Shabba Ranks (born Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon; 17 January 1966) 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 ...

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 country as a dancehall artist, he gained popularity in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

with his studio album, ''

Just Reality ''Just Reality'' is the second solo studio album by Jamaican dancehall/reggae recording artist Shabba Ranks. It was released in 1990 via VP Records, and produced by Bobby "Digital" Dixon. This album did not receive as many good reviews as its p ...

'', in 1990. He released two studio albums, ''

As Raw as Ever ''As Raw As Ever'' is a studio album released by Shabba Ranks, his first to be well received by critics and the public. Track listing *All Songs Published By Aunt Hilda Music. # Trailor Load a Girls - 3:58 (Cleveland "Clevie" Browne, Wycliffe J ...

'' and ''

X-tra Naked ''X-tra Naked'' is a studio album released by Jamaican dancehall musician Shabba Ranks. It is possibly his most successful release. In 1993, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. Track listing # Ting-A-Ling - 3:52 # Slow and Sex ...

'', which both won a

Grammy Award 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 pres ...

Best Reggae Album The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1985 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the reggae music genre. Honors in sev ...

in 1992 and 1993, respectively. He is notoriously popular for "

Mr. Loverman "Mr. Loverman" is a song by Jamaican dancehall artist Shabba Ranks. It was written by Ranks, Mikey Bennett and Hopeton Lindon. The song was released in 1992 and 1993 as a single, reaching number 40 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number th ...

" and "Ting-A-Ling", which were globally acclaimed and deemed his signature songs.

Early life and family

Shabba Ranks was born in

Sturge Town Sturge may refer to: People Sturge is a medieval, Middle Ages surname of Norsemen, Norse-Vikings, Viking origins, meaning son of Turgis or Thurgis, Turgeus etc., which meant "Thor's follower". Surname *Alfred Sturge (1816–1901), British cler ...

Saint Ann According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come ...

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 ...

, and raised in

Seaview Gardens Seaview Gardens is a community in the West Kingston section of Kingston, Jamaica. It is known for the reggae superstars who grew up there. Musicians such as Dexta Daps have paid tribute to the area in song, noting violence and struggle, but also ...

, Kingston. He and his wife, Michelle, have two sons Rexton Jr and Jahwon. He currently resides in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

area. His father, Ivan Gordon, was a

mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

who died in 1990. His mother, Constance "Mama Christie" Christie, remained in Seaview after Shabba's success, feeding the community with money sent from her son after his emigration. She was the subject of the 2015 hit song ''Shabba Madda Pot'' from dancehall artist

Dexta Daps Louis Grandison, known as Dexta Daps, Dappa Don or Dexta, is a Jamaican dancehall and reggae performer. Grandison’s career began in 2012 with the release of his first 2 singles "Save me Jah" and "May you be". Though he has made many songs in bet ...

Career

He gained his fame mainly by toasting (or rapping) rather than singing, like some of his dancehall contemporaries in Jamaica. He was a protégé of DJ Josey Wales. His original stage name was Co-Pilot. His international career started in the late 1980s, along with a number of fellow Jamaicans including

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 ...

singers

Cocoa Tea Calvin George Scott (born 3 September 1959), better known as Cocoa Tea, is a Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter. Biography Born in Rocky Point, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, Cocoa Tea was popular in Jamaica from 1985, but has become succes ...

and Crystal. Ranks also worked with

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

and American rappers

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

and

Chubb Rock Richard Simpson, also known as Chubb Rock (born May 28, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York) is a New York-based rapper who released several successful hip hop albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A National Merit Scholar, Chubb Rock dropped out o ...

. He secured a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

in 1989. The stylistic origins of the genre

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...

can be traced back to the 1990 song "

Dem Bow "Dem Bow" is a song performed by Jamaican reggae artist Shabba Ranks, produced by Bobby Digital. This song uses the "Ku-Klung-Klung"/"Poco Man Jam" riddim (based on the title of the 1990 Gregory Peck and Red Dragon song) created by Jamaican p ...

", from Ranks' album ''

''. Produced by

Bobby "Digital" Dixon Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

, the Dem Bow

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 ...

became so popular in Puerto Rican freestyle sessions that early Puerto Rican reggaeton was simply known as "Dembow". The Dem Bow riddim is an integral and inseparable part of reggaeton, so much so that it has become its defining characteristic. His biggest

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

outside of

was the reggae fusion smash "

". Other big tracks include "Housecall" with

Maxi Priest Max Alfred "Maxi" Elliott (born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. He was one ...

, "Slow and Sexy" with

Johnny Gill Johnny Gill Jr. (born May 22, 1966) is an American singer and actor. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B/ pop group New Edition and was also a member of the supergroup called LSG, with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. Gill has released ...

