03 Greedo

L.A. rapper 03 Greedo established his voice through an initial run of mixtapes that kicked off with Purple Summer in 2016. His versatile rhymes drew heavily from themes of drugs, hardship, and celebrity, and he maintained a rapid pace of high-caliber output. A record deal expanded his reach further, yet within a month of issuing his debut studio album God Level in 2018 he received a 20-year prison sentence tied to drug trafficking. Time behind bars did nothing to interrupt his flow of projects, which included the 2019 Kenny Beats collaboration Netflix & Deal, the 2020 studio album Load It Up, Vol. 01, and the 2023 release Free 03 with Mike Free. Upon his exit from prison Greedo sustained the momentum, issuing Halfway There as his second LP of 2023 along with 2024’s Hella Greedy with Helluva.

Born Jason Jamal Jackson in 1987, he was raised in the Los Angeles area. He launched his recording career as Greedy Giddy with the four-volume Bi-Polar series and the 2012 mixtape Money, Powder, Regrets. Early material reflected Southern rap influences and arrived in an irregular pattern of stray online tracks and scattered mixtapes. The 2016 switch to the name 03 Greedo coincided with the launch of his Golden Grenade Empire label and a shift toward a more atmospheric, fluid approach. Self-produced projects arrived in quick succession: Purple Summer and Purple Summer 2: Sun Don't Shine in 2016, followed in 2017 by Purple Summer 03: Purple Hearted Soldier, First Night Out, and Money Changes Everything. That steady volume of work strengthened his profile and led to a 2017 signing with Alamo Records, which put out the 2018 mixtape The Wolf of Grape Street. The set marked his widest exposure to date and included guest verses from PnB Rock, OMB Peezy, and additional peers. June of the same year brought his first official studio album, the expansive 27-track God Level, which spanned multiple styles, featured Rich the Kid, and contained a remix of the earlier single “Never Bend” that added Lil Uzi Vert.

July 2018 nevertheless brought a jail sentence stemming from 2016 charges after police stopped him with more than four pounds of meth and two stolen guns. He entered custody that summer yet publicly stated his plan to continue creating and releasing music while incarcerated. One of the earliest results appeared in 2019 as Still Summer in the Projects, which included guests Shoreline Mafia, YG, and Trilliano plus production from Mustard. The same year he issued the collaborative album Netflix & Deal with Kenny Beats; in 2020 he joined RonRonTheProducer for Load It Up, Vol. 01, which added appearances from Sada Baby, Chief Keef, Key Glock, Rob Vicious, and further contributors. Early 2021 saw the single “Substance (We Woke Up),” a laid-back track that carried a guest verse from Wiz Khalifa, followed later by the short EP 03 Inna Key. Free 03, a joint mixtape with producer Mike Free, surfaced in early January 2023 only days before his parole release and move to a halfway house. Working rapidly, he assembled the expansive, hard-edged Halfway There, which arrived two-and-a-half months later and featured prominent turns from Ty Dolla $ign, Maxo Kream, and Rich the Kid across its 33 tracks. Additional 2023 activity encompassed a collaborative mixtape with Ricky Racks and more than a dozen singles. Output in 2024 followed a similar pattern of frequent singles, capped by the October full-length Hella Greedy with Detroit producer Helluva.