Person Biography:
Gregory Jacobs, also known as Shock-G, spent his childhood moving around the East Coast with his family before settling in Tampa, Florida. Growing up, he was a talented drummer, winning the "Most Talented" trophy at Greco Junior High School in 1978. However, after his parents' divorce, he relocated to Queens, New York, and discovered hip hop, which led him to trade his drums for turntables.
Under the mentorship of his cousin Rene Negron, also known as DJ-Stretch, and their friend Shawn Trone, also known as MC Shah-T, Jacobs began his career as a DJ. He adopted the name Shock-G, which was a mistake, as he thought his friend said "Shah-G" instead.
In Tampa, Jacobs formed the Master Blasters, a mobile deejay crew that featured three DJs and four emcees. They performed at parties and outdoor gatherings, eventually catching the attention of Tony Stone, a program director at WTMP radio. Jacobs was offered a job as a deejay on the air, becoming the youngest radio personality in central Florida at the age of 16.
However, Jacobs was fired from the radio station after playing an album version of a song in a five-minute time slot, and he also had tensions with his father. He spent the next few years backpacking across the United States, taking odd jobs and getting involved in petty criminal activities. During this time, his focus shifted from deejaying to playing the piano, and he taught himself to play by practicing in piano rooms at music stores and colleges.
After returning home, Jacobs attended Hillsborough Community College, where he studied music theory and piano. He met Kenneth Waters, and they began performing together under various names, including The Chill Factor and The Four Horsemen. Jacobs also played piano gigs around town, performed with Kenny, and worked as a keyboardist in Warren Allen Brooks' band.
In 1985, Jacobs and his girlfriend, Davita Watts, eloped to Los Angeles in search of greater opportunities. He played keyboards in Kenny McCloud's pop-funk band "Onyx" before leaving LA and moving to the San Francisco bay area, where he found work in an Oakland music store. It was in this location that Digital Underground would form a few years later.
