Jazzy Mel | ms

Jazzy Jay (b. John Byas in Beaufort, South Carolina, November 18, 1961), also known as The Original Jazzy Jay or DJ Jazzy Jay, is a pioneering American hip hop DJ and producer. Jazzy Jay was born into a Gullah family in coastal South Carolina. He moved with his family to New York City at a young age and took up the drums, his first instrument. He began his career in hip hop in the 1970s in The Bronx, New York, the epicenter of hip hop culture during the first decade of its development, at the age of 13. An early...

Vocalists Tracey Moore and Mercedes Martinez make up Jazzyfatnastees. In 1993, they were part of a vocal quartet that had landed a deal with Tommy Boy. But by 1995, the deal had fallen through. After drifting for a few years, Moore and Martinez found themselves in Philadelphia, their quartet reduced to a duo by departures. The two had known the guys in the Roots for a few years, having opened shows for them in the past. For their debut album as Jazzyfatnastees, Moore and Martinez signed with Motive Records, the Roots' imprint at MCA. The Once and Future, their self-written...