Just Jack
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| Just Jack | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Jack Allsopp | |
| Born | 1976 | |
| Origin | North London, England | |
| Genre(s) | Garage Rap / Hip hop |
|
| Years active | 2002–present | |
| Label(s) | RGR Records (2002-2003) Mercury (2006–present) |
|
| Website | JustJack.co.uk Old official website |
|
Jack Allsopp (born 1976), known by the stage name Just Jack, is a British musician.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Born in North London, England, Allsopp started DJing at the age of fifteen and he soon became submerged in DJ culture and US garage.
Allsopp initially earned a degree in Furniture Design, however, through a community music production course, he developed his interest in sampling. This turned him towards perfecting his technique while working in a series of day jobs. The artist is quoted as saying: "I've been a washer-upper, a flower arranger, a runner for a TV post-production company... I even worked at Gap for a while. That made me all the more determined to work at the music. I would get this down time in a studio and be recording all night, and working at Gap all day. It was knackering but it was very inspiring time."
His musical influences are mainly reported as breakdance, Electro hip hop and house.
[edit] Career
According to the artist, his debut album, The Outer Marker is about modern life, relationships and the pressures of social situations. Originally released by the RGR Records, the album received favourable reviews from publications such as The Independent, Q , NME, The Big Issue, and others, despite some criticism of his lyrics. The Outer Marker was later re-released, with extra tracks.
Allsopp and his band have played his third gig to the Glastonbury Dance Tent and plans to perform at the V Festivals in the summer of 2007.
Although his big break was in 2002, he didn't gain fame until 2007. Following his TV debut on BBC2's Later with Jools Holland, then on the Channel 4 show The Friday Night Project, where he performed the single "Starz In Their Eyes", this reached #2 in the UK charts.
His second album, Overtones, released in 2007, made #6 in the UK charts.
He has also won numerous awards for his talent. At the annual VH1 awards he was awarded the 'Most Boring Artist' trophy, of which he has already won three. Numerous publications have praised his music, with Time magazine listing it as a possible cure for chronic insomnia, 'I just put on his CD and I was asleep in minutes!' states one insomniac who tried the material...
[edit] Artist Quotes
Jack Allsopp on Just Jack: "I never had heroes and never wanted to be like other musicians", he says. "I have no affiliations to anyone, I'm not part of a gang, I'm not a part of a scene and I don't have a sound that's obviously a part of a scene. I'm Just Jack."
[edit] Criticism
Whilst his music has been widely praised, Just Jack has been criticised for his occasionally irrelevant lyrics. Often seemingly inserted purely for purposes of rhyme, his lyrics are not always relevant to the songs' subject matter. An example illustrating this trait is:
"Im lovin' Mary Jane, flyin' with Lois Lane, On board a bullet train. Don't know yet if i'm glad I came"
However, these terms can be seen as the slang terms for different drugs, namely as Marijuana, LSD and Cocaine, while also making a pop culture reference to comic books: Mary Jane Watson of the Spider-Man mythos, Superman's wife Lois Lane and the bullet train makes reference to an early description of Superman as "faster than a speeding train."
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Cover | Information |
|---|---|
 |
The Outer Marker
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Overtones
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[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | |||
| 2002 | "Snowflakes" | 164 [1] | The Outer Marker |
| "Paradise (Lost & Found)" | — | ||
| 2003 | "Triple Tone Eyes" | — | |
| 2006 | "Writer's Block" | — | Overtones |
| 2007 | "Starz in Their Eyes" | 2 | |
| "Glory Days" | 75 |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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