Clifton George Bailey III (born 13 April 1967),Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, , pp. 67–69 better known by his stage name Capleton, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician. He is also referred to as King Shango, King David, The Fireman and The Prophet. His record label is called David House Productions. He is known for his Rastafari views expressed in his songs.
Early life Bailey was born in Islington in St. Mary in 1967.Walters, Basil (2012) "Capleton lauded for charity work ", Jamaica Observer, 20 July 2012, retrieved 29 July 2012 As a youth, he was given the surname of a popular St. Mary lawyer and friend of the family, Capleton, as a nickname by his relatives and friends.. ChicagoReggae.com. Retrieved 24 January 2011. Capleton rejects the name given to him at birth. He now prefers "King Shango", given its roots in the Yoruba language.Barrow, Musa. Art and Music: Interview With Jamaican Reggae Star, Capleton . Foroyaa Online. 4 June 2008. His sister is Aleen Bailey, 2004 Olympic gold medalist sprinter for Jamaica.
As a teenager, he sneaked out of his home to catch local dancehall acts, eventually leaving St. Mary for Kingston at the age of 18 to work on his career as a dancehall deejay."Capleton." Contemporary Musicians. Ed. Leigh Ann DeRemer. Vol. 40. Gale Cengage, 2003. eNotes.com. 2006. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
Career Early career
In 1989, he got his first big international exposure. Stewart Brown, owner of a Toronto-based sound called African Star, gave the untested artist his first break, flying him to Canada for a stage show alongside Ninjaman and Flourgon.
When Capleton first arrived on the scene in the late 1980s, slackness and gun talk were the dominant lyrics in the dancehalls. The pre-Rasta Capleton had a string of hit songs from "Bumbo Red" to "Number One on the Look Good Chart" and "No Lotion Man".
He recorded the song that began to establish his significant place in dancehall, "Alms House" in 1992. The tune became a big hit in the dancehall, followed up immediately by "Music is a Mission" and the hit "Tour". By 1993, he was voicing tunes which became increasingly conscious, such as "Prophet" and "Cold Blooded Murderer".
Tunes such as "Tour" and "Wings of the Morning" earned him a deal with Russell Simmons' Def Jam Recordings,Campbell, Howard. Capleton Finds His Way Back To VP . VPRecords.com. 30 June 2010. which culminated in the Prophecy and I-Testament albums of the mid-1990s.
Later career
In 1999, Capleton headlined Reggae Sumfest's dancehall night, to much fanfare.Summer Fest '99 – Dancehall Nights . Reggaeweb.com. Retrieved 2 February 2011. The performance, which led to a subsequent headliner placement the following year, is credited with "re-bussing", or creating a comeback for, his career.Reggae Sumfest 2000 . Reggaeweb.com. Retrieved 2 February 2011. The 1999–2000 period elicited a string of hits, many of which can be found on the album More Fire.Huey, Steve. Capleton biography . AllMusic. Retrieved 2 February 2011
By 2004, some argued the quality of Capleton's music had been downgraded by over-proliferation on numerous riddims, while Capleton himself argued his continued recording over both dancehall and roots reggae riddims created balance in his musical output.Smith, Germaine. REIGN OF FIRE – Capleton still blazes . Jamaica Star. 7 May 2004. Nonetheless, he scored hit singles over one of the most popular riddims of 2004,Drop Leaf album review . Reggae Vibes Productions. Retrieved 2 February 2011. "That Day Will Come" over the Hard Times riddim.
After a hiatus from the label, Capleton returned to VP Records in 2010 with the release of I-Ternal Fire.Campbell, Howard. Capleton finds his way back to VP . Jamaica Gleaner. 30 June 2010.
After headlining a U.S. tour which included Romain Virgo, Munga Honorable, and Kulcha Knox in the fall of 2010, Capleton embarked upon a tour of the African continent for late 2010 and early 2011. Stops included Gambia, Senegal, South Africa and multiple dates in Zimbabwe.Warming the stage for Capleton . The Standard (Zimbabwe). 21 November 2010. In December 2012 the music Unite Cape Town International Reggae Festival saw Capleton, plus reggae and dancehall artists including Black Dillinger, and Blak Kalamawi.
Capleton's annual 'A St Mary Mi Come From' live show has raised funds for several charities since it was first staged in 2000, including local schools and hospitals.
Religious views Capleton makes reference to Bobo Ashanti, one of the various mansions of the Rastafari movement.Park, Esther. Bob Marley Movement Caribbean Festival 2010: Interview With Capleton . Miami New Times. 25 February 2010. Yet he frequently mentions there is no separation between the mansions of Rastafari as he sees it. He stated in an interview on TraceTV that he is a vegan, not consuming meat or dairy in any form, but he also rejects anything made from soya. He also touches on the subject of his lyrics regarding fire, saying they are metaphoric references of purification, not violence or murder.Mbiriyamveka, Jonathan. Capleton Show Organisers Hunt Ghetto Rappers . The Herald (Zimbabwe). 18 October 2010.
Capleton has faced criticism for anti-gay lyrics in some of his songs though homosexuality remains illegal in his native Jamaica."Gay in JA: What's it like to be gay in a society where it's illegal to practice your sexuality?" , BBC. First aired 2008, updated Tuesday 16 June 2009. (Only regionally available) His manager has argued that