GOOFY

Chad Simpson first saw the light of day on 1 June 1974 in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Immersed in the reggae scene from childhood, he benefited from guidance and creative sparks supplied by Big Youth, Yellowman, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer and General Degree during his early rise. The year 1996 brought his chart-topping single ‘Fudgie’, a collaboration that also placed dancehall queen Lady Saw and Hawkeye on the accompanying 12-inch disco mix. Enjoying success in both Jamaica and the US, the track paved the way for further releases such as ‘Don’t Talk’, ‘How You Bless’ and ‘Dog Bark’. Ties to Danny Browne’s Main Street Crew soon paired him with Red Rat for the Studio 2000 cut ‘Big Man Little Yute’, which ascended to the top of reggae charts around the globe. The pair extended that momentum with ‘Cruise’. Their UK introduction arrived via the Main Street Crew’s appearance at the 1997 Notting Hill Carnival in London, where Red Rat, Goofy and Hawkeye were slated for the Radio One and Kiss FM stages; the resulting crowd surge toward the platform was wildly overstated by national newspapers. Additional successes followed, among them ‘Brush Yu Teeth’ and ‘Bad Man Fearless’, several of which appeared on his first album, I Don’t Give A Damn!!.