His father Otis Jackson Sr. was an acclaimed '70s soul singer, and mother [url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Dora+Sinesca+Faddis-Jackson]Sinesca[/url] wrote most of his classic tunes. He is the younger brother of indie hip-hop icon Madlib aka Quasimoto.
He debuted as an artist in his own right with a string of singles on [l=Stones Throw Records] in the US and appearances on [l=Groove Attack Productions] in Europe.