The Jacka

The Jacka
Background information
Also known asShaheed Akbar
Born
Dominick Newton

August 12, 1977[1]
DiedFebruary 2, 2015(2015-02-02) (aged 37)
Genres
OccupationRapper
Years active1998–2015
Labels
Formerly ofMob Figaz

Shaheed Akbar (born Dominick Newton;[2][3] August 12, 1977 – February 2, 2015), better known by his stage name The Jacka, was an American rapper from Pittsburg, California. He began his career as part of the rap group Mob Figaz.[4]

Early life

Newton was born to 14-year-old parents and became the family breadwinner as a teenager, a role that landed him in prison for a year at age 18. He converted to Islam at a young age and changed his name to Shaheed Akbar.[2][5][6]

Career

Newton's career began with the Bay Area rap group Mob Figaz after the teenaged Newton and several friends were approached by established rap artist C-Bo in a record store and went to a recording studio that day. The guest rappers appeared on "Ride Til We Die," the opening track on C-Bo's 1998 album Til My Casket Drops.[5] Their debut album, C-Bo's Mob Figaz, released in 1999 was a minor hit on the Billboard Hip Hop chart entering in at #63, doing fairly well selling 160,000 units.[7] His first solo release The Jacka of the Mob Figaz in 2001 sold over 30,000 units. Jacka sold these units himself, in the Bay Area and shipping to one-stops across the country. Though great support came from the Bay Area, sixty percent of Jacka's sales came from outside of California.[8] In 2005, The Jacka released his second solo album The Jack Artist but failed to chart. In 2009, The Jacka came out with his third solo album Tear Gas making it #93 on the Billboard chart. The Jacka's #1 song in his 2009 album Glamorous Lifestyle was an instant classic in the Bay Area. Prior to his death, he owned his own record label named The Artist Records.[9]

Death

On February 2, 2015, Newton was fatally shot by an unidentified gunman in Oakland[2] on 94th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard.[10][6]

Discography

Solo albums

Solo mixtapes

  • 2005: The Jacka: The Mixtape[14]
  • 2007: The Jacka Is the Dopest
  • 2010: G-Slaps Radio Vol. 1[15]
  • 2011: We Mafia
  • 2011: The Indictment
  • 2012: The Verdict[16]
  • 2012: The Sentence[17]
  • 2013: The Appeal

Collaborative albums

Singles

Single information
"Hey Girl" (feat. Kazi, Young Uzi)
  • Released: 2001
  • B-side: "From the Bay" (feat. Dee Dee)
  • Album: Jacka of the Mob Figaz
"Barney (More Crime)"
"Never Blink" (feat. J. Stalin, Dubb-20)
  • Released: 2005
  • Album: The Jack Artist
"All Over Me" (feat. Matt Blaque)
  • Released: April 8, 2008
  • B-side: "Shooterz" (feat. Fed-X, Joe Blow)
  • Album: Tear Gas
"Glamorous Lifestyle" (feat. Andre Nickatina)
  • Released: May 5, 2009
  • Album: Tear Gas

See also

References

  1. ^ "Instagram". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Remembering The Jacka: The Bay Area's Hip-Hop Community Mourns and Celebrates a Friend, Father, Rapper, and Mentor". SF Weekly. February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ de Leon, Krishtine (February 4, 2015). "Remembering The Jacka, Bay Area Icon". Vice. Retrieved February 11, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p516936
  5. ^ a b Lefebvre, Sam (February 11, 2015). "Remembering The Jacka: Mourned as He Lived". East Bay Express. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Arvizu, Gabriela (March 10, 2015). "Slain rapper The Jacka leaves legacy in the Bay Area". OaklandNorth.net. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  7. ^ "The Jacka". Discogs.
  8. ^ "The Jacka- The Indictment". thebayisback.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  9. ^ "The Jacka". Last.fm. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  10. ^ "Bay Area Rapper 'The Jacka' Killed In Oakland Shooting". KPIX. February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  11. ^ "The Jacka - Jack Of All Trades". Discogs. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  12. ^ a b c Billboard, Allmusic
  13. ^ Tear Gas chart peaks, Billboard.com
  14. ^ "The Jacka - The Mixtape". Discogs. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  15. ^ "The Jacka - GSlaps Radio Vol. 1". livemixtapes.com. December 8, 2010.
  16. ^ "The Jacka - The Verdict". Discogs. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  17. ^ "The Jacka Of The Mog Figaz* - The Sentence". Discogs. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  18. ^ "Mob Figaz - Mob Figaz". Discogs. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  19. ^ "Husalah & The Jacka - Animal Planet". datpiff.com. 2006.
  20. ^ "The Jacka, AP9, Husalah - Mob Trial". Discogs. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  21. ^ "Jacka* & Husalah - Shower Posse". Discogs. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  22. ^ "The Jacka & Ampichino - Devilz Rejectz - 36 Zipz". Discogs. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  23. ^ "The Jacka & Ampichino - Devilz Rejectz 3: American Horror Story". Discogs. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  24. ^ "Berner & The Jacka - Drought Season 3". Discogs. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  25. ^ "Freeway & The Jacka - Write My Wrongs". datpiff.com. October 14, 2013.