Vybez Kartel

Vybz Kartel (born Adidja Azim Palmer on 8th January, 1978) is a popular Jamaican dancehall deejay.


Vybz Kartel was born at Kingston's Victoria Jubilee Hospital. Originally from Waterhouse, Kingston, he was raised in the Waterford community of Portmore, St.Catherine. Adidja attended Calabar High School in Kingston but was expelled as a teenager. Determined to continue his education, he completed his studies at a tutorial technical school. The young Adidja was exposed to a wide variety of music from a tender age by two uncles who happened to be aspiring musicians themselves. Every weekend he would be treated to new musical offerings on his uncle's old component set, ranging from Sam Cooke to country and western ballads to Ninja Man, who became one of his musical foes. At the age of 10 his favourites included artists as diverse as Papa San, Charlie Chaplin, Will Smith and KRS-1, all of whose lyrics he would write down and study word-for-word, performing them later for the entertainment of friends. Deciding he wanted to be a deejay, he began writing his own lyrics at the age of 11.


Career

Early career



Adidja and his friends Arif, Boyie, and Saif, often frequented the weekly Gong Talent Show at the now defunct Coney Amusement Park on the outskirts of Kingston, but to their chagrin were always gonged off whenever they got a chance to perform. Undeterred by his weekly failure to impress the talent show audience, Adidja decided to hone his skills and concentrate on winning over his own community of Waterford until he was ready for bigger things. With that goal in mind, on weekends he would practise his art on neighbourhood sound systems Soul Signal and Electric Force. In 1993, the young Adidja, now in his early teens, recorded his first single Love Fat Woman for Alvin Reid's One Heart Label under the name Adi Banton, a name he chose in tribute to Buju Banton, another of his role models. He recorded several more tracks for local producers, perfecting his craft until 1996, when he and two friends, Mr Lee and a singer called Escobar, decided to form a group. One night, after watching a movie about Pablo Escobar and his infamous cartel, Adidja came up with a name for his trio: Vybz Kartel.

Career route



Vybz Kartel's new role as Killer's protege (a spot once held by prodigal prodigy Baby Cham) caught the attention of the public and led to a career rise, first as a ghost-writer for Bounty, Elephant Man and other members of the Scare Dem Crew, followed by collaborations with Bounty Killer such as Gal Clown and Girls Like Mine (Liquid Riddim), then finally coming into his own with early hits such as Gun Clown, Guns Like Mine (Trafalga Riddim), Badman (Panty Raid Riddim), Bus Mi Gun Like Nuttn, Most High (Mexican Riddim) and War Organizer (Clappas Riddim). He also had a string of successful collaborations with Wayne Marshall, such as New Millennium (Mad Antz Riddim), Why (Krazy Riddim) and Why Again (Good To Go Riddim). This led to Vybz Kartel being crowned Deejay of the Year at Stone Love's 30th Anniversary, 2002.



From the outset, Vybz Kartel was more of a 'badman' deejay than a pop artist. In his early career he mostly concentrated on unapologetically hardcore, undiluted songs extolling the virtues of guns, sex and ganja, but his biggest hit was yet to come. He had success with more mainstream, club-oriented singles such as Big Man (Engine Riddim), Pussy Jaw (Mad Antz Riddim), Sweet to the Belly (Egyptian Riddim) and Bruk Buddy (G-String Riddim), but in late 2003 his single Tekk Buddy on the Thunder Clap Riddim proved to be the one which catapulted his career into the stratosphere. The single stayed on the charts for months and spent weeks at the number 1 position, and finally brought Vybz Kartel to the attention of those who hadn't yet become aware of him.

Name change



In late 2006, Vybz Kartel reportedly changed his stage name to "Addi di Teacha". Fans still generally refer to him as Vybz Kartel.
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Sizzla Kolanji

Sizzla Kalonji, or simply Sizzla is the stage name of Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976 in Saint Mary, Jamaica), a reggae musician. Sizzla subscribes to the Bobo Ashanti branch of the Rastafari movement.



The 1980s witnessed a dancehall explosion, and with the music came the lifestyle: drugs, guns, and "slackness" (vulgarity). Formally adopting the Rastafari faith, with its no-holds-barred advocacy of repatriation, slavery reparations and the use of ganja, he joined the ranks of the Bobo Ashanti in the mid-1990s.


Sizzla began to develop his own style whilst serving his musical apprenticeship with the Caveman Hi-Fi sound system. He has used his music as a vehicle for his message, kickstarting his recording career in 1995 with a release through the Zagalou label, he then teamed up with "Bobby Digital" Dixon for a series of singles. Extensive touring with fellow roots and culture artist Luciano followed, earning Sizzla notability.


Jermaine Fagan, the same man who gave Buju Banton his first break, introduced Sizzla to top Jamaican saxophonist Dean Fraser, the musical director for Philip "Fatis" Burrell's Xterminator Family. 1996 marked an important turning point for Sizzla when he began working with Fatis. This union led to a run of successful singles and the release of Sizzla's debut album, Burning Up.


The two allied again a year later with the follow-up, Praise Ye Jah (JetStar). Praise Ye Jah was quickly trumped by his release of the Dixon-produced Black Woman & Child that same year. The title track was a smash hit and became something of a cultural reggae anthem. Sizzla scored several more hits during 1997, including "Like Mountain," "Babylon Cowboy," "Kings of the Earth," and the Luciano duet "Build a Better World." This hot streak kicked off an enormously productive recording binge that lasted over the next several years, with much of his output still done for Burrell.


Along with universal praise came Sizzla's first nomination for Best International Reggae Artist of the Year at the 1998 MOBO Awards and a place in various magazines' top 100 albums of the year. Sizzla has since released several dozen albums, including 1998's KalonjiRoyal Son of Ethiopia from 1999. 1999 also saw him receive his second MOBO nomination. Sizzla remains a constant presence in the reggae charts worldwide. Currently, Sizzla has 21 albums that have made it onto the Billboard's Top Reggae Albums music chart, the highest Words of Truth, reaching the peak position of #5. and


Sizzla Kalonji has released over 45 solo albums and over fifteen combination albums, crossing different genres of Reggae. He has started his own record company, Kalonji Records; which in a joint venture with Damon Dash Music Group and Koch Records, released his most recent album, The Overstanding, in November 2006. This is his third album released through Kalonji Records; as well as Black History and Life.