, "Respect", "Pirates Anthem", "Trailer Load a Girls", "Wicked inna Bed", "Caan Dun", and "Ting A Ling". He won the

Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1985 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the reggae music genre. Honors in sev ...

in 1992 for ''

'' and in 1993 for ''

''. In 1993, Ranks scored another hit in the ''

Addams Family Values ''Addams Family Values'' is a 1993 American supernatural black comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Paul Rudnick, based on the characters created by Charles Addams. It is the sequel to ''The Addams Family'' (1991). The film ...

'' soundtrack to which he contributed a rap/reggae version of the

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-i ...

hit "

Family Affair ''Family Affair'' is an American sitcom starring Brian Keith and Sebastian Cabot that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966, to March 4, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do engineer and bachelor Bill Davis (Keith) as he attempte ...

". His third album for Epic, ''

A Mi Shabba ''A Mi Shabba'' is an album by 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 wo ...

'', was released in 1995. He was dropped by the label in 1996. Epic went on to release a greatest hits album, entitled ''

Shabba Ranks and Friends ''Shabba Ranks and Friends'' is a compilation album released by 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 p ...

'' in 1999. Ranks made a partial comeback in 2007 when he appeared on a song called "Clear the Air" by

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 ...

, which also featured

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...

. Shabba released a single on Big Ship's Pepper Riddim called "None A Dem", in April 2011. In 2012, Shabba was featured on

Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two m ...

's EP ''

E.B.A.H. ''E.B.A.H.'' (pronounced E-Bah. An acronym for "Evil Brain Angel Heart".) is the fourth EP by rapper Tech N9ne. It was released on September 18, 2012. It debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 at #31, selling 14,000 copies in its first week. Backgrou ...

'' on the track "Boy Toy". In 2013, Shabba was also mentioned in

A$AP Ferg Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. (born October 20, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Ferg (stylized as A$AP Ferg), is an American rapper from New York City's Harlem neighborhood. Aside from his solo career, he is a member of the hip hop collec ...

's song " Shabba," and has a cameo near the end of the music video. He was featured in the

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

alongside

Migos Migos () is an American hip hop trio from Lawrenceville, Georgia, founded in 2008. The group was originally composed of Southern rappers Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia; Offset and Takeoff were born and raised in Law ...

and

on 23 November 2013. In August 2013, he was reportedly working on a new album.

Controversy

Ranks has been controversial for

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

, particularly violent attitudes towards homosexuals. The 1990 song "Wicked in Bed" includes lyrics about shooting gay men. In 1992, during an appearance on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

music show '' The Word'', he was asked to give his thoughts on the subject of the hit song, "Boom Bye Bye", by

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 ...

. Shabba held a copy of a Bible which he carried with him and stated that the "word of God" advocated the "crucifixion of homosexuals". He also alluded that he advocates the progression of the

Jamaican people Jamaicans are the citizens of Jamaica and their descendants in the Jamaican diaspora. The vast majority of Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African descent, with minorities of Europeans, East Indians, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and others of mixed a ...

and

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

but did not conclude that being against homosexuality would be in question of exclusion, according to bible laws. He was condemned for his comments by presenter

Mark Lamarr Mark Lamarr (born Mark Jones, 7 January 1967) is an English comedian, writer, radio DJ, and television presenter. He was a team captain on '' Shooting Stars'' from 1995 to 1997, and hosted ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' from 1996 to 2005. Early li ...

, who said, "That's absolute crap and you know it." Following these comments, Ranks was dropped from a

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

concert as a performer and faced altercations with his label,

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

. Ranks subsequently apologized, after realizing that his comments might advocate "the killing of gays and lesbians and any human being in retrospect".

Awards

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Videos and DVDs

*2002 ''Shabba Ranks: Dancehall Ruff – Best of Shabba Ranks'' (DVD) *2001 ''The Return of Shabba Ranks'' (DVD) *1994 ''Darker Side of Black'' *1992 ''Shabba Ranks: Naked and Ready'' *1992 ''Shabba Ranks: Fresh & Wild'' *1992 ''Shabba Ranks vs. Ninja Man: Super Clash Round'' *1990 ''Reggae Showdown, Vol. 4: Shabba at Showdown'' (DVD) *1987 ''Prince Jammy''

References

External links

Shabba Ranks biography at the AMG website Shabba can refer: * Shabba Ranks, a dancehall rapper * "Shabba" (song), by A$AP Ferg See also *Shaba (disambiguation) *Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, i ...

br>Shabba Ranks at Rolling stone.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranks, Shabba 1966 births Living people People from Saint Ann Parish Jamaican reggae musicians Jamaican expatriates in the United States Jamaican dancehall musicians Reggae fusion artists Ragga musicians Grammy Award winners Epic Records artists Greensleeves Records artists