Courtney Everald Dewar Jr. (July 7, 1993 – December 23, 2012), better known by his stage name Capital Steez (stylized as Capital STEEZ), was an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He was a founder of the Brooklyn-based rap collective Pro Era, along with childhood friend Joey Badass.[3][4][5] Capital Steez was also a co-founder of the Beast Coast movement, which consists of three main groups based in Flatbush: Pro Era, Flatbush Zombies, and The Underachievers. Capital Steez committed suicide on December 24, 2012, jumping from the roof of the Cinematic Music Group headquarters aged 19.[6][7] Both Pro Era and Beast Coast went on to gain international success in the years following his death.
Capital Steez | |
|---|---|
 Capital Steez in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Courtney Everald Dewar Jr. |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | July 7, 1993 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 23, 2012 (aged 19) Manhattan, New York, U.S.[1] |
| Cause of death | Suicide by jumping |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2008–2012 |
| Labels | Cinematic[2] |
| Formerly of | |
Early life edit
Courtney Everald Dewar Jr. was born in New York City to Jamaican parents. His father died when he was three years old.[4] Dewar attended Public School Elementary School in Brooklyn, and he formed his first rap group with close friend Jakk the Rhymer (real name Jahkari Jack) in the fourth grade.
Dewar attended Edward R. Murrow High School and classmates remembered him as a "smiling kid with a short afro and skinny jeans" who made friends quickly, skated, smoked cannabis frequently and was a sneakerhead.[4]
Raised as a Christian, Dewar abandoned those beliefs during high school, instead beginning to favor Rastafari which would later come to be a core part of his life. Dewar's beliefs changed once again as he began watching Spirit Science: a popular YouTube series dealing with metaphysical and spiritual theories.[8]
Career edit
2009–2011: Career beginnings edit
Capital Steez (then known as JaY STeeZ) started rapping and recording music around 2009. Around this time, Steez and Jakk Da Rhymer (then known as BlakkJakk (The Rhymer)) formed a rap duo known as The 3rd Kind. The duo released their only mixtape, The Yellow Tape, in 2010. Shortly after the tape's release, Steez & Jakk parted ways as a duo but continued to work together as solo artists
In the spring of 2011, while studying at Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, Capital Steez and producer Powers Pleasant formed Pro Era. The group was conceived while the pair were on their way home from a Steez performance at a local Brooklyn cafe, which a number of friends including Joey Badass and Dirty Sanchez also attended to show support.[3][4]
Capital Steez is credited with being the person who coined the term "Beast Coast Movement", a name for the rise in popularity of East Coast hip-hop groups such as Pro Era, The Underachievers, and Flatbush Zombies.[9] The three groups all come from Brooklyn and frequently use the phrase Beast Coast in songs and on concert flyers.
2012: AmeriKKKan Korruption and rise in popularity edit
On February 23, 2012, Joey Badass and Capital Steez uploaded "Survival Tactics" to YouTube. He was listed in "The 25 Best Rap Lines of 2012" by Spin.[10][11]
Capital Steez released his first solo mixtape, AmeriKKKan Korruption, on April 7, 2012, with 14 tracks. The mixtape has received universal acclaim since its release. A "reloaded" version with seven additional tracks was released on October 10, 2012. The tape now runs 21 tracks in total and features many of his Pro Era teammates, such as CJ Fly, Chuck Strangers, Joey Badass, Dirty Sanchez, and Jakk the Rhymer. The mixtape contains production from Madlib, MF Doom, Free the Robots, DJ Premier, Knxwledge, Ant of Atmosphere, J. Rawls, Tommy Mas, the Entreproducers, and also contains production from fellow Pro Era members, Joey Badass, Kirk Knight, and Bruce Leekix.
