Jazzy Jay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jazzy Jay
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Jazzy Jay performing at NAMM in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Byas |
| Also known as |
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| Born | November 18, 1961 Beaufort, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Origin | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Labels | Strong City |
| Associated acts | Afrika Bambaataa, Universal Zulu Nation, Kool DJ Red Alert, Jazzy Five, Afrika Islam |
John Byas (born November 18, 1961), known as Jazzy Jay, is an American hip hop DJ and producer. He is famous for his important role in the early days of hip hop music.
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Early Life and Hip Hop Beginnings
Jazzy Jay was born in Beaufort, South Carolina. His family moved to New York City when he was young. He first learned to play the drums.
He started his hip hop journey in the 1970s in The Bronx, New York. The Bronx was the birthplace of hip hop culture. Jazzy Jay was only 13 years old when he began.
He became an early member of Afrika Bambaataa's Universal Zulu Nation. This was a group that helped spread hip hop culture. Jazzy Jay learned a lot from Bambaataa and his older cousin, Kool DJ Red Alert. He started as a dancer for the Zulu Kings. Later, he became a DJ for the Universal Zulu Nation. He was also part of the group Jazzy Five. They recorded a song called "Jazzy Sensation."
From Street Parties to Clubs
Jazzy Jay first performed at street parties. These were common in the early hip hop scene. In the 1980s, he started DJing in famous New York clubs. These included Negril, the Roxy, the Ritz, and Danceteria.
He also had his own hip hop radio show. It was on WRKS 98.7 Kiss FM. In 1984, he appeared in the important hip hop movie Beat Street. He played himself as the DJ at The Roxy club.
Jazzy Jay and Afrika Islam were pioneers. They performed some of the first DJ team routines. They even battled against other famous DJs. These included Grandmaster Flash and Grand Wizard Theodore.
Helping Start Def Jam Recordings
Around 1984, Jazzy Jay met Rick Rubin. He helped Rubin create what would become Def Jam Recordings. This record label became one of the biggest in hip hop.
The first official song released by Def Jam was "It's Yours." It was by T La Rock and Jazzy Jay. Jay also introduced Rubin to Russell Simmons. This meeting led to a very important partnership in hip hop music.
In 1985, Jazzy Jay released Def Jam's third 12-inch record. It was called "Def Jam" b/w "Cold Chillin' In The Spot." Russell Simmons even sang on it. In 1986, Jay helped record Planet Rock - The Album. This album sold a lot of copies and became "gold."
Jazzy Jay also became a producer. He opened Jazzy Jay's Studio in the Bronx. There, he produced early songs for many artists. These included Diamond D, Fat Joe, Brand Nubian, and A Tribe Called Quest. He also started his own record label, Strong City Records.
Jazzy Jay in the 21st Century
In 2001, Jazzy Jay was featured in a documentary. It was called Scratch. This film was about turntablism, the art of DJing with turntables. In the movie, he showed his huge collection of LPs. He said he had between 300,000 and 400,000 records!
In 2000, Jazzy Jay was honored. He was inducted into the Technics/DMC DJ Hall of Fame. He sometimes performs with another hip hop legend, Grand Wizard Theodore. He was also interviewed in the 2003 hip hop documentary 5 Sides of a Coin. In 2004, he was featured in a song. It was called "Rock And Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Part 2." He talked about his background and rap music.
Jazzy Jay also narrated a walking tour of The Bronx. It was called "Hip Hop" by Soundwalk. This tour won an award in 2004.
Jazzy Jay lives in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. He has three children with his wife. One of his children, Matthew Byas, is a member of the music group Phony Ppl. His daughter, Jazmine, studied classical music.
In 2012, Jazzy Jay announced he was working on a new album. It was a collaboration with DJ Phix. He said he wanted to "get back to his roots" with this album.
