Jason Jamal Jackson (born July 26, 1987), known by his stage name 03 Greedo,[2] is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from the Watts neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, California.[1] He began to gain recognition for his Purple Summer mixtape series that started in 2016.[3] He saw further attention with the release of his mixtape, The Wolf of Grape Street (2018). His debut studio album, God Level, was released on June 26, 2018.[4]
03 Greedo | |
|---|---|
 03 Greedo in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jason Jamal Jackson |
| Also known as | Greedy Giddy |
| Born | July 26, 1987 Los Angeles, California, US[1] |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument |
|
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels |
|
In July 2018, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison on drug trafficking and possession of a firearm charges. On January 8, 2023, it was announced that 03 Greedo would be released on January 12.[5] Despite being in prison, he has remained prolific in releasing music.[6]
Early life
editJason Jamal Jackson was born in West Los Angeles, California, on July 26, 1987, to Michael and Lisa Jackson. In late 1988, when Jackson was only a year old, his father was killed in a motorcycle accident. This was shortly after his parents had purchased their home in Gardena, California, where Jackson was raised along with his brother and sister. He was the youngest of the three. Prior to his father's death, he and his family lived in Los Angeles, near the Chester Washington Golf Course. As a toddler, he had a series of ear infections, which resulted in a tympanostomy tube.[7] At age 17, Jackson was expecting a baby with his high school girlfriend. He worked various retail jobs and sold his own beats in anticipation of supporting his only child – a daughter who was born after they turned 18[2] – and her mother. Soon after, he began to sell drugs to support his family. Jackson was kicked out of his home by his mother after she grew tired of his disrespectful behavior. He stayed with various friends, including his daughter's mother; he also spent a period of time homeless.[2] He moved to the Watts area of Los Angeles and later settled in the Jordan Downs Housing Projects in Watts.[2]
Career
editJackson initially used the alias Greedy Giddy, under which he self-produced six mixtapes, including the Bipolar series, Everybody Weak, and Money, Powder, Regrets.[2] His early career was heavily influenced by southern rap with auto-tuned harmonics and melodic trap instrumentals. This early work is fragmented with a handful of recordings on DatPiff, YouTube, and Tumblr.[2]
As Greedy Giddy, Jackson released numerous tracks to SoundCloud between 2014 and 2016. In 2016, Jackson changed his name to 03 Greedo and self-produced two mixtapes, Purple Summer and Purple Summer 2: Sun Don't Shine. He also started his own label, Golden Grenade Empire, in 2016. In 2017, Jackson produced three mixtapes: Purple Summer 03: Purple Hearted Soldier, First Night Out, and Money Changes Everything.[7]In 2017, Jackson signed with Todd Moscowitz's Alamo Records for over a million-dollar contract.[2] He released The Wolf of Grape Street in March 2018 on Alamo. A follow-up, God Level, was released in late June of the same year.
The night before his sentencing, Jackson met with fellow rappers Smokepurpp, Lil Pump, Lil Uzi Vert, and Desto Dubb to record material produced by Fizzle.[8] One of these tracks, "Bankteller," was simultaneously released on September 25, 2018, by Desto Dubb (through his SoundCloud page), Uprise, as well as No Jumper (both through YouTube), and has since gained some traction through promotion by Desto Dubb, Lil Pump, and Adam22.[9][10][11][12][13] Before turning himself into authorities, Jackson promised to make a vault of 30 albums; he then said he had finished over 3,000 songs before beginning his 20-year sentence.[14]
On June 22, 2018, Jackson remixed his single "Never Bend" with fellow rapper Lil Uzi Vert.[15]
On July 5, 2019, Jackson and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker released a joint EP, Meet the Drummers.[16]
In September 2019, Jackson and Kenny Beats released a new album titled Netflix & Deal.
