Shabba Ranks

Jamaica, 1985–now

Jamaican deejay, born Rexton Gordon in 1966, who took dancehall to an international audience at the turn of the 1990s. As Raw as Ever and X-Tra Naked won consecutive Grammys and set the gruff, slack, rhythm-first template that dancehall exported.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Shabba Ranks and 1 artist Shabba Ranks influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Shabba Ranks?

• Josey Wales — The deejay Shabba took most from, and the one who took him to King Jammy in 1987 — the authority in the voice comes from here.
• Yellowman — The deejay who proved dancehall could carry a personality abroad, a decade before Shabba did it.

Which artists did Shabba Ranks influence?

• Mika — The dancehall on Mika's list of influences, audible in the rhythmic phrasing under the falsetto.