Delroy "Junior" Reid (born 6 June 1963) is a Jamaican
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and
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 ...
musician, best known for his featuring on the songs "
One Blood", "
It's Okay (One Blood)" and "
This Is Why I'm Hot
"This Is Why I'm Hot" is the debut single by American rapper Mims. The song was co-written by Mims and produced by Blackout Movement for his first album '' Music Is My Savior'' (2007).
Released in 2007, the song reached No. 1 on the U.S. ''Bill ...
", as well as being the lead vocalist for
Black Uhuru
Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful per ...
on three albums: ''Brutal'', ''Positive'' and ''Black Uhuru Live in New York''.
Biography
Reid was born in
Kingston, Jamaica, and had a tough upbringing in the city's Waterhouse district, notorious for being one of the most dangerous places in Jamaica.
[Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, ] It was there in the politically turbulent late '70s that he recorded his first-ever single "Speak the Truth" at the age of 13 for the late
Hugh Mundell
Hugh Mundell (14 June 1962 – 14 October 1983) was a Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter.
Biography
Mundell was born the fourth child and only boy to Theresa and Alvin Mundell. Alvin Mundell was a successful lawyer.Campbell, Howard (2012)Hug ...
, released in Jamaica on
Augustus Pablo
Horace Swaby (21 June 1953 – 18 May 1999),Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 200-202 known as Augustus Pablo, was a Jamaican roots reggae and dub record producer and a multi-instrumentalist, active f ...
's Rockers International label, and popular as an import single in the United Kingdom. He followed this with "Know Myself" in 1981.
He then went on to form his own band, the Voice of Progress, and after a local hit with "Mini-Bus Driver" the group scored local success with an album of the same name.
By the early '80s, commissioned by the great
Sugar Minott
Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott (25 May 1956 – 10 July 2010)Campbell, Howard (2010)Reggae singer Sugar Minott dies at 54, Associated Press, 11 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010Peru, Yasmine (2010)Godfather of Dancehall, Sugar Minott, dead at ...
to record a number of tunes on Minott's Youth Promotion label, enjoying considerable popularity with tracks such as "Human Nature" (produced by Junior Reid), "A1 Lover" (produced by Sugar Minott), and the evergreen "Foreign Mind", an uplifting and proud statement which became an anthem to the ghetto youth whom Reid increasingly championed. Junior Reid transferred his talents to
King Jammy
Lloyd James (born 26 October 1947),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub ma ...
's studio on St. Lucia Road where his fast-growing success rose yet another notch. "Boom Shacka Lacka" was his first UK hit and led to another exceptional album.
After a number of fine singles – which included "Youthman", "Bank Clerk", "Sufferation", "Give Thanks and Praises" and "Higgler Move". Reid then launched his label "Jr Productions" with his first single "Settle Down" by Barrington Levy. His opportunity to then reach a wider international audience came with the offer to be the lead singer in Black Uhuru. Always a strong follower of Black Uhuru, Reid took the group to another level. Three of the singles he did with Black Uhuru "Pain", "Nah Get Rich and Switch", and "Let us Pray" were released on Junior Reid's label JR Productions.
The collaboration on his first Black Uhuru album, the
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
-nominated ''Brutal'', in 1986, was well received by all and during the time he was with Black Uhuru they toured Europe, the UK, The USA, Canada and Bermuda. Two years and three albums later, Junior's interest to produce material for himself, and desire to regain his domestic popularity, drove him into the solo arena and into his own studio (One Blood Recording Studio), as well as focusing on his own label JR Productions.
Reid had a
number 21 hit in the UK in 1988 with the collaboration with
Coldcut
Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...
, "Stop This Crazy Thing".
He had an even bigger hit in 1990, with "I'm Free", recorded with
The Soup Dragons
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
, reaching number 5.
Meanwhile, 1989's "One Blood" saw him re-established at the forefront of the reggae scene.
"One Blood" became an anthem for unity in America and around the world. According to ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine (7 May 2013), the lyrics of "One Blood" were the source of the album title for
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson, ...
's third release, ''
Modern Vampires of the City
''Modern Vampires of the City'' is the third studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. It was released on May 14, 2013, by XL Recordings. The group began to write songs for the album during soundchecks on the supporting concert t ...
''.
Delroy is the uncle of famous hip hop producer
Pi'erre Bourne
Jordan Timothy Jenks (born September 19, 1993), known professionally as Pi'erre Bourne (), is an American rapper, record producer, and audio engineer. He is best known for producing the singles "Magnolia" by Playboi Carti and "Gummo" by 6ix9ine ...
.
