Degree

Born Cardiff Butt on 28 April 1968 in Manchester, Jamaica, West Indies, the future artist relocated to Kingston with ambitions of working as a tailor. Inspiration from Professor Nuts and Lieutenant Stitchie soon pulled him toward dancehall instead. Performing initially on sound systems under the name General Degree, he gained notice as a potential successor to General Trees. His 1991 debut single ‘Granny’ opened doors to collaborations with leading Jamaican producers such as Andre Tyrell on ‘Body Guard’, Philip ‘Fatis’ Burrell on ‘Come Dis Up’, Sly And Robbie on ‘Love Lullaby’, Steely And Clevie on ‘Dweet (Do It) Sweet’ and ‘When I Hold You Tonight’, and Danny Browne on ‘Pianist’. The suggestive content of the last track propelled it to the top of reggae charts around the world, reviving attention for his previous releases and resulting in the album P’N’S. Further work with Browne’s Main Street label included joint recordings with Junior Tucker that yielded the chart-topping tracks ‘Move Along’ and ‘Morning Ride’. Degree sustained visibility through later releases such as ‘Man Tief’, ‘Ragga Loving’, ‘Good Girls’, the cultural cut ‘Nah Stop Pray’, ‘Only Master God’, ‘Thanks And Praises’, and, via UK-based Fashion Records, ‘Run Way Mr Tickle’. His approach is credited with shaping the style of DJ Buccaneer and supplying Red Rat with his well-known moniker. Motivated by Dave ‘Rude Boy’ Kelly, Degree launched his own Pretty Boy imprint in 1996 and abandoned the General prefix. The following year he scored a UK pop hit with ‘Come Give Me Your Love’, a duet recorded with Richie Stephens.