Sizzla, along with reggae recording artists such as Capleton, Buju Banton, and Anthony B, are credited with leading a movement toward a re-embracement of Rastafarian values in contemporary reggae music by recording material which is concerned primarily with spirituality and social consciousness, explores common themes, such as Babylon's corrupting influence, the disenfranchisement of ghetto youth, oppression of the black nation and Sizzla's abiding faith in Jah and resistance against perceived agents of oppression.


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Sean Paul

Sean Paul Henriques (born January 8, 1973), simply known as Sean Paul, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician.



Sean Paul was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and spent his early years "comfortably" in Upper Saint Andrew Parish, a few miles north of his birthplace. His parents were both talented athletes, and his mother Frances is a well-known painter. His father Garth is a Sephardic JewPortuguese descent, and his mother is of Afro-Caribbean and Chinese Caribbean descent; both were born in Jamaica. Many members of Sean Paul's family are swimmers. His grandfather was on the first Jamaican men's national water polo team. His father also played water polo for the team in the 1960s, and competed in long-distance swimming, while Sean Paul's mother was a backstroke swimmer. Sean Paul played for the national water polo team from the age of thirteen to twenty-one. However, he gave up the sport in order to launch his musical career. He attended Wolmers High School, where he was trained as a classical flautist, Belair High School and the College of Arts, Science, and Technology (CAST) which is now known as the University of Technology (UTech). of


Early career: Stage One


Dancehall music was Sean Paul's first love, and he became proficient at crafting rhythm tracks. He became a deejay after writing his own songs, basing his style largely on the works of Super Cat and Don Yute. The latter was later to become his idol and mentor. Sean Paul was closely connected to the reggae-pop band Third World. His brother, Jason "Jigzagula" Henriques, and his best friend Zameer Masjedee helped him open up business connections. In 1996, Sean Paul released his debut single "Baby Girl (Don't Cry)" with producer Jeremy Harding. It proved a significant success, and led to further Jamaican hits like "Nah Get No Bly (One More Try)", "Deport Them", "Excite Me", "Infiltrate", and "Strategy".


In 1999, Sean Paul started to attract audiences in the United States. He was commissioned to collaborate with fellow dancehall hitmaker Mr. Vegas on a production for rapper DMX, entitled "Top Shotter". The song went on to be included in the film Belly (directed by Hype Williams). Paul also recorded the Jamaican chart-topper "Ladies Man" with rapper Spanner Banner, through the latter's label, Sweet Angel Productions. The success of "Ladies Man" resulted in Sean Paul being approached by the then little-known Harding, who burst on the scene with his production of Beenie Man's crossover hit "Who Am I" and most famously recorded "Baby Girl (Don't Cry)" with Sean Paul. The following single, "Infiltrate", joined the singer's combination hit in the Jamaican top charts. Also that year, Paul scored a top ten hit on the Billboard Rap chart with "Hot Gal Today", which quickly became his signature tune. Sean Paul fell out very publicly with Mr. Vegas over the packaging of Vegas' remix of "Hot Gal Today", but this did not slow Sean Paul's career momentum.


In March 2000, Paul released his first album, Stage One, on VP Records, which included many of his previous hit singles and compilation cuts, plus several new tracks. He played the Summer Jam 2000 in New York City, where he was held in high acclaim. Sean Paul's fanbase grew tremendously with fans from all over the world. In 2001, Sean Paul appeared on Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall's Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1 on a single called "Money Jane", which was released in Canada the previous year and featured Jully Black. The video for "Money Jane" won Best Rap Video at the 2001 MuchMusic Video Awards, and the song was nominated for Best Rap Recording at the 2001 Juno Awards.


Success: Dutty Rock and "Gimme the Light"


In 2002, he began working extensively with a team of producers and choreographers from Caribbean-friendly Toronto, namely Jae Blaze and Blaze Entertainment and announced the release of his second album, Dutty Rock. Pushed by the success of the singles "Gimme the Light" and the Billboard Hot 100 topper, "Get Busy", the album was a worldwide success, eventually selling over six million copies. Simultaneously, Sean Paul was heard on Beyoncé's single "Baby Boy" and Blu Cantrell's "Breathe", both chart hits in 2003, and helping to push his reputation further still in the United States.


The gameDuring the period, he appeared on Punk'd, 106 & Park, Sean Paul Respect, Making the Video ("Get Busy", "Gimme the Light", and "Like Glue") and his music videos have been broadcast on MTV and BET. Paul's biggest hits included "Get Busy", "Like Glue", "Gimme the Light", "Baby Boy", and "I'm Still in Love with You".


The Trinity (2005-2007)


Sean Paul's third album The Trinity was released in on September 27, 2005. The album has a number of hits: "We Be Burnin'", "Ever Blazin'", "Give It up to Me", "Temperature" and "Never Gonna Be The Same".


The video of "(When You Gonna) Give It up to Me" (featuring Keyshia Cole) was also featured in the movie "Step Up" in 2006.


He was nominated for four awards at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards, including male artist of the year, rap artist of the year, hot 100 single of the year, and pop single of the year for his hit "Temperature". He also won an American music Award for "(When You Gonna) Give It Up To Me" beating Kanye West and Nick Lachey who were also nominated for the award.


His song "Send It On" from "The Trinity" featured on the 2005 Vauxhall Corsa advert.


Sean Paul often contributes his songs to various Riddim Driven albums (by VP Records). In March 2007, he returned to his native Jamaica to perform at the Cricket World Cup 2007 opening ceremony.


The Next Thing (2008-present)

The newest Sean Paul album The Next Thing is to be released this year, the latest date in which he has shifted it. Up until now there have been four music videos: "Always On My Mind (featuring Daville)", "Give It To You (featuring Eve)", "Watch Them Roll" and "Back It Up". Other songs feature 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, Pussycat Dolls, Akon, Snoop Dogg and Brandy.
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Mavado

MAVADO, AKA REAL McKoy, stamped an indelible mark on the dancehall scene since his hit single, also called Real McKoy, took off.

