Behind the viral track “Dead Or Alive,” Jahmarie Wishart Adams— better known as Jazz Cartier, is an accomplished artist in the rap industry. He has toured worldwide, collaborated with notable names, and has been called “Toronto’s Prince of Rap”, speaking to his innovative and dynamic musical style.

Cartier was born on March 19th, 1993 in Toronto, Ontario, however, he did not spend much of his childhood in the bustling metropolitan. His step-father was a diplomat for the U.S, which resulted in his family moving frequently. He spent time in the United States, Kuwait, and Barbados, attending 13 boarding schools throughout his life. In an interview with blogTO, he credits this “nomadic lifestyle” as a musical influence since each country had a ‘scene’.

In 2012, following his high school graduation, he was accepted into an art Program at Columbia college. Cartier however, decided to relocate to Toronto, crashing with a friend until he got on his feet. A year after his abrupt repatriation, he met GLAM members Drew Howard and Derek Wise in the clubbing scene and formed the collective Get Home Safe. The trio moved to Toronto’s Kensington Market. Their apartment became a well-known party spot where they’d often play their own music. They soon gained a positive reputation in the city. Despite this momentum, the trio eventually fell out, leaving Cartier to rap solo.

To begin his solo career, Cartier collaborated with producer Lantz to develop a debut album. They met in a music studio in 2009, when Cartier was 16 years old and maintained contact for years. In 2014, while developing what would become the hit album Marauding in Paradise, Cartier released the tracks “Set Fire” and “Switch”, which gained a lot of attention in Toronto. The latter track was regularly played during Raptors games that year.

Finally, on April 15th, 2015 Cartier released Marauding in Paradise. He supported this release with the singles “New Religion” and “Dead and Alive”— the song that brought him to international fame. The following year, he released the album Hotel Paranoia, which earned him a JUNO for Rap Recording of the Year in 2017. That year, he doubled his tour dates, headlining 16 shows in Europe. Following this, Cartier released several full length albums alongside many singles and collaborations. Currently, Cartier continues to perform, record music and release promotional materials.