Jonathan Blake Williams Jr. (born August 12, 1983), better known by his stage name Jabee, is a hip hop artist and actor from Oklahoma. His rhymes have been recognized by Chuck D of Public Enemy and Sway Calloway on Sway In The Morning. In 2014, his commercial work earned Jabee a regional Emmy.
Early life
Jonathan Blake Williams Jr. (born August 12, 1983) to Monya Caraway and Jonathan Blake Williams Sr. Raised on the East side of Oklahoma City, Jabee began to rap at age seven. As a child, Jabee attended over 11 schools before graduating high school. He began performing onstage by the age of ten. During elementary school, Jabee’s parents divorced. As a single mother, Caraway struggled to support her family at times which led to Jabee’s family being homeless at age 12. In 2001, Jabee’s brother was shot and killed, which motivated Jabee to take music seriously to help get his family out of turmoil.
At age 15 Jabee started recording his own music, which led to performing by the next year. In high school, Jabee began frequently performing at underground parties and raves with local DJs, who helped construct his first project at age 18.
Early career: 2006–2010
Jabee would perform under aliases MC Jabee or Emcee Jabee, competing in freestyle cyphers and MC battles around Oklahoma and Texas. Artists that had significant influence on his style include 2Pac, Biggie Smalls,[1] Get Boys, Lord Finesse, El-P and CamRon. Using his college laptop, Jabee created his first release, entitled I just wanna make some music. Within that time, Jabee was signed to Bomb city Records.
In 2008, Bombcity Records and Illroots.com released Jabee’s first EPtape, Songs For Debutantes featuring Emcee Hype and DJ Vadim. The tape gained prominence on the internet, leading to being featured as one of URB Magazine’s 2008 Next 1000.
During 2009, DJ Vadim would mail Jabee beats to rap over. The team produced and created Jabee’s next album, “Blood is the New Black” under Little Mafia Records. As buzz began to generate over the internet, Jabee went on to be featured on the Boondocks Season 3 Mix tape.
During 2010, Jabee left Little Mafia Records with intent to expand on an Indie level. He released “Must Be Nice: Hosted by Mick Boogie” while also headlining shows around the Midwest region.
