Re: DJs that Sing

This is totally uncanny - i was just thinking about this very same subject a few days ago myself - so this is really interesting to me - saves me posting it myself too!

How about the somewhat unfortunately titled 'Every Nigger is a Star' by Big Youth? He has a a very melodic and rich singing voice. Nice song.

Someone mentioned Dr. Alimantado's Oil Crisis - in my opinion his singing is pretty awful on that track. But on the same album (Born for a Purpose) he fares much better on the title track (which is really very good).
The other sung tracks 'Sitting in the Park' and 'Marriage Licence' sadly are pretty weak (to put it kindly!).

Can't think of anything else right now...

DJs that did work for King Culture are awesome too...

example: Stamma Ranks

Never heard Stamma Ranks sing. On what songs does he sing?

Lloyd Young has singin and dj tunes. His dj's tunes are terribles while his singin tunes are good.
In my opinion, dj is a singer that couldnt make a real song!

Yes I Roy has a great singing track that goes, Alright...OK....u win,...i'm in looove with you....

on the Many Moods of I ROY lp i think.

j j

tales wrote :In my opinion, dj is a singer that couldnt make a real song!

WHAAAAAAA?! (was looking for a chocked smiley - this one will do as a stand in)

Deejays are 60% of what I listen to ... the rest is probably 30% dub and 10% vocalists. For me much of what is fantastic with reggae i showcased in the deejays. Each to his own I guess.

10% vocalists???? really??
Are you talkin about 70's or 80's deejays? 80's deejays are good. yellowman, supercat..etc
if you are so into deejay style...tell more examples of dj's vocal tunes.

I Roy in extremely 'popular' style.

same goes for this Mikey Dread.

informer wrote :it's time for a re-release of Big Youth's "Progress", maybe together with the corresponding dub album "Reggae gi dem dub".

no kidding idren! one of my all time favorite sets period, this has some beautifully sung songs. thanks fi mentioning it!

i love this question.

well for me it have to be ranking tiger aka tiger, when he firs started out he was a singer then became the gravely voice dj we all remember from the mid 80s. well in fact back in the day like his first tune "leave the natty dreadlocks alone", prod. by phillp grant in 1977 and love line for lloyd campbell in 1982, sweet voiced singer.

echo minott did a chune as a dj on a chune call "emilio bimbo" nice style.

king kong first tune was as a dj on 56 hope road call "pink eye"

linval thompson come in a dj style a few times, can't remember all the names but the one that really come into mind is "murder" on starlight and "long time mi nah rub yuh in a dance" with trinity on greensleeves.

little john come in a dj fashion with billy boyo on "disc jockey" and a couple with captain sinbad on "sammy dead"and "saturday night at the movies", i know he also he had some earlier stuff he in a dj fashion when he was even younger, i can't remember off hand.

trinity when he just went as junior brammer, he does a really good rendition of dennis brown's style a vocal singing

lee van cleef has a nice singing style as well, on the rock it to me twice album. he even imitates eek a mouse abit on that album.

johnny osbourne did a more of a sing-jay style on his remake of rewind in 85.

junior reid who tried being a dj but talked into being a singer by augustus pablo. so which later prompted him to invent the sing-jay style, you know, the hybrid or cross-breed of a singer singing double time and rhyming as a dj. one artists who touched the style very well would have to be the dancehall artist name pinchers.

artists even dancehall artists today do singing and dj in combination like sizzla, bugle, movado, munga, busy signal.

even vegas who start as a dj has nice singer voice, really sweet soulful voice.

i know theres more artists i have examples for who were once singers then come a dj style or a dj who come a singer style but i have to make ths short, but i'll come on again to add more insight to this for sure.

jah bless

pisces