Jack Rollen
Contents
Jack Rollen(Ugandan Singer-Rapper-Songwriter)[1]
Ezra Colgate Onenchan Jackson (born November 03, 1999), Professionally Known By His Stage Name Jack Rollen (Often Stylized As JARO) Is A Multi-Talented Ugandan Singer-Rapper-Songwriter, Music Producer, Author And Poet Who Started Writing Music In 2016, Composing And Writing Poetry In 2017, Playwrighting In 2019, And Started Music Production In 2020[2].[3] Jack Rollen Has Gone By Many Names In The Ugandan Music Industry. In 2021, He Produced Under The Alias Bomba, Under This Alias, He Produced For Many Ugandan Musicians Such As Fik Fameica, Chozen Blood[4], Sheebah Karungi, Apass And Many More.
Early Life
Ezra Colgate Onenchan Jackson Was Born On November 03, 1999 In St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor, Gulu District in Northern Uganda. He’s Born In A Family Of Seven(7). Jack Is The Second Born In His Christian Family After An Elder Sister. He Has Two Sisters And Two Sibling Brothers.
He Is Born In A Christian Family Where Both Of His Parents Are Devoted Seventh Day Adventist Christians. Jack’s parents are part of the refugees from South Sudan who immigrated to uganda in the early 1970s due to the first(which happened between 1955-1972)[5] and second(which happened between 1983-2005)[6] civil wars in South Sudan.
Jack Rollen[7] grew up in refugee camps(Kiryandongo refugee camp[8] in kiryandongo district from 1999-2004 and kyangwali refugee settlement[9] in then Hoima district but now kikuube district from 2004-2011) with his family where they depended entirely on agriculture.
He attended his primary education from a village school(Kasonga Primary School)[10] for classes Nursery and Primary One[11] in kyangwali refugee camp[9]. He was then transferred to hoima town for better education in 2009 where he started his Primary 2[11]. He completed his primary seven from the same school(Murubya Primary School)[12] in 2014 and later joined secondary at Bugema Adventist Secondary School[13](2015) in Luweero district but later finished his O’Level certificate education from Light College Katikamu[14](2018) in wakiso district. He then joined Mandela secondary school[15](2019) for A’Level/Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education.
Physical/Shape
| Gender | Height | Weight | Body Type | Hair | Hair Color | Skin Color | Ethnicity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 4.11ft | 134.5lbs | slim | Medium | Black | Black | Acholi |
More Details
| Alma Mater | Languages
Spoken |
Siblings | Parents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murubya Primary School | English(Fluent) | Ageno Scovia Jackson
(Elder Sister) |
Ochan Jackson Okello |
| Bugema Adventis Secondary School | Acholi(Fluent) | Omita Comfort Jackson
(Younger Brother) |
Ayaa Mary Jackson |
| Light College Katikamu | Runyoro
(Fluent) |
Komagum Gabriel Jackson
(Younger Brother) |
|
| Mandela Secondary School | Luganda | Aloyo Mercy Jackson
(Youngest Sister) |
|
| Arabic |
Family Life
Jack Rollen grew up in an extended type of family, with very many cousins, aunties and relatives. Life in a refugee settlement is always rough, and living an extended family lifestyle is always a common theme in most if not all refugee camps globally. There are camps where refugees live a communal lifestyle. Jack Rollen's family survived on agriculture mainly[16], that was the survival token for every family in the camp as there were no decent jobs and the highest percentage of population in the camp was not educated.
Jack's father was a teacher at the time(though the salary was too insufficient for the family to survive on). He taught for four years in the primary sector and five more years in the secondary sector before he decided to leave the camp for Juba, South Sudan.
Jack's mom was a peasant farmer(not for long due to health complications). Her health wasn't good, she was always in hospitals taking treatment for a back complication. She was operated three times from mulago hospital, Kampala.
Career
Jack started writing music in 2016 with his first song “We Shall Fly” which he always(at the time) performed during talent shows in school[17], domitory music competitions, crazy class moments and also during birthday parties at school. He was inspired by Nicki Minaj’s ‘Fly’ ft Rihanna and Nicki Minaj’s ‘Pills n Potions.’ Jack has great respect and admiration for Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne for they inspired him on his journey of writing music.
