# Combat Jack

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**Reginald Joseph Ossé** (July 8, 1969 – December 20, 2017),[1] known professionally as **Combat Jack**, was a Haitian-American [hip hop music](/source/Hip_hop_music) [attorney](/source/Lawyer), [executive](/source/Executive_(management)), journalist, editor and podcaster.[2] He was the former [managing editor](/source/Managing_editor) of *[The Source](/source/The_Source_(magazine))*. He was the host of the podcast *The Combat Jack Show* and founding partner of the Loud Speakers Network. He was also the host of the Complex TV show version of *The Combat Jack Show* podcast.

## Career

A first-generation [Haitian-American](/source/Haitian_Americans), Ossé was born in [Brooklyn](/source/Brooklyn), New York[3] on July 8, 1969, and graduated from [Cornell University](/source/Cornell_University).[1] There at the university, he became a member of Kappa Xi chapter of [Phi Beta Sigma](/source/Phi_Beta_Sigma) fraternity. He later received his law degree from [Georgetown University Law Center](/source/Georgetown_University_Law_Center).[4] He represented hip-hop producers and entertainers, such as [Jay-Z](/source/Jay-Z), Damon Dash, Roc-a-fella Records, [DJ Clark Kent](/source/DJ_Clark_Kent), [Nice & Smooth](/source/Nice_%26_Smooth), [Capone-N-Noreaga](/source/Capone-N-Noreaga), [Deric "D. Dot" Angelettie](/source/Deric_Angelettie), [Ski Beatz](/source/Ski_Beatz), and others, starting from an internship in legal affairs for [Def Jam Recordings](/source/Def_Jam_Recordings)[5] in 1989. After 12 years of practicing law in the music industry, he retired and wrote *Bling*,[6] a book documenting [hip-hop's history and fascination with jewelry](/source/Bling). He also served as the Vice President of Audio/Music DVD at [MTV Networks](/source/MTV_Networks)[7] and later managing editor of *The Source*.[8] Then with [Gimlet Media](/source/Gimlet_Media), a podcast network, he hosted a show called *Mogul* about the life and death of hip hop executive [Chris Lighty](/source/Chris_Lighty).[9][2]

### *The Combat Jack Show*

Ossé chose the name *Combat Jack* from the book *Generation Kill*, initially using it as a pseudonym for commenting on Missouri-based blogger Byron Crawford's site. In August 2010, he launched a podcast by the same name, first aired on PNC Radio.[10] The internet radio show was dedicated to hip hop discussions and interviews. *Combat Jack'*s co-hosts include [Dallas Penn](/source/Dallas_Penn), Premium Pete, DJ Benhameen, AKing and [Just Blaze](/source/Just_Blaze).

In 2013, *The Combat Jack Show* became the flagship of a network of podcasts founded by Ossé known as the **Loud Speakers Network**,[11] which also includes *[The Read](/source/The_Read)*, hosted by Kid Fury and Crissle,[11] *[The Brilliant Idiots](/source/The_Brilliant_Idiots_(podcast))*, and *FanBros*, hosted by DJ Benhameen.[12]

Over his life, Ossé also [blogged](/source/Blog) for [*XXL* magazine](/source/XXL_(magazine)), as well as his own website.

## Death

Combat Jack died at a hospital from [colon cancer](/source/Colon_cancer) in Brooklyn on the morning of December 20, 2017,[3][13] two months after announcing he had been diagnosed with the cancer.[14]

## References

1. Bromwich, Jonah Engel (December 21, 2017). ["Combat Jack, Hip-Hop Lawyer Turned Podcast Pioneer, Dies at 53"](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/obituaries/combat-jack-dead-reggie-osse.html). *The New York Times*. [ISSN 0362-4331](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved August 5, 2019.

1. Madden, Sidney (December 20, 2017). ["Reggie 'Combat Jack' Ossé, Hip-Hop Journalist and Podcaster, Dies at 53"](https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/12/20/572256493/reggie-combat-jack-oss-hip-hop-journalist-and-podcaster-dies-at-53). NPR. Retrieved May 2, 2018.

1. Knopper, Steve (December 20, 2017). ["Remembering Reggie 'Combat Jack' Ossé, Who Turned A Passion For Music Into a Pioneering Podcast Career"](https://www.billboard.com/pro/remembering-combat-jack-reggie-osse-pioneering-podcast-career/). Billboard.

1. Westhoff, Ben (March 11, 2015). ["Meet Combat Jack: how hip-hop's podcast king gets artists to open up"](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/11/combat-jack-hip-hop-podcast-king). *The Guardian*

1. Sanchez, Andre (July 4, 2009). ["An Interview with Reggie Osse"](http://www.limitemagazine.com/2009/07/an-interview-with-reggie-osse). *Limité Magazine*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160305181450/http://limitemagazine.com/2009/07/an-interview-with-reggie-osse/) March 5, 2016 at the Wayback Machine.

1. Ossé, Reggie & Tolliver, Gabriel A. (2006). *Bling: The Hip-Hop Jewelry Book*. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 1582345589.

1. ["Archived copy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120328063017/http://housing.cornell.edu/campuslife/wchs/becker/upload/Reggie-Osse.pdf). Archived from [the original](https://housing.cornell.edu/campuslife/wchs/becker/upload/Reggie-Osse.pdf) on March 28, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2011.

1. ["The Source Magazine and TheSource.com Announce New Managing Editor"](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-source-magazine-and-thesourcecom-announce-new-managing-editor-113269964.html). *PR Newswire*. January 11, 2011.

1. ["Mogul"](https://www.gimletmedia.com/mogul). *Gimlet Media*. Retrieved May 2, 2018.

1. Cantor, Paul. ["The Story of Combat Jack, Hip-Hop's Flagship Podcaster"](http://www.vulture.com/2018/02/the-story-of-combat-jack-hip-hops-flagship-podcaster.html). *Vulture*. Retrieved February 16, 2018.

1. Sands, Darren (July 24, 2013). ["Kid Fury: The Kid Stays in the Picture: Kid Fury's Journey From YouTuber to Black Twitter Kingmaker - Pop-culture truth-teller rides the podcast wave"](http://observer.com/2013/07/the-kids-stay-in-the-picture-kid-furys-journey-from-youtuber-to-black-twitter-kingmaker/). *[The New York Observer](/source/The_New_York_Observer)*. Retrieved July 14, 2014.

1. ["Combat Jack – S ∆ M M U S - OFFICIAL"](http://sammusmusic.com/tag/combat-jack/). *Sammusmusic.com*. June 5, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2017.

1. ["Hip-Hop Legend Combat Jack Has Died"](https://www.spin.com/2017/12/combat-jack-dies/). *Spin.com*. December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.

1. Parker, Najja (December 20, 2017). ["Fans and celebrities reflect on legacy of Combat Jack after news of his death"](http://www.ajc.com/news/world/fans-and-celebrities-reflect-legacy-combat-jack-after-news-his-death/0VunvklbBFJr5youNudOWP/). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

## External links

- [Osse's Blog, Daily Mathematics](https://web.archive.org/web/20110801015103/http://dailymath.ihiphop.com/weblog/)
- [*The Combat Jack Show*](https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-combat-jack-show/id412308823)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Combat Jack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_Jack) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_Jack?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.