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 Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

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 reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

musician. He is also referred to as King Shango, King David, The Fireman and The Prophet. His record label is called David House Productions. He is known for his

Rastafari Rastafari is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion. There is no central authori ...

views expressed in his songs.

Early life

Bailey was born in

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

in St. Mary in 1967.Walters, Basil (2012)
Capleton lauded for charity work
", '' Jamaica Observer'', 20 July 2012, retrieved 29 July 2012 As a youth, he was given the surname of a popular St. Mary lawyer and friend of the family, Capleton, as a nickname by his relatives and friends.. ChicagoReggae.com. Retrieved 24 January 2011. Capleton rejects the name given to him at birth. He now prefers "King Shango", given its roots in the

Yoruba language Yoruba (, ; Yor. ) is a Niger–Congo languages, Niger-Congo language that is spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West (Nigeria), Southwestern and Middle Belt, Central Nigeria, Benin, and parts of Togo. It is spoken by the Yoruba people. ...

. As a teenager, he sneaked out of his home to catch local dancehall acts, eventually leaving St. Mary for Kingston at the age of 18 to work on his career as a dancehall deejay.

Career

Early career

In 1989, he got his first big international exposure. Stewart Brown, owner of a

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

-based sound called African Star, gave the untested artist his first break, flying him to Canada for a stage show alongside Ninjaman and Flourgon. When Capleton first arrived on the scene in the late 1980s, slackness and gun talk were the dominant lyrics in the dancehalls. The pre-Rasta Capleton had a string of hit songs from "Bumbo Red" to "Number One on the Look Good Chart" and "No Lotion Man". He recorded the song that began to establish his significant place in dancehall, "Alms House" in 1992. The tune became a big hit in the dancehall, followed up immediately by "Music is a Mission" and the massive hit "Tour". By 1993, he was voicing tunes which became increasingly conscious, such as "Prophet" and "Cold Blooded Murderer". Tunes such as "Tour" and "Wings of the Morning" earned him a deal with Russell Simmons' Def Jam Recordings, which culminated in the ''

Prophecy In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...

'' and '' I-Testament'' albums of the mid-1990s. Grammy Nominated in 2003 Album "Still Blazin" VP Records Executive Produce by Errol "GenErral" Adams / Joel Chin

Later career

In 1999, Capleton headlined

Reggae Sumfest Reggae Sumfest is the largest music festival in Jamaica and the Caribbean, taking place each year in mid-July in Montego Bay.Johnson, Richard (2014)All Set for Sumfest, '' Jamaica Observer'', 8 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014 Sumfest started in 1 ...

's dancehall night, to much fanfare. The performance, which led to a subsequent headliner placement the following year, is credited with "re-bussing", or creating a comeback for, his career. The 1999–2000 period elicited a string of hits, many of which can be found on the album '' More Fire''. Grammy Nominated in 2003 Album "Still Blazin" VP Records Executive Produce by Errol "GenErral" Adams / Joel Chin By 2004, some argued the quality of Capleton's music had been downgraded by over-proliferation on numerous riddims, while Capleton himself argued his continued recording over both

and roots reggae riddims created balance in his musical output. Nonetheless, he scored hit singles over one of the most popular riddims of 2004, "That Day Will Come" over the Hard Times riddim. After a hiatus from the label, Capleton returned to VP Records in 2010 with the release of '' I-Ternal Fire''. After headlining a U.S. tour which included Romain Virgo, Munga Honorable, and Kulcha Knox in the fall of 2010, Capleton embarked upon a tour of the African continent for late 2010 and early 2011. Stops included Gambia, Senegal, South Africa and multiple dates in Zimbabwe. In December 2012 the music Unite Cape Town International Reggae Festival saw Capleton, reggae and dancehall artists like Black Dillinger, Blak Kalamawi . Capleton's annual 'A St Mary Mi Come From' live show has raised funds for several charities since it was first staged in 2000, including local schools and hospitals.

Religious views

Capleton makes reference to Bobo Ashanti, one of the various mansions of the Rastafari movement. Yet he frequently mentions there is no separation between the mansions of Rastafari as he sees it. He stated in an interview on TraceTV that he is a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

, not consuming meat or dairy in any form, but he also rejects anything made from soya. He also touches on the subject of his lyrics regarding fire, saying they are metaphoric references of purification, not violence or murder.

Criticisms

Capleton has faced criticism for anti-gay lyrics in some of his songs though homosexuality remains illegal in his native Jamaica."Gay in JA: What's it like to be gay in a society where it's illegal to practice your sexuality?"
, ''BBC''. First aired 2008, updated Tuesday 16 June 2009. (Only regionally available) His manager has argued that some of the controversial lyrics have been mistranslated and do not actually refer to gays. Capleton himself has admitted that through his Rastafari faith he believes that a homosexual lifestyle is not right, but has insisted that terms such as "burn" and "fire" are not to be understood in the literal sense "to go out and burn and kill people", but as a metaphor for "purification" and cleansing.Savage, Shannon (6 October 200
"Dancehall music silenced"
, ''The Orion'' (student newspaper of CSU Chico) – Entertainment. Updated 11 May 2009. However, Capleton has continued to sing songs that some see as anti-gay, causing the cancellation of a concert in Switzerland in 2008 and a United States tour in 2010.

Discography

*''Lotion Man'' – 1991 *''Alms House'' – 1993 *''Good So'' – 1994 *''

'' – 1995 *'' I-Testament'' – 1997 *'' One Mission'' (compilation) – 1999 *''Gold'' – 2000 *'' More Fire'' – 2000 *''Final Assassin'' – 2000 *'' Still Blazin – 2002 *''Voice of Jamaica, Vol.3'' – 2003 *'' Praises to the King'' – 2003 *'' Reign of Fire'' – 2004 *'' The People Dem'' – 2004 *''Duppy Man'' (featured with Chase & Status) *''Free Up'' – 2006 *''Hit Wit Da 44 Rounds'' – 2007 *'' Rise Them Up'' – 2007 *'' Bun Friend'' – 2008 *''Yaniko Roots'' – 2008 *''Jah Youth Elevation'' – 2008 *''Liberation Time'' (featured with AZAD) (2009) *'' I-Ternal Fire'' – 2010 *''Ova Come'' (featured with Gisto) – 2020

References

External links

*
Capleton's profile
at VP Records' website
History of CapletonCapleton Biography
{{Authority control Jamaican reggae musicians 1967 births Living people People from Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica Jamaican Rastafarians Def Jam Recordings artists Performers of Rastafarian music Jamaican dancehall musicians Jamaican male songwriters VP Records artists Greensleeves Records artists Member of the Bobo Shanti