Jamarr Antonio Stamps (November 27, 1975 – November 11, 2019), better known by his stage name Bad Azz, was an American rapper and member of Tha Dogg Pound Gangsta Crips.

Life and career

Jamarr Antonio Stamps was born in

Hawaiian Gardens, California Hawaiian Gardens is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the smallest city in the county in area (approximately 1.0 mi2) and was incorporated on April 9, 1964. The population was 14,254 at the 2010 census, down fro ...

, and grew up in

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporated ...

. He began his career rapping at house parties and joined the LBC Crew. After having a guest verse on the

Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

song "Krazy" in 1996 he was set to sign to Tupac's proposed record label, Makaveli Records. After being briefly signed to Snoop Dogg's label

Doggystyle Records Doggy Style Records (formerly known as Dogghouse Records) is an American record label founded by rapper Snoop Dogg in 1995. It is named after Snoop Dogg's debut album, ''Doggystyle'' (1993). History On July 6, 1995, Doggy Style Records, Inc. ...

, Bad Azz made various guest performances before debuting on

Priority Records Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice-T, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Big L, Silkk the Shocker and Westside Connection. It also distributed hip hop record labels including Death Row ...

in 1998 with '' Word on tha Streets''. In 2001, he followed up with '' Personal Business'' whose single "Wrong Idea" (featuring

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...

Kokane Jerry Buddy Long Jr. (born March 10, 1969), better known by his stage name Kokane, is an American recording artist best known for his distinctive vocal style and numerous guest appearances, such as on Snoop Dogg's '' Tha Last Meal''. Early lif ...

, and Lil' ½ Dead) reached #75 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

Billboard chart. In 2009, he released an album with

Bizzy Bone Bryon Anthony McCane II (born September 12, 1976),Whitburn, Joel (2008) ''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2006'', Record Research, , p. 97 better known by his stage name Bizzy Bone, is an American rapper, singer and the youngest member o ...

, ''

Thug Pound ''Thug Pound'' is a collaborative studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Al ...

.'' In mid-2010, he recorded and released a new single "For As Long As I Can". In March 2013, Bad Azz got into a fight with Snoop Dogg's cousin

Ray J William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American singer, actor, and television personality. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother of recording ar ...

; Bad Azz said it was revenge for getting jumped by

Suge Knight Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. (; born April 19, 1965) is a American former music executive, convicted felon, and the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight is considered a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in ...

and his entourage a decade earlier. He appeared on the 2011 album ''Haven't You Heard? (We Givin' Something Bacc To Tha Street)'', which was released by

Death Row Records Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ( ...

and WideAwake on February 8, 2011. In 2014, Bad Azz released a music video for a song titled "Baby Wut'z Up", featuring Turf Talk. He announced a new album title ''The Nu Adventures of Bad Azz'', which has released in 2018.

Death

Stamps died on November 11, 2019, at age 43. He had been arrested and jailed at the Southwest Correctional Center in

Murrieta, California Murrieta is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The population of Murrieta was 110,949 as of the 2020 census. Murrieta experienced a 133.7% population increase between 2000 and 2010, making Murrieta one of the f ...

, on domestic violence charges four days earlier.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Word on tha Streets'' (1998) * '' Personal Business'' (2001) * ''

Money Run ''Money Run'' is the third solo studio album by American rapper Bad Azz. It was released on March 11, 2003, via Out of Bounds Entertainment/Double Dollar Sign Records. It features guest appearances from 40 Glocc, Big Hollis, Bonnie, Conflict, Ke ...

'' (2003) * ''Executive Decision'' (2003) * ''The Nu Adventures of Bad Azz'' (2018)

Collaboration albums

* ''

'' with Bizzy Bone (2009) * '' Haven't U Heard...'' with LBC Crew (2011)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bad Azz 1975 births 2019 deaths 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians African-American male rappers G-funk artists Gangsta rappers Musicians from Long Beach, California Priority Records artists Prisoners who died in California detention Rappers from Los Angeles 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American musicians