Recorded on Daseca's hugely popular Anger Management riddim, Real McKoy hit it big and launched the career of dancehall's Gangsta fi Life singer.

Born David Constantine Brooks at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, Mavado has lived in the ghetto all his life. Growing up in Cassava Piece was never easy for Mavado or his family, with his grandmother often playing the maternal role. It was in the church that Mavado was first given a microphone to sing by his granny at age four. From then, Mavado was a permanent fixture at every church function and rally.


He attended Charlie Smith High School in Arnett Gardens, from where his father hailed. As the teacher left the room, the desk top would be beaten and Mavado would deejay the lyrics of Cutty Ranks and Bounty Killer. Upon leaving school, Mavado found work at a liquor store, but lasted just one day as he always knew music would provide for him.

DEVELOPMENT

Close friend Flex, recognising Mavado's singing ability and unique way of composing lyrics, encouraged Mavado to visit recording studios in Kingston. Flex used to ride from Grants Pen and pick up Mavado on his bicycle every morning and on to Junior Reid's studio, which at the time was a haunt of Bounty Killer who quickly recognised Mavado's talent.

Unfortunately, issues in the community meant Mavado couldn't leave home as often as he once did, and the link weakened. A couple of years passed and fellow Cassava Piece resident and close friend Foota Hype introduced Mavado to another Kingston studio and as fate would have it, also a haunt of Bounty Killer. It was there that Mavado began to voice on riddims and hooked up with Predator, whose career was also rising.

Artist/producer Bucanneer recorded Mavado on his Middle East riddim and has also played an integral part in Mavado's development. Mavado's talent was also instantly recognised by his manager Julian, who took Mavado to record for Sly and Robbie, DJ Karim and others. His real break came in 2004 when he was introduced to talented production trio Daseca and recorded Real McKoy once again. The chemistry was perfect and has gone from strength to strength since. Mavado laced the Red Bull and Guiness riddim with the anthem Wha Dem a Do? and the momentum has shown no signs of slowing, with follow ups like Dreaming and Bawl Dem a Bawl.

Tragedy struck Mavado's life last year when his Rastafarian father, to whom he was very close, was murdered overseas in Switzerland. After much haggling with the Swiss authorities, his father's body was sent to Jamaica early this year where he was laid to rest. Mavado has composed a moving tribute to his much-loved father, which he will be recording very soon.

Mavado's non-compromising lyrics reflect the environment he grew up in and as his logo suggests, he is a Gangsta Fi Life. With the absence of a hardcore singer in the dancehall business, the public has quickly taken to this young ghetto youth, who has some of the biggest songs playing in any dance right now. With demands coming in for overseas shows, Mavado is on the verge of major things.
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Bounty Killer

Bounty Killer was born Rodney Price in the Kingston ghetto of Trenchtown on June 12, 1972. One of nine children, he spent much of his childhood in another ghetto, Riverton City, which was built on the former city dump; his family later moved to the rough Seaview Gardens area. His father owned a small sound system, and he first tried his hand at DJ chatting when he was only nine years old. At age 14, he nearly fell victim to the gun violence he would later document so thoroughly in his music; while walking home from school, he was hit by a stray bullet from a gun battle between rival political factions. Fortunately, he made a full recovery, and soon began performing under the name Bounty Hunter for area sound systems like Metromedia, Bodyguard, and Stereo Two. Meanwhile, he and his friends hung around King Jammy's recording studio, hoping to catch a break. Eventually, he met Jammy's brother Uncle T, who produced his first recordings in 1990.


Still working under the name Bounty Hunter, one of his early tunes, "Dub Fi Dub," became a huge dancehall hit as a sound system dubplate. He subsequently changed his name to the fiercer and less common Bounty Killer, and accordingly ratcheted up the confrontational tone of his lyrics. He had a breakout year in 1992 with several major hit singles, the biggest of which were "Copper Shot" (also an underground hit in New York) and the anti-informant "Spy Fi Die." Other songs from this era included "Guns Out," "New Gun," "Kill Fe Fun," "Gunshot Fi Informer," and "Lodge." Many of them appeared on Bounty Killer's debut album, Jamaica's Most Wanted, which was released in 1993 and later issued internationally under the somewhat deceptive title Roots, Reality and Culture (after a socially conscious hit from 1994). Also in 1993, Bounty Killer's lyrical feud with rival Beenie Man first flared up in an on-stage DJ clash; possessed of similar vocal deliveries, each claimed the other as an imitator, and they took their battle to record on the 1994 clash album Guns Out.

With the Jamaican government starting to crack down on violent lyrics in live performances, Bounty Killer began to broaden his subject matter into streetwise social commentary, most notably on the perceptive drug-trade chronicle "Down in the Ghetto." That became the title track of his next album, issued in early 1995. Over the next year, he enjoyed one of his hottest streaks as a hitmaker in Jamaica, as he released one popular song after another: a smash duet with Sanchez called "Searching," the hip-hop-flavored chart-topper "Cellular Phone," "Smoke the Herb," the anti-censorship "Not Another Word," the maternal tributes "Mama" and "Miss Ivy Last Son," "Action Speak Louder Than Words," "Book, Book, Book," and "No Argument," the last of which was the title track of another album. By the end of 1995, in order to set a positive example, a prominent radio DJ had effected a truce between Bounty Killer and Beenie Man, although it would continue to flare up periodically at concerts and on record over the next few years.

In 1996, Bounty Killer released his defining statement, the 20-track double album My Xperience. Featuring several past hits as well as a plethora of new material, My Xperience also boasted guest spots by American hip-hop stars like the Fugees, Raekwon, Busta Rhymes, and Jeru the Damaja, as well as veteran reggae stars like Barrington Levy and Dennis Brown. The single "Hip-Hopera" made the American charts, and the album sold well amid strong reviews, reaching the Top 30 of the R&B chart and ranking as one of the best-selling reggae albums of the year in the U.S. Bounty Killer followed it with the British release Ghetto Gramma' (as in "grammar") in 1997, and spent some time recording with producer Jazzwad.

