Yellowman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Yellowman | |
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.jpg/220px-Yellowman_backed_by_Sagittarius_Band,_Bersenbrueck_2007_-1_(cropped).jpg) Yellowman performing in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Winston Foster |
| Also known as | King Yellowman |
| Born | January 15, 1957 |
| Origin | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genre(s) | Ragga, Dancehall |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Songwriter, Deejay |
| Years active | 1982 - present |
| Label(s) | Columbia Records, CBS RecordsGreensleeves,Artist Only,VP Records,RAS Records |
Yellowman (born Winston Foster in Negril, Jamaica in 1959) is a Jamaican reggae (raggamuffin) and dancehall deejay, widely known as King Yellowman. He was popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, coming to prominence with a series of singles that established his reputation.
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[edit] Career
Winston Foster (aka Ahren) grew up in a Catholic orphanage called Alpha Boys School in Kingston, and was shunned due to having albinism, which was usually not socially accepted in Jamaica. Alpha Boys School was known for its musical alumni.[1] In the late 1970s Yellowman first gained wide attention when he won a contest event in Kingston, Jamaica called "Tastee Patties" where deejays would perform toasting. Like many Jamaican deejays, he honed his talents by frequently performing at outdoor sound-system dances.[2] In 1981, after becoming significantly popular throughout Jamaica, Yellowman became the first dancehall artist to be signed to a major American label (CBS Records).[3] One reviewer of Yellowman was quoted as saying "Listening to Yellowman sing is like watching Michael Jordan play basketball. He knows he's got it, you know he's got it, and it's a trip just experiencing him perform."[4] Over time he became regarded by some as a sex symbol and even managed to gain fortune and fame by directing attention to his physical skin complexion in several of his songs.[4] His first album release was in 1982 entitled Mister Yellowman followed by Zungguzungguguzungguzeng in 1983 earning instant success. Yellowman's sexually explicit lyrics in popular songs such as "Them a Mad Over Me" boasted of his sexual prowess, like those of other reggae singers/deejays, earned Yellowman criticism[who?] in the mid-1980s. Yellowman appeared in Jamaican Dancehall Volcano Hi-power 1983 which featured other major dancehall musicians such as Massive Dread, Josey Wales, Burro Banton and Eek-A-Mouse.
Yellowman has had a substantial influence on the world of hip hop. He is widely credited for leading the way for the succession of reggae artists that were embraced by the growing hip-hop community in America during the 1980s.[5] The basic riddim of his hit “Zungguzungguguzungguzeng” can be traced throughout the hip hop scene as it was reused by such hip hop giants as KRS-One, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, and Blackstar, formed by Mos Def and Talib Kweli.[6] This riddim introduced by Yellowman in this song was referred to by him as "mad mad." There has been a constant renaming of this signature beat, such as "disease," which incorporates both hip-hop aspects as well as the apparent Jamaican influences. Yellowman changed the melodic phrasing of this riddim from AA to AB, when he began ending the second line in the chorus on a higher note. Many of the previously mentioned artists composing songs based on Yellowman's original riddim differed in their choice of using either the AA or AB pattern.[7] Yellowman is just one example of the influence that reggae stars had on America’s hip hop community. Though an incredibly successful and famous Dancehall deejay, Yellowman is recognized by his opponents as being both a controversial and sexist artist. Though this controversial pace has slowed over the years, he is still known as one of the most rude Dancehall toasters of his time.
By the mid-1990s however, Yellowman released socially-conscious material, rising to international fame along with singers such as Buju Banton. Yellowman became the island's most popular deejay despite being albinistic. During the early 1980s, Yellowman had over 40 singles and produced up to five albums per year. His success is seen by some as a rags to riches story.
In 1986, Yellowman struggled with cancer of the jaw and it was suspected that he had only 6 months to live, but surgery saved his life. This has gave him a more serious approach to his music, but like the struggles of his early days, he has not let these difficulties stand in the way of his aspirations. Yellowman had taken an extended leave from recording but came back with Blueberry Hill. He re-invented himself with his 1994 album Prayer, and since the mid-1990s he has devoted his time to spiritual and social concerns. His latest albums are New York (2003) and Round 1 (2005). Yellowman was also a guest singer on the Run-DMC track "Roots Rap Reggae",[clarify] on which he did most of the vocals. Yellowman continues to perform internationally with his Sagittarius Band, and has toured through places such as Peru, Sweden, Italy, Germany, England, France, and the United States. He is one of the widest-touring artists in the reggae industry.
