Janice Fyffe (born 7 May 1968), known as Lady G, is a Jamaican

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 ...

and

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 ...

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 ...

. She is widely recognised as a dancehall veteran and pioneer.

Early life

Born in

Spanish Town Spanish Town ( jam, label=Jamaican Creole, Panish Tong) is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital of Jamaica from 1534 until 1872. Th ...

in the parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica, Fyffe attended St. Joseph High School and Dunoon Technical School. Her father is reggae singer Ken Fyffe, who has toured with

the Congos The Congos are a reggae vocal group from Jamaica which formed as the duo "Ashanti" Roy Johnson (tenor) (b. Roydel Johnson, 1947, Hanover, Jamaica) and Cedric Myton (falsetto) (b. 1947, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica), later becoming a trio ...

and worked with vintage reggae groups the Sparkles and the Eternals. As a child she used to sneak out of the house to travel round the island with renowned soundsystem

Black Scorpio Black Scorpio is a Jamaican sound system and record label run by Maurice "Jack Scorpio" Johnson. History Johnson had started to operate a single turntable and speaker sound system in 1968 and started the Special I sound system in 1972, changing ...

. After leaving school, Lady G met dancehall deejay Lord Sassafrass, who became her mentor. She currently lives in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States.

Music career

Lady G is probably best known for her first hit, "Nuff Respect", produced by

Gussie Clarke Augustus "Gussie" Clarke (born 1954) is a reggae producer who worked with some of the top Jamaican reggae artists in the 1970s and later set up his own Music Works studio. Career Clarke started working in the music industry by cutting dub plat ...

in 1988. In the same year, Lady G recorded two popular songs in combination with

Papa San Tyrone Thompson, (born July 1, 1967)
better known as Papa San, is a Jamaic ...

: "Legal Rights" and "Round Table Talk". In successive years in the late 1980s, Lady G caused a stir with her performances at the infamous Sting stageshow in Jamaica. In 1988, she appeared in a clash with Lady Mackerel, Sister Charmaine and Junie Ranks. In 1989, she clashed once more with Sister Charmaine, as well as Patra and Lady P. In 1994, Lady G began working with Danny Browne and his Main Street label, and in 1997 the partnership resulted in the hit single "Breeze Off" on the Filthy

riddim Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm". In the context of reggae and dancehall, it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the ...

, the same instrumental used by

Mr. Vegas Clifford Smith (born December 29th, 1974), better known as Mr. Vegas, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. Biography Clifford Smith was born in Kingston in 1974.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.", Rough Gu ...

for his international smash "

Heads High Clifford Smith (born December 29th, 1974), better known as Mr. Vegas, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. Biography Clifford Smith was born in Kingston in 1974.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.", Rough Gu ...

". In 1997, she recorded "Man a Bad Man" for the film ''

Third World Cop ''Third World Cop'' is a 1999 Jamaican action crime film directed by Chris Browne and starring Paul Campbell. It was produced by Chris Blackwell of Island Jamaica Films. It became the highest-grossing Jamaican film. Plot After his partner is ...

.'' In 2000, Lady G featured alongside Crissy D on " Girls Like Us" by

B-15 Project B-15 Project are a UK garage duo, originally consisting of members Angus Campbell and Ian Wallman. They are best known for the hit song " Girls Like Us" which peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in June 2000. DJ/producer Danny Wynn worked ...

, a

UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop, R&B, and jungle. It ...

song which reached No. 7 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 ...

. She performed to great acclaim at the Splash! festival in Chemnitz, Germany, in July 2001. In 2002, she formed her own production company, G-String, with her brother. G-String productions released the Bellyskin Riddim (featuring

Sizzla Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976), known by his stage name Sizzla Kalonji or Sizzla, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is noted for his high num ...

Capleton Clifton George Bailey III (born 13 April 1967),Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 67–69 better known by his stage name Capleton, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician. He is also referred to as Kin ...

and

Ce'cile Ce'cile (also spelled Cécile, born Cecile Claudine Charlton on 24 February 1976 in Manchester Parish, Jamaica), is a Jamaicans, Jamaican musician. She is among the best known current dancehall artists. Biography Ce'cile grew up in Porus, and M ...

) through

Greensleeves Records Greensleeves Records & Publishing, shortened to ''Greensleeves Records'', is a record label specializing in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick. Based in Britain, Greensleeves Records star ...

and the Flava Riddim (featuring

Macka Diamond Charmaine Munroe (born 12 January 1971), known professionally as Macka Diamond, is a Jamaican recording artist, singer, songwriter and actress. She was born in Kingston and raised in Portmore. Early in her career during the 1990s, she was known ...

Lady Saw Marion Hall (born 12 July 1969; formerly known by the stage name Lady Saw) is a Jamaican singer and songwriter whose career has spanned over two decades. Formerly known as the Queen of Dancehall, she is the first female deejay to be certified ...

and Sizzla) distributed by

VP Records VP Records is an independent Caribbean-owned record label in Queens, New York (state), New York. The label is known for releasing music by notable artists in reggae, dancehall and Soca music, soca. VP Records has offices in New York City, Miami ...

. Lady G performed at

Tony Rebel Patrick George Anthony Barrett (born 15 January 1962), better known by his stage name Tony Rebel, is a Jamaican reggae deejay. Career Born in Manchester Parish, Jamaica, Barrett was initially a singer, appearing as Papa Tony or Tony Ranking in ...

Rebel Salute Rebel Salute is an annual music festival held in Jamaica. It is held on January 15 of every year, the birthday of promoter Tony Rebel. It is one of Jamaica's biggest music festivals, known for its focus on roots and conscious music. Rebel began the ...

2020 festival which drew much praise from audience, organisers and media alike. Lady G was recognised by the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) with an 'Iconic Artiste in the Music Industry' award in February 2020.

Buju Banton Mark Anthony Myrie (born 15 July 1973),Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, professionally known by his stage name Buju Banton, is a Jamaican reggae dancehall musician. He is considered to be one of the most ...

and

Shabba Ranks Shabba Ranks (born Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon; 17 January 1966) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throughout his prominence in his home cou ...

were also honoured at the same event.

References

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lady G 20th-century Jamaican women singers Living people 1968 births People from Spanish Town 21st-century Jamaican women singers VP Records artists