Capleton
(born Clifton George Bailey III
on 13 April 1967 in Saint Mary, Jamaica) is a reggae and dancehall artist. He is also referred to as King Shango
, King David
, The Fireman
and The Prophet
. His record label, office, and home for his direct supporters is called David House Productions.
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CAPLETON TICKETS
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Early life
He was a very outspoken boy and became known in his community (Islington, St. Mary) 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 a popular Jamaican lawyer of the era, Capleton.
Capleton believes that he was musically inclined from his youth. He felt as if it were 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. He is related to Kinjah...
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 "Woman We Lotion". 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.
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.
Criticisms
Capleton, has faced criticism for
anti-gay lyrics in some of his songs.
[1]. Examples include lyrics such as, "Bun out ah
chi chi, Blood out ah chi chi", from "Bun Out Di Chi Chi", calling for the killing ("blood out") and burning ("bun out") of
gay men
[2]. His manager has responded that while Capleton's faith does not condone homosexuality, "chi chi" in this context is slang referring to corruption rather than any particular group
[3]. The simmering violence of Jamaican society towards homosexuals was brought to boiling point after stars of the DJ-scene such as Beenieman, Capleton, Buju Banton, TOK, Bountykiller and others began actively inciting their followers to murder members of Jamaica's gay community.
[4]
As part of an agreement to end the
Stop Murder Music campaign, Capleton and other artists signed the
Reggae Compassionate Act in 2007.
[5] [6]
Discography
- Number One Pon the Look Good Chart - 1991
- Lotion Man - 1991
- Alms House - 1993
- Good So - 1994
- Prophecy - 1995
- I-Testament - 1997
- One Mission (compilation) - 1999
- More Fire - 2000
- Still Blazin' - 2002
- Voice of Jamaica, Vol.3 - 2003
- Praises To The King - 2003
- The People Dem - 2004
- Reign of Fire - 2004
- Duppy Man (featured with Chase & Status)
- Free Up - 2006
- Hit Wit Da 44 Rounds - 2007
- Rise Them Up - 2007
- Bun Friend - 2008
- Yaniko Roots - 2008
- Jah Youth Elevation - 2008
References
- What's it like to be gay in a society where it's illegal to practice your sexuality?
- Jamaican Reggae Star Looks for Bucks in a US Concert Tour
- Dancehall music silenced - Entertainment
- Homophobie als ansteckende Krankheit - Peter-Paul Zahl
- LOGOonline.com: NewNowNext Blog: Reggae Stars Sign On To Cut Out Homophobic Lyrics
- Reggae Stars Renounce Homophobia, Condemn Anti-gay Violence - Towleroad, More than gay news for more gay men