, including Drake, now use this term. Jimmy Prime released his mixtape Block Boy in July 2015. Jay Whiss was featured on the song "Best One."

In September 2015, record label manager Oliver El-Khatib noticed Jay Whiss. He added Whiss's song "Imagine Us" to Episode 5 of OVO Sound Radio. In November 2015, Whiss released the song "Watch This." It had a music video directed by Tristan Prime. The video included his friends Jimmy Prime, Donnie, and Safe. He then released "Need it all," which featured Jimmy Prime. This song was later added to Episode 42 of OVO Sound Radio.

Koba World: 2016–2018

In early 2016, another Toronto artist named Safe caught the attention of Drake. Jay Whiss had been quiet with new music for a while. But a few months later, he released the song "Driven," which featured Safe. The song "Full Circle" came out in September 2016. It featured Donnie, Puffy L'z, Smoke Dawg, Safe, and Jimmy Prime. This song showed a new supergroup forming in Toronto. It included all three Prime Boys and three members of the Halal Gang. The song quickly became very popular, getting over a million views in a year. This group was called the "all-star team" of Toronto street rap. "Full Circle" was also played on OVO Sound Radio, on Episode 34.

Jay Whiss and the Prime Boys became good friends with Toronto producer Murda Beatz in 2016. Murda Beatz helped produce their music. Murda Beatz released his mixtape Keep God First in December 2016. Jay Whiss was featured on the song "Brown Money."

Jay Whiss's song "Welcome to the Life" was released in May 2017. It was produced by Murda Beatz and was featured on Spotify's Northern Bars playlist. This playlist is part of the RapCaviar series, which focuses on Canadian Hip Hop. In June 2017, Toronto's uTOpia music festival showed off new artists from the Toronto area. Jimmy Prime was a main performer and brought out Jay Whiss and Donnie. They performed with Smoke Dawg, Puffy L'z, and Mo-G.

Whiss also appeared in the Noisey documentary 6IX RISING. This film explored the growing hip-hop scene in Toronto after the success of Drake and The Weeknd. The film was first shown to a small audience in November 2017.

In January 2018, Whiss announced that Prime Boys were working on their first group album. It was planned for summer 2018 and was first called Prime Forever. The next month, the group released the song "Tinted," produced by Murda Beatz. This was the first song from the album. The music video for "Tinted" showed the group riding ATVs on a frozen lake. This song also appeared on Northern Bars. It helped Prime Boys and Canada's growing hip-hop market.

In March 2018, Clash magazine wrote about the Toronto Music Scene. Jay Whiss said that Toronto is no longer a mystery and that he wants his music to reach everywhere. Sadly, Smoke Dawg and Koba Prime, who was Prime Boys' assistant manager, were killed in June 2018. The death of Koba Prime led to the Prime Boys changing their album name to Koba World as a tribute. Whiss said that "names never die, and their names always live on." The album was officially released on July 27, 2018. It included the songs "Hold Me Down" and "Sopranos." Jay Whiss also helped sell special Prime Boys clothing in August 2018.

Peace of Mind: 2019–Present

Jay Whiss was named one of XXL's Top 15 Toronto rappers of 2019. In January 2019, he signed a deal with Universal Music Canada. Mustafa the Poet released the short film Remember Me, Toronto in March 2019. This film was made after Smoke Dawg's death. It talks about gun violence in Toronto. Many Toronto rappers, including Jay Whiss, appear in it. They discuss how they want to be remembered after they pass away.

Jay Whiss released his first work with Universal, the EP Dark Cloud, on June 5, 2019. This EP was also featured on Spotify's Northern Sound playlist. It has songs like "How It Goes" and "Every Night," which features Jimmy Prime and Safe. It also includes the main song, "Dark Cloud." The EP is dedicated to Koba and Smoke Dawg. It was a preview for his first full album.

In August 2019, Puffy L'z, a member of the Full Circle and Halal Gang, released his album Take No L'z. Jay Whiss was featured on the song "Boring," which also included Smoke Dawg. Whiss also sang on Prime Boys member Donnie's first album, From the Beginning to the End, on the song "Huddle." This album came out in November 2019. Jay Whiss also appeared on 6ixBuzz's second release NorthernSound in December 2019. He was on the song "The World is Yours" with Jimmy Prime and Safe.

Jay Whiss was listed at number 10 in Complex's Top 20 Canadian Artists to Watch Out For in 2020. In December 2019, Whiss announced that his first album Peace of Mind would be released in early 2020. The first song from the album, "Valet," came out on December 3, 2020. It featured Puffy L'z and was produced by Murda Beatz. Another song from the album, "Lay Low," featured Donnie and was also produced by Murda Beatz. It was released on February 6, 2020.

The album Peace of Mind was released on March 3, 2020. It included Jimmy Prime on the song "Left Me For Dead." The album received a good rating from Exclaim! magazine. The reviewer said Whiss balances fun with thoughtful lyrics, making it a well-rounded album.

Music Style

Influences

Jay Whiss has said that several hip hop artists have influenced his rapping style. These include Ludacris, Missy Elliot, The Notorious B.I.G., and Jay Z. He also gives credit to various Canadian musicians. These include Solitair, Kardinal Offishall, and Point Blank.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Peace of Mind (2020)

Collaboration Albums

• Koba World (2018) (with Prime Boys)

Songs on Other Albums

• "Brown Money" on Keep God First (Murda Beatz, 2016)
• "World Is Yours" on NorthernSound (6ixbuzz, 2019)

Filmography