Jake the Snake

Born in the West Indies, Boston-based rapper Jake the Snake (aka J the S) moved from the island of Nevis to the New England area at a young age. His rhyme technique a cross between a dancehall DJ and a fierce New York MC, Jake began rapping around age 16 and honed his skills through freestyle battles in Boston's underground hip-hop scene. His first album, The Arrival, made little noise upon its 2004 release, but Jake returned in 2006 with the well-received Strategy of the Crown LP, boasting features from Ras Kass and Devin the Dude. The album singles containing those two guest spots, "Kilograms (I Know)" and "Crabs in a Barrel," both charted on CMJ and other college radio playlists that year. Several mixtapes appeared during the next couple of years before the Boston MC released his third full-length, The Last Days, in 2008. © Cyril Cordor /TiVo