U-Roy
Where to begin? U-Roy, whilst not being the first
deejay, was certainly responsible for elevating its status to something
of an art form. Prior to U-Roy and his rival Dennis Alcapone, Deejaying
had primarily belonged in the dance, not the recording studios of Kingston.
U-Roys hard won success was down to the fact that
the deejay really stamped his presence all over a tune, rather than interject
here and there.
U-Roys style of delivery spawned an industry, many
other talented deejays who followed in his wake built on the style he
pioneered, either supplanting his jive-talk with "cultural"
lyrics, or slackness ( sexually explicit material, General Echo's 12 inches
of pleasure etc.).
Together with Big Youth, U-Roy in my humble opinion
really demonstrates the true potential of deejaying.
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