Jarvis Edward Cooper, often abbreviated J. E. Cooper, is an American rapper professionally known as BB Jay from Brooklyn. He is noted for his vocal similarity to The Notorious B.I.G. He often reflects his Christian views, values of his faith and belief in the divinity of Jesus.[1]
BB Jay | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jarvis Edward Cooper |
| Born | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | East Coast hip hop, Christian hip hop |
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Jive |
Early life
editCooper was born in Brooklyn, but was raised in New Jersey.[2] He was first introduced to Christian hip hop at the age of 11. He went to a Christian youth camp in Lebanon, New Jersey where he met gospel rapper Rap'n Rev.[3]
Career
editIn 1997, Cooper 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.[4][5] The album was heavily promoted with music videos, singles, and national touring. In 2001, he made a guest appearance on "I Sings" by American gospel duo Mary Mary for their debut studio album, Thankful (2000). After a five-year hiatus, BB Jay recorded a collaboration album with rappers Pettidee & Demetrus titled 3 The God Way, released in 2005.[6] Unlimited was released on June 26, 2007. The 17-track album will have a companion DVD also titled Unlimited.
Awards and achievements
editIn 2002, Cooper has received a Holy Hip-Hop Award and a Stellar Award for New Artist Of The Year.[7] In 2007, he won a Carolina Holy Hip Hop Achievement Award for National Hip Hop Apostle of the Year.[8]
References
edit- ^ "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.
- ^ [1] 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.