 | | Two Fingers is the creation of Brazilian-born electro-jazz/breaks/jungle trailblazer Amon Tobin and U. |
 | | Kevin Martin, the main man behind a myriad of projects -- related to experimental ambient (EAR), space jazz (God), hip-hop (Ice), and electronic music (Techno Animal) -- founded the Bug in 1996 for Tapping the Conversation, a heavy dub album (based on Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 film The Conversation) recorded for WordSound with ambient-breakbeat maestro DJ Vadim. |
 | | |
 | | Naming themselves after the African root used to enhance male sexual performance, longtime collaborators Vernon Reid and DJ Logic united in 2002 as Yohimbe Brothers and released Front End Lifter, a dense album of guitar-fueled turntablism. |
 | | Brought together by their shared fascination for experimental music and noise, the San Francisco-based lounge-collage duo Tipsy consists of Tim Digulla and David Gardner. |
 | | A major figure in the positive-consciousness dancehall movement, Jamaican DJ/toaster Super Cat was born William Maragh in a ghetto section of Kingston known as Cockburn Pen or Seivright Gardens (the same area that produced DJ stars like U-Roy and Prince Jazzbo). |
 | | One of the most acclaimed reggae DJs to emerge during the early '90s was Terror Fabulous. Compared often to Buju Banton, Fabulous issued several releases during the decade, including such titles as Terror Fabulous, Lyrically Rough, and Gwaney Gwaney. |
 | | Weaving a seamless blend of reggae and hip-hop, Mad Lion (born Oswald Priest) created one of the most influential sounds of the past two decades. |
 | | |
 | | Major Lazer is the digital reggae/dancehall project of Diplo (Philadelphia's Wes Pentz) and Switch (London's Dave Taylor), two globetrotting, tastemaking DJ/producers whose previous collaborations notably included production work for M. |
 | | Fusing hip-hop and dancehall reggae, Born Jamericans earned a cult following with their pair of mid-'90s albums. |
 | | Forgoing the sunshiny melodies and positive messages typically found in reggae, Terry Lynn made a conscious decision early in her career to approach Jamaican music with an activist's mindset, singing songs about crime and inner city poverty rather than happiness and love. |
 | | For Ini Kamoze, the road to success has been arduous and he has undergone many substantial changes musically and physically since he burst onto the music scene in 1983 with his highly successful eponymous debut album for Island. |
 | | Crucial cogs in the development of U.K. dance music, the Destouche brothers -- Trevor, aka Flinty Badman, and David, aka Deman Rocker -- became known as MCs as part of North London's Unity sound system and began operating as the Ragga Twins in 1989. |
 | | During his heyday, Shabba Ranks was arguably the most popular dancehall toaster in the world. He was a massive crossover success in the U. |
 | | We are one of the more bizarre and eclectic outcroppings of New York City's experimental ambient/dub/hip-hop scene, also the source of such artists as DJ Spooky, Sub Dub, Byzar, Liminal, and Brooklyn's WordSound collective. |
 | | Radioclit are a British DJ/production duo who refer to their style as ghettopop, that is, a mélange of Dirty South rap, Baltimore club, British grime, funk carioca, and straight dance-pop along with various African dance-pop styles. |
 | | The legacy of reggae vocalist Denroy Morgan has been passed on to his sons, who have performed as Morgan Heritage since 1991. |
 | | |
 | | |
 | | b. Michael Bennet, 1962, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Bennet began his career as a vocalist in the quartet Home T-4, and in 1980 had a hit with ‘Irons In The Fire’. |
 | | The boisterous DJ Elephant Man (aka Energy God) was born O'Neil Bryan in 1974. Overly large ears as a child earned him the nickname "Dumbo Elephant" from his classmates in the Seaview Gardens area of Kingston, Jamaica. |
 | | The Prodigy navigated the high wire, balancing artistic merit and mainstream visibility with more flair than any electronica act of the 1990s. |
 | | Buju Banton was one of the most popular dancehall reggae artists of the '90s. Debuting with a series of popular "slack" singles, which drew criticism for their graphic sexuality and homophobia, Banton converted to Rastafarianism and revolutionized dancehall by employing the live instrumentation and social consciousness of classic roots reggae. |
 | | After releasing a string of singles in the years 2003-2004, the intense dancehall singer known as Busy Signal shot up Jamaica's singles chart in 2005 with his aptly titled hit "Step Out. |
 | | Cham, also known as Baby Cham, has become one of the more successful and critically acclaimed dancehall artists throughout the Caribbean -- a stunning feat given that he started up his career only in his teens. |
 | | A reggae singer influenced by the likes of Bounty Killer and Cutty Ranks, David Constantine Brooks, aka Mavado, was born and raised in one of Kingston, Jamaica's more dangerous ghettos, Cassava Piece. |
 | | When the Southern-flavored party rap called crunk took over urban radio in 2004, Miami rapper Pitbull decided it was time to seek stardom. |
 | | One of the most popular dancehall DJs of the late '80s and early '90s, Ninjaman was also perhaps the most controversial, thanks to his often violent, progun lyrics. |
 | | With a group of musicians rotating around the Israel-born New Yorkers Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat, Balkan Beat Box plays Mediterranean-influenced music that incorporates traditions from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and New York electronica. |
 | | |
 | | The First Lady of Dancehall, Lady Saw is a Jamaican bad girl with loads more attitude and sex appeal than hip-hop mistresses like Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown, plus one of the most distinguishing images in reggae. |
 | | Also known as Lady Cham, Lady Mackerel, and the Money Goddess, the brash dancehall queen Macka Diamond is the daughter of reggae producer Phillip Munroe. |
 | | |
 | | |
 | | When her first single hit she was only 17 and just graduating from cosmetology school. She considered sticking with braiding and cutting hair for a little bit, but Jamaican radio couldn't get enough of the sassy and quick-witted Ms. |
 | | |
 | | |
 | | |
 | | Priding themselves on principles and positivity, Assassin are a trailblazing French rap group that broke through to mainstream popularity during the late '90s. |
 | | A WordSound label supergroup featuring Bill Laswell, ex-New Kingdom member Scotty Hard, and Spectre, among others, the experimental dub ensemble Dubadelic debuted in 1996 with 2000: A Bass Odyssey. |
 | | |
 | | Breakbeat trainspotters and reflexive sample merchants John Ross and Rob Fitzpatrick formed Ronnie & Clyde. |
 | | A well-respected figure on the noughties drum'n'bass scene, producer Danny Byrd finally broke through to the mainstream ten years after signing his first record deal. |
 | | Macka B was one of Britain's most influential dancehall toasters, pushing the music back toward a Rastafarian political consciousness. |
 | | Just like their brothers in dancehall T.O.K., Kingston, Jamaica's Voicemail are a dancehall group heavily influenced by R&B acts like Boyz II Men and Jodeci. |
 | | |
 | | |
 | | Durrty Goodz (born Dwayne Mahorn) is a U.K. artist with a flow that fuses many styles, from dancehall to reggae to hip-hop and bashment, evoking artists as disparate as Ludacris and Kardinal Offishall. |
 | | Drum'n'bass producer Agent Alvin (real name: Warren Field) developed an appreciation for various forms of music that is not atypical, transitioning from classical into jazz and rock before digging into funk and hip-hop. |
