Burning Dancehall Reggae: Capleton

Clifton George Bailey III or the famous Capleton these days, is a native of St. Mary, Jamaica who known for his religious views and reggae music. He gained his international stardom in the 90’s with his songs “Bumbo Red”, “Woman Me Lotion”, and “Number One on the Look Good Chart”.

From a very young age, Capleton showed interest in music as he sneaked out of the house to listen from some vibes brought by traveling musicians. His religious belief on the other hand was the result of his clever reasoning skill thus calling him by his friends in the name of Capleton – name of the famous lawyer in their town. At the age of eighteen, he moved from St. Mary to Kingston pursuing his dreams of becoming a dancehall deejay. Kingston is the home of popular reggae artists – it’s also a place for dancehall reggae lovers. Capleton made his way into it although he had to take some weird jobs to cover up his expenses. Years passed by and he became one of the most popular local deejays – earning him a break to the international music scene.

Winning the audition for Stewart Brown’s African Star production in Canada made an avenue for him to perform with top dancehall reggae artists Flourgon and Ninjaman – it was also the time when he became very popular in Jamaica and secured him of a record deal with the Jamaican reggae producer Philip “Fattis” Burell. Although his first hit single “Bumbo Red” didn’t conquer the airwaves, it was overly played in dancehalls that made him even more popular. Rastafarianism changed most of his outlook in life – it was also shown in his song lyrics. With the knowledge from the writings of the Jamaican Black Nationalist leader Marcus Grey in United States, Capleton started to address Rastafarian principles and social awareness. His album “Alms House” in 1993 declared his new-found wisdom but the album he released later that year “Good So” gave him the name of a dancehall prophet.

In 1995, Capleton showed his hip-hop influence with the “Tour” remix about the murder of his fellow dancehall reggae artists. As it topped the billboard charts, hip-hop label Def Jam decided to make a deal with Capleton to produce the album “Prophecy” – featured Wu Tang Clan’s Method Man. It was still too dancehall and reggae roots influenced to be popular in the mainstream but it was solid enough to attract more listeners. With his second Def Jam album “I-Testament”, he was able to get into the mainstream. It was a success for both Def Jam and Capleton but the question rose about his identity as a reggae artist. The change in label from Def Jam to a smaller production J&D paved way for some serious yet enlightening songs that showcased Capleton’s identity. A year later, VP records made a deal for a 17 track album “More Fire”. After years of releasing albums, Capleton toured around the US and Africa in the late 2010 and early 2011.

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