In 1998, Bounty Killer returned with a high-profile, guest-laden follow-up to My Xperience, titled Next Millennium. This time around, it was issued in America by the generally non-reggae label TVT. Next Millennium heavily featured the new generation of hardcore New York hip-hoppers, including Noreaga, Mobb Deep, Killah Priest, and the Cocoa Brovaz. "Deadly Zone" was featured on the soundtrack of Blade and made the Top Ten on the rap singles chart in America, and the album again sold respectably well among R&B audiences. The follow-up, 1999's The 5th Element, marked a return to a purer dancehall style.

In late 2001, Bounty Killer made a prominent guest appearance on No Doubt's international smash "Hey Baby," appearing in the video and performing with the group during the 2002 Super Bowl pregame show. The video inadvertently caused some embarrassment for him back in Jamaica, however: the intensely homophobic dancehall community picked up on the fact that one of its nightclub scenes showed a nude man, and his rivals had a field day. The whole episode notwithstanding, Bounty Killer returned to the sprawling ambitions of My Xperience for his next project, the two-volume Ghetto Dictionary set. Issued separately and simultaneously in early 2002, Ghetto Dictionary: The Art of War and Ghetto Dictionary: The Mystery mixed mostly new material with a few past singles, and were firmly in the raw, hardcore dancehall style that had made his name. Both sold well among reggae audiences, and The Mystery was nominated for a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. Later in 2002, Bounty Killer guested on hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz' solo debut, G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories, specifically on the single "Guilty." ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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Beenie Man

Beenie Man (born Anthony Moses Davis August 22, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica), is among the most popular reggae entertainers and is a well established dancehall artist.



Beenie Man was involved in the music industry from a young age when he won the Tastee Talent contest in 1980. Only one year later (1981), when he was eight years old, he recorded a single, "Too Fancy", with record producer "Junjo" Lawes. By 1983, Beenie Man was recording with heavyweight DJs, such as Dillinger and Fathead and released his debut album, The Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder and the single "Over the Sea". After such a prodigious start the artist's career lost momentum in the middle of the eighties decade. Beenie Man continued performing and honed his craft beside the then dominant dancehall figures including Ninjaman, Admiral Bailey and Shabba Ranks. He found his artistic home at the Shocking Vibes studio where he continued to record singles with only moderate success towards the end of the decade.


Feud with Bounty Killer



In 1991 Beenie Man was booed off stage at a show celebrating the visit of Nelson Mandela. After this crushing event Beenie Man renewed his desire for success, and at the age of nineteen the album Cool Cool Rider was released largely unnoticed. He still continued to pursue dancehall stardom by releasing a slew of tunes to start the decade. It was at the same time that a notable artist from Seaview community in Jamaica emerged bearing the name Bounty Killer. Both deejays found success with violent lyrics and hostile delivery and soon accused each other of plagiarism. In 1993 at the very popular show Sting, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer met in a lyrical battle that has become legendary in dancehall history. Their feud continued on the air with each artist counteracting the other's songs. In 1995, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer appeared to settle their differences on the air by actually signing a peace treaty. The album Guns Out was soon released, featuring tunes from both deejays and bearing a photograph from their legendary battle on stage. This was followed by a single, "No Mama No Cry", a rehash of the Bob Marley classic "No Woman No Cry", telling Bounty Killer, "Fuck off man I don't want no beef", another popular Deejay. The two artists soon found enough common ground to perform together on a number of local shows in the mid nineties.



Partially as a result of prodding from his producers, Sly and Robbie, Beenie Man soon converted to the Rastafari movement.



In 1994, he was signed by Island Records and released the critically acclaimed album Blessed.



The truce between the two artists proved to be short-lived. In the late nineties, as their popularity in Jamaica and internationally grew, neither deejay seemed willing to admit that the other was as worthy of the spotlight. Verbal attacks on each other were again delivered in interviews, studio releases and live performances. Now going fourteen years, the war of words between Beenie Man and Bounty Killer continues today as one of the longest rivalries in the history of music. In 2006 Beenie Man married D'Angel, who is Bounty Killer's ex-girlfriend.
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Vybz Kartel ft Spice Rompin Shop (Official Video)

Vybz Kartel Ft Spice Rompin Shop
Check out the official video for romping shop this video is hot







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Lee Scratch Perry

Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry, on March 20, 1936, in Kendal, Jamaica) is a reggae and dub artist, who has been highly influential in the development and acceptance of reggae and dub music in Jamaica and overseas. He employs numerous pseudonyms, such as "Pipecock Jaxxon" and "The Upsetter".



Perry's musical career began in the late 1950s as a record seller for Clement Coxsone Dodd's sound system. As his sometimes turbulent relationship with Dodd developed, he found himself performing a variety of important tasks at Dodd's Studio One hit factory, going on to record nearly 30 songs for the label. Disagreements between the pair due to personality and financial conflicts, a recurring theme throughout Perry's career, led him to leave the studio and seek new musical outlets. He soon found a new home at Joe Gibbs's Amalgamated records.


Working with Joe Gibbs, Perry continued his recording career but, once again, financial problems caused conflict. Perry broke ranks with Gibbs and formed his own label, Upsetter, in 1968. His first single "People Funny Boy", which was an insult directed at Gibbs, sold very well. It is notable for its innovative use of a sample (a crying baby) as well as a fast, chugging beat that would soon become identifiable as "reggae" (the new sound did not really have a name at this time). From 1968 until 1972 he worked with his studio band The Upsetters. During the 1970s, Perry released numerous recordings on a variety of record labels that he controlled, and many of his songs were popular in both Jamaica and the UK. He soon became known for his innovative production techniques as well as his eccentric character.


