bassculture islands
spent his formative years...that
being said, in
terms of Kingston
Hip Hop, is there
someone who
could be considered the godfather
of Kingston Hip
Hop? What would
be the equivalent
of 1520 Sedgwick
Avenue in Kingston?
Inztinkz: There is no
real story of the origin
of Kingston hip-hop so
to speak. The first local hip-hop recording I
heard was a cover of the
Sugarhill Gang classic
“Rappers Delight.” In
1991, I heard about two
MC’s name Smesh and
Slick. From there, the
first real hip-hop scene
developed in Kingston.
Familiar names in Kingston hip-hop in the mid
to late 90’s were Doom
(son of reggae icon Jimmy Cliff), Armagheddon
(Nephew of reggae legend Grub Cooper, from
the band Fab 5), Holocaust, Keystone, and
Chicago-based rapper
Cess, to name a few. The
most important aspect of
Kingston hip-hop at that
time was a radio show
on Fame FM with DJ’s
Alrick and Boyd called
the “Phat Block. “ The
“Phat Block” showcased
local hip-hop and many
of the names I just mentioned. My peers got
regular spins. After the
demise of the radio show
the scene kinda died
down a bit but started
to reemerge in the late
2000’s and is going even
stronger now.
Sly Rankin: I can honestly say when my group
Gangsta Colony banded
together, I was about
14, and I thought we
were the only Jamaicans
rapping. Till we met a
group called Holokast,