Yellowman
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Yellowman (born Winston Foster in Negril, Jamaica in 1959) is a Jamaican reggae (rub-a-dub) and dancehall deejay, widely known as King Yellowman. He was popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, coming to prominence with a series of singles that established his reputation.

Winston Foster (aka Ahren) grew up in a Catholic orphanage called Alpha Boys School in Kingston, and was shunned due to having albinism, which was usually not socially accepted in Jamaica. Alpha Boys School was known for its musical alumni.[1] In the late 1970s Yellowman first gained wide attention when he won a contest event in Kingston, Jamaica called "Tastee Patties" where deejays would perform toasting. Like many Jamaican deejays, he honed his talents by frequently performing at outdoor sound-system dances.[2] In 1981, after becoming significantly popular throughout Jamaica, Yellowman became the first dancehall artist to be signed to a major American label (CBS Records).[3] One reviewer of Yellowman was quoted as saying "Listening to Yellowman sing is like watching Michael Jordan play basketball. He knows he's got it, you know he's got it, and it's a trip just experiencing him perform."[4] Over time he became regarded by some as a sex symbol and even managed to gain fortune and fame by directing attention to his physical skin complexion in several of his songs.[4] 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[who?] in the mid-1980s. 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.

Yellowman has had a substantial influence on the world of hip hop. He is widely credited for leading the way for the succession of reggae artists that were embraced by the growing hip-hop community in America during the 1980s.[2] The basic riddim of his hit “Zungguzungguguzungguzeng” can be traced throughout the hip hop scene as it was reused by such hip hop giants as KRS-One, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, and Blackstar, formed by Mos Def and Talib Kweli.[5] This riddim introduced by Yellowman in this song was referred to by him as "mad mad", as the rhythm was originally cut by Alton Ellis in 1967 at Studio One as "Mad Mad Mad". There has been a constant renaming of this signature rhythm (or riddim), such as "Diseases" (after the popular version of the tune by Papa Michigan and General Smilie) Yellowman changed the melodic phrasing of this riddim from AA to AB, when he began ending the second line in the chorus on a higher note. Many of the previously mentioned artists composing songs based on Yellowman's original riddim differed in their choice of using either the AA or AB pattern.[6] Yellowman is just one example of the influence that reggae stars had on America’s hip hop community. Though an incredibly successful and famous Dancehall deejay, Yellowman is recognized by his opponents as being both a controversial and sexist artist. Though this controversial pace has slowed over the years, he is still known as one of the most rude Dancehall toasters of his time.

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 despite being albinistic. During the early 1980s, Yellowman had over 40 singles and produced up to five albums per year. His success is seen by some as a rags to riches story.

In 1986, Yellowman struggled with cancer of the jaw and it was suspected that he had only 6 months to live, but surgery saved his life. This has given him a more serious approach to his music, but like the struggles of his early days, he has not let these difficulties stand in the way of his aspirations. Yellowman had taken an extended leave from recording but came back with Blueberry Hill. He re-invented himself with his 1994 album Prayer, and since the mid-1990s he has devoted his time to spiritual and social concerns. His latest albums are New York (2003) and Round 1 (2005). Yellowman was also a guest singer on the Run-DMC track "Roots Rap Reggae",[clarify] on which he did most of the vocals. Yellowman continues to perform internationally with his Sagittarius Band, and has toured through places such as Peru, Sweden, Italy, Germany, England, France, Kenya and the United States. He is one of the widest-touring artists in the reggae industry. He also featured on OPM's 2004 album Forthemasses