Shock G

Biography

Jacobs spent most of his childhood moving around the East Coast with his family, eventually settling in Tampa, Florida. As a drummer he won the 1978 “Most Talented” trophy at Greco Junior High School, but after relocating to Queens, New York (as a result of his parents’ divorce), he traded his drums in for a set of turntables upon discovering and marveling over hip hop while the art form was still in an underground developmental stage. He was mentored in the craft by his cousin Rene Negron (a.k.a. DJ-Stretch), and their close friend Shawn Trone (a.k.a. MC Shah-T of the parody-rap group No Face) who suggested Greg use the name “Shah-G”. Jacobs liked the idea, but mistakenly thought his friend said “Shock-G”, and began using that name instead.

Less than two years later, after returning to Tampa, he dropped out of Chamberlain High School to form the Master Blasters, a mobile deejay crew which featured three DJs and four emcees at its height. They performed at parties, and also for the crowds at Riverfront Park’s outdoor Sunday gatherings, eventually capturing the interest of Tony Stone, a program director at WTMP radio, which was the city’s primary R&B station. Tony offered Jacobs, who was sixteen at the time, a job deejaying on the air, and for a short while, as “Gregory Racker”, he was the youngest radio personality in central Florida with a regular time slot. After being fired for playing the fifteen-minute-long album version of “(Not Just) Knee Deep” by Funkadelic in a five-minute time slot, and also after tensions with his father escalated, Jacobs found himself backpacking the United States for a few years, drifting through odd jobs and petty criminal adventures. It was during this excursion that his focus switched from deejaying to keyboard playing, and while utilizing piano practice-rooms at music stores and colleges around the country, he effectively taught himself to play the piano.

Deciding to pursue music seriously, he returned home, quickly obtained a diploma, and began attending Hillsborough Community College, where he studied music theory under Jim Burge and piano under Patricia J. Trice. It was there at HCC that he met and formed a bond with Kenneth Waters, and the two began performing together under various names including The Chill Factor, and also The Four Horsemen, which included MC Skoobie-D, and the MD Dazzlin Doc-P who had recently moved to Tampa from the Bronx, hip hop’s birthplace. Then in 1985, after two years of producing local artists for hire, playing solo piano gigs around town, performing with Kenny, and being a keyboardist in Warren Allen Brooks’ band, Greg and his aspiring-actress girlfriend (Davita Watts) set their sights beyond Tampa, and eloped to Los Angeles in search of greater opportunity. There he played keyboards in Kenny McCloud’s pop-funk band “Onyx” before leaving LA and finally arriving in the San Francisco bay area where he found work in an Oakland music store, and where Digital Underground would happen a few years later.

	Discography
	Fear Of A Mixed Planet	33rd Street Records	2004
	Guest Performances
	The Way We Swing Digital Underground - Sex Packets	Attic Records Limited	1990
	Arguin’ On The Funk Digital Underground - This Is An E.P. Release	Tommy Boy Music	1990
	Rebel Of The Underground 2Pac - 2Pacalypse Now	Interscope Records	1991
	Money Gold Money - A Day In The Life Of A Player	Tommy Boy Music	1992
	Shock G’s Get Away Bobby Brown - Remixes In The Key Of B	MCA Records	1993
	I Get Around 2Pac - Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.	Jive, Amaru	1993
	Carry The Way (Along Time) Digital Underground - The Return Of The Crazy One	Tommy Boy Music	1993
	Black Book African Identity - You Won’t Come To My Funeral	African Identity Records	1995
	Fuck The World 2Pac - Me Against The World	Interscope Records, Atlantic	1995
	Broke Hos Luniz - Operation Stackola	Noo Trybe Records, C-Note Records	1995
	People Over The Stairs Money-B - Folk Music Volume 1	Bobby Beats Records	1996
	Tha Intro / Lethal Assassin Assassin - Hitworks Vol. 1	Liferdef Records	1997
	True Playas (Remix) The WhoRidas – Whoridin’	Delicious Vinyl	1997
	Gangsta Funk Assassin - Armed-N-Dangerouz	Liferdef Records	1998
	Sendin-U-Signals Saafir a.k.a. Mr. No No - Trigonometry	Wrap Records	1998
	Trapped 2Pac - Greatest Hits	Virgin	1998
	Cyber Teeth Tigers Digital Underground - Who Got The Gravy?	Jake Records	1998
	Glayz Donutt Face C-Funk - Shrooms	Taylor Made Records	1999
	Liquid Ho Magnet Saafir - The Hit List	Qwest Records	1999
	Wuz Crackulatin’ 2000 2wice - Wuz Crackulatin’ 2000	Gold Grill Entertainment	2000
	Miss Bartender Money-B - Talkin Dirty	Bobby Beats Records	2000
	I Got Five On It (Remix) Spice 1 – Hits II: Ganked & Gaffled	Mobb Status Entertainment	2001
	Chassy Mac Mall - Immaculate	Sesed Out Records	2001
	Intro Mystic - Cuts For Luck And Scars For Freedom	Universal Records	2001
	Risky Business Murs - The End Of The Beginning…	Definitive Jux	2002
	Rebel Of The Underground 2Pac - Resurrection (The Soundtrack)	Interscope Records	2003
	Way Of Life Stylophonic - Man Music Technology	Prolifica	2003
	Smilin’ Faces KRS-One - D.I.G.I.T.A.L.	Front Page Entertainment	2004
	Freaky Pumps Fat Lip - The Loneliest Punk	Delicious Vinyl	2005
	It’s Gettin Hot (Town Biznezz Remix) The Team – World Premiere	Liferdef Records	2007
	Shock G’s Outro / Hidden Track Assassin & Mopreme Shakur - Black & Brown Pride	Liferdef Records	2007
	California Dreamin’ Assassin - United Playaz Of The Bay	Liferdef Records	2007
	Plainfield Baby Elephant - Turn My Teeth Up!	Godforsaken Music	2007
	Dum ‘N The Bay Money B - Mandatory Mixtape Vol. 1	Mandatory Muzik	2007
	My Opinion Numskull – Hear This!!	Numworld Entertainment	2008
	No Mo Kaine Nick Peace - San Nico Instrumentals	Million Dollar Dream	2008
	Light Of Love Yameen - Never Knows Best	Ropeadope Records	2008
	Blue Skyy Remix Young Mass - Young Mass	Massterpiece Entertainment	2008
	Purplebrainhurrycanehabit Digital Underground - The Greenlight EP	Jake Records	2010
	Compilations
	Funk Session The Dangerous Crew - Don’t Try This At Home	Jive	1995
	Ring My Bell A Thin Line Between Love & Hate (The Soundtrack)	Warner Bros. Records	1996
	We Got More Don’t Be A Menace (The Soundtrack)	Island Records	1996
	Jacuzzi (Remix) The High Powered Double Album	Dogday Records	1997
	What’s Crackulatin’ Somethin’ Majah	Mekah West Entertainment	1998
	What’s Crackerlaten The Last Supper	26 Flavors Records	2000
	Do What You Want Whoop Ass	Mega Entertainment	2000
	Unfadeable The Capitol’s Best Collection	FSKO Recordings	2001
	Hurry Up Run On The Grind Mixtape Vol. 1	Moblife Records	2004