Yellowman

Yellowman

Yellowman performing in 2007
Background information
Birth name Christian Winston Foster
Also known as King Yellowman
Born (1956-01-15) 15 January 1956
Kingston, Jamaica
Genres Reggae, dancehall
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, deejay
Years active 1974–present
Labels Columbia Records, CBS Records, Greensleeves, Artist Only, VP Records, RAS Records
Associated acts Fathead

Yellowman (born Winston Foster, 15 January 1956)[1] is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, also known as King Yellowman. He was popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, coming to prominence with a series of singles that established his reputation.

Career

Winston Foster grew up in a Catholic orphanage called Alpha Boys School in Kingston, and was shunned due to having albinism, which was not typically socially accepted in Jamaica.[2] Alpha Boys School was known for its musical alumni.[3] In the late 1970s Yellowman first gained wide attention when he won a contest event in Kingston, Jamaica, called the Tastee Talent Contest where deejays would perform toasting. Like many Jamaican deejays, he honed his talents by frequently performing at outdoor sound-system dances.[4] In 1981, after becoming significantly popular throughout Jamaica, Yellowman became the first dancehall artist to be signed to a major American label (Columbia Records).[5]

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 in the mid-1980s.[1] 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.[1]

Yellowman proclaimed, "I never know why they call it slackness. I talk about sex, but it's just what happens behind closed doors. What I talk is reality."[6]

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. During the early 1980s, Yellowman had over 40 singles and produced up to five albums per year.[1]

He re-invented himself with his 1994 album Prayer, which stepped away from the slackness that gave him his initial fame.[1] His latest albums are New York (2003) and Round 1 (2005). Yellowman was also a featured guest vocalist on the Run-DMC track "Roots Rap Reggae".[7] Yellowman continues to perform internationally with his Sagittarius Band, and has toured through places such as Nigeria where he retains a following of fans, as well as Spain, Peru, Sweden, Italy, Germany, England, France, Kenya, the United States and Canada. He also featured on OPM's 2004 album, Forthemasses.

Personal life

Foster's daughter Kareema followed him into a career in music.[8]

Philosophy

He has spoken against violence. In the Montreal Mirror in 2005 he said, "Now it's not your entertainment or teaching. If you notice the hip hop and dancehall artists today, all they do they sing about drugs, clothes, car, house—when they can't get it, they start get violent. ... I know what violence is like and what it contain and what it can do. I'm glad that the roots is coming back."[9] The slackness style with which Yellowman is associated sometimes has homophobic lyrics.[1] However, in the same Montreal Mirror article he spoke against it: "Everybody listen to me ... I don't do songs against gay people, I don't do violent lyric against gay people. If you don't like a person or you don't like a thing, you don't talk about it. You don't come on stage and say kill them or burn them because everybody have a right to live."[9]

Cancer

In 1982, Yellowman was diagnosed with skin cancer, and was initially told that he only had three more years to live.[1] However, this prognosis proved to be inaccurate, and after several surgeries Yellowman was able to continue his career.[10] The cancer went into apparent remission during this time. In 1986 it was diagnosed that the cancer had spread to his jaw; Yellowman underwent very invasive jaw surgery to remove a malignant tumor. This surgery permanently disfigured Yellowman's face, as a large portion of the left side of his lower jaw had to be removed to successfully remove the tumor.[11]

"Zungguzungguguzungguzeng"

The instrumental for Yellowman's 1982 "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng", the "Diseases" riddim by "Junjo" Lawes, has been sampled and imitated repeatedly since its original release. The original version of this riddim was performed by Alton Ellis for a song called "Mad, Mad, Mad" produced by Coxsone Dodd in 1967. Coxsone Dodd had already released two dub cuts, "Talking Dub" and "Lusaka", plus a 1980 cut by Jennifer Lara, "Hurt So Good." This riddim came to be known as the 'diseases' riddim after Michigan and Smiley recorded their song diseases produced by Henry Junjo Lawes in 1981. The vocal melody of the song Zungguzungguguzungguzeng has also been sampled heavily in various reggae and hip hop songs.


Timeline:[12]

Discography

Compilations

Video releases

Various Artists

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Huey, Steve. "Yellowman – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  2. ↑ "Body by Yellowman", Jesse Serwer, largeup.com
  3. ↑ Lowrie-Chin, Jean (2005) "Alpha: the power of one", Jamaica Observer, 18 April 2005, archived version retrieved 24 December 2012
  4. ↑ Kenner, Rob. "Dancehall", in The Vibe History of Hip-hop, ed. Alan Light, 350-7. 1999
  5. ↑ "King Yellowman / Biography". Kingyellowman.com. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  6. ↑ Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 362. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
  7. ↑ "Run-DMC – King of Rock CD Album". Cduniverse.com. 11 September 2003. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  8. ↑ Campbell, Howard (2014) "Yellowman's daughter turns to music", Jamaica Observer, 8 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014
  9. 1 2 "Gold timers". Montreal Mirror. Archived from the original on 2005-07-22. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  10. ↑ "Yellowman on cancer and crooks – Thursday | February 21, 2002". Jamaica Gleaner. 21 February 2002. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  11. ↑ "Welcome to The Website of DJ Yellowman". Djyellowman.com. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  12. ↑ "Follow Me Now: The Zigzagging Zunguzung Meme". Wayneandwax.com. 10 May 2007. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  13. ↑ "Yellow Man Fat Head And The One Peter Metro". Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  14. ↑ Love, Bret (24 November 1998). "A Very, Very Yellow Christmas – Yellowman : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
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