Background and career
Jacoby Dakota Shaddix (born July 28, 1976) is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and television presenter. He is best known as a founding member and the continuous lead singer of the California-based rock band Papa Roach since the band's formation in 1993. Shaddix served as the host of the MTV show Scarred for the entirety of the show's run, presenting both seasons and all 20 episodes of the show, which spanned from April 10 to September 18, 2007. Shaddix would ultimately leave the show due to touring demands with Papa Roach. The name of the show was based on the Papa Roach song "Scars". Shaddix is one of the co-owners of a rock-inspired clothing line with designer Jeff Henry called "Lovers Are Lunatics", with the focus being described as "to create a brand that represents the rock community and showcases their unique creative vision".
Shaddix is the founding member of Papa Roach. He formed the band with former drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and guitarist Ben Luther, in 1993. Luther was replaced by current guitarist Jerry Horton, and by 1996 Tobin Esperance had replaced Will James following his departure. In 2007, Dave Buckner's role was filled by Tony Palermo, leaving Jacoby as the only original member in the band. The band's name, Papa Roach, was the result of mixing up the nickname of Jacoby's maternal grandfather —Herbert Fischer "Papa"— and "Roach" coming from his paternal grandfather, John "Grandpa" Roatch. Both grandparents were musicians. Before releasing their major-label debut album, Infest, Papa Roach recorded and published an EP in 1994 entitled Potatoes For Christmas. In 1997, their first full-length album, entitled Old Friends from Young Years, was released. When Papa Roach started, Shaddix went by the stage name "Coby Dick", inspired by the band's tour van which was named Moby Dick. After the band rose in popularity and he read articles referring to himself as Dick (e.g. "...Dick said"), Shaddix regretted the choice and decided to use his birth name beginning with the band's next album Lovehatetragedy. Shaddix stopped using rapping as a whole in their 2004 album Getting Away with Murder. In an interview in 2004, Shaddix said that he became disenchanted with hip-hop and what it represented in the media and stated that "I just want to be a rocker"; in 2009, he stated that it was safe to assume he would not be rapping again. However, in 2012, Shaddix started rapping again in the album The Connection. There were some tracks on their 2017 album Crooked Teeth that featured rapping. In 2021, Shaddix looked back on his and Papa Roach's association with the nu metal genre, saying, "I love being one of the forefathers of nu metal, that’s dope, but we’ve been able to outlive it and celebrate it at the same time." On December 13, 2019, Shaddix provided new vocals for a remix of The Hu's "Wolf Totem".
Shaddix performed as the lead singer of a post-hardcore band called Fight the Sky from 2002 to 2004 under the name 'John Doe'. The band was intended as a side project of Shaddix where he could display the heavier side of his vocals. The band's line-up consisted of Shaddix as the lead singer, Wade Khail as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist, Ali Abrishami as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist, and Jay Ingram on the drums and percussion. The band had signed a record deal to Papa Roach's self-owned label El Tonal Records and entered Velvet Tone Studios in Sacramento, California, to record their debut album Seven Deadly Songs between January and February 2004. No public updates have been made regarding either the release date of the album or the future of Fight the Sky.
Shaddix currently resides in Sacramento with his wife Kelly, who he married in 1997. The couple has three sons. Shaddix has stated that in the first year of his life, he and his family were homeless. Shaddix has had problems with alcohol and drug abuse, but has been sober since 2012. Shaddix revealed he was suicidal before getting clean in 2012. He admitted to a partial relapse during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the stress of the pandemic caused him to smoke marijuana. However, after receiving encouragement from friends, he stopped smoking and has been clean since. Shaddix is a devoted Christian and has been known to sing Christian hymns and songs at public events.
Total Request Live (2000) Top of the Pops (2001) MTV Bash: Carson Daly (2003) Player$ (2003) Interaktiv (2004) Sarah Kuttner – Die Show (2004) The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (2004) Papa Roach: Live & Murderous in Chicago (2005) Scarred (2007) The Invited (2010) Metal Evolution (2012) At Hell's Door: Behind the Scenes at Hellfest (2013) Mulatschag (2013) Papa Roach: Live from Nokia (2013) The Retaliators (2022)
Old Friends from Young Years (1997) Infest (2000) Lovehatetragedy (2002) Getting Away with Murder (2004) The Paramour Sessions (2006) Metamorphosis (2009) Time for Annihilation (2010) The Connection (2012) F.E.A.R. (2015) Crooked Teeth (2017) Who Do You Trust? (2019) Ego Trip (2022)
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
