Born April 15, 1985, Joseph “JD ERA” Dako was raised in Mississauga, Ontario and developed a love for music at an early age. This love keeps him listening to everything from Jay-Z to James Brown. He started rapping at the age of 14 and began making a name for himself throughout ciphers at local shows and concerts. At age 16 Era began writing rhymes and entered and won his first freestyle competition. His passion for battling other emcees has gained him a reputation as one of the top freestyle lyricists in Toronto. This summer he solidified his reputation with a victory at the Mark Ecko Getting Up Festival’s Freestyle Competition. Under the watchful eye of an energetic crowd and prestigious judges such as Mr.X, JD defeated 15 other emcees and emerged as the last man standing. This was one of the many highlights in his young and promising career.
Only twenty years young, JD is well aware that he is fairly new to the industry, and is more then willing to pay his dues. This summer he was one of the few featured artists on the Nike Battlegrounds Coat Of Arms compilation. He was also invited to perform in front of thousands at the Nike Battlegrounds tournament alongside international artist Kardinal Offishall among others. By the end of 2005 JD had completed two singles added to both Flow 93.5 and 91.5 The Beat. The first track “Ride Clean” received light rotation on both stations. The second, entitled “Take Me Home” featuring Sumeet took urban radio by storm. With its catchy chorus and infectious melody the song was quickly placed into heavy rotation, peaking at #4 on the countdown, finishing at #43 on Flow 93.5’s top 93 of 2005. Needless to say, 2005 was a phenomenal year for the young rapper. Packed with punch lines, witty metaphors, and a smooth flow, JD ERA is definitely a hip hop force to be reckoned with. |
