Yellowman

An elder statesman of the mic-checking Jamaican dancehall scene, Yellowman has been toasting rude and crude lyrics over up-down island beats since the ’80s. Born with a lack of skin pigmentation that lent him his nickname, he’s released somewhere around 40 albums, some of which rank quite high in the reggae canon. Yellowman has been instrumental in introducing reggae to the masses—if only subliminally—via the melody from his nigh-unpronounceable track "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" being sampled repeatedly since 1982 by everyone from KRS-One to 2Pac. Yellowman’s last studio album was 2005’s Round 1 (a collaboration with fellow legend Ninjaman), which was yet another consistent effort full of sexually boisterous and socially conscious lyrics over synthed-up reggae riddims.

Updated 07/14/2010