Phalon Anton Alexander, (born April 15, 1974), professionally known as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper from

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Sho'nuff Records, to which American R&B singer-songwriter

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

was signed.

Early life

Jazze Pha was born and raised in

. His father is James Alexander, bassist for the Bar-Kays, an influential group on the Memphis soul scene in the 1960s. His mother, Denise Williams, is an accomplished singer, having worked with everyone from Earth, Wind, and Fire to

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

. Pha was named after the late

Phalon Jones Phalon R. Jones, Jr. (1948 – December 10, 1967) was an American soul and R&B musician. Jones was a saxophonist for musical group the Bar-Kays, which recorded with and also played backup for Otis Redding. Jones and three other members of the ...

, another member of the Bar-Kays, who died in the December 10, 1967, plane crash that also killed three other Bar-Kays members and Otis Redding.

Career

Pha is known for announcing "Ladies and gentlemen" or "This is a Jazze Phizzle product-shizzle!", both at the beginning and, occasionally, at the end of songs on which he is featured. In 1990, Pha was signed to

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

Discography

Guest appearances

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pha, Jazze African-American record producers African-American male rappers 20th-century African-American people American male singers American double-bassists Male double-bassists American hip hop record producers American hip hop singers American music industry executives American rhythm and blues keyboardists Atlantic Records artists Businesspeople from Atlanta Businesspeople from Tennessee Living people Rappers from Memphis, Tennessee Rappers from Atlanta Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Songwriters from Tennessee Southern hip hop musicians 21st-century American rappers 21st-century double-bassists 21st-century American male musicians 1974 births African-American songwriters 21st-century African-American musicians American male songwriters