J. Spencer

Born around 1971 in Oakland, California, saxophonist Spencer first surfaced in the 1990s as a hip-hop/jazz fusion artist on Motown’s MoJazz imprint, where he was introduced as a gifted herald of a “new age in jazz and rap.” His debut album, Chimera Vol. 1, contained a track whose title captured the hybrid approach: “A little bit of hip-hop/A little bit of jazz.” Songwriting credits on the project were shared between several contributions from his friend Elijah Baker of Tony! Toni! Tone! and Spencer’s own material. Recording sessions featured Derrick Hall on bass, John “Jubu” Smith on guitar, and Tommy Bradford on drums, while additional rap vocals came from fellow Oakland natives Mike D, P. Funk, and Vitamin C, augmented by the brass ensemble known as the Flat Lip Horns. His sophomore release, Blue Moon, arrived at the close of 1995 and reached number 49 on the Billboard R&B chart.