Jaz‐O

Jonathan Allen Burks Sr., better known by his stage name Jaz-O, 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 two studio albums: Word to the Jaz (1989) and To Your Soul (1990). His debut extended play (EP), The Warmup (2021), was the first release from Equity Distribution, a subsidiary of Jay-Z's Roc Nation. He has also been credited with production work for other acts including Puff Daddy, Rakim, Usual Suspects, GZA, Kool G Rap, Queen Latifah, M.O.P., and Group Home, among others.