Yellowman is the stage name of Winston Foster, one of the biggest Jamaican reggae stars of the 1980s. Foster, an albino, grew up in Kingston institutions and overcame a rough childhood to become a swaggering DJ with a penchant for witty and sexually explicit lyrics and a stage show that made him a local star. He began recording in the early '80s and for the next several years released records at a furious pace, outselling every other reggae star except Bob Marley. In 1986 Yellowman was diagnosed with throat cancer and given a dire prognosis, but he bounced back and resumed his career in the '90s. His songs include "Mad Over Me," "Mister Chin" and "Blueberry Hill."
Representative Albums: "Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt," "One in a Million," "Yellowman Rides Again"
Representative Songs: "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng," "Morning Ride," "Mad Over Me"
Biography
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 was 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 wasn't taking himself too seriously. Bouts with cancer pushed him into more thoughtful, socially conscious territory in the '90s, but his initial style remains the most influential, paving the way for countless dancehall toasters to follow.
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 including "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 throat cancer, but fortunately recovered. He 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. New York followed in 2003, and Round 1 in 2005. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Yellowman (born Winston Foster in Negril, Jamaica in 1956) is a Jamaican reggae (rub-a-dub) and dancehalldeejay, 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 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 "The Tastee Talent Contest" 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 Smiley) 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 was told 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 took 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",[clarification needed] on which he did most of the vocals. Yellowman continues to perform internationally with his Sagittarius Band, and has toured through places such as Nigeria where he is massively popular, 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
Zungguzungguguzungguzeng
The melody for Yellowman's 1982 "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" has been sampled and imitated repeatedly since its original release in 1967. Coxsone Dodd had already released two dub cuts, "Talking Dub" and "Lusaka", plus a 1980 cut by Jennifer Lara "Hurt So Good", while Sly and Robbie's "Johnny Dollar" by Roland Burrell was also voiced by Yellowman as "Soldier Take Over".
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