Biography
read full storyPopular Jamaican 80's dancehall artiste and deejay Yellowman was born Winston Foster, January 15th 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica. Yellowman grew up in a Catholic Orphanage in Kingston (Alpha Boys School), and it was here that he began his foray into music as the school was known for its musical alumni. He first gained attention when he won 'The Tastee Talent Contest' in Kingston. This was an annual event where deejays would perform toasting. It was from then on, that after performing in numerous street events Yellowman became popular in Jamaica. His success however was not limited to the island as Yelowman became the first dancehall artiste to be signed to a major American record label (CBS records) in 1981.
He subsequently released his first album a year later which was called 'Mister Yellowman'. He followed this by releasing 'Zungguzungguguzungguzeng' in 1983 and this album was widely successful. This particular song had a substantial impact on the international hip-hop industry as this basic rhythm used inZungguzungguguzungguzeng was reused by artistes such as Mos Def, Tupac Shakur, Talib Kweli and Notorious B.I.G.
By the 1980's, Yellowman was undisputedly one of the top selling Jamaican artistes, both locally and abroad, as he had over 40 singles and produced on average, 5 albums per year.
In 1986 Yellowman fell ill due to cancer of the jaw and was forced to take an extended leave from the music scene. This illness however caused him to re-invent his style and abandon the former rude-boy attitude that laced his lyrics. He then began to follow a more spiritually conscious route with the album Prayer in 1994. His two latest albums are New York (2003) and Round 1 (2005).
Yellowman has since continued to tour the world where he is still widely popular with his Sagittarius band.