In the early 1970s, Perry was one of the producers whose mixing board experiments resulted in the creation of dub. In 1973, Perry built a studio in his back yard, The Black Ark, to have more control over his productions and continued to produce notable musicians such as Bob Marley & the Wailers, Junior Byles, Junior Murvin, The Heptones, The Congos and Max Romeo. With his own studio at his disposal, Perry's productions became more lavish, as the energetic producer was able to spend as much time as he wanted on the music he produced. It is important to note that virtually everything Perry recorded in The Black Ark was done using rather basic recording equipment; through sonic sleight-of-hand, Perry made it sound unique. Perry remained behind the mixing desk for many years, producing songs and albums that stand out as a high point in reggae history.


By 1978, stress and unwanted outside influences began to take their toll: both Perry and The Black Ark quickly fell into a state of disrepair. Eventually, the studio burned to the ground. Perry has constantly insisted that he burned the Black Ark himself in a fit of rage. After the demise of the Black Ark in the early 1980s, Perry spent time in England and the United States, performing live and making erratic records with a variety of collaborators. It was not until the late 1980s, when he began working with British producers Adrian Sherwood and Neil Fraser (who is better known as Mad Professor), that Perry's career began to get back on solid ground again. Perry also has attributed the recent resurgence of his creative muse to his deciding to quit drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis. Perry stated in an interview that he wanted to see if "it was the smoke making the music or Lee Perry making the music. I found out it was me and that I don't need to smoke."


Perry now lives in Switzerland with his wife Mireille and two children. Although he celebrated his 70th birthday in 2006, he continues recording and performing to enthusiastic audiences in Europe and North America. His modern music is a far cry from his reggae days in Jamaica; many now see Perry as more of a performance artist in several respects. In 2003, Perry won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album with the album Jamaican E.T.. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Perry #100 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.More recently, he teamed up with a group of Swiss musicians and performed under the name Lee Perry and the White Belly Rats, and made a brief visit to the United States using the New York City based group Dub Is A Weapon as his backing band. Currently there are two feature length movies made about his life and work: Volker Schaner's "Vision Of Paradise" and "The Upsetter" by filmmakers Ethan Higbee and Adam Bhala Lough.


In 2006, Perry met "king of party music" and television personality, Andrew W.K. at SXSW, forging a friendship bolstered by mutual artistic appreciation. In 2007, Perry invited Andrew W.K. to co-produce his upcoming full-length album, "Repentance". The album was released on the 19th of August 2008, on Narnack Records and will feature several guest artists including renowned electronic musician and producer Moby, seminal producer Don Fleming, drummer Brian Chippendale of staccato noise duo Lightning Bolt, bassist Josh Werner of Matisyahu, and adult entertainer Sasha Grey.

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Bob Marley

Marley was born in the small village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica as Nesta Robert Marley. A Jamaican passport official would later swap his first and middle names. His father, Norval Sinclair Marley, (born in 1895), was a white Jamaican of English descent, who lived in Liverpool. Norval was a Marine officer and captain, as well as a plantation overseer, when he married Cedella Booker, a black Jamaican then eighteen years old. Norval provided financial support for his wife and child, but seldom saw them, as he was often away on trips. In 1955, when Marley was 10 years old, his father died of a heart attack aged 60. Marley suffered racial prejudice as a youth, because of his mixed racial origins, and faced questions about his own racial identity throughout his life.

He once reflected:

"I don't have prejudice against himself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't dip on nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me dip on God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white".

Marley and his mother moved to Kingston's Trenchtown slum after Norval's death. He was forced to learn self-defense, as he became the target of bullying because of his racial makeup and small stature (5'4" or 163 cm tall). He gained a reputation for his physical strength, which earned him the nickname "Tuff Gong".


Marley became friends with Neville "Bunny" Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer), with whom he started to play music. He left school at the age of 14 and started as an apprentice at a local welder's shop. In his free time, he and Livingston made music with Joe Higgs, a local singer and devout Rastafari who is regarded by many as Marley's mentor. It was at a jam session with Higgs and Livingston that Marley met Peter McIntosh (later known as Peter Tosh), who had similar musical ambitions.

In 1962, Marley recorded his first two singles, "Judge Not" and "One Cup of Coffee", with local music producer Leslie Kong. These songs, released on the Beverley's label under the pseudonym of Bobby Martell, attracted little attention. The songs were later re-released on the box set, Songs of Freedom, a posthumous collection of Marley's work.

n 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Livingston, Peter McIntosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith formed a ska and rocksteady group, calling themselves "The Teenagers". They later changed their name to "The Wailing Rudeboys", then to "The Wailing Wailers", and finally to "The Wailers". By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso, and Smith had left The Wailers, leaving the core trio of Marley, Livingston, and McIntosh.

In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, and moved near his mother's residence in Wilmington, Delaware for a short time, during which he worked as a DuPont lab assistant and on the assembly line at a Chrysler plant, under the alias Donald Marley. Upon returning to Jamaica, Marley became a member of the Rastafari movement, and started to wear his trademark dreadlocks After a conflict with Dodd, Marley and his band teamed up with Lee "Scratch" Perry and his studio band, The Upsetters. The Wailers' first album, Catch A Fire, was released worldwide in 1973, and sold well. It was followed a year later by Burnin', which included the songs "Get Up, Stand Up" and "I Shot The Sheriff". Eric Clapton made a hit cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" in 1974, raising Marley's international profile.

The Wailers broke up in 1974 with each of the three main members going on to pursue solo careers. The reason for the breakup is shrouded in conjecture; some believe that there were disagreements amongst Livingston, McIntosh, and Marley concerning performances, while others claim that Livingston and McIntosh simply preferred solo work. McIntosh began recording under the name Peter Tosh, and Livingston continued as Bunny Wailer.

Although the alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider The Wailers' finest work. Marley and Perry split after a dispute regarding the assignment of recording rights, but they would remain friends and work together again.

Between 1968 and 1972, Bob and Rita Marley, Peter McIntosh and Bunny Livingston re-cut some old tracks with JAD Records in Kingston and London in an attempt to commercialize The Wailers' sound. Livingston later asserted that these songs "should never be released on an album ... they were just demos for record companies to listen to."

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Ska

Ska is the combination of mento, American Jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by the guitar hitting the 2nd, 3rdth beats and the drumbeat on the 2nd and 4th beat in (4/4 time). The music is energetic, fast passed and upbeat. Instruments in a ska band include piano, guitar, drums and various horns.

