Just Jack

Sometimes a little Madness can help a lot. Jack Allsopp -- better known as Just Jack -- had worked as a flower arranger, gardener, and cleaner ("anything to put crust on the table") before he landed a job at RGRecords. Allsopp casually handed over a copy of his demo to the label's owner, Chas Smith, the man who used to sing and dance up a storm in Madness. Smith fell in love with Just Jack's sound and quickly signed Allsopp to a four-album deal. It was a long time coming for the Camden, England, rapper. Allsopp had been in love with all forms of black music since he was a young lad, and he had been DJing since the age of 14. He never really cared for the indie guitar scene, but electro, hip-hop, and house always excited him. Allsopp fused elements of all his favorite genres, added his own English twist, and recorded the "Snowflakes" single for RGR in 2003. Support from the U.K. press came quickly and a mash-up mix of "Snowflakes" and the Cure's "Lullaby" by Eddy Temple Morris and Jay Reynolds became an instant club smash. The popular mash-up was added to the U.S. release of Just Jack's debut, The Outer Marker, released by TVT in late 2003. In 2006 he released the elaborate and laidback album Overtones. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi