Yellowman

Winston Foster , (born 15 January 1956) better known by the stage name Yellowman and also known as King Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established his reputation.

Yellowman is considered to be one of the genre's pioneers and has been credited with "almost single-handedly [creating] the coarse, crude and fearlessly direct sound of today's dancehall." Spearheading the first generation of dancehall deejays, he brought the genre to an international audience. He was shunned due to having albinism, which was not typically socially accepted in Jamaica.

Yellowman attributes his early success to the encouragement of well-known PNP-affiliated gangster General Starky aka Anthony Tingle. He recalls that it was Starky who ensured that he got his chance on the ‘mike’, so that he could show his skills, giving him the space to develop into the superstar he became.

In the late 1970s Yellowman first gained wide attention when he finished second to Nadine Sutherland in the 1978 Tastee Talent Contest, Like many Jamaican deejays, he honed his talents by frequently performing at outdoor sound-system dances, prominently with Aces International. He had success as a recording artist, working with producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes during the early 1980s.

His first studio album release was in 1982 entitled Mister Yellowman followed by Zungguzungguguzungguzeng in 1983 earning instant success. Yellowman's sexually explicit lyrics in popular songs such as "Mad Over Me", boasting, like other reggae singers/deejays, of his sexual prowess, earned Yellowman criticism in the mid-1980s. In response he has proclaimed: "I never know why they call it slackness. I talk about sex, but it's just what happens behind closed doors. What I talk is reality."

During his time at Aces, Yellowman would often perform at live shows with Vernon "Fathead" Rainford, whom which he would collaborate in some studio releases over the following years. Overall, the 1980s were Yellowman's most productive decade, going on to release around twenty albums under different labels, such as Mister Yellowman, Duppy or Gunman, Bad Boy Skanking, Zungguzungguguzungguzeng, among others.

He had success in 1987 with a version of "Blueberry Hill", that topped the charts for several weeks in Jamaica. Yellowman had met Fats Domino when the American performed on the island earlier in the decade, and Domino had presented him with a copy of his version.

By the mid-1990s, Yellowman released socially conscious material, rising to international fame along with singers such as Buju Banton. Yellowman became the island's most popular deejay. During the early 1980s, Yellowman had over 40 singles and produced up to five albums per year. His latest albums are New York (2003), Round 1 (2005), and No More War (2019). Yellowman was also a featured guest vocalist on the Run-DMC track "Roots Rap Reggae". Yellowman continues to perform internationally with his Sagittarius Band, and has toured through places such as Nigeria where he retains a following of fans, as well as Spain, Peru, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Britain, France, Kenya, the United States and Canada. He also featured on OPM's 2004 album, Forthemasses.

Yellowman was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in two occasions; in 1985 for King Yellowman, and in 1998 for Freedom of Speech. He was the first dancehall artist to be nominated for this category.

In 2018, it was announced that he would be awarded the Order of Distinction (Officer Class) by the Jamaican government.

Foster's daughter Kareema followed him into a career in music, and has collaborated with her father in live shows and studio productions.

Philosophy He has spoken against violence. In the Montreal Mirror in 2005 he said, "Now it's not your entertainment or teaching. If you notice the hip hop and dancehall artists today, all they do they sing about drugs, clothes, car, house—when they can't get it, they start get violent. I know what violence is like and what it contain and what it can do. I'm glad that the roots is coming back."

Cancer In 1982, Yellowman was diagnosed with skin cancer. The cancer went into apparent remission during this time. Between late 1984 and 1986 it was diagnosed that the cancer had spread to his jaw; Yellowman underwent invasive jaw surgery to remove a malignant tumor. This surgery permanently disfigured Yellowman's face, as a large portion of the left side of his lower jaw had to be removed to successfully remove the tumor. He spent some time in convalescence before returning to music and performing live shows again in 1987.

The vocal melody of "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" has also been sampled heavily in various reggae and hip hop songs.

