专辑简介

About Ja$e Cook

Born in Los Angeles, California during the era of Reaganomics, MTV, and American socioeconomic uncertainty, Jase Cook witnessed the contrasts of joy and pain early in his life. The estranged son of a bassist with veteran R&B vocal group The Whispers, Jase might have been spoon-fed a lifestyle of privilege vis-à-vis his father’s entertainment connections. To the contrary, he endured a rather tumultuous childhood filled with numerous relocations and a lot of social upheaval. From Los Angeles to Atlanta, Jase and his mother moved in search of a better, more grounded life. The family, who was homeless at times, settled in Georgia, where Jase felt most at ease during his youth. With the music in the home ranging from Janet Jackson to Dr. Dre to Snoop Dogg, Jase was exposed to an assortment of musical influences that would fuel his determination to rap. “I ain’t really want to get into music when I was little,” seems like a strange statement coming from a would-be full-time rapper. “I had directed a play when I was seven in summer school. That’s what I wanted to do. I liked the theater, film and acting.” However, as music super producer Jermaine Dupri’s Atlanta became a hotbed for talented young music artists, Cook’s visions and goals shifted greatly. “By the time Kris Kross came out in ’91 I started memorizing their songs as well as later N.W.A. stuff, and just kept it moving. By the time I was nine, I was writing my own verses and free-styling at the bus stop.” Honing his God-given talents throughout his adolescence, Jase’s music, and his knack for songwriting, proved to be, not only his passion, but his therapy as well. Having enlisted in the U.S. Army, Jase exported his MC abilities to Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany. “I was glad to be traveling, and not being back home doing that ignorant stuff. I just had to get my grown man mind together.” Sharing his skills with fellow officers and soldiers, Jase linked with Hustlemann CEO, Gump, and CFO and primary investor, Chris Herman of what would later become Hustlemann Records. “I got stories for your a**,” says Jase with a chuckle regarding his Army stint. Those stories bleed into the music, with accounts of the military party life as well as a proverbial day-in-the-life combat testimony that ends in death. “A lot of my views come from being in that environment. I’ve been around the world, seen how different governments operate. My last CD was driven off of the anger I had when I was in the Army,” admits Cook, who also states that 15 of his friends died while in service to their nation. Through multiple performances abroad, and a Jase & Hustlemann profile in the military news publication Stars & Stripes, the Jase Cook movement perked attention, including interest from Sony Records Europe. The focus moved stateside, as Jase relocated to Orlando, Florida to pursue his rap dreams. As Jase Cook fields distribution deal offers from the majors, the rapper retreats to the studio to perfect his craft. With songs ranging from Iraq-seasoned diary entries, to scathing dedications to his absent biological father, to celebratory anthems of social relaxation, Jase delivers the kind of album that rap fans have lately come to embrace. “I’m a personal rapper; I just do this upbeat stuff ‘cause it’s what the people want; I’m not selfish,” he says. But with his sweetened medicine and unique life experiences, Cook has a lot to prove. “I think I’m the damn best. But that’s just my opinion. I leave it to what the folks say.” The rap industry requires a fight, a dedication and a determination for success, and who better to be engaged in that battle than this lifelong soldier?