[edit] Zungguzungguguzungguzeng
The melody for Yellowman's 1982 "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" has been sampled and imitated repeatedly since its release. By 1985, the tune had been used by artists like Sister Nancy, Super Cat, Sublime (band), and Ranking Toyan. The use of it in BDP's "Remix for P is Free" in 1987 brought the melody to the (at least more) public eye, setting it up to be used quite frequently in more Hip Hop and Rap oriented settings. The "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" melody went on to be used by artists such as Junior M.A.F.I.A., 2pac, Dead Prez, and even Christian rock band P.O.D.
Timeline[8]:
- Yellowman, "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" (see also, Live at Aces version, w/ Fathead)(1982)
- Sister Nancy, "Coward of the Country"(1982)
- Frankie Paul, "Alesha"(1984)
- Toyan, "Hot Bubble Gum"(1984)
- Super Cat, "Boops"(1985)
- BDP, "Remix For P Is Free"(1987)
- Sublime, "Greatest hits"(1987)
- BDP, "Tcha Tcha"(1988)
- Nice & Smooth, "Nice & Smooth"(1989)
- Nice & Smooth, "Dope on a Rope"(1989)
- K7, "Zunga Zeng"(1993)
- KRS-One, "P Is Still Free"(1993)
- Buju Banton, "Big It Up"(1993)
- Ninjaman, "Funeral Again"(1994)
- Bounty Killer, "Kill Or Be Killed"(1994)
- Buju Banton, "Man a Look Yu"(1995)
- Junior M.A.F.I.A. (feat. Biggie Smalls), "Player's Anthem"(1995)
- 2pac, "Hit 'Em Up"(1996)
- Black Star, "Definition"(1998)
- Mr. Notty, "Sentencia de Muerte"(1998)
- Dead Prez, "It's Bigger than Hip-Hop"(2000)
- Nejo, track 14 (DJ Joe's Fatal Fantassy 1)(2001)
- Joe Budden, "Pump It Up"(2003)
- Jin, "Learn Chinese"(2004)
- Vybz Kartel, "Tight Pussy Gyal"(2004)
- DJ /rupture (Filastine + dead prez), "Judas Goat" + "It's Bigger than Hip-Hop (acapella)"(2005)
- POD, featuring Matisyahu, "Roots in Stereo"(2006)
- White Rappers, "One Night Stand"(2007)
- Tego Calderon, Bonsai
[edit] Popular albums
- Mister Yellowman (1982)
- Zungguzungguguzungguzeng (1983)
- Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt (1984)
- King Yellowman (1984)
- Galong Galong Galong (1985)
- Yellow Like Cheese (1987)
- Yellowman Rides Again (1988)
- A Feast of Yellow Dub (1990)
- Party (1991)
- Reggae on the Move (1992)
- Prayer (1994)
- Message to the World (1995)
- Divorced (For Your Eyes Only) (1983)
- Freedom of Speech (1997)
- RAS Portraits – Yellowman (1997)
- A Very, Very, Yellow Christmas (1998)
- Yellow Fever (1999)
- Look How Me Sexy(reggae Anthology) (2000)
- New York (2003)
- Just Cool (2004)
- Round 1 (2005)
- Most Wanted (2007)
[edit] References
- ^ Alpha: the power of one, The Jamaica Observer April 18, 2005
- ^ Kenner, Rob. "Dancehall", in The Vibe History of Hip-hop, ed. Alan Light, 350-7. 1999
- ^ King Yellowman / Biography
- ^ a b [1]
- ^ Kenner, Rob. "Dancehall", in The Vibe History of Hip-hop, ed. Alan Light, 350-7. 1999
- ^ [2], Follow Me Now: The Zigzagging Zunguzung Meme May 10, 2007
- ^ [ibid]
- ^ [3]Wayne Marshall, "Follow Me Now: The Zigzagging Zunguzung Meme"
