Propaganda | |
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 Propaganda performing at theMurray Hill Theatre in 2018. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Jason Emmanuel Petty (1979-05-27)May 27, 1979 (age 46) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip-hop,spoken word,underground hip-hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, pastor, poet |
| Years active | 2002 (2002)–present |
| Labels | UpRok, Tunnel Rat, End of Earth, Humble Beast, Empire, RMG |
| Website | www |
Jason Emmanuel Petty (born May 27, 1979), better known by his stage namePropaganda, is an Americanrapper,spoken word artist, and poet fromLos Angeles, California. He has released seven albums as an independent artist, including one collaborative album with Odd Thomas and one withDerek Minor, and has performed and recorded as a member of theunderground hip hop groupTunnel Rats and associated act Footsoldiers.
Jason Emmanuel Petty was born on May 27, 1979, inLos Angeles, California.[1] In his very early childhood, his family moved into a violent, ethnically Mexican neighborhood.[2] As the only black child in the area, he was often teased due to his skin color. Later, his family moved again, this time to the suburbs, where his family was known as the "poor black family."[2] He learned to rap, and also took up dance,graffiti, and formal drawing and painting.[3] Discovered byunderground hip hop collectiveTunnel Rats, he made his debut in 2002 onSpeak Life bySev Statik.[4] In 2003, Petty joined the Tunnel Rats, and on April 8, 2003, released his solo debut album with UpRok Records, entitledOut of Knowhere.[5][6] In 2006 he released theI Am Not ThemEP with Tunnel Rat Music and recordedLive This as part of Tunnel Rats-affiliated group Footsoldiers.[7] Footsoldiers also collaborated withKRS-One on his albumLife, with Petty appearing on the song "I Ain't Leaving".[7] Petty released a second solo EP,The Sketchbook: A Small Collection of Unreleased Material, independently in 2008, and his second album,Listen Watch Focus, also came out in 2008 through End of Earth Records.
Petty then released four albums through thePortland-based Humble Beast Records. The first, entitledArt Ambidextrous, was recorded as a dual-album with Odd Thomas, and came out on February 1, 2011. Petty's next album,Excellent, came out in 2012, and charted at No. 7 on theBillboard Top Gospel chart.[8] Petty's fourth solo album,Crimson Cord, came out on April 29, 2014, and also charted successfully.[9] He droppedCrooked, a project that asked serious political and social questions, on June 30, 2017.[10]
Propaganda has traveled the country on several tours, including the "Unlimited Up" tour[11] withMurs and the "Spotlight" tour withSho Baraka in 2016, as well as the "Tension Tour" with Kings Kaleidoscope in 2017.
In addition to his hip hop career, Jason Petty has worked as a youth pastor, led a poetry team called Selah, and helped his sister's dance ministry called "Live."[3] In 2013, he partnered withI Am Second in hosting a poetry contest, Spoken Word Challenge.[2][12] In 2017, Petty and his wife, Dr. Alma Zaragoza-Petty, recorded "The Red Couch Podcast," an eight-episode series in which they discussed social justice issues.[13] He began the "Hood Politics with Prop" podcast in 2020.[14][non-primary source needed] In mid-2020, Petty appeared as a guest co-host on the Behind the Police podcast mini-series of theiHeartRadio podcast Behind the Bastards with journalistRobert Evans. On this podcast, Evans explained the history of the American police, with Petty reacting to Evans's explanation and adding additional commentary of his own.[15] In early 2021, Petty also appeared as a guest co-host on Evans' Behind the Insurrections mini-series.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Battle for L.A.: Footsoldiers, Vol. 1 | Himself[16] | Documentary film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Box, 4 sessions | Himself[17] | Bible Study film |
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