Paris (rapper)

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This article is about the hip hop artist. For other uses, see Paris (disambiguation).

Paris
Back cover of "Assata's Song."
Background information
Birth name	Oscar Jackson, Jr.
Born	October 29, 1967 (age 39)
Origin	San Francisco, California, USA
Genre(s)	Hip-hop
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Rapping
Years active	1990 – Present
Label(s)	Guerrilla Funk Recordings
Associated acts	Public Enemy
Website	http://www.guerrillafunk.com/

Oscar Jackson, Jr. (born October 29, 1967), better known as Paris, is an American hip hop artist from San Francisco, California known for his militantly confrontational rapping, and especially the controversial track "Bush Killa." After earning a degree in economics from University of California-Davis, Paris founded Scarface Records but released his first single with Tommy Boy Records. The Devil Made Me Do It was his critically acclaimed debut 1990 LP; the title track was banned by MTV. Additionally, Paris contributed to Consolidated's 1992 album Play More Music with the track Guerillas in the Mist.

Paris' 1992 follow-up, Sleeping With the Enemy, was initially not released due to the anti-George H. W. Bush track "Bush Killa" and the album's insert, featuring the artist waiting behind a tree, holding an assault rifle, as the president is waving to the crowd. Unable to find a distributor, Paris released it on Scarface Records and the album was a critical success though sales were slim (but successful by independent standards, at about 400,000 units). Guerrilla Funk (1994) sold roughly 300,000 units, but his follow-up, "Unleashed," drew cries of selling out with its G funk sound, though the message still was one of unity and struggle against racial discrimination.

In 2003 he resurfaced with a new label, Guerrilla Funk Recordings. There he released Sonic Jihad which continued his tradition of controversial album covers: it depicts a plane flying into the White House, and speaks on many topics, including the War on Terror, the war in Iraq, police brutality, black-on-black violence and conditions in inner-city communities. Included on the album are KAM, Dead Prez, and Public Enemy.

Most recently, Paris completed a project with Public Enemy, Rebirth of a Nation, a title taken from the 1915 film, Birth of a Nation (a racist portrayal of African Americans after the Civil War, glorifying the Ku Klux Klan). Although Chuck D is the primary vocal performer, Paris penned the bulk of the album which also features MC Ren, Immortal Technique, and the Conscious Daughters. This album is seen as a project separate from the discography of both Paris and Public Enemy.

His song "What Would you Do?" on the "Peace Not War, Vol. 2" album ^[1] questions the official account of 9/11.