Jerry Fealofani Afemata (born 1983), better known by his stage name J Boog, is an American

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer and songwriter. J Boog has released three albums that reached the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Reggae Albums chart, debuting with ''Hear Me Roar'' in 2007. His next two albums, ''Backyard Boogie'' (2011) and ''Wash House Ting'' (2016), both reached number one on the Reggae Albums chart.

Early life

Afemata was born in

Long Beach, California 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. Incorporate ...

and grew up in nearby Compton with six siblings in a Samoan American family. As a child, Afemata became interested in

music when his sister played the

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

song " Jamming" on the piano. His siblings gave Afemata the nickname "Boog", a play on "boogie" and reference to him not being able to sit still. Afemata first sang for an audience at age nine when his mother had him and his sister sing the

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...

song "

One Moment in Time "One Moment in Time" is a sentimental ballad by American singer Whitney Houston and written by Albert Hammond and John Bettis, produced by Narada Michael Walden for the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea. It was released by Arista ...

" at a family reunion. Afemata attended Paramount High School, enrolling because his parents registered him with his cousin's address in neighboring

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

. While in high school, Afemata began listening to hip hop and the ska punk band Sublime. After graduating from high school, Afemata worked at an

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...

near Los Angeles and sang at nightclubs outside of his regular job.

Music career

During a 2005 vacation in Hawaii, Afemata met Hawaiian reggae singer George "Fiji" Veikoso and provided a mixtape of his to Veikoso, who had a positive impression listening to it. Recording as J Boog, Afemata collaborated with Veikoso for his 2007 debut album ''Hear Me Roar'', which debuted on the ''Billboard'' reggae albums chart on March 1 and peaked at no. 8 on March 22, 2008. J Boog found more success in 2011 with his self-titled EP that peaked at no. 3 on the ''Billboard'' reggae albums chart in July 2011. In October 2011, his second album ''Backyard Boogie'' debuted on the top of the reggae chart. ''Backyard Boogie'' featured the singles "Let Me Know", "Let's Do It Again", and "Sunshine Girl". "Let's Do It Again" was later certified Silver by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...

(BPI) in 2022. J Boog's 2013 EP ''Live Up!'', reached no. 3 on the reggae albums chart. Then in 2014, J Boog collaborated with Hawaiian singer

Anuhea ''Anuhea'' is Anuhea Jenkins' self-titled debut album. It was released on April 21, 2009. Track listing All songs written by Anuhea Jenkins. #"Charismatic SOB" – 10:58 #"Right Love, Wrong Time" – 4:46 #"Here I Go Again" – 3:26 #"Ultimat ...

and reggae band SOJA for the single "Easier". In April 2016, Boog's EP ''Rose Petals'' topped the Reggae Albums chart. Then in November 2016, Boog released his third album ''Wash House Ting'', his first full-length album in five years and second straight to reach the top of the Reggae Albums chart.

Discography

* ''Hear Me Roar'' (2007) * ''Backyard Boogie'' (2011) * ''Wash House Ting'' (2016)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boog, J Living people 1983 births Reggae singers American reggae musicians People from Long Beach, California Musicians from Compton, California American people of Samoan descent