Ska is sometimes seen as accidental music. In the 1950's after World War II There was a heavy influx of American Jazz and Rhythm and Blues and Jamaicans clamored for it. As American R and B began to shift to rock n' roll Jamaicans were in desperate need for something else. When local producers such as Prince Buster and Coxsone Dodd attempted to recreate the American R and B, it resulted in what is today known as ska.


The first Ska recordings were done at the legendary Studio One by Coxsone Dodd and WIRL (West Indies Recording Label) with many of earliest producers being Duke Reid, Prince Buster and Edward Seaga.

Some of the earliest ska artists include Cluet Johson, Owen Grey, Wilfred Edwards, The Skatalites. The Mellow Larks, The Magic Notes, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, Desmond Dekker and The Maytals.

Coxsone Dodd is one of the most important figures in the history of ska. As Jamaica gained independence from Great Britain in the 1960's the need for musical identity arose with the changing of tide. Coxsone who was a disc jockey who began recording popular bands that became very popular in Jamaica.

Much of the lyrics in Ska recordings were influenced by the Jamaican rude boy culture. The emergence of this rude boy culture was a result of the harsh socio economic condition faced by many Jamaican youth.
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Rocksteady

The advent of rocksteady came in 1966, a few years after the Jamaican independence. It is a derivative of ska and laid the foundation for the creation of reggae, which is today one of the world's most popular music forms.

One theory behind the creation of rocksteady is that it is named after a popular song, "Rock Steady" by Alton Ellis. It differs from ska in that it has slower tempo and there is more emphasis on the bass and was so named because when you heard music you stood in one place and rocked steadily. The ska-style back beat and the emphasis on the offbeat carried over into rocksteady.


The Rude Boy social element in Jamaica at the time heavily influenced the lyrics in rocksteady, which were typically about romance and the rude boy life style. Songs such as '"No Good Rudie" by Justin Hinds & the Dominoes; "Don't Be a Rude Boy" by The Rulers, and "Girl I've Got a Date" by Alton Ellis, were popular rude boy rocksteady songs.
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Sound Systems

In the context of Jamaican popular culture, a sound system is a group of disc jockeys, engineers and MCs playing ska, rocksteady or reggae music. The sound system scene is generally regarded as an important part of Jamaican cultural history and as being responsible for the rise of several modern Jamaican musical genres.


The sound system concept first became popular in the 1950s, in the ghettos of Kingston. DJs would load up a truck with a generator, turntables, and huge speakers and set up street parties. In the beginning, the DJs played American rhythm and blues music, but as time progressed and more local music was created, the sound migrated to a local flavor. The sound systems were big business, and represented one of the few sure ways to make money in the unstable economy of the area. The promoter (the DJ) would make his profit by charging a minimal admission, and selling food and alcohol. It was not uncommon for thousands of people to be in attendance. By the mid 1950s, sound systems had eclipsed live musicians in any combination for the purpose of staging parties. By the second half of the decade, custom-built systems began to appear from the workshops of specialists such as Headley Jones, who constructed wardrobe-sized speaker cabinets known as "House of Joy." It was also around this time that Jamaica's first superstar DJ and MC, Count Machuki (b. Winston Cooper) rose to prominence. As time progressed, sound systems became louder--capable of playing bass frequencies of 30,000 watts or more, with similar wattage attainable at the mid-range and high frequencies--and far more complex than their predecessors, record players with a single extension speaker. Competition between these sound systems was fierce, and eventually two DJs emerged as the stars of the scene: Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd, and Duke Reid.

The popularity of a sound system was mainly contingent on one thing: having new music. In order to circumvent the release cycle of the American record labels, the two sound system superstars turned to record production. Initially, they produced only singles for their own sound systems, known as "Exclusives" or Dubplates - a limited run of one copy per song. What began as an attempt to copy the American R&B sound using local musicians evolved into a uniquely Jamaican musical genre: ska. This shift was due partly to the fact that as American-style R&B was embraced by a largely white, teenage audience and evolved into rock and roll, sound system owners could no longer depend on a steady stream of the singles they preferred: fast-shuffle boogies and ballads. In response to this shift in supply, Jamaican producers introduced to their work some of the original elements of the Jamaican sound: rhythm guitars strumming the offbeat and snare-drum emphasis on the third beat, for example. As this new musical form became more popular, both Dodd and Reid began to move more seriously into music production. Coxsone Dodd's production studio became the famous Studio One, while Duke Reid founded Treasure Isle.

As sound systems continued to gain in popularity through the 1960s and 1970s, they became politicized in many instances. Many sound systems, and their owners, were labeled as supporters of a particular political party (such as the PNP or the JLP), but most of the sound systems tried to maintain political neutrality. Nevertheless, as a cultural and economic phenomenon, the sound system was affected by the vast socio-political changes taking place in Jamaica at this time.

Taken From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_system_%28Jamaican%29

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Origins of Reggae

Reggae is the term used to refer to all popular Jamaican music and owes it origins to the development of mento, ska and rocksteady. This music form emerged around 1968 and realized international acclaim through the success of singers like Bob Marley and the Wailers.



Reggae music is made by regular chops of the off -beat with a slow tempo. There are accents on the 3rd beat in each bar and is always played in 4/4 time. The melodies are simple and some reggae songs use only 2 chords. Instruments often used in the production of reggae include, Drums, Rhythm guitars, bass guitars, Saxophones and trumpets.

Rastafarian culture influenced reggae music very much as many of the rude boys who had previously been listening to ska and rocksteady turned to rastafari, as did many of the artists. Soon artists started to incorporate drumming commonly used at Rastafarian gatherings into the music.

The lyrics of reggae music usually focus on love, war, socio - economic conditions, societal injustices and the political culture. The music became more revolutionary with the Rastafarian influence, and bands such as The Wailers were at the forefront of this revolution.

