Capleton

Capleton joined Buju Banton and Sizzla in steering dancehall back to its reggae foundations, emphasizing Rastafarian spiritual concerns while grounding his sound in classic roots reggae. Born Clifton George Bailey III on April 13, 1967, in the rural Jamaican community of Islington within St. Mary parish, he took his stage name from a respected local attorney. As a verbally adept youngster known for sharp reasoning, Clifton quickly earned the nickname. Music drew him early, with Bob Marley & the Wailers and dancehall DJ Papa San among his first inspirations, and he began slipping into sound system sessions at age 12. At 18 he relocated to Kingston hoping to launch a career, performing on several modest sound systems before linking with Stewart Brown's African Star, a combination sound system and label active in both Jamaica and Toronto. During a 1989 visit to Toronto he shared a bill with the widely popular Ninjaman, an appearance that led to an offer to record for major producer Philip "Fatis" Burrell once he returned home.

His debut single, the suggestive “Bumbo Red,” was barred from Jamaican radio for its explicit lyrics yet spread rapidly by word of mouth. A well-received set at the 1990 Reggae Sunsplash Festival followed, as did a string of popular, often slack, singles for assorted producers; the strongest were “Number One Pon the Look Good Chart” and “Lotion Man.” The 1991 album Capleton Gold gathered several of those early sides, and he appeared on joint releases, most notably the 1992 split Double Trouble with General Levy. By 1992 a clearer cultural focus surfaced in his work, signaled by the landmark single “Alms House.” An album of the same title arrived in 1993, collecting further singles in that vein such as “Matie a Dead,” “Unnu No Hear,” and “Make Hay.”

Still recording at a rapid pace in 1993, Capleton delivered signature hits with “Everybody Needs Somebody,” “Cold Blooded Murderer,” and “Buggering,” all featured on the 1994 album Good So. His adoption of Rastafarianism was now total and increasingly central to his music. The breakthrough also secured a contract with the American major label Def Jam, for which he released Prophecy in 1995. Hip-hop remixes of “Tour” and “Wings in the Morning,” the latter featuring Method Man, brought him notable crossover traction on rap and dance charts, while the album itself sold respectably in the United States. Def Jam issued the follow-up, 1997’s I Testament, which paired R&B accessibility with Rastafarian militancy.

Capleton soon redirected his attention to the Jamaican audience. Although his music grew rootsier, he began balancing his Rasta themes with romantic material. The 1999 collection One Mission assembled some of this output, yet More Fire offered a fuller survey of his steady work from 1999–2000, including the roots-leaning “Who Dem?,” the antiviolence anthem “Jah Jah City,” and the female-positive “Good in Her Clothes.” Still Blazin’ in 2002 compiled much of his strongest material from the next two years.