- Capleton
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Capleton 
Performance in Spain 13 November 2008
Photo: Santos DiazBackground information Birth name Clifton George Bailey III Also known as King Shango, The Fireman, The Prophet Born April 13, 1967
St. Mary, JamaicaGenres Reggae, Roots Reggae, Dancehall Occupations Musician Instruments Vocals Labels VP Records Website www.capletonmusic.com Capleton (born Clifton George Bailey III,[1] 13 April 1967, Saint Mary, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist. He is also referred to as King Shango, King David, The Fireman and The Prophet. His record label is called David House Productions. He is known for his Rastafari movement views expressed in his songs.
Contents
Biography
As a youth, he was given the surname of a popular St. Mary lawyer and friend of the family, Capleton, as a nickname by his relatives and friends.[2] Capleton rejects the name given to him at birth, given its European origin. He now prefers "King Shango", given its roots in the Yoruba language.[3]
As a teenager, he snuck out of his home to catch local dancehall acts, eventually leaving St. Mary for Kingston at the age of 18 to work on his career as a dancehall deejay.[4]
Early career
Capleton in concert, 2006, in Germany
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 like Ninjaman and Flourgan.[2]
When Capleton first arrived on the scene in the late 1980s, slackness and gun talk were the dominant lyrics in the dancehalls. The pre-Rasta Capleton had a string of hit songs from "Bumbo Red" to "Number One on the Look Good Chart" and "No Lotion Man".
He recorded 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 the massive hit "Tour". By 1993, he was voicing tunes which became increasingly conscious, such as "Prophet" and "Cold Blooded Murderer".
Tunes such as "Tour" and "Wings of the Morning" earned him a deal with Russell Simmons' Def Jam Recordings,[5] which culminated in the Prophecy and I-Testament albums of the mid-1990s.
Later career
In 1999, Capleton headlined Reggae Sumfest's dancehall night, to much fanfare.[6] The performance, which led to a subsequent headliner placement the following year, is credited with "re-bussing", or creating a comeback for, his career.[7] The 1999-2000 period elicited a string of hits, many of which can be found on the album More Fire.[8]
By 2004, some argued the quality of Capleton's music had been downgraded by over-proliferation on numerous riddims, while Capleton himself argued his continued recording over both dancehall and roots reggae riddims created balance in his musical output.[9] Nonetheless, he scored hit singles over the two most popular riddims of 2004,[10] "That Day Will Come" over the Hard Times riddim, and "Small World" over the Drop Leaf.
After a hiatus from the label, Capleton returned to VP Records in 2010 with the release of I-Ternal Fire.[11]
After headlining a U.S. tour which included Romain Virgo, Munga Honorable, and Kulcha Knox in the fall of 2010, Capleton embarked upon a tour of the African continent for late 2010 and early 2011. Stops included Gambia, Senegal, South Africa and multiple dates in Zimbabwe.[12]
Religious views
Capleton makes reference to Bobo Ashanti, one of the various mansions of the Rastafari movement.[13] Yet he frequently mentions there's no separation between the mansions of Rastafari as he see it, also concluding in the same interview on TraceTV where he admitted he doesn't eat meat of any kind, consume dairy in any form, or even eat anything from soya. "Not an ordinary vegetarian.." he stated, "I'm vegan." He also touches on the subject of his lyrics regarding fire, claiming they are metaphoric references of purification, not violence or murder.[14]
Criticisms
Capleton has faced criticism for anti-gay lyrics in some of his songs.[15] His manager has argued that some of the controversial lyrics have been mistranslated and do not actually refer to gays.[1] Capleton himself has admitted that through his Rastafari faith he believes that a homosexual lifestyle is not right, but has insisted that terms such as "burn" and "fire" are not to be understood in the literal sense "to go out and burn and kill people", but as a metaphor for "purification" and cleansing.[1] As part of an agreement to end the Stop Murder Music campaign, Capleton and other artists allegedly signed the Reggae Compassionate Act (RCA) in 2007.[16][17]
However, Capleton has continued to sing songs that some claim violate the RCA, causing the cancellation of a concert in Switzerland in 2008 and a United States tour in 2010,[18][19] and as of late 2010 the Stop the Murder Music campaign is continuing to have some success in canceling Capleton gigs.[20]
Discography
- Gold - 2000
- 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
- Reign of Fire - 2004
- The People Dem - 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
- Liberation Time (featured with AZAD) (2009)
- I-Ternal Fire - 2010[21]
References
- ^ a b c Savage, Shannon (October 6, 2004)"Dancehall music silenced", The Orion (student newspaper of CSU Chico) - Entertainment. Updated May 11, 2009.
- ^ a b Capleton interview. ChicagoReggae.com. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
- ^ Barrow, Musa. Art and Music: Interview With Jamaican Reggae Star, Capleton. Foroyaa Online. 04-06-2008.
- ^ "Capleton." Contemporary Musicians. Ed. Leigh Ann DeRemer. Vol. 40. Gale Cengage, 2003. eNotes.com. 2006. Retrieved 2011-4-15. [1]
- ^ Campbell, Howard. Capleton Finds His Way Back To VP. VPRecords.com. June 30, 2010.
- ^ Summer Fest ‘99 - Dancehall Nights. Reggaeweb.com. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ Reggae Sumfest 2000. Reggaeweb.com. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ Huey, Steve. Capleton biography. allmusic. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ Smith, Germaine. REIGN OF FIRE - Capleton still blazes. Jamaica Star. May 7, 2004.
- ^ Drop Leaf album review. Reggae Vibes Productions. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ Campbell, Howard. Capleton finds his way back to VP. Jamaica Gleaner. June 30, 2010.
- ^ Warming the stage for Capleton. The Standard (Zimbabwe). November 21, 2010.
- ^ Park, Esther. Bob Marley Movement Caribbean Festival 2010: Interview With Capleton. Miami New Times. February 25, 2010.
- ^ Mbiriyamveka, Jonathan. Capleton Show Organisers Hunt Ghetto Rappers. The Herald (Zimbabwe). October 18, 2010.
- ^ "Gay in JA: What's it like to be gay in a society where it's illegal to practice your sexuality?", BBC. First aired 2008, updated Tuesday 16 Jun 2009. (Only regionally available)
- ^ 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
- ^ http://calcoastnews.com/2010/02/hate-singer-capleton-cancels-u-s-tour/
- ^ "Capleton Concert cancelled in Basel, Switzerland", Another Green World. Thursday, November 06, 2008.
- ^ Capleton feels heat from gays
- ^ http://www.unitedreggae.com/news/n583/032510/capleton-unleashes-his-i-ternal-fire
External links
Categories:- Jamaican reggae musicians
- 1967 births
- Living people
- People from Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica
- Jamaican Rastafarians
- Performers of Rastafarian music
- Dancehall musicians
- Jamaican songwriters
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
