Paris (rapper)
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- This article is about the hip hop artist. For other uses, see Paris (disambiguation).
Paris (real name Oscar Jackson, Jr.; born October 29, 1967 in California) is a hip hop artist from San Francisco known for his militantly confrontational rapping, and especially the controversial track "Bush Killa." After earning a degree in economics from University of California-Davis, Paris founded Scarface Records but released his first single with Tommy Boy Records. The Devil Made Me Do It was his critically acclaimed debut 1990 LP; the title track was banned by MTV. Additionally, Paris contributed to Consolidated's 1992 album Play More Music with the track Guerillas in the Mist.
Paris' 1992 follow-up, Sleeping With the Enemy, was initially not released due to the anti-George H. W. Bush track "Bush Killa" and the album's insert, featuring the artist waiting behind a tree, holding an assault rifle, as the president is waving to the crowd. Unable to find a distributor, Paris released it on Scarface Records and the album was a critical success though sales were slim (but successful by independent standards, at about 400,000 units). Guerrilla Funk (1994) sold roughly 300,000 units, but his follow-up, "Unleashed," drew cries of selling out with its G funk sound, though the message still was one of unity and struggle against racial discrimination.
In 2003 he resurfaced with a new label, Guerrilla Funk Recordings. There he released Sonic Jihad which continued his tradition of controversial album covers: it depicts a plane flying into the White House, and speaks on many topics, including the War on Terror, the war in Iraq, police brutality, black-on-black violence and conditions in inner-city communities. Included on the album are KAM, Dead Prez, and Public Enemy.
Most recently, Paris completed a project with Public Enemy, Rebirth of a Nation, a title taken from the 1915 film, Birth of a Nation (a racist portrayal of African Americans after the Civil War, glorifying the Ku Klux Klan). Although Chuck D is the primary vocal performer, Paris penned the bulk of the album which also features MC Ren, Immortal Technique, and the Conscious Daughters. This album is seen as a project separate from the discography of both Paris and Public Enemy.
His song "What Would you Do?" [1] on the "Peace Not War, Vol. 2" album [2] questions the official account of 9/11.
[edit] Discography
- The Devil Made Me Do It (1989)
- Sleeping with the Enemy (1992)
- Guerrilla Funk (1994)
- Unleashed (1998)
- Sonic Jihad (2003)
- Rebirth of a Nation (2005)
[edit] References
- ^ http://artists.letssingit.com/paris-what-would-you-do-jbhxknn
- ^ http://www.google.com/musics?lid=RmgqaXdmi8&aid=soic4tEkBGC&sid=P5NrPws5CED&sa=X&oi=music&ct=result
