Capleton

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Capleton performing at "Bob Marley Birthday Bash 2K6".

Capleton, born Clifton George Bailey III on 13 April 1967 in the parish of St Mary, Jamaica is a reggae artist. He is also referred to as King Shango, King David, The Fireman and The Prophet. His music label/office/home for his direct supporters is called David House(-Productions).

1 Early life
2 Early career
3 Capleton's place in reggae
4 His religious views
5 Criticisms
6 Discography
7 External links

[edit] Early life

He was a very outspoken boy and became known in his community for his profound views, especially those views which pertained to key issues of the time: social injustice and African peoples. His relatives and friends were very surprised by young Clifton and bestowed on him the surname of popular Jamaican lawyer of the era, Capleton.

Capleton believes that he was musically inclined from his youth. He felt as if it was the manifestation of Jah that made him choose a career in music. His main early musical influences were Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh. At that time, Papa San was his favorite DJ because he liked the length of his lyrics and it inspired him to create longer lyrics for his own songs.

[edit] Early career

In 1989 he got his first big international exposure. Stewart Brown, owner of a Toronto-based sound called African Star, gave the untested artist his first break, flying him to Canada for a stage show alongside giants like Ninjaman and Flourgan. The appreciation of the audience inspired Capleton; he never looked back.

When Capleton first arrived on the scene in the late 1980s, the dancehall was a very different place than it is today. Slackness and gun talk were the order of the day. The present day Rasta Capleton announced his promising arrival with a string of hit songs from "Bumbo Red" to "Number One on the Look Good Chart" and "Lotion Man". Everything he touched hit the charts, and established himself as a Dancehall hitmaker.

On his return to Jamaica he did the song that began to establish his significant place in Dancehall, "Alms House" in 1992. The tune became a big hit in the dancehall, followed up immediately by "Music is a Mission" and "Tour".

In the early 1990s there was a trend away from what were termed as slack songs; these made up almost the entire Dancehall industry; to more conscious, roots oriented songs. Unlike other artists that tried to totally detach themselves for their previous music, Capleton preferred to acknowledge and, later, incorporate his already established 'slack' songs, e.g. "Bumbo Red", in his thesis of consciousness. He has routinely used lyrics from his music before the 1990s to explain his view about controversial points raised in the Jamaican music industry.

[edit] Capleton's place in reggae

Capleton is regarded as one of the best deejays you will find in reggae music today. He has maintained acclaim and sales since the late 1980s both inside and outside of Jamaica. Capleton is constantly topping the Billboard charts, and has created many dancehall classics in his career.

[edit] His religious views

As a member of the Rastafari movement Capleton belongs to a number of different orders called Mansions of Rastafari. There is the Nyabinghi, which chants death to black and white oppressors. There is also Coptic which is the old Orthodox, Twelve Tribe, and Bobo Ashanti. Capleton sees Rasta as oneness but he endorses the Bobo order because the word Bobo means 'humble thyself'. He advises youth and fans to listen to his music as an international language that speaks to all.

[edit] Criticisms

Recently Capleton, along with other dancehall artists, has faced criticism, predominantly outside of Jamaica, for homophobic lyrics, such as "Blood out di chi chi, bun out di chi chi", calling for gays to be killed and burned.[1] He also has faced, since early in his career, criticism of his constant references to the "fire" in his music. It was feared that it was a call for anti-social behaviour. Capleton claims his "fire" to be philosophical and not literal, and that it is his right and duty to speak out against issues that are abhorrent to the views of Rastafari.