Joseph Tom, better known by his stage name JT the Bigga Figga (also known as Figg Panamera), is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, and

record executive A music executive or record executive is a person within a record label who works in senior management and makes executive decisions over the label's artists. Their role varies greatly but in essence, they can oversee one, or many, aspects of a re ...

from the Fillmore neighborhood of

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

. He has produced music on over one hundred albums, for artists including

Daz Dillinger Delmar Drew Arnaud (born May 25, 1973), known professionally as Daz Dillinger (formerly Dat Nigga Daz and commonly Daz), is an American rapper and record producer. In the 1990s at Death Row Records, aided the catapult of West Coast rap and gang ...

Master P Percy Robert Miller Sr. (born April 29, 1967), known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record executive, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the record label No Limit Records, which was relaunched as ...

, The Game,

San Quinn Quincy Brooks IV (born October 24, 1977), better known by his stage name San Quinn, is an American rapper from San Francisco, California. He is the cousin of Messy Marv, Stevie Johnson, and Ya Boy. Early life Brooks was born in Oakland, Ca ...

, and

Messy Marv Marvin Watson Jr. (born March 19, 1976), better known by his stage name Messy Marv, is an American rapper who began his career in the Fillmore District of San Francisco, California. Messy was also known as a collaborator in the rap group Kaalm ...

Music career

In 1991, JT founded the independent record label Get Low Recordz. What started as a basement enterprise and a one-man operation, would later become one of the most successful independent labels in the country. JT's rap debut came in 1992 with the self-released album '' Don't Stop til We Major'' at the age of 18. The next year he followed it up with ''

Playaz N the Game ''Playaz N the Game'' is the second solo full-length album by American rapper and producer JT the Bigga Figga from San Francisco. It was released on July 13, 1993 through Get Low Recordz, making it the debut for both JT and the indie label. The a ...

''. The album's first single, "Game Recognize Game" received significant airplay, thrusting JT into the spotlight. The success of his album led to a bidding war among record labels, and he eventually signed with

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 1995. Subsequent albums released through Priority Records were unsuccessful, however, and in 1996 the label elected to release JT from his contract. JT The Bigga Figga appeared on

No Limit Records No Limit Records is an American record company founded by Master P. The label's albums were distributed by Priority Records, Universal and Koch Records. The label included artists such as Snoop Dogg, Mercedes, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, M ...

's May 1997 release, ''

I'm Bout It ''I'm Bout It'' is a 1997 American drama comedy film by rapper Master P. The film stars Master P, Moon Jones, Anthony Boswell, Silkk the Shocker, Mack 10, C-Murder, Mia X and Mr. Serv-On. Plot The movie chronicles New Orleans through the eyes ...

'', appearing on the song "Game Tight" with The Fast One. Both JT The Bigga Figga & The Fast One produced the song. After the dissolution of his contract with Priority Records, JT went back to self-distributing his albums through Get Low Recordz. With the money from his deal with Priority, JT invested in a new state of the art

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enou ...

and began rapidly producing and releasing numerous albums. In 2000, after signing a modest distribution deal with Bayside Records, Get Low began expanding, releasing nearly 20 albums a year. In 2002, JT published an E-Book called ''The CEO Manual.'' JT is credited with discovering rapper The Game, and releasing his first two albums ''Untold Story'' and ''QB 2 Compton'' before The Game signed with

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...

and debuted as a member of the

Aftermath Entertainment Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre himself, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, ...

camp. In fall of 2005, JT was named A&R for the West Coast operations of the

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

-based Rap-A-Lot Records. JT the Bigga Figga's film credits include the

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

movie ''

Sucker Free City ''Sucker Free City'' is a 2004 television film directed by Spike Lee. The film examines white, black, and Chinese characters in San Francisco and the conflicts they encounter with each other. The film was intended to be the pilot for a Showtime ...

'' (2004), and ''SKUZZ TV'' (2007), a reality based documentary DVD released by 3MZ productions. In 2006, JT worked with

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, " ...

on a documentary DVD entitled ''Mandatory Business'', which featured such names as

Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons ...

Xzibit Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality. Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...

Young Buck David Darnell Brown (born March 15, 1981), best known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He heads his own record label, Cashville, and was a member of the former hip hop group G-Unit. Early life Brown was born in Nashville, ...

and

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 ...

. As of 2015, JT founded the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

-like on-demand service Trapflix, which showcases urban films, documentaries, concert footage, and music. JT has heavily been involved in filming and directing, releasing over 40 films and documentaries since 2000. JT is now spreading his independent knowledge and the concept of

Pan-Africanism Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana t ...

