Lason Jackson (born July 23, 1979), better known as La the Darkman, is a

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

affiliated rapper and MC.

Biography

Jackson was born in

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and grew up

Crown Heights, Brooklyn Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard/East New Yo ...

with his brother William Jackson. He negotiated his first deal while finishing high school and was a

protégé Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

of the

having grown particularly close with various members. Jackson later secured a distribution deal through Navarre Distribution, with whom he released his debut album '' Heist of the Century'' in 1998. He later toured with several singers and groups such as

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

and the Wu-Tang Clan, as well as launching his own management company and children's clothing store. Jackson later relocated to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, where he worked with Aphilliates Music Group and Embassy Entertainment, later negotiating a joint-venture deal with both companies for Universal Records. He also worked in a business capacity for

DJ Drama Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), professionally known as DJ Drama, is an American DJ, record executive and music promoter. He is the co-founder (with Don Cannon) of Generation Now, an Atlantic Records imprint with artists including ...

, setting up booking arrangements and endorsement deals. Jackson also executive produced the album ''Gangsta Grillz'' vol.1 and vol.2 which both albums hit #2 and #4 on the Billboard charts. He is the older brother of rapper Willie the Kid.

Reception

Though Lason Jackson's ''Heist of the Century'' album was largely panned by WARR.org, it wrote, “there is a lot of the unique energy that characterizes most Wu-Tang releases,” and “they make a strong argument for picking this up especially if you’re a Wu completist". The independently-released ''Heist of the Century'' later peaked at 37 on Billboard's "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums" in May 1998. Rapper/actor

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

mentioned Jackson during a MTV interview calling him one of the "Hottest MCs in the Game". ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' praised Jackson's participation in the ''Uncontrolled Substance'' album, calling his overtures "seductive".

Discography

Albums

* '' Heist of the Century'' (1998) * ''La Paraphernalia'' EP (2014) * ''La Familia'' EP (2015) * ''La Luminati'' EP (2016) * ''Play by La Rules'' EP (2017) * ''The Lavish vs The Savage'' EP (2017)

Appearances

*''Soul Assassins I'' -

DJ Muggs Lawrence Muggerud (born January 28, 1968), professionally known by his stage name DJ Muggs, is an American DJ, audio engineer and record producer. He is a member of Cypress Hill, a member of the trip hop band Cross My Heart Hope To Die and the l ...

(1997) *''

Uncontrolled Substance ''Uncontrolled Substance'' is the debut studio album by rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck. The album was released on October 5, 1999, under Loud Records. Originally slated for release in 1995, the record was indefinitely postponed af ...

'' -

Inspectah Deck Jason Richard Hunter (born July 6, 1970), better known by his stage name Inspectah Deck, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He is a member of the groups Wu-Tang Clan and Czarface. He has acquired critical praise for his intricate lyri ...

(1999) *'' Beneath The Surface'' -

GZA ''Gary Eldridge Grice'' (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA ( ) and The Genius, is an American rapper and songwriter. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both ...

(1999) *'' Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (soundtrack) (1999) *'' Bi-Polar'' -

Vanilla Ice Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...

(2001) *''The Greatest Story Never Told'' -

Shyheim Shyheim Dionel Franklin (born November 14, 1977) is an American rapper from New York better known simply as Shyheim. He initially gained fame as a teenager, releasing his debut album ''AKA the Rugged Child'' at the age of 16 in 1994. He has sp ...

(2004) *''I Got Your Money'' -

Ol Dirty Bastard Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), better known by his stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard (often abbreviated as ODB), was an American rapper. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group primarily f ...

(2004) *'' 4:21... The Day After'' -

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of t ...

(2006) *''Gangsta Grillz Vol. 1 & 2'' (Albums) -

(2007) & (2009) *''Absolute Greatness LP'' & ''Never A Dull Moment LP'' - Willie the Kid

Mixtapes

* ''Return of the Darkman'' (with

J-Love The following is a list of Wu-Tang Clan's associated acts and affiliates, known as the Killa Beez, the Midwest Wasps, and the Wu Fam. At times, they are directly funded, supported, or produced by Clan members, are formed as extension groups origin ...

) (2006) * ''Dead Presidents'' (with Willie the Kid) (2006) * ''The Notorious LAD'' (with

) (2008) * ''Living Notoriously'' (with

) (2009) * ''Return of the Darkman, Part 2'' (with

) (2010) * ''Embassy Invasion'' (with

DJ Green Lantern James Christopher D'Agostino (born July 7, 1975), professionally known as DJ Green Lantern, is an American hip hop DJ and producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by American rapper Eminem, to become the official DJ for S ...

) (2011)) * ''Living Notoriously Part 2'' (as "L.A.D. a.k.a. La...") (2011) * "Midwest Kush: Pyrex Edition" L.A.D (2011) * "Midwest Kush: Pyrex Edition pt.2" (2012) * "Diary of a Playboy" (2012) * "Diary of a Playboy 2" (2013) * "Paid in Full" (2014) * "Paid in Full 2" (2016) * "Paid in Full 3" (2018) * "Wu La Familia" (with DoloMite) (2020)

Singles

* ''I Want It All'' (1999)

References

External links

La The Darkman profile at Wu-Tang Corp
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:La the Darkman Living people African-American male rappers Wu-Tang Clan affiliates Five percenters Rappers from Brooklyn 1981 births Midwest hip hop musicians Rappers from Michigan Musicians from Grand Rapids, Michigan 21st-century American rappers