Mark Anthony Myrie, known professionally as Buju Banton, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. He is one of the most significant and well-regarded artists in Jamaican music. Banton has collaborated with many international artists, including those in the hip hop, Latin and punk rock genres, as well as the sons of Bob Marley.
Rodney Basil Price OD(born 12 June 1972), known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant flair for gun talk". He is considered one of the best dancehall lyricists of all time.
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably, with digital dancehall becoming increasingly characterized by faster rhythms. Key elements of dancehall music include its extensive use of Jamaican Patois rather than Jamaican standard English and a focus on the track instrumentals.
Darrin Kenneth O'Brien, known by his stage name Snow, is a Canadian reggae musician, rapper, and singer. His 1992 single "Informer" spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
William Anthony Maragh, also known as Super Cat, is a Jamaican deejay who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall movement. His nickname, "Wild Apache", was given to him by his mentor Early B. Super Cat is considered one of the greatest deejays in the history of the Jamaican dancehall scene.
Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon OD, better known by his stage name Shabba Ranks, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throughout his prominence in his home country as a dancehall artist, he gained popularity in North America with his studio album Just Reality in 1990. He released other studio albums, including As Raw as Ever and X-tra Naked, which both won a Grammy Award as Best Reggae Album in 1992 and 1993, respectively. He is notoriously popular for "Mr. Loverman" and "Ting-A-Ling", which were globally acclaimed and deemed his signature songs.
Carlton Errington Grant, better known as Spragga Benz, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay.
Stop Murder Music is a campaign to oppose Caribbean artists who produce music with lyrics alleged to glorify murder of homosexual men. The campaign was mainly against Jamaican musicians, primarily dancehall and reggae artists such as Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, and the Bobo Ashanti Rastafarians Sizzla and Capleton.
Madhouse Records is a record label founded by Dave Kelly and his business partner Janet Davidson. The label was named after its out-of-the-box approach to making music, which earned the label the name Madhouse. In 1987, Janet was living in London, running Germain Music along with producer Donovan Germain. She was also the manager of Maxi Priest. Dave's brother Anthony "Tony" Kelly was assistant engineer at Bob Marley's Tuff Gong label and Dave soon joined him there, learning the trade of engineering. Soon, the Kelly brothers joined Maxi Priest on the road as tour engineers. In 1988, Dave Kelly partnered with Germain to start Penthouse Productions, where he worked out of Penthouse studios as engineer, producer, writer, mixer, and beat maker for the label's records, playing a crucial role during Penthouse's glory days.
David Kelly is a Jamaican record producer and the brother of record producer Tony "CD" Kelly. He began his career as an engineer in the late 1980s. After getting into producing at the Penthouse label of Donovan Germain, he started his own label, Madhouse, together with business partner Janet Davidson in 1991. He went on to become one of the most successful dancehall reggae producers in Jamaica, recording numerous songs that topped the local and international reggae charts, such as "Action" by Nadine Sutherland & Terror Fabulous in 1994 and "Look" by Bounty Killer in 1999.
Justuss is Canadian reggae musician Snow's third album. Like his second album Murder Love, Justuss is primarily a reggae album performed in Jamaican Patois and featured fellow reggae stars such as Yami Bolo, Nadine Sutherland, Buju Banton, Beenie Man, and Terror Fabulous. Because of his criminal record, Snow was unable to obtain a visa to promote Justuss in the United States and Japan.
Murder Love is Canadian reggae musician Snow’s second album. While his preceding album featured a wide array of musical genres fusing hip-hop, pop, and reggae, Murder Love was recorded in Jamaica and primarily featured dancehall tracks. A number of songs featured dancehall legends Ninjaman, Half Pint, White Mice, and Nadine Sutherland, and Junior Reid produced and appeared on the track "Si Wi Dem Nuh Know We". While not producing a hit in the United States, the track "Sexy Girl" reached number one in Japan and the "Anything for You" remix became the top-selling single of 1995 in Jamaica. Ultimately, Murder Love reached number one the U.S. Reggae charts and "Si We Dem Nuh Know We" was nominated for a Juno for best reggae recording. Due to his criminal record, Snow was unable to enter the United States and promote the album.
Janice Fyffe, known as Lady G, is a Jamaican dancehall and reggae deejay. She is widely recognised as a dancehall veteran and pioneer.
Friends for Life is the seventh studio album by Jamaican recording artist Buju Banton. It was released on March 11, 2003 through VP Music Group with exclusive distribution via Atlantic Records. Production was primarily handled by Donovan Germain and Buju Banton, along with Cool & Dre, Jammy "Jamz" James, Sheldon Stewart, Sly Dunbar, Steely & Clevie, Steven "Lenky" Marsden. It features guest appearances from Beres Hammond, Bounty Killer, Fat Joe, Nadine Sutherland, Sons & Daughters Choir and Wayne Wonder. The album peaked at number 198 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Sean Paul's Dutty Rock. The album was supported with charted single "Paid Not Played", which peaked at number 84 on the Official Singles Chart Top 100 in the UK.
Pan Head was a reggae/dancehall deejay.
Robert Ffrench is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer.
Nadine Sutherland is a Jamaican reggae singer whose early career was nurtured by Bob Marley. She went on to become a successful dancehall artist in the 1990s.
Black Scorpio is a Jamaican sound system and record label run by Maurice "Jack Scorpio" Johnson.
Delroy Isaac Foster, better known as Delly Ranx, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay and record producer.
Winston Foster, better known by the stage name Yellowman and also known as King Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established his reputation.
