The Jacka

Bay Area rapper The Jacka came up as a member of Mob Figaz before launching a prolific solo career that was abruptly cut short by his murder in 2015. • The Jacka spent a year in prison when he was 18. With his music, he aimed to truthfully describe—not glamorize—the psychological impacts of violence and incarceration. • Mob Figaz formed when Bay Area rapper C-Bo approached The Jacka and some friends in a record store. That very day, the teens recorded “Ride Til We Die”, which appeared on C-Bo's 1998 album Til My Casket Drops. • The group debuted with 1999’s C-Bo’s Mob Figaz. Following that minor hit, The Jacka made his solo debut with 2001’s The Jacka of the Mob Figaz. • The Jacka’s 2005 sophomore album, The Jack Artist, is considered a cult classic. • He released collaborative projects with artists like Freeway (Highway Robbery and its prequel mixtape Write My Wrongs), Andre Nickatina (My Middle Name Is Crime EP) and Berner (the Drought Season series). • The Jacka died 2 February 2015 in a shooting in Oakland.