Early Morning Shift, Vol. 3

Chosen by both E-40 and Too Short as the next big thing out of the Bay, West Oakland rapper J. Stalin began making serious noise in 2006 with a series of mixtapes, a debut album, and a couple singles that captured the sound and excitement of the city’s “Go” movement. Born Jovan Smith, he created his stage name in reference to the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin who, like J., was also short but “was always smashin' on everybody.” A teen crack dealer, or “d-boy,” he was busted at the age of 17, earning...