In the 70's and 80's reggae became a lot more popular in the United States and the rest of the world. With movies like ‘The Harder They Come' starring Jimmy Cliff and Eric Clapton's remake of ‘I Shot the Sheriff', reggae music took the world by storm. One sign that reggae could hold its own on the international scene was the addition of ‘Best Reggae Album' category to Grammy Awards in 1985.

Since then, reggae music has had enormous success, being featured on major motion picture soundtracks, in commercials for popular brands and an increased acceptance among the world's people.
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Dancehall

Dancehall is a type of Jamaican popular music which developed in the late 1970s, with exponents such as Yellowman and Shabba Ranks. It is also known as bashment.

The style is characterized by a deejay singing and toasting (or rapping) over raw and danceable music ‘riddims'. The rhythm in dancehall is much faster than in reggae, sometimes with drum machines replacing acoustic sets. In the early years of dancehall, some found its lyrics crude or "slack", particularly because of its sexual tones, popular among youths in Jamaica. Like its reggae predecessor, dancehall eventually made inroads onto the world music scene. It may be the predecessor of hip hop music.




This deejay-led, largely synthesized chanting with musical accompaniment departed from traditional conceptions of Jamaican popular musical entertainment. Dub poet Mutabaruka maintained, "If 1970s reggae was red, green and gold, then in the next decade it was gold chains". It was far removed from its gentle roots and culture, and there was furious debate among purists as to whether it should be considered some sort of extension of reggae music.

Dancehall owes its moniker to the spaces in which popular Jamaican recordings were aired by local sound systems and readily consumed by its "set-to-party" patronage; commonly referred to as "dance halls". Dancehall, the musical genre, is long considered to be the creation of Henry "Junjo" Lawes in 1979. The production of dancehall music was further refined by King Jammy in the early 80s, during the transition from dub to dancehall, and original attempts to digitize "hooks" to "toast" over by Jamaican deejays.

King Jammy's 1985 hit, "(Under Me) Sleng Teng" by Wayne Smith, with an entirely-digital rhythm hook took the dancehall reggae world by storm. Many credit this song as being the first "digital rhythm" in reggae, leading to the modern dancehall era. However this is not entirely correct since there are earlier examples of digital productions; Horace Ferguson's single "Sensi Addict" (Ujama) produced by Prince Jazzbo in 1984 is one.

Major artists and milestones

Dancehall emerged in the early 1980s, and most of the creative output can be credited to studio musicians Steely & Clevie, along with the handful of producers they collaborated with. They created the music for many of the riddims that the genre was based on. The decade saw the arrival of a new generation of deejays, most distinct were the harder edged, such as Ninjaman, Flourgon, General Trees, Tiger, Admiral Bailey, Super Cat, Yellowman, Tenor Saw, Shelly Thunder, Reggie Stepper, Shabba Ranks, Johnny P, Peter Metro, Charlie Chaplin, Cutty Ranks, and Papa San to name a few. To complement their sound, a "sweet sing" vocal style evolved out of roots reggae and R&B, marked by its falsetto and almost feminine intonation, with proponents like Pinchers, Cocoa Tea, Sanchez, Admiral Tibet, Frankie Paul, Half Pint, Conroy Smith, Courtney Melody, Carl Meeks, and Barrington Levy. It is important to note that a lot of established reggae singers like Gregory Isaacs, Militant Barry, Beres Hammond, Johnny Osbourne and U-Roy transitioned into dancehall.

In the early 90s, songs like Dawn Penn's "No, No, No", Shabba Ranks's "Mr. Loverman", Patra's "Worker Man" and Chaka Demus and Pliers' "Murder She Wrote" became some of the first dancehall megahits in the U.S. and abroad. Various other varieties of dancehall achieved crossover success outside of Jamaica during the mid-to-late 1990s. Tanya Stephens gave a unique female voice to the genre during the 1990s.

The years 1990-1994 saw the entry of artists like Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Lady Saw, Shaggy, Diana King, Spragga Benz, Capleton, Beenie Man and a major shift in the sound of dancehall, brought on by the introduction of a new generation of producers and for better or for worse, the end of Steely & Clevie's stranglehold on riddim production.

In the late 1990s, many practitioners like Buju Banton and Capleton returned to the Rastafari movement and changed their lyrical focus to "consciousness", a reflection of the spiritual underpinnings of Rastafari.

The early 2000s saw the success of newer charting acts such as Elephant Man and Sean Paul.

Currently, Sean Paul has achieved mainstream success within the United States and has produced several Top 10 Billboard hits, including "We Be Burnin'", "Get Busy", "Temperature" and the 2006 single "Give It Up To Me".

VP Records dominates the dancehall music market with Sean Paul, Elephant Man, and Buju Banton. VP often has partnered with major record labels like Atlantic and Island in an attempt to further expand their distribution potential particularly in the U.S. market.

The culture of dancehall

Dancehall music originated in the late 70s in Jamaica, as a result of varying political and socio-economic factors. Its antecedent; reggae music, was influenced heavily by the ideologies of the Rastafarian culture and was further goaded by the socialist movements of the era. Many became embittered by the movements and the harsh economic realities they brought the island to bear. It was during this time that neo-liberal axioms and avariciousness began factoring into the lives of many Jamaicans, which subsequently spawned this ostentatious new form of entertainment.

Typically, dance halls are found in more urbanized areas of Jamaica, i.e., Kingston, but can also be seen in more rural locations. Furthermore, the term 'dancehall' alludes not only to a musical genre or venue, but on a grander scheme, it suggests the institution of an entire culture in which music, dance, community and politics collide.

As an evolution of first reggae, then rocksteady, dancehall draws upon its roots with regard to its stylistic rudiments. However, that, some say, is where the similarities end. The subject matters of dancehall music tend towards profanity, misogyny, violence and homophobia - a stark contrast from the songs of acceptance and social progression sung by reggae spearheads. Its caustic libretti, which are referred to in the region as "slack lyrics", have been rigorously criticized - most notably by artists and followers of archetypal reggae music, and by members of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender community (GLBT).