, and posts daily on his YouTube channel, Trapflix TV. He founded the label “Fillmoelanta". He is also one of the most recognized marketing/promotion talents in hip-hop and has served many high-profile clients such as

Rich Gang Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip ...

, G-Unit, Snoop Dogg, and many more. He has also released a series of collaboration tapes with

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeez ...

Discography

; Solo albums * 1992: '' Don't Stop til We Major'' * 1993: ''

'' * 1995: '' Dwellin' in tha Labb'' * 1996: '' Operation Takeover'' * 1997: ''Game Tight'' * 1999: '' Something Crucial'' * 2000: '' Puttin' It on the Map'' * 2002: '' Hustle Relentless'' * 2003: ''Project Poetry'' * 2005: '' Neighborhood Supastarz'' * 2005: ''Who Grind Like Us?'' * 2006: ''Name in Your Mouth'' * 2006: ''Drop Your Thangs, Just Box'' * 2007: ''Mr. Vice President'' * 2008: ''Mandatory Business (Block Edition)'' ; Collaboration albums * 2000: '' Beware of Those'' (with

Mac Mall Jamal Rocker (born June 14, 1975), professionally known by his stage name Mac Mall, is an American rapper who became known in the mid/late 1990s as one of the local artists putting the Bay Area on the hip hop map. Mac Mall signed with the record ...

) * 2001: ''Beware of Those Vol. 2'' (with

) *2001: Cali Thuggin (with Speedy Loc) *2001: '' Bay Area Bosses'' (Compilation album) * 2001: '' Long Beach 2 Fillmoe'' (with

) * 2001: ''

Game for Sale ''Game for Sale'' is the second collaborative album by American rappers Daz Dillinger Delmar Drew Arnaud (born May 25, 1973), known professionally as Daz Dillinger (formerly Dat Nigga Daz and commonly Daz), is an American rapper and record pr ...

'' (with

) * 2002: ''Aint No Punkz'' (with Dem Frisco Boyz) * 2002: '' Street Warz'' (with Young Noble) * 2002: ''Know About It'' (with Tha Gamblaz) * 2002: '' Gotta Get It'' (with Juvenile) * 2003: '' Game Tight Vol. 2'' (with C-Bo, Killa Tay,

Sean T Sean Miguel Thompson, better known by his stage name Sean T, is an American rapper and record producer from East Palo Alto, California. Throughout his career both as a rapper and a producer, he has released seven solo albums, two albums with his ...

, Steady Mobbin,

Marvaless Marva Jean Cooks II (born August 28, 1975), better known by her stage name Marvaless, is an American rapper from Sacramento, California. Career In 1992, a year after finishing high school, Cooks got together with C-Bo to record her debut albu ...

, Pizzo, Gamblaz, Biaje,

, Guce,

, Seff Tha Gaffla, Mac Dre,

Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known professionally as Coolio, was an American rapper. First rising to fame as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle, Coolio achieved mainstream success as a solo ...

, Cozmo, and

Luni Coleone Monterrio Williams (born August 10, 1978), better known by his stage names Luni Coleone or Lunasicc, is an American Garden Blocc Crip rapper who began his musical career on the streets of Sacramento, California. Biography He began his career ...

) * 2004: ''Illegal Game'' (with

) * 2005: ''Turf Grinders'' (with Wali M) * 2009: '' Gang Injunction EP'' (with

) ; Mixtapes * 2011: Drug Dealer Potential (with Kevin Gates) * 2012: Conflict Of Interest * 2012: Fillmoelanta 2 * 2012: Kill The Burglar * 2013: Bonkers * 2013: Don't Stop Til We Major * 2013: My Runner * 2013: Run Ya Bandz Up (with

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that current ...

Young Scooter Kenneth Edward Bailey (born March 28, 1986), better known by his stage name Young Scooter, is an American rapper who is affiliated with Freebandz and 1017 Brick Squad Records and CEO of his own label Black Migo Gang. Scooter grew to prominence ...

) * 2014: The Independent Game * 2014: The Independent Game 2 * 2015: Filmoelanta 3 (with Gucci Mane & Kevin Gates) * 2015: God's Plan * 2016: Trap Flix World (with DJ Tokars) * 2017: Cali Boy Down South

Guest appearances

References

External links

*
JT the Bigga Figga
on Myspace {{DEFAULTSORT:Figga, JT the Bigga 1971 births Living people Gangsta rappers 21st-century American male musicians West Coast hip hop musicians 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers African-American Christians Record producers from California African-American record producers American hip hop record producers Hip hop musicians from San Francisco Rappers from the San Francisco Bay Area 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people