Personal life edit
Steez's spiritual outlook included elements of Egyptian mysticism, numerology, astral projection and the Indian chakra system. He considered himself one of the Indigo children and allegedly believed he was a being of a higher dimension.[4] Steez was infatuated with the number 47 and what it meant spiritually. He believed the number 47 was the "perfect expression of balance in the world", representing the tension between the heart and the brain (the fourth and seventh chakra, respectively.) The number featured on the cover of AmeriKKKan Korruption, stylized to resemble a swastika.[4]
Death and posthumous works edit
On the night of December 23, 2012, Capital Steez made his way to the rooftop of the Cinematic Music Group headquarters in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, where he texted a few of his closest friends that he loved them, and at 11:59 p.m. EST, posted a tweet saying, "The end."[12] He then jumped off the roof, dying on impact.[13][4]
In late April 2013, Joey Badass announced that a Capital Steez album entitled King Capital would soon be released.[14] On July 7, 2013, Pro Era released the song "King Steelo" from the upcoming posthumous album.[15]
On December 24, 2013, the first anniversary of his death, Pro Era released a music video for his song, "47 Piiirates".[16] On August 26, 2016, the official Pro Era YouTube channel released an animated music video for his song, "Herban Legend", which premiered at the second annual Steez Day Concert in Los Angeles, California, on July 7, 2016.[17]
On June 12, 2017, Capital Steez's Twitter account posted for the first time since his death tweeting: "The Beginning". Fans immediately realized the tweet was referencing Steez's "The End" tweet, which he tweeted moments before jumping to his death on December 23, 2012. This tweet caused fans and music journalists to speculate the release date for Steez's posthumous album King Capital.[18] It was announced by Joey Badass and Capital Steez's family members at the 2017 Steez Day Concert in July that the album would be released on December 23, 2017, the fifth anniversary of the rapper's death. However, Joey Badass took to Instagram to tell fans that the album would be delayed yet again due to "business legalities and sample clearances."[19]
On January 2, 2018, Joey Badass replied to various fans' tweets about Pro Era's release schedule for the year. Among his tweets, Badass told fans he is working on putting Capital Steez's AmeriKKKan Korruption mixtape on Spotify (and potentially other streaming services) and hoping to finally release the King Capital album later in the year.[20]
As of 2024, King Capital remains unreleased.
Legacy edit
In May 2015, Joey Badass announced that Pro Era would hold a "STEEZ Day Festival" to be hosted annually on July 7, Capital Steez's birthday, with all proceeds going to the late rapper's family.[21] The inaugural festival was held in Central Park in New York City,[22] while the 2016 festival took place in Los Angeles.[23]
In December 2017, Joey Badass unveiled a customized chain depicting Capital Steez's face in a similar vein of a Jesus Piece. The piece was dubbed the "Steezus Piece" chain and was custom made by Greg Yuna.[24]
On July 7, 2022, which would have been Steez's 29th birthday, Joey Badass released the song Survivors Guilt, a tribute to Steez and his cousin Junior B. The song was later included on his album 2000.[25]
Comments by other rappers edit
On March 2, 2016, fellow Brooklyn rapper Troy Ave, in the midst of a feud with Joey Badass, commented on the death of Capital Steez on Sway in the Morning, stating: "He didn't pass away; he killed himself. There's a difference. He took his own life. God gave you life, it ain't your right to take that. That's a fact. I got niggas in jail who got life sentences, they might as well be dead. They could've traded their life for his."[26] Troy Ave then received heavy criticism from both fans and fellow artists, including A$AP Ant, A$AP Twelvyy[27] and Styles P who wrote, amongst a series of other tweets: "If you never experienced a family [member] committing suicide you have no fukn [sic] idea about that pain. NONE." Troy Ave later apologized on Twitter for the remarks.[28][29] In an interview on VladTV, Brooklyn rapper Maino stated that mentioning Capital Steez's suicide was "a bit much".[30]
Discography edit
Mixtapes edit
- AmeriKKKan Korruption (2012)
- AmeriKKKan Korruption: Reloaded (2012)
Collaborations edit
- The Yellow Tape (with Jakk the Rhymer as The 3rd Kind) (2009)
- The Secc$ TaP.E. (with Pro Era) (2012)
- P.E.E.P.: The aPROcalypse (with Pro Era) (2012)
Music videos edit
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Stars" | Powers Pleasant |
| 2012 | "Survival Tactics" (Joey Badass featuring Capital Steez) | Creative Control |
| "Vibe Ratings" | DC Khaled | |
| "Free the Robots" | KRSP | |
| "Swank Sinatra" (Dyme-A-Duzin featuring Joey Badass, Capital Steez and CJ Fly) | R.B. Umali | |
| 2013 | "135" | Solace |
| "Apex" | ||
| "47 Piiirates" (featuring Dirty Sanchez) | Karmaloop | |
| 2016 | "Herban Legend" | The Family |
References edit
- ^ "RIP: Remembering Capital Steez, 1993-2012". Complex.com.
