David Corio/Redferns. Legendary Jamaican artist U-Roy, know as the Godfather of dancehall, has died at 78, his label Trojan Records confirmed. The cause of death has not been reported. Born Ewart Beckford in Kingston, Jamaica, he started as a Soundsystem DJ in the culture s earliest days and began releasing music in 1969 with his first single, Dynamic Fashion Way.
ADVERTISEMENT He s known for pioneering the conversational vocal style toasting, chanting rhythmically over production to boast and hype up a crowd, eventually earning him the nickname The Originator. Toasting would become a foundational element of dancehall and early hip-hop. He d go on to release hits like Wake The Town, and Wear You to the Ball, start his own soundsystem Stur Gav, and mentor younger toasters like Shabba Ranks, and Tenor Saw.
Veteran DJ Daddy U Roy dies age 78 - Voice Online voice-online.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from voice-online.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
PNP pays tribute to Ewart U-Roy Beckford jamaicaobserver.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jamaicaobserver.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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In the early days of the pandemic, hip-hop producers Swizz Beats and Timbaland created a music industry monster: Verzuz, a live-on-Instagram music battle show that broke livestreaming records on social media. Now, the Caribbean has responded with its own version. The emergence of Showdown (or, officially, Digicel Showdown, after the telecom company that sponsors the series) feels only natural one more handoff a long-running cultural exchange between Caribbean music and African American traditions.
Showdown debuted last October with artists Alison Hinds from Barbados and Patrice Roberts from Trinidad. Andrew Bailey of Perception Management, which co-produced the series, says that rather than begin with a dancehall pairing which Verzuz had already done with a performance by Jamaica s Beenie Man and Bounty Killer the team elected to showcase soca music, the fast-paced child of Trinidadian calypso and the soundtrack of Caribbean carnival.