Production work
As a producer, Reid has his own production company; JR Productions. He produced two songs on
Snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
's second album, ''
Murder Love
''Murder Love'' is Canadian reggae musician Snow’s second album. While his preceding album ('' 12 Inches of Snow'') featured a wide array of musical genres fusing hip-hop, pop, and reggae, ''Murder Love'' was recorded in Jamaica and primarily ...
'', released in 1995. Reid has collaborated and produced for
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 ...
artist
Ninjaman
Desmond John Ballentine (born January 24, 1966), better known as Ninjaman, and sometimes as Don Gorgon is a Jamaican dancehall deejay and actor, known for his controversial and pro-gun lyrics and his stuttering and melodramatic style. In 2017, he ...
, on many occasions since the early 1990s. He has also produced for Mighty Diamond, Big Youth,
Dennis Brown
Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lo ...
and
Gregory Isaacs
Gregory Anthony Isaacs OD (15 July 1951 – 25 October 2010)Thompson, p. 127. was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in ''The New York Times'', described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae".Miles, Milo (1992),RECORDI ...
.
He produced all of this work in his own recording studio, which he opened in 1988.
Recent work
His vocals have been used in the hip hop scene, which debuted as a collaboration on the songs "One Blood Under W" and "Jah World" from ''
The W
''The W'' is the third studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. It was released on November 21, 2000, by Loud Records. After their 1997 album '' Wu-Tang Forever'', several of the group's members released solo projects before ''The W' ...
'' album by the
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...
, which was released on 21 November 2000. His next collaboration with Guru on the song "Mashing Up the World" on the album "Jaz Mattaz". In 2006, he collaborated with
West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast region of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the ea ...
artist
Game
A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
on the song "
It's Okay (One Blood)"; The song also samples Reid's 1989 single "One Blood". The song hit the top of the billboards and it was also included in the video game ''
Def Jam: Icon'' for the
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
and the
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
. The song was then remixed again and the official remix was released on 7 November 2006. It features 25 hip-hop artists including The Game.
Reid appeared on the Blackout remix of
Mims' "
This Is Why I'm Hot
"This Is Why I'm Hot" is the debut single by American rapper Mims. The song was co-written by Mims and produced by Blackout Movement for his first album '' Music Is My Savior'' (2007).
Released in 2007, the song reached No. 1 on the U.S. ''Bill ...
" from his debut album ''
M.I.M.S. (Music Is My Savior)''. This was one of the more popular remixes made in 2007. He recently did a song with
Jim Jones
James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide ...
,
Max B
Charley Wingate (born May 21, 1978), better known by his stage name Max B (short for Max Biggaveli), is an American rapper and singer. He is best known for his solo ''Public Domain'' and ''Million Dollar Baby'' series of mixtapes, and introduc ...
and Mel Matrix called "What A Gwan", which features a sample from
Barrington Levy
Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist.
Career
Levy was born in Clarendon, Jamaica. He formed a band called the Mighty Multitude, with his cousin, Everton Dacres; the pair released "My Bl ...
's "Black Roses". Reid is on
Fabolous
John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...
's album ''
From Nothin' to Somethin'
''From Nothin' to Somethin is the fourth studio album by American rapper Fabolous. The album was released on June 12, 2007, by Desert Storm Records, Street Family Records and Def Jam Recordings. The production on the album was handled by Akon ...
'' on the track "Gangsta Don't Play" and he has collaborated with Fat Joe on the track "More Money". He appeared on the remix of
Smitty's song "Died in Your Arms" also featuring
Rick Ross
William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper.
Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...
and
T-Pain. In late 2007 he performed in the "Freedom Concert" in
Port Harcourt, Nigeria and also went on to record the remix version of "Free" with De Indispensables, a Nigerian hip hop duo. Reid was also proudly featured on the track "Fire" from San Francisco-based DJ and deep house producer
Miguel Migs
Miguel Steward, better known as Miguel Migs, is an American deep house DJ and producer and founder of Salted Music, an independent electronic dance music record label based in San Francisco, California.
Biography
Migs began his music career a ...
' 2007 album "
Those Things
''Those Things'' is the second album by songwriter and music producer Miguel Migs, released in 2007. The album has gained critical praise as well as commercial success. ''Those Things'' peaked at number 15 on the US Top Electronic Albums chart." T ...
."
On 18 November 2007, Reid performed alongside
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
at the
2007 American Music Awards. Reid is also featured on a remix version of Alicia Keys' single "
No One". He also did a song with
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
called "Ghetto Youths Rock". In 2008, Reid was featured on
Bun B
Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with ...