In 2017, Jack got a friend(Brandon) who had great love for music[18], it was him who made Jack realize even further that he could do great in music. The same friend introduced Jack to poetry, it was then that Jack started writing poems with his very first poem being “African Queen.” Jack performed this poem in the Uganda National Theater[19] in 2019 under the theme “Theater Poetry Day” which was organized by a ugandan poetry group called “Kitara Poets.”[20]
In 2021, Jack taught himself how to make beats using fl studio. This journey was inspired by AngeLlaciencia, a music producer based in Los Angeles. After watching his interview[21][22], Jack decided to try music production too as hobby since in 2021 there was total lock-down due to the corona virus. There was plenty of time to pick and try new hobbies to learn and to pass time. Over the years, he has mastered the art of music production. He has released several albums and EPs since then.
Awards
Jack Rollen Was Nominated In 2021 For The HiPiPo Music Awards In The Category Of Hot Upcoming Music Producers Of The Year[23]
Jack Rollen Discography(Albums, EPs, Singles)
| Year
(Release Date) |
Album | EP | Single | Record Label | Format | No. Of Songs | Streams Generated
On Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 November, 2020 | DETERMINED AGAIN[24] | Yes | JARO vision RECORDS | Digital download,
streaming |
3 | 1372 | |
| 03 January, 2021 | BROKEN AND UP AGAIN[25] | Yes | JARO vision RECORDS | Digital download,
streaming |
3 | 9563 | |
| 04 March, 2021 | JARO 88K[26] | Yes | JARO vision RECORDS | Digital download,
streaming |
4 | 3582 | |
| 21 March, 2023 | GHOST MODE[27] | Yes | JARO vision RECORDS | Digital download,
streaming |
4 | 1274 | |
| 19 April, 2023 | OUTCAST[28] | Yes | JARO vision RECORDS | Digital download,
streaming |
4 | 4361 | |
| 21 March, 2023 | SAD & DEAD[29] | Yes | JARO vision RECORDS | Digital download,
streaming |
4 | 2363 | |
| 03 April, 2023 | INDEMNITY MODE[30] | Yes | JARO vision RECORDS | Digital download,
streaming |
3 | 1700 | |
| 21 March, 2023 | TEARS IN THE SKY[31] | Yes | JARO vision RECORDS | Digital download,
streaming |
7 | 7641 |
Artistry
Style And Influence
Initially, Jack Rollen wasn’t really a big fan of HipHop. It was until 2016 when Nicki’s ‘Fly’[32] and ‘Pills N Potions’ hit the charts[33] that Jack felt drawn towards loving HipHop. The love for secular music and hiphop grew in him, he spent a lot of time listening to different songs in the hiphop genre. listening, learning and getting inspired by the artistry and talents of artists such as Lil Wayne, Nicki minaj, Eminem, Meek Mill and many more[34]. At the time it was nothing but HipHop before discovering the soothing sounds of artits like Justin Bieber, Jason Derulo, Chris Brown, Alecia Keys, Beyonce, Katy Pery, P!nk and many more, this was yet another drive into RnB and pop.After listening to music for a very long time and devoting himself into understanding the art, Jack started trying out how to write music of his own. The learning was endless until he finally wrote his first song “We shall fly[35].”
As for his poetry, Jack Rollen has never mentioned a well known poet who inspired or influenced him. It was none but his friend who led him into writing poems. His favorite poem though, is, ‘Tarantella’ by Hilaire Belloc. His A’level Literature teacher, Mr.Charles Ekyagonza, helped him a lot in grooming his poetry skill and further pushing his art and talent.
References
- ↑ Joshua (2021-12-04). "Top 10 Music Producers in Uganda - Top Ten Uganda" (in en-US). https://toptenuganda.com/top-10-music-producers-in-uganda/.
- ↑ (in en) list of music producers in uganda 2021, 2020-11-25, https://spotlight.mag.ug/2021/04/22/top-10-music-produers-in-uganda/, retrieved 2023-04-21
- ↑ House, Media (2021-05-18). "JACK ROLLEN BIOGRAPHY [How Jack Rollen Became Famous"] (in en). https://mediahouse.medium.com/jack-rollen-biography-how-jack-rollen-became-famous-4eb273e589f2.
- ↑ "Latest Chozen Blood News and Gossip | Blizz Uganda". https://blizz.co.ug/tag/-Chozen-Blood.html.
- ↑ Momodu, Samuel (2020-01-23). "First Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972) •" (in en-US). https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/events-global-african-history/first-sudanese-civil-war-1955-1972/.
- ↑ "Civil War in South Sudan" (in en). https://cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/civil-war-south-sudan.
- ↑ "Jack Rollen" (in en). https://open.spotify.com/artist/6IPzua7NeBTcmPdQMYee0N.
