BB Jay
Jarvis Edward Cooper, often abbreviated J.E. Cooper, is an American hip hop artist professionally known as BB Jay from Brooklyn, NY famously noted for his vocal similarity to late hip-hop legend The Notorious B.I.G.. He is noted for his music to reflect the Christian views and values of his faith and belief in the divinity of Jesus.[7]
BB Jay | |
---|---|
Birth name | Jarvis Edward Cooper |
Born | Brooklyn, New York |
Genres | East Coast hip hop, Christian hip hop |
Occupation(s) | rapper, pastor, producer |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels | Jive |
Associated acts | MC Hammer, KRS-One, Hezekiah Walker, Mary Mary,[1][2][3][4][5] Guillermo Edghill Jr.[6] |
Early life
Born Jarvis Edward Cooper in Brooklyn, NY, BB Jay was raised in New Jersey.[8] He was first introduced to Christian rap at the age of 11. He went to a Christian youth camp in Lebanon, New Jersey where he met gospel rapper Charles E. Mitchell Sr. (aka Rap'n Rev).[9]
Hip hop career
In 1997, BB Jay released his first single independently, called "The Pentecostal Poppa". The single was successful on radio and received rotation on BET. A year after signing with Jive Records, he released his international debut album Universal Concussion in 2000.[10][11] The album was heavily promoted with music videos, singles, and national touring. After a five-year hiatus, BB Jay recorded a collaboration album with rappers Pettidee & Demetrus titled 3 The God Way, released in 2005.[12] Unlimited was released on June 26, 2007. The 17-track album will have a companion DVD also titled Unlimited.
BB Jay is often cited as one of the very few musicians who is openly a Christian in the mainstream hip hop industry.
Awards and achievements
In the year 2002, BB Jay has received a Holy Hip-Hop Award and a Stellar Award for New Artist Of The Year.[13] In 2007, he won a Carolina Holy Hip Hop Achievement Award for National Hip Hop Apostle of the Year.[14]
References
- "Articles - Interview with B.B.Jay". GospelFlava.com. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- "Gospel Music - B.B. Jay - "Universal Concussion" - Entertain Your Belief". Gospelcity.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- "KRS-One G. Simone Speaks, video, online listening - Listen & Download Music Online". Listenmusic.fm. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- "Yahoo! Music - Exclusive New Music and Music Videos". New.music.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- "Mary Mary;B. B. Jay | MTV UK". Mtv.co.uk. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- http://www.discogs.com/artist/531192-Junior-Guillermo-Edghill
- "Bb Jay - Bing Video's". Videosurf.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- "iTunes - Music - B.B. Jay". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- "BB Jay Music Videos". Ovguide.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- "Universal Concussion : B.B. Jay". Rhapsody. September 12, 2000. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- "Yahoo! Music - Exclusive New Music and Music Videos". New.music.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- "iTunes - Music - 3 the God Way by B.B. Jay, Demetrus & Pettidee". Itunes.apple.com. August 23, 2005. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- Archived March 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- Busy R. (June 26, 2007). "The Holy Hip Hop DataBASE - The ultimate online Christian Hiphop resource". Hhhdb.com. Retrieved September 4, 2013.