Cardiff Butt, better known as General Degree (or simply Degree) and later as Snapple Dapple, is a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

and record producer.

Biography

Born in

Manchester, Jamaica The Parish of Manchester is a parish located in west-central Jamaica, in the county of Middlesex. Its capital, Mandeville, is a major business centre. Its St. Paul of the Cross Pro-Cathedral is the episcopal see of the Latin Catholic Dioces ...

, Degree worked as a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

before beginning his career in music in the late 1980s, his stage name reflecting the influence of

General Trees Amos Edwards (born 13 December 1960)Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn'', Rough Guides, , p. 284.David V. Moskowitz (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae,Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and ...

. He had success through the 1990s with singles such as "Mother Rude Pickney", "Granny", "Mr. Do It Nice", "When I Hold You Tonight", "Bodyguard", "Papa Lover", "Traffic Blocking", "Boom Boom", and "Inna Body".Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 120Morgan, Simone (2012)
General Degree to release new album
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...

'', 31 July 2012, retrieved 7 September 2012Henry, Davina (2012)
General Degree Gears Up For European Tour
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 5 September 2012, retrieved 7 September 2012 His lyrics are often sexually explicit and humorous, containing

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...

s such as on his single "Pianist".Kenner, Rob (2002)
Boomshots
, ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'', December 2002, p. 208, retrieved 7 September 2012 In 1997 he was featured on

Richie Stephens Richard Stephenson (born 5 December 1966), better known as Richie Stephens is a Jamaican R&B, dancehall and reggae singer and producer. Biography Born in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica,

' "Come Give Me Your Love", which reached number 61 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. He also has his own 'Size 8 Record' label. Since 2000 he has spent much of his time on production work, under the name 'Snapple Dapple'. In 2006 he launched his own 'Reh Geh' clothing range.Anglin-Christie, Kavelle (2006)
DJs eye runway in fashion
", ''Jamaica Star'', 14 March 2006, retrieved 7 September 2012 In 2008 he was one of the judges in the 'Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall' contest. Since 2005 he has held the annual 'Manchester Fiesta' show. His first album since 2007's ''Generally Speaking'', ''Snapple Dapple Volume 1'', was released in 2012, with a promotional tour of Europe following. In January 2015 he released the one-drop reggae EP ''Feeling Irie''.General Degree is 'Feeling Irie'
, ''

'', 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015

Discography

Albums

*''Granny'' (1992), VP *''P'N'S'' (1994), VP *''Ninety Degrees'' (1994), Pipper/King Dragon *''Degree'' (1997), VP *''Bush Baby'' (1998), VP *''Fi Real'' (1999), Pretty Boy *''Yeah Man'' (2001),

Greensleeves "Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580,Frank Kidson, ''English Fol ...

*''The General'' (2004), Size 8 *''Generally Speaking'' (2007), Kingstone *''Snapple Dapple Volume 1'' (2012) ;Compilations: *''Smash Hits'' (2002), Size 8 ;Split albums: *''Battle Of The Generals'' (1990), King Dragon - with

EPs

*''Feeling Irie'' (2015) Money Language Refix (2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Degree, General Living people Jamaican dancehall musicians Jamaican male singers Year of birth missing (living people) VP Records artists Greensleeves Records artists