Capleton

Born Clifton Bailey in Jamaica’s garden parish of St. Mary; his persuasive argument skills as a teen earned him comparisons to his community’s most esteemed lawyer, Capleton, and the moniker has remained in place ever since.

Capleton moved to Kingston at the age of 18 to pursue his musical career. In 1986 he secured a gig with the African Star sound, which regularly traveled between Jamaica and Toronto. Word of his energetic breakout debut Canadian performance quickly spread to Jamaica. The following year he recorded the sexually suggestive “Bumbo-Red” which became a popular hit in Jamaica’s dancehalls.

Capleton embraced the Rastafarian faith shortly after his debut and began releasing material reflecting the ideology of his newly found faith. His insightful lyrics and his personal mission to spread the teachings of Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie earned him one of his many aliases “The Prophet”. The lyrics “music is a mission not a competition” from “It Hurts my Heart” became not only one of his most memorable lines but Capleton’s mantra as he led by example inspiring other artists to become more purpose driven in their musical careers.

A trio of hits released in 1994 “Wings of the Morning”, “Chalice” and the immensely popular “Tour”, elevated Capleton to Jamaican superstar status. A hip-hop remix of “Tour” peaked at No. 42 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart and introduced Capleton to an entirely new fan base, as did the two albums he released for Def Jam Records, “Prophecy” and “I Testament”.

A man of many titles he is also known as the “Fireman” and “King Shango” for his scorching lyrics, blazing performances and personal determination to burn all evil forces. “I don’t want people to get it twisted: when I say fire, it is not in a destructive way,” remarks Capleton. “I was born under a fire sign (Aries) so when I say fire, it is all about equal rights and justice, all about being yourself and standing up for righteousness, for unity and for strength”.

A profific artist, Capleton would release many other albums including “More Fire”, named one of the Top 20 Albums of 2000 by Spin Magazine, and the 2003 Grammy nominated “Still Blazing”. Capleton’s impressive catalog of hits, profound and provocative lyrics, together with his combustible, charismatic delivery has made him one of the most enduringly popular reggae artists.