Four Dukes of the Dancehall Deejay Style
Aside from the mighty U-Roy, four other deejays come to mind from the golden age of reggae: I-Roy, Charlie Chaplin, Half Pint and Yellowman. Each man had his own unique style of toasting and commanded a large following a fans in their prime.
World on Fire- I-Roy- I-Roy was a contemporary of U-Roy and suffered from comparisons to U-Roy. Perhaps he should have chosen a name that wasn't so similar. On it's own terms, World on Fire is a magnificent display of I-Roy's toasting skills.
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Ram Up Dance Hall- Charlie Chaplin- By the mid-Eighties, Charlie Chaplin had become the most successful dancehall toaster in Jamaica. Chaplin took a step away from the militant styles of many toasters and stuck to the nice-it-up themes of dance hall music.
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Mr. Landlord- Half Pint- I saw Half Pint open a show for Gregory Isaacs and was amazed at how well he sung for an artist who bills himself as a dancehall deejay. Mr. Landlord was a huge hit in Jamaica in 1983. It was produced by King Jammy.
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Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt- Yellowman- Yellowman was the first toaster to gain a huge international following of fans. His detractors dismissed his slackness (sexual boasting) style as sexist but many fans listened to him for that very reason. His recordings were drenched in dub effects.
All things considered, Yellow was a nimble rhymer and often added hilarious social commentary to his songs.
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There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff.
Townes Van Zandt
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