under the title Freedom Cry, and featured the successful singles "Love Amongst My Brethren" and "Rain Shower." No less than three albums - Be I Strong, Good Ways, and Royal Son of Ethiopia - appeared in 1999, with Be I Strong achieving the highest profile among them. Sizzla scored several more hits during 1997, including "Like Mountain," "Babylon Cowboy," "Kings of the Earth," and the Luciano duet "Build a Better World." This hot streak kicked off an enormously productive recording binge that lasted over the next several years, with much of his output still done for Burrell.ġ998's Kalonji was issued in the U.S. The title track was a smash hit and became something of a cultural reggae anthem. Widely considered one of the top conscious dancehall albums of its time, Praise Ye Jah was quickly trumped by the release of the Dixon-produced Black Woman & Child that same year. Unlike kindred spirits Capleton and Buju Banton, Sizzla's early material was culturally oriented right from the start he was able to build an audience without any of the lyrical slackness that helped establish the other two.Ĭreatively speaking, Sizzla really came into his own with the release of his second album, the Burrell-produced Praise Ye Jah in 1997.
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Sizzla released a series of singles on Burrell's Xterminator label, including "Judgement Morning," "Life's Road," "Blaspheme," "We Uh Fear," "I'm Not Sure," and the Shadowman duet "The Gun." His first LP, Burning Up, appeared on Xterminator later in 1995, and he toured extensively alongside Luciano and Mikey General. However, he didn't manage a break-out success until saxophonist Dean Fraser recommended him to producer Philip "Fatis" Burrell. He cut his first single for the small Zagalou label in 1995, and soon moved on to Bobby "Digital" Dixon's Digital B imprint. After honing his vocal skills, he landed a gig with the Caveman Hi-Fi sound system, where he first made a name for himself as a performer. Sizzla was born Miguel Collins on Apand was raised in the August Town area of Kingston of devout Rastafarian parents. A versatile singjay-style vocalist with a gruff, gravelly tone, he was capable of both rapid-fire chatting and powerful, melodic singing, and his best backing riddims were among the strongest in contemporary dancehall.
Nonetheless, he still ranked as arguably the most popular conscious reggae artist of his time, thanks to a normally high standard of quality control - all the more impressive given the frequency with which he recorded. He remained something of an enigma to the public at large, rarely granting interviews and keeping his concert appearances to a minimum. Yet overall, his music was generally positive, advocating faith and compassion for poor black youth, and respect for women. A member of the militant Bobo Ashanti sect, he sometimes courted controversy with his strict adherence to their views, particularly his aggressive condemnations of homosexuals and white Western oppressors. Along with Buju Banton and Capleton, he helped lead dancehall back to the musical and spiritual influence of roots reggae, favoring organic productions and heavily Rastafarian subject matter. Emerging during the latter half of the '90s, the enormously prolific Sizzla was one of the leaders of the conscious dancehall movement.
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