- ^ "Cinematic Music Group". Cinematicworldwide.com.
- ^ a b Mahadevan, Tara (July 5, 2016). "Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era Turn Tragedy Into Celebration With Their Annual Steez Day Festival". LA Weekly. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rosenberg, Eli (November 26, 2013). "Capital STEEZ: King Capital". The Fader. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- ^ "Rapper Capital Steez of Pro Era Dead at 19". Billboard.com. December 23, 2012.
- ^ "Joey Bada$$ Collaborator Capital STEEZ of Pro Era Has Died". Pitchfork.com. December 24, 2012.
- ^ "Joey Bada$$ Confirms Capital STEEZ Death Was 'Self-inflicted'". Allhiphop.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ "The Life and Death of Capital STEEZ". Study Breaks. August 23, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ "The Life and Death of Capital STEEZ". August 23, 2017.
- ^ "Pro Era Family Tree: Meet The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Crew Spearheaded By Joey Bada$$". Xxlmag.com. July 30, 2013.
- ^ ""They say hard work pays off / Well tell the Based God don't quit his day job" SPIN". Spin.com.
- ^ "KING CAPITAL $TEEZ". Twitter. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013.
- ^ Emmanuel C.M. (December 24, 2013). "RIP Capital STEEZ (July 7, 1993 - December 24, 2012) - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- ^ "Joey Bada$$ Announces Debut Album Title, Capital STEEZ Mixtape". HotNewHipHop.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ Rys, Dan (July 8, 2013). "Capital STEEZ, "King STEELO" - XXL". XXL Mag.
- ^ "Joey Bada$$ Thinks 'The World Ain't Ready' For Posthumous Capital STEEZ Album". MTV News. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ "Official Pro Era 'Herban Legend' video release". Pro Era. August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ Berry, Peter A. (June 12, 2017). "Capital Steez's Twitter Account Tweets First Thing in Almost Five Years - XXL". XXL Mag.
- ^ India, Lindsey (December 12, 2017). "Capital Steez's Posthumous Album Gets Delayed". Xxlmag.com.
- ^ "Joey Bada$$ Outlines Pro Era's Robust 2018 Lineup". HipHopDX.com. January 3, 2018.
- ^ "Joey Bada$$ Is Putting on a Festival to Honor Capital Steez". BET. May 7, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- ^ Harris, Christopher (June 18, 2015). "Joey Bada$$ Announces First-Annual "Steez Day" Festival; New Flyer Released". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- ^ Rys, Dan (May 19, 2016). "Joey Bada$$ & Pro Era Bringing Second Annual 'Steez Day' Festival to Los Angeles". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- ^ "Joey Badass Honors the Late Capital Steez With a 'Steezus Piece' Chain". Complex.com.
- ^ "Joey Badass Shares New Song "Survivor's Guilt" Dedicated to Capital Steez". Complex. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ Madden, Sidney (March 1, 2016). "Troy Ave Speaks on Capital Steez Diss: "Don't Play With Me"". XXL. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ Kyles, Yohance (March 2, 2016). "A$AP Mob Members Blast Troy Ave For Disrespecting Capital STEEZ; Troy Defends Dissing The Late Rapper". AllHipHop. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
- ^ Kyles, Yohance (March 3, 2016). "Troy Ave Apologizes For Suicide Comments & Responds To Joey Bada$$ Exposing His Old Tweets About Nas". AllHipHop. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
- ^ Rathon, Rocko (March 3, 2016). "Styles P Educates Troy Ave On Twitter Regarding His Suicide Comments". The Source. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ "Maino: Troy Ave Dissing Capital Steez's Suicide Took Joey Bada$$ Beef Too Far". VladTV / YouTube. April 5, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.