Early Life

Jesse Garba Abaga, known professionally as Jesse Jagz, was born on 10 August 1984 in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. He is the older brother of fellow rapper M.I Abaga, and the two grew up together in Jos before both going on to shape Nigerian hip-hop.

Career

Jesse Jagz was among the founding members of the Jos-based Loopy Music collective, alongside his brother M.I, Ice Prince, Ruby Gyang and others, a crew that would go on to reshape Nigerian hip-hop in the late 2000s. In 2010, he signed a record deal with Chocolate City and released his debut studio album, “Jag of All Tradez,” the same year, showcasing a sound that blended hip-hop with reggae and dancehall influences.

He voluntarily exited his Chocolate City deal in 2013 to launch his own independent outfit, Jagz Nation, releasing his second studio album, “Jagz Nation, Vol. 1: Thy Nation Come,” on 10 July 2013. Known by the nickname “one ball wonder,” Jesse Jagz later returned to Chocolate City for a further stint, notably contributing to the label’s 2015 collaborative album “The Indestructible Choc Boi Nation” after a two-year hiatus. As both a rapper and record producer, he has continued to build a genre-spanning catalogue that draws on hip-hop, reggae and dancehall.

Personal Life

Jesse Jagz has largely kept his personal life private, letting his genre-blending catalogue and independent label, Jagz Nation, speak for his standing in Nigerian music.

With a career built on genre experimentation and a founding role in one of Jos’s most influential musical collectives, Jesse Jagz remains one of Nigerian hip-hop’s most distinctive voices.