- ↑ "Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement Project" (in en-US). 2013-07-10. https://realmedicinefoundation.org/our-work/countries/uganda/initiatives/kiryandongo-refugee-settlement-project/.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Welcome to Kyangwali | Alight" (in en-US). https://wearealight.org/welcome-to-kyangwali/.
- ↑ fleur2lis (2007-07-03), Bright, https://www.flickr.com/photos/fleur_2lis/828560226/, retrieved 2023-04-21
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Uganda Education System". https://www.scholaro.com/db/countries/Uganda/Education-System.
- ↑ "Murubya Primary School". https://infoug.com/murubya-primary-school-8192.html.
- ↑ "Home - Bugema Adventist Secondary School" (in en-US). https://www.bugemaadventistss.ac.ug/,%20https://www.bugemaadventistss.ac.ug/.
- ↑ "Licoka | Home of Light College Katikamu" (in en). https://licoka.ac.ug/.
- ↑ "mandelasshoima.ac.ug| Home". https://www.mandelasshoima.ac.ug/.
- ↑ "70% of Africans make a living through agriculture, and technology could transform their world" (in en). https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/70-of-africans-make-a-living-through-agriculture-and-technology-could-transform-their-world/.
- ↑ "About Mandela Secondary School Hoima (Uganda)". https://www.africa2trust.com/Member/Default.aspx?l=1&c=1&sid=14512&glx=1&CatID=2.
- ↑ "MTV’s Siesta Key star Brandon Gomes shares his love for music, emerging DJing career" (in en-US). 2023-03-03. https://www.wjbf.com/lifestyle/u-s-world-entertainment/mtvs-siesta-key-star-brandon-gomes-shares-his-love-for-music-emerging-djing-career/.
- ↑ "Uganda National Cultural Centre". http://www.uncc.co.ug/.
- ↑ "Schools Theater Poetry Day 2019" (in en-US). 2019-09-18. https://kitaranation.com/schools-theater-poetry-day/.
- ↑ https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/angel-laciencia-beats-on-youtube.1261920/
- ↑ Bean, Supreme (2021-10-02). "AngelLaCiencia Beats ll | 22 August 2022 | THE SUPREME TEAM || HUM MUSIC BLOG" (in en-US). https://thehum.us/angellaciencia-beats-ll/.
- ↑ "HiPipo Music Awards – #LevelOneProject" (in en-GB). https://hma.hipipo.com/.
- ↑ (in en) DETERMINED AGAIN, 2020-11-25, https://open.spotify.com/album/0xRjnOfheHeORaf1tSfpDJ, retrieved 2023-04-21[1]
- ↑ (in en) BROKEN AND UP AGAIN (Instrumental version), 2021-01-03, https://open.spotify.com/album/5VaLof6pWqYmOzSB7FjeFk, retrieved 2023-04-21[2]
- ↑ (in en) JARO 88K (Instrumental version), 2021-03-04, https://open.spotify.com/album/4o8T79AsYyRh6KMlxFpQHh, retrieved 2023-04-21[3]
- ↑ (in en) Ghost Mode, 2023-03-12, https://open.spotify.com/album/1mcUcpNDueH4qToUp4MwOZ, retrieved 2023-04-21[4]
- ↑ (in en) OUTCAST (Instrumental), 2023-03-12, https://open.spotify.com/album/5FfnRPejU3urnYziVUC9Hw, retrieved 2023-04-21[5]
- ↑ "Sad & Dead". https://tidal.com/browse/album/284222551.
- ↑ (in en) INDEMNITY (Instrumental Versions), 2023-04-03, https://open.spotify.com/album/5fvdNuvt2AsSmU5yKA0xqv, retrieved 2023-04-21[6]
- ↑ "Music and Podcasts, Free and On-Demand | Pandora". https://www.pandora.com/search/jack%20rollen/albums.
- ↑ "Fly by Nicki Minaj and Rihanna - Music Charts". https://acharts.co/song/59177.
- ↑ "pills n potions | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company" (in en). https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/pills-n-potions/.
- ↑ Rouhani, Carl Lamarre,Gail Mitchell,Keith Murphy,Michael Saponara,Datwon Thomas,Mark Elibert,Eric Diep ,William E. Ketchum III,Heran Mamo,Neena; Lamarre, Carl; Mitchell, Gail; Murphy, Keith; Saponara, Michael; Thomas, Datwon; Elibert, Mark; Diep, Eric et al. (2023-02-08). "50 Greatest Rappers of All Time" (in en-US). https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-rappers-all-time/.
- ↑ "When He Calls, I'll Fly Away | Music Services". https://musicservices.com/license/song/detail/146621.
