Paris (rapper)

Oscar Jackson Jr. (born October 29, 1967), better known by his stage name Paris, is an American rapper and record producer from San Francisco, California, known for his highly charged political and socially conscious lyrics. Influenced by the Black Panthers, he was once a member of the Nation of Islam.

In 1989, Paris founded his independent label, Scarface Records, and released the single "Scarface Groove". The track became the opener for his debut album, The Devil Made Me Do It, issued in 1990. Musically, the single has been compared to the style of Eric B. & Rakim and showcases Paris’s early approach to lyricism. The rest of the album takes a more overtly political direction, incorporating references to the Black Panther Party and other revolutionary movements. Its release marked the beginning of a career defined by political commentary, controversial cover art, and frequent challenges related to censorship. Paris earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California, Davis.

Paris became known in the US in 1990 with the hit single "The Devil Made Me Do It" and the album The Devil Made Me Do It, borrowing the title phrase from comedian Flip Wilson who made it famous in the 1970s through his persona Geraldine Jones. Originally released on Tommy Boy Records, Paris's first video was banned by MTV.

When his second album, Sleeping with the Enemy, was ready for release in 1992, Paris was dropped from now-defunct Tommy Boy Records and distributor Warner Bros. Records, owned by Time Warner, when the parent company discovered its incendiary content, which included fantasy revenge killings of then–President George H. W. Bush and racist police officers. Also problematic was the album's insert, which featured the artist waiting behind a tree, holding a TEC-9, as the president was waving to the crowd. Paris eventually released the LP himself on his own label Scarface Records. Also in 1992, Paris contributed to industrial music band Consolidated's 1992 album Play More Music with the track "Guerrillas in the Mist."

Paris signed a major artist and distribution deal with Priority Records for himself and Scarface Records in 1993 and released his third LP, Guerrilla Funk. He signed several up-and-coming groups, most notably the Conscious Daughters. Paris and Priority formally severed their business relationship due to creative differences in 1995, and in 1997, Paris signed a one-off deal with Whirling Records (distributed by Rykodisc) for the release of his fourth LP, Unleashed, which was released in small numbers with little promotion. The album contained some explicitly violent and racially charged verses, and while less overtly political as earlier efforts, the lyrics promote racial violence. Also released in Europe with a different track list, the album featuring songs from 1994, 1996 and 1998, some of which were more in the style of his earlier releases. Becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the music industry, Paris retired from recording and worked as a stockbroker, cementing his personal wealth allowing him to independently finance the next stage of his musical endeavors.

In 2003, Paris returned with the album, Sonic Jihad. The album continued his tradition of controversial cover art, evoking images of the September 11 attacks, it depicts a plane flying toward the White House. Its content is equally radical and covers many topics, including the war on terror, the war in Iraq, police brutality, black-on-black violence, conditions in inner-city communities, the Illuminati, and state-sponsored terrorism. Other politically minded hip hop artists were featured on the album, including Kam, dead prez, and Public Enemy. Sonic Jihad was the catalyst for the creation of Paris' new label and web site, Guerrilla Funk Recordings, a home for projects and material of such notable acts as dead prez and Public Enemy.

Paris' anti-war anthem "What Would You Do?" (from Sonic Jihad) accuses "the Bush Administration [of playing] a key role in orchestrating the terror attacks of September 11", saying, "Ain't no terror threat, unless approval rating's slumpin'. So I'ma say it for the record we the ones that planned it, ain't no other country took a part or had they hand in it". The song is featured on the 2004 compilation album Peace Not War, Vol. 2. On the 2003 Anybody Killa album Hatchet Warrior, Paris appeared with Monoxide on a track entitled "Ghetto Neighbor."

In 2005, Paris completed a project with Public Enemy, Rebirth of a Nation, the title both a reference to the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation, controversial for its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan and its racist portrayal of African Americans, and PE's 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Although Chuck D was the primary vocal performer, Paris penned and produced the bulk of the album, which also featured N.W.A's MC Ren, Immortal Technique, Kam, dead prez, and The Conscious Daughters.