Jay E

Jason Lee Epperson (born August 13, 1978) is an American record producer and DJ from St. Louis, Missouri. He first became known as the primary producer of hometown native Nelly's 2000 debut album Country Grammar, which received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Thereafter, he produced extensively for Nelly and his collaborators, and signed with his record label, Derrty Entertainment as in-house talent. He has since produced songs for other artists including Murphy Lee, St. Lunatics, Justin Timberlake, E-40, Cedric the Entertainer, Lil Wayne, Ron Isley, Three 6 Mafia, and Hilary Duff. Epperson's style is characterized by hip hop mixed with soul, R&B, and pop music. Billboard magazine, in its December 2000 issue, listed Epperson at number 16 on its "Top 100 Producers" list, as well as number 19 on its "Top 100 R&B/Hip Hop Producers of 2000" list. He has received a Grammy Award nomination.

Jason Lee Epperson (born August 13, 1978) is an American record producer and DJ from St. Louis, Missouri. He first became known as the primary producer of hometown native Nelly's 2000 debut album Country Grammar, which received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Thereafter, he produced extensively for Nelly and his collaborators, and signed with his record label, Derrty Entertainment as in-house talent. He has since produced songs for other artists including Murphy Lee, St. Lunatics, Justin Timberlake, E-40, Cedric the Entertainer, Lil Wayne, Ron Isley, Three 6 Mafia, and Hilary Duff. Epperson's style is characterized by hip hop mixed with soul, R&B, and pop music. Billboard magazine, in its December 2000 issue, listed Epperson at number 16 on its "Top 100 Producers" list, as well as number 19 on its "Top 100 R&B/Hip Hop Producers of 2000" list. He has received a Grammy Award nomination. ==Early life== Jason Epperson was born on August 13, 1978, the first child of three. His mother was a stay-at-home mom. In the early '90s, he attended St. Charles West High School. He first took an interest in musical instruments at the age of 14, learning piano and light guitar. Having had an interest in becoming a DJ, he purchased his first turntable at the age of 15. It was an off-brand turntable and his first record was by KRS-One. He would go on to work and perfect his craft as a DJ. Some of his early influences were DJs such as Kid Capri and Jam Master Jay. Thereafter, he focused on his social life and entertainment for the remainder of his high school years. Jay would DJ for local house parties and would later land a job at a local St. Louis roller skating rink. His first shot at production was in Saints Studio in 1996; this is where he met future St. Lunatics member Ali who introduced him to the St. Lunatics. ==Music career== === 2000: Country Grammar, Bait and The Original Kings of Comedy soundtracks, Rasheeda=== While working at the roller rink as a DJ and with the St. Lunatics, Epperson began to develop a unique style of production. His first major placement was on St. Lunatic's member Nelly's first solo album, Country Grammar. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Universal Records. The production on the album was mainly handled by Epperson, with additional production by his company, Basement Beats, as well as C-Love, Kevin Law, City Spud, and Steve "Blast" Wills. The album brought forth a distinctive St. Louis Midwest swing. It supported four successful singles: "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)", "E.I.", "Ride wit Me" and "Batter Up". Its lead single, "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)", peaked at number 7 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. "E.I." charted at number 16, number 12 and number 11 on the Hot 100, UK Singles Chart and ARIA Singles Chart, respectively. "Ride wit Me" peaked within the top five on the Hot 100, ARIA Singles Chart, Irish Singles Chart and UK Singles Chart. Country Grammar received positive reviews and commercial success. It was at the top of the US Billboard 200 chart for five consecutive weeks and the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for six consecutive weeks. It also peaked in the top five on the New Zealand Albums Chart and Australian Albums Chart as well as the top ten on the Canadian Albums Chart and Dutch Albums Chart. The album was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) and Music Canada (MC), denoting shipments of 45,000 and 300,000 copies. In 2016, it became the ninth hip hop album to become certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipment of 10 million copies in the US. The success of this album made Epperson one of the top producers at the time. The songs "Ride with Me" and "Country Grammar" would receive Grammy Award nominations. The song "Icey" featuring Nelly and the St. Lunatics was featured on the soundtrack to Bait, a 2000 action-comedy film. It was released on September 12, 2000, by Warner Bros. Records and featured a blend of hip hop and R&B music. The soundtrack reached #49 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The song "Summer in the City" features the St. Lunatics and Nelly on the soundtrack to the 2000 film The Original Kings of Comedy, released on August 22, 2000, through Universal Records. It mainly consisted of performances by the film's four stars, Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac, Cedric the Entertainer and D.L. Hughley, but five original music tracks also appeared. The soundtrack peaked at 50 on the Billboard 200 and 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Dirty South is the debut solo album by Rasheeda. The album was released in late March 2001¹ and peaked at number 77 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The track titled "ATL NO 2" was produced by Epperson. ===2001: Osmosis Jones soundtrack and Free City=== Osmosis Jones: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 2001 film released on August 7, 2001, through Atlantic Records consisting of hip hop and contemporary R&B. Jay E produced the track "Summer in the City". Jay E co-produced Free City, an album which was dedicated for the release of St. Lunatics member, City. The album would debut at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA a month later. The album would open up many doors for his new style of production. ===2007: The Real Testament=== The Real Testament is the major-label debut album by rapper Plies. It was released on August 7, 2007, and the album was well received by music critics. The song "You" featuring Tank, was produced by Jay E. AllMusic editor David Jeffries said that the album had a few "redundant tracks and some potential unreached", but praised both studio and street tracks being supported by capable producers and guest artists throughout. He concluding with, "An energetic artist with little refinement, Plies puts his rough edges to good use on 'The Real Testament', an exciting, sometimes promising, debut." Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews spoke about the record: "In lesser hands this would have been one of a hundred no-name rap albums that end up in your local store's bargain bin but thanks to good beats and well-chosen singles in 'The Real Testament', Plies makes a favorable impression both on radio and his CD." The Real Testament sold 96,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200. The following week, the album dropped seven spots to number nine. In its third week, the album sold 27,000 copies, dropping from number 9 to 21. As of June 1, 2008, The Real Testament had been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. ==Other ventures== He is a co-founder of the production team Basement Beats. Jason Lee Epperson's daughter, Jaysha Marie Epperson was born in 2002¹, in St. Louis, MO. ==Discography== Albums credits Country Grammar (2000) Nellyville (2002) Heavy Starch (2002) Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention (2003) Murphy's Law (2003) Sweat / Suit (2004) Who's the Boss (2004) ==Awards and honors== Nelly – Country Grammar 10 million copies sold ASCAP Pop 2002 Award – "Ride wit Me" ASCAP Pop 2002 Award – "Country Grammar" ASCAP Rhythm and Soul 2001 Award – "Country Grammar" Grammy nomination - Nellyville, Album of the Year Avenged Sevenfold (self–titled) – gold Nelly (Sweat) – platinum Nelly (Nellyville) – 8 million Nelly (Da Derrty Versions) – gold Murphy Lee (Murphy's Law) – gold St. Lunatics (Free City) – platinum Plies (The Real Testament) – gold Screenwerks – Alive Magazine, Best Video DJs ==References==

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