Jaz-O

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Jaz-O
Jaz-O in 2000
Background information
Birth name	Jonathan Allen Burks
Also known as	The Jaz Big Jaz
Born	(1964-10-04) October 4, 1964 (age 59) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper songwriter record producer
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Equity Kingz Kounty Media Roc Nation[1] EMI USA Rancore
Formerly of	High Potent The Immobilarie

Jonathan Allen Burks Sr.^[2] (born October 4, 1964), better known by his stage name Jaz-O (formerly The Jaz and Big Jaz), is an American rapper and record producer. Active in the late 1980s through the 1990s, he became known in retrospect as the mentor of fellow Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z. Burks, nicknamed "the Originator", debuted the artist on his 1986 single "H. P. Gets Busy". Burks signed with EMI to release three studio albums: Word to the Jaz (1989), To Your Soul (1990) and Kingz Kounty (2002). His debut extended play (EP), The Warmup (2021) was the first release from the Roc Nation subsidiary, Equity Distribution.^[3] He has also been credited with production work for other artists including Puff Daddy, Rakim, Usual Suspects, GZA, Kool G Rap, Queen Latifah, M.O.P., and Group Home, among others.^[4]