Olaf Jeglitza

Jeglitza was born in West Berlin in 1965. After finishing school, he studied at the Lette-Verein, a technical college for photography in Schöneberg. At age 18, he started working as an independent photographer. After two years, he was hired by an advertising agency as an assistant photographer and became their head of the photo department a year later.

In the mid-1980s, Olaf Jeglitza was a key figure in the early Berlin hip-hop scene. In 1984, Jeglitza started working with the Berlin-based DJ and musician Frank “Quickmix” Hassas (Richie) and co-founded the collective Freshline, which was built on multiple pillars: a regularly published fanzine (Freshbeat Magazin), a cassette-based radio show (Freshline Radio Show), as well as event organization and live performances under the name of their group Masterplan. Masterplan consisted of Olaf Jeglitza (O.J. The Mighty Crash), Richie (DJ Quickmix), and the third member Aram Mouchegh (The A). The aim of Freshline was to establish an independent Berlin-based hip-hop culture inspired by American models. In this context, they also planned the creation of their own hip-hop label named Freshline.

The activities of Freshline were thoroughly documented in a two-page article in the Berlin city magazine tip (Issue 2/1987), which states: “The two [O.J. and Richie] are true enthusiasts and built up the Freshline organization.”

– tip Berlin, Issue 2/87Billy Hardbuck: Berlin – How It HIPs and HOPs. In: tip Berlin, Issue 2/1987, pp. 10–11. [https://archive.org/details/tip_berlin_02_1987_freshline_article Available online] (scan, accessed April 12, 2025). In the same spirit, Jeglitza and Richie also founded the Imperial Nation Germany, an alliance of hip-hop activists in Berlin modeled after the Zulu Nation from New York.

In 1988, Jeglitza and Hassas together with DJ Careem Da Dream (Karim Zouaui) formed a new project called the Alliance. The first single release, "Action!" was released on their own label Freshline Records. The label sold approximately 20,000 units with the help of their distribution partner 99 Records. This first 12" was followed by more releases, leading them to a first label deal with Rough Trade Records. While "Action!" and the second release "Come into My Life – Rap Version" (The Admirers) ended up being re-released by ZYX Records, the first album of the Alliance (It's Time…) and a couple of other products were released by Rough Trade.

1988 saw the birth of the group M.C. Sar & the Real McCoy, in connection with a production request by Reinhard Piel (head of A&R at ZYX Records) for a cover version of the Technotronic hit "Pump up the Jam". The following year, the group signed a new label deal with ZYX Records and made further releases by M.C. Sar & the Real McCoy, such as the song "It's on You". They also created a number of other productions, projects and remixes. Around 1992, the label had financial problems and O-Jay started to work part-time as a photographer again.

In 1993, M.C. Sar & the Real McCoy signed a new deal with the German BMG/Hansa label. The first single, "Another Night" was only a minor hit in Europe, barely making it into the top 100 in several European countries. With the help of Vincent DeGiorgio, the song reached number one in Canada[https://books.google.com/books?id=rgsEAAAAMBAJ&dq=real+mccoy+worldwide+sales+another+night&pg=PA83 "Another Night" charting in Canada] and the act was signed to Arista Records[http://www.arista.com/aristaweb/25th_anniversary/history.html 25th Anniversary of Arista Records] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927064019/http://www.arista.com/aristaweb/25th_anniversary/history.html |date=2007-09-27 }} in the U.S. thanks to Arista CEO Clive Davis.

With the upcoming release of "Another Night" in the U.S., the decision was made to change the name M.C. Sar & the Real McCoy, to simply Real McCoy. The single "Another Night" reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it had a 40-week run inside the top 40. The single was certified platinum (1,000,000 copies sold),[https://books.google.com/books?id=rgsEAAAAMBAJ&dq=real+mccoy+worldwide+sales+another+night&pg=PA83 "Another Night" worldwide sales] and became the best-selling single by a German artist in the American market. "Run Away", the follow-up single, entered the top 40 of the Hot 100 Singles chart on 11 March 1995, eventually also reaching number three, and being certified gold (500,000 copies sold) in the US and over 1,500,000 copies sold around the world. The album Another Night was released by Arista in the US on 28 March 1995, and the group won several awards around the world. However, despite what some sources mention, there was no Grammy nomination involved.

In 1999, after the unexpected death of his father, Jeglitza focused on the production of other artists. In 2000, he founded the production service, Blue PM Productions.

In 2001, he produced the German boy band B3 in collaboration with the Berman Brothers and the German-based production company Maxi-Media. This was followed by several other top 20 and top 10 productions.

In 2003, they produced and wrote the hit "Ab in den Süden" performed by their artist Buddy.{{Cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Buddy+(2)|title=Buddy (2)|website=Discogs}} Shortly after, O-Jay had a heart attack but made a full recovery.

As of 2006, Jeglitza has been working for several national and international labels as a producer, songwriter, publisher, and A&R adviser.

Jeglitza represented Poland, with Ich Troje, in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest.[http://www.esc-history.com/semidetails.asp?key=4517 Ich Troje featuring Real McCoy at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest]

In 2007, his new label Phears Music was launched, and the Real McCoy single "People Are Still Having Sex", a cover of the song by William David LaTour, was released.[http://www.discogs.com/Real-McCoy-People-Are-Still-Having-Sex/release/1057582 Real McCoy "People Are Still Having Sex" CD-single]

In 2009, Jeglitza performed in Canada (July 2009, Z103.5 Summer Rush Halifax and Toronto concerts)[http://www.summerrush.com/toronto/index.html Z103.5 Toronto Summer Rush] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327154507/http://www.summerrush.com/toronto/index.html |date=2010-03-27 }} and Austria (August 2009, DJ BoBo and Friends concert)[http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=88905400024&index=1 Facebook event invite by DJ Bobo][http://www.eurokdj.com/concert_photos/photos.php?artist=real_mccoy&id=43 Pictures of Real McCoy at DJ BoBo and Friends concert - August 1, 2009] as part of the current Real McCoy formation.

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Category:1965 births

Category:Living people

Category:German rappers

Category:Musicians from Berlin