's song "If It Was Up II Me" off his album
II Trill
''II Trill'' is the second studio album by UGK member Bun B. It was released on May 20, 2008 by Rap-a-Lot Records, Asylum Records and Warner Bros. Records.
The album is the follow-up to his successful debut album, ''Trill''. It was mentioned ...
.
In 2011, Junior Reid teamed up with
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
,
T-Pain,
Busta Rhymes
Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...
,
Mavado,
Bun B
Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with ...
,
Game
A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
,
Twista
Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (formerly Tung Twista), is an American rapper and record producer. He is best known for his chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastes ...
,
Jadakiss
Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...
,
Waka Flocka Flame
Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. Signing to 1017 Brick Squad and Warner Bros. Records in 2009, he became a mainstream artist with the release of his singles "O Let's ...
,
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...
,
Ace Hood
Antoine Franklin McColister (born May 11, 1988), better known by his stage name Ace Hood, is an American rapper. He was born in Port St. Lucie, Florida and raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He was signed to record producer DJ Khaled's label W ...
&
Birdman in the remix of
DJ Khaled
Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper.
Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station WEDR, 99 Ja ...
's "
Welcome to My Hood
"Welcome to My Hood" is the first single from American record producer DJ Khaled featuring fellow American rappers Rick Ross, Plies, Lil Wayne, and T-Pain from the former's fifth studio album ''We the Best Forever''. The album also contains t ...
". "Welcome to My Hood" (featuring
Rick Ross
William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper.
Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...
,
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
&
Plies) is the lead single of
DJ Khaled
Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper.
Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station WEDR, 99 Ja ...
's 5th studio album ''
We the Best Forever
''We the Best Forever'' is the fifth studio album by American disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled. It was released under We the Best Music Group, Terror Squad Entertainment, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Mot ...
''.
In May 2013 Reid performed as a headliner at the Reggae on the Hills festival in Barbados. The festival was well attended with over 60,000 people in attendance, the largest crowd in their history, and Junior Reid's appearance was in wide anticipation.
His most recent singles are "Sharing the Night Together", "Never Let you Go", "Same Boat" and are being played widely in Jamaica and across the world.
Junior Reid released a mixtape in May 2013 called ''Kingston Firehouse'' which is leading up to his album ''Junior Reid Living Legend''.
In an August 2014 interview with
Midnight Raver
''Midnight Raver'' was a website dedicated solely to the promotion and preservation of roots reggae, culture and dub. Contributors include authors and journalists, historians, record producers, broadcasters, lecturers, archivists, collectors and ...
, record producer Delroy Wright revealed that he has unreleased Junior Reid material from the Firehouse Clash sessions that he is planning to release on his Live & Learn record label.
Discography
Albums
*''One Sufferation'' (10" vinyl) (1980)
*''Boom-Shack-A-Lack'' (1985)
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 ...
*''Original Foreign Mind'' (1985)
*''One Blood'' (1990, re-released in 1992) Big Life/
Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
*''Progress'' (1990)
*''Long Road'' (1991) Cohiba
*''Big Timer'' (1993)
VP
*''Visa'' (1994) Greensleeves
*''Junior Reid & The Bloods'' (1995)
RAS
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
*''Showers of Blessings'' (1995)
*''Listen to the Voices'' (1996) RAS
*''RAS Portraits'' (1997) RAS
*''True World Order'' (1997)
*''Big Timer'' (2000)
*''Emmanuel Calling'' (2000) JR Productions and One Blood Music, Jamaica.
*''Rasta Government'' (2003) Penitentiary
*''Double Top'' (2005) Tamoki Wambesi (with
Cornell Campbell
Cornel Campbell aka Don Cornel or Don Gorgon (born 23 November 1945 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer, best known for his trademark falsetto voice, and his recordings at Studio One in the late 1960s and his later work with Bunny Lee i ...
)
*''Firehouse Clash'' (with
Don Carlos
''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Friedri ...
)
*''Live in Berkeley'' (2007) 2B1
*''Junior Reid, the Living Legend'' (2015), ABB
With Voice of Progress
*''Mini Bus Driver'' (1982)
*''I'm Free'' (1990)
With Black Uhuru
*''Brutal'' (1986)
*''Positive'' (1987)
*''Black Uhuru Live in New York'' (1987)
Singles
= As featured performer
=
DVD
*''Live in Berkeley'' (2007) Proper Music Distribution
References
External links
* https://juniorreid.com/
* http://www.facebook.com/junioronebloodreid
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Junior
Living people
Jamaican reggae singers
1963 births
Jamaican dancehall musicians
Jamaican Rastafarians
Jamaican male singers
Reggae fusion artists
Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica
Black Uhuru members
Big Life artists