Editing Schoolly D (section)

== Philadelphia Origins ==

Jesse Bonds Weaver Jr. was born on June 22, 1962, in Philadelphia, growing up in the city during the era when hip-hop was emerging in New York. Philadelphia's hip-hop scene developed somewhat separately from New York's, with local artists creating approaches that reflected their city's particular character. Schoolly D absorbed these local influences while developing a style harder and more explicit than most contemporary hip-hop, his music reflecting street realities that many artists avoided addressing directly.<ref name="bradley">{{cite book |last=Bradley |first=Adam |title=Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop |year=2009 |publisher=Basic Civitas |location=New York}}</ref>

His stage name derived from "schoolly," Philadelphia slang, signaling local identity that distinguished him from New York artists who dominated hip-hop's early development. This Philadelphia specificity, combined with content that addressed crime, drugs, and street violence, created music that documented urban experience from a perspective that sanitized approaches avoided. His willingness to address controversial subjects preceded similar approaches by West Coast artists who would later achieve greater commercial success.<ref name="chang"/>

The independent release approach that Schoolly D adopted reflected both necessity—major labels had not yet recognized hip-hop's commercial potential—and entrepreneurial initiative that gave him control over his recordings. His label, Schoolly D Records, released music that established his reputation while providing a model for independent hip-hop distribution that subsequent artists would follow.<ref name="bradley"/>