Such a drastic change in the popular music of the region generated an equally radical transformation in fashion trends, specifically those of its female faction. In lieu of traditional, modest "rootsy" styles, as dictated by Rastafari-inspired gender roles; women began donning flashy, revealing - sometimes x-rated outfits. This transformation is said to coincide with the influx of slack lyrics within dancehall, which objectified women as apparatuses of pleasure. These women would team up with others to form "modeling possess", or "dancehall model" groups, and informally compete with their rivals.

This newfound materialism and conspicuity was not, however, exclusive to women or manner of dress. Appearance at dance halls was exceedingly important to acceptance by peers and encompassed everything from clothing and jewelry, to the types of vehicles driven, to the sizes of each respective gang or "crew", and was equally important to both sexes.

One major theme behind dancehall is that of Space. Stanley Niaah in his article "Mapping Black Atlantic Performance Geographies" says "Dancehall occupies multiple spacial dimensions (urban, street, police, marginal, gendered, performance, liminal, memorializing, communal), which are revealed through the nature and type of events and venues, and their use and function. Most notable is the way in which dancehall occupies a liminal space between what is celebrated ant at the same time denigrated in Jamaica and how it moves from private community to public and commercial enterprise.


Taken From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancehall

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A Brief History of Jamaican Music

Mento, Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, Dancehall and all other Jamaican music forms have a very deep rooted history. Jamaicans can trace their musical roots to around the time of 1655 when the English had assumed control of Jamaica. After capturing the island from the Spanish, they continued to expand on the existing slave trade. Until the 19th century the English imported several thousand of enslaved Africans to the Jamaica and with the Africans came new languages, new religions, new music, different cultures, beliefs and ways of life.



The British realized very early that African traditions especially singing, dancing and drumming were vital in retaining their spirit of freedom. They were also fearful that these African rituals could be used as calls to rebellions and uprisings. As a measure of control, legislation was passed in 1696 which forbade large gatherings, prayers, singing, drumming or other forms of celebration. However, despite the oppression, the Africans held close to their traditions and learned how to secretly pass these traditions down through the generations.

The interaction between Europeans and Africans created a new language which evolved into Jamaican Creole or Patois. This language was used in most Jamaican folk songs.

Jamaican folk music is probably the earliest form of Jamaican music and can be characterized into different groups. Ring games and nursery songs which carries a distinct European influence, and other forms like kumina and tambo, where the influence is clearly African. In between, are revival and mento and the performance style is always African. Before Jamaican independence, folk music was looked down upon in Jamaica and was not included in the education system. It was characterized as being lower class and was only performed by the working class. Post independence saw the acceptance of folk music and is today a common fixture at national events.The early 1900's saw the rise of Mento in Jamaica. Mento is a Jamaican folk music form that features acoustic instruments such as an acoustic guitar, banjo, hand drums and a rhumba box. The 1950's was the golden age of mento, which greatly influenced and led to the development Ska.Ska combines elements of Jamaican mento with American Jazz and rhythm and blues. After World War II, many Jamaicans obtained radios and frequently listened to American jazz and rhythm and blues that was brought to the island by American naval officers stationed there. In the 1950's however, Americans began listening to rock'n roll instead of jazz and R and B, and Jamaicans yearned to hear the jazz and R and B which they had come to love. In an effort to recreate the music, producers such as Clement ‘Coxone' Dodd, Prince Buster and Duke Reid which were at the time sound system operators, began producing recordings. One theory is that ska was created in a recording session by Prince Buster who instructed the guitarist to change the emphasis on various beats. The guitar began emphasizing the second and fourth beats in the bar, giving rise to the new sound. The drums were taken from traditional Jamaican drumming and marching styles. To create the ska beat, Prince Buster essentially flipped the R&B shuffle beat, stressing the offbeats with the help of the guitar. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ska)

At the time, Ska lyrics were largely influenced by the Jamaican rudeboy culture. Rudeboys was the name given to poor Jamaican youth who could not find employment, but would sometimes be hired by sound system operators and promoters to crash the parties of other promoters. They were also sometimes referred to as dancehall crashers.

When these rudeboys starting dancing a little slower to the music, the tempo of the music changed and became slower. This was the birth of rocksteady. Rocksteady is characterized as being slower than ska with a more prominent bassline. It is often said that, Alton Ellis was responsible for the music when he released the song ‘rocksteady'. The rudeboy culture was even more prominent during the rocksteady period and most of the lyrics revolved around love and the rudeboy lifestyle.

Rocksteady only lasted 2 years and led to the advent of reggae. Reggae emerged around 1968 and is commonly used to refer to all popular Jamaican music. When the tempo of the music began to slow down the music form known as reggae was created. The word reggae with regards to music comes from the song ‘Do the Reggae' by the Maytals. Other theories about the term reggae have caused a little confusion surrounding the origin of the word.

"We didn't like the name rock steady, so I tried a different version of "Fat Man". It changed the beat again, it used the organ to creep. Bunny Lee, the producer, liked that. He created the sound with the organ and the rhythm guitar. It sounded like ‘reggae, reggae' and that name just took off. Bunny Lee started using the world and soon all the musicians were saying ‘reggae, reggae, reggae.'"- Derrick Morgan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae)

"There's a word we used to use in Jamaica called 'streggae'. If a girl is walking and the guys look at her and say 'Man, she's streggae' it means she don't dress well, she look raggedy. The girls would say that about the men too. This one morning me and my two friends were playing and I said, 'OK man, let's do the reggay.' It was just something that came out of my mouth. So we just start singing 'Do the reggay, do the reggay' and created a beat. People tell me later that we had given the sound it's name. Before that people had called it blue-beat and all kind of other things. Now it's in the Guinness World of Records."- Toots Hibbert (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae)

During the seventies and eighties, reggae achieved international acclaim with the success of groups like "The Wailers" and movies like Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come". In 1985 ‘The Best Reggae Album' category was added to the Grammy Awards. During this period reggae began to take a new form that came to be known as dancehall.

The term dancehall comes from the spaces in which popular Jamaican recordings were played by local sound systems. The music is characterized by a deejay singing and toasting (or rapping) over raw and danceable music riddims. The rhythm in dancehall is much faster than in reggae, sometimes with drum machines replacing acoustic sets.


(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancehall)

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