03 Greedo's eighth album, Load It Up Vol. 01, was released on August 14, 2020. It was preceded by the single "Drip Keep Going", featuring Key Glock.[6]
On February 4, 2022, Jackson released a new single titled "Pourin" featuring Mike Free and BlueBucksClan on Alamo Records via Sony Music Entertainment.[citation needed] Almost a year later, on January 9, 2023, Jackson released the Mike Free–produced mixtape Free 03, which included the single.[17]
After being released from prison in early 2023, he started recording lots of new songs, and on March 17, 2023, he released Bacc Like I Never Left, the first of two singles he released prior to Halfway There, his fifth studio album, on March 24, 2023.[18]
Personal life
editOne of Jackson's most distinctive features is the term "Living Legend" tattooed on his face.[7]
In 2016, Jackson was arrested in Texas on drug trafficking and possession of a firearm charges. According to a police report, Potter County Sheriff deputies forced open his car's trunk after claiming to smell cannabis and found "four pounds of methamphetamine and two stolen pistols."[19] Jackson originally faced a sentence of 300 years for the charges. However, he eventually took a plea deal and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, though he could be released in five years with good behavior.[5] He began his sentence in the summer of 2018 and was imprisoned at the Middleton Unit. In 2022, he was moved to the William R. Boyd Unit.[20] He was initially set to become eligible for parole in July 2020, but this was denied in 2020 and 2021. Jackson was granted parole release in June 2022 upon completion of a prerelease program, and on January 8, 2023, it was confirmed that Jackson was set to be released on January 12, 2023.[21]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit- God Level (2018)
- Still Summer In the Projects (2019)
- Netflix & Deal (with Kenny Beats) (2019)
- Load It Up Vol 01 (with Ron-RonTheProducer) (2020)
- Halfway There (2023)
- Hella Greedy (with Helluva) (2024)
Mixtapes
edit- Bi-polar Disc One (2010)
- Bi-polar Disc Two (2010)
- Bi-polar 3 (2011)
- Bi-polar 4 (2011)
- Money, Powder, Regrets (2012)
- Everybody Weak (2012)
- Purple Summer (2016)
- Purple Summer 2: Sun Don't Shine (2016)
- Purple Summer 03: Purple Hearted Soldier (2017)
- First Night Out (2017)
- Money Changes Everything (2017)
- The Wolf of Grape Street (2018)
- Free 03 (with Mike Free) (2023)
- Project Tpain (with Dnyc3) (2023)
- Y'all Ni99az Owe Me Money (with Ricky Racks) (2024)
Extended plays
edit- Porter 2 Grape with Nef the Pharaoh (2018)
- Meet the Drummers with Travis Barker (2019)
- 03 Inna Key (2021)
- Feed The Wolves (2023)
- Fucc Everybody (2024)
References
edit- ^ a b "03 Greedo Raps More—and Better—Than You". Complex. 2018-03-09. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g "The Impossible Tale of 03 Greedo, the Future of West Coast Rap". Noisey. 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
- ^ "03 Greedo: The Wolf of Grape Street Album Review". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
- ^ "03 Greedo's God Level album is here". The Fader. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
- ^ a b "03 Greedo has been sentenced to 20 years in prison #free03". The Fader. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ^ a b Findlay, Mitch (August 12, 2020). "03 Greedo & Key Glock Drop Off "Drip Keep Going"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ a b c "How 03 Greedo became a living legend". The Fader. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
- ^ "Bankteller ft. 03 Greedo, Lil Pump, Lil Uzi Vert & Smokepurpp (prod fizzle)". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2019-09-21.
- ^ Reliable Account of Rap Industry - Noted Culturally Aware Source
- ^ Reliable Account of Rap Pop Culture - Hip-Hop Insider
- ^ Account of Trappers - Noted Pop Culture Source
- ^ Reliable Account of Music Industry - Relevant Musical Source
- ^ Reliable Account of Musical Industry - Noted Culturally Aware Youth Source
- ^ McKinney, Jessica. "How 03 Greedo Prepared a Vault of Over 3,000 Songs Before His 20-Year Prison Sentence". Complex. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ "03 Greedo shares "Never Bend" remix featuring Lil Uzi Vert". The Fader. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
- ^ "03 Greedo and Travis Barker Announce Meet the Drummers EP". pitchfork.com. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ "03 Greedo drops Free 03 mixtape". 9 January 2023.
- ^ "03 Greedo releases fifth studio album, first one after being in prison for five years". Complex Networks. 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Living Legend: Why 03 Greedo Matters". Passion of the Weiss. 2018-04-30. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ^ https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/viewDetail.action?sid=16298801 Texas Offender Information Details
- ^ https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/reviewDetail.action?sid=16298801&tdcj=02208297&fullName=JACKSON%2CJASON+JAMAL Texas Offender Information Details