Timeline:

Bonehead, "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" (see also, Live at Aces version, w/ Fathead) (1982) Sister Nancy, "Coward of the Country" (1982) Frankie Paul, "Alesha" (1984) Toyan, "Hot Bubble Gum" (1984) Cocoa Tea, "I Lost My Sonia" (1985) Super Cat, "Boops" (1985) BDP, "Remix For P Is Free" (1987) BDP, "Tcha Tcha" (1988) Nice & Smooth, "Nice & Smooth" (1989) Nice & Smooth, "Dope on a Rope" (1989) K7, "Zunga Zeng" (1993) KRS-One, "P Is Still Free" (1993) Us3, "I Got It Goin' On" (1993) Buju Banton, "Big It Up" (1993) Ninjaman, "Funeral Again" (1994) Bounty Killer, "Kill Or Be Killed" (1994) Sublime, "Greatest Hits" (1994) Just My Imagination w/Sista Sensi (2013) Frosty the Dopeman w/Sista Sensi Buju Banton, "Man a Look Yu" (1995) Junior M.A.F.I.A. (feat. The Notorious B.I.G.), "Player's Anthem" (1995) Sublime, "Roots of Creation" (1995) 2Pac, "Hit 'Em Up" (1996) Black Star, "Definition" (1998) Mr. Notty, "Sentencia de Muerte" (1998) Dead Prez, "It's Bigger than Hip-Hop" (2000) Beenie Man, featuring Wyclef Jean, "Love Me Now" (2000) Nejo, track 14 (DJ Joe's Fatal Fantasy 1)(2001) Joe Budden, "Pump It Up" (2003) Tego Calderón, "Bonsai" (2003) Jin, "Learn Chinese" (2004) Vybz Kartel, "Tight Pussy Gyal" (2004) Josey Wales, "Leggo Mi Hand" (2005) P.O.D., featuring Matisyahu, "Roots in Stereo" (2006) White Rappers, "One Night Stand" (2007) Kraff, featuring Jiggy D “Narly” (2024)

Discography

Studio albums Album year Album title 1982 Mister Yellowman / Duppy Or Gunman 1982 King Mellow Yellow Meets Yellowman 1982 Superstar Yellowman Has Arrived With Toyan 1982 Jack Sprat / Life In The Ghetto 1982 Just Cool 1982 Them A Mad Over Me 1982 Bad Boy Skanking 1983 Divorced! (For Your Eyes Only) 1982 One Yellowman And Fathead 1982 The Yellow, The Purple & The Nancy 1982 Yellow Man, Fat Head And The One Peter Metro 1983 Zungguzungguguzungguzeng 1983 Nobody Move (1983) / Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt (1984) 1984 King Yellowman 1984 Operation Radication / One In A Million 1984 Showdown Vol. 5 1984 Two Giants Clash 1985 Galong, Galong, Galong 1985 Walking Jewellery Store 1986 Girls Them Pet / Rambo 1985 Yellow Man Meets Charlie Chaplin 1986 Going To The Chapel 1987 Yellow Like Cheese 1987 Blueberry Hill 1988 Yellowman Rides Again 1988 Yellowman Sings The Blues 1988 King Of The Dancehall 1988 Don't Burn It Down 1989 Strikes Again 1990 A Feast Of Yellow Dub 1991 Mi Hot 1991 Party 1992 Reggae On The Move 1993 In Bed With Yellowman / Mellow Yellow 1993 A Man You Want 1993 Reggae On Top 1994 Prayer 1995 Good Sex Guide 1995 Kiss Me 1995 Message To The World 1997 Freedom of Speech 1998 A Very, Very Yellow Christmas 1999 Yellow Fever 2003 New York 2019 No More War

Live albums Album year Album title 1982 Live At Reggae Sunsplash 1982 Live At Aces 1983 Live At Killamanjaro 1983 Live in London (1983) / Live In England (1992) 1983 Live Stage Show At Ranny Williams Entertainment Center 1987 The Negril Chill Challenge 1994 Best Of Live In Paris 1994 Live In Paris 1998 Live At Maritime Hall

Compilations Year Title 1987 A Reggae Calypso Encounter 1991 20 Super Hits 1993 Fantastic Yellowman 1996 Best Of Yellowman 1996 Yellowman Meets The Paragons 1997 RAS Portraits 2001 Look How Me Sexy 2004 Just Cool (Compilation) 2004 Yellow Fever (Compilation) 2006 Reggae Chronicles 2007 Most Wanted 2013 Reggae Anthology: Young, Gifted & Yellow (1981-1985)

Videos Year Title 1998 Yellowman Peace Tour (VHS) 1998 Live In San Francisco (DVD) 2004 Kingston Signals, Vol. 1: 3 The Hard Way (DVD) 2007 Stars in Action, Part 2 (DVD) 2007 Yellowman / Chaka Demus & Pliers: Living Legends In Concert (DVD)