King Yellowman

King Yellowman
Jamaica's first dancehall superstar, Yellowman ushered in a new era in reggae music following Bob Marley's death. His early-'80s success
brought the popularity of toasting -- the reggae equivalent of rapping -- to a whole new level, and helped establish dancehall as the wave of the
future. For better or for worse, he also epitomized dancehall's penchant for "slack" lyrics -- that is, casual violence, sexism, homophobia, and
general rudeness. Graphic sexuality was his particular forte, reaching levels of explicitness previously unheard in Jamaica. It brought him
numerous detractors, but it was also a big reason for his early popularity. There was more to it than that, though; Yellowman was one of the most
verbally nimble toasters of his time, with a loose, easy flow, a talent for improvisation, and a definite wit in his wordplay. Plus, all the boasting
about his prowess on the mic or in the bedroom had to be over the top to be convincing: true to his stage name, Yellowman is an albino, which
carries a tremendous social stigma in Jamaica. His rise to stardom was unlikely enough, but his transformation from untouchable outcast into
sex symbol was staggering -- and may not even have taken place without his trademark lewdness. Shocking though it could be, it affirmed him
as a sexual being just like his listeners, and was delivered with enough humor to let the audience know that he didn't take himself too seriously.
Bouts with cancer pushed him into more thoughtful, socially conscious territory in the 1990s, but his initial style remains the most influential,
paving the way for countless dancehall toasters to follow. He remained quiet through most of the 2000s before mounting a comeback with 2019's
No More War.
Yellowman was born Winston Foster in Negril, Jamaica, in 1959 (some accounts say 1956). An early target for abuse because of his albinism,
he grew up in an institution in Kingston, with little to keep him company besides music. Influenced by early toasting DJs like U-Roy, he practiced
rhyming and got a job with the Gemini Sound System as a substitute DJ. Christening himself Yellowman and dressing in a bright yellow suit, he
peppered his lyrics with jokes about his skin color and outlandish tales of his sexual conquests. In 1979, he won a landslide victory at the
well-known Tastee Talent Contest, and within months he had become one of Jamaica's top concert draws, thanks to a dynamic, humorous stage
show in which he often used the microphone to mimic his anatomical gifts.
Yellowman recorded prolifically in the early '80s, at one point flooding the Jamaican market with more than 40 singles. His first full-length album,
Them a Mad Over Me, was recorded for Channel One in 1981 and featured the hit title track and the single "Me Kill Barnie," an answer record to
Lone Ranger's hit "Barnabas Collins." He also scored with singles like "Operation Eradication" and the infamously slack "Shorties," which Peter
Tosh condemned as degrading to women (hardly the first time such a criticism would be leveled at him). Despite this success, Yellowman didn't
truly hit his stride on record until he hooked up with groundbreaking dancehall producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes. The 1982 LP Mister Yellowman
kicked off their collaboration; released internationally by Greensleeves, it started to break him in the U.K. and U.S., and is still often acclaimed as
his best album. It also launched a series of Jamaican hit singles over the next few years that included "Yellowman Getting Married" (a rewrite of
the My Fair Lady number "I'm Getting Married in the Morning"), "Mr. Chin," "Who Can Make the Dance Ram" (a rewrite of "The Candy Man"),
"Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" (sampled by several hip-hop acts), "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," "Soldier Take Over," "Nobody Move
Nobody Get Hurt," and "Wreck a Pum Pum," among others. Many of his recordings during this era featured vocal contributions from fellow
DJ/toaster Fathead, whose specialty was punctuating lines with animal noises ("ribbit" and "oink" were his favorites).
After 1983's Zungguzungguguzungguzeng album, Yellowman signed a major-label deal with CBS Records, which encouraged him to maintain
the stylistic versatility of his previous work. However, his lone album for the label, 1984's King Yellowman, sported mixed results, attempting
everything from slack toasts to R&B and pop-tinged crossover tracks, including covers of "Sea Cruise" and "Take Me Home Country Roads," and
the much-maligned fusion attempt "Disco Reggae." He subsequently released several albums on Shanachie, including 1984's Nobody Move
Nobody Get Hurt, 1985's Galong Galong Galong, 1986's Going to the Chapel, and 1987's Don't Burn It Down. The latter found him delving
more into social consciousness; the title cut was a pro-marijuana protest, while "Stop Beat Woman" condemned domestic violence and "Free
Africa" criticized apartheid. Around the same time, he suffered a bout with cancer that required the removal of part of his jaw, leaving him facially
disfigured. Always a fighter, he nonetheless returned to action with the hit Fats Domino cover "Blueberry Hill," and moved to the Ras label to
record the well-received Yellow Like Cheese album with producer Philip "Fatis" Burrell.
Yellowman's recording career continued apace, as his sexual boasts and gay jokes kept getting raunchier and nastier. His popularity had slipped
after 1985, due in part to less consistent material, and also in part to the emergence of a legion of new dancehall artists, many of whom harked
back to his early material for inspiration. Things changed, however, after an early-'90s bout with skin cancer. Greatly shaken after this second
life-threatening illness, Yellowman completely rethought his approach to music, and thereafter devoted himself almost exclusively to spiritual and
social concerns. 1994's Prayer album (still on Ras) was the first effort in this new direction, and it was followed quickly by Message to the
World in 1995. 1997's Freedom of Speech continued in a similar vein, after which Yellowman switched over to the Artists Only label. His first
effort was 1999's Yellow Fever, which concentrated on conscious reggae but also featured some good-natured party tracks. Following the 2003
release of New York, Yellowman entered a lengthy recording hiatus, though he continued to perform live.
In 2019, 16 years after his last album, he returned with No More War. The LP was the inaugural release on Yellow Baby Records, a label
launched by Yellowman's daughter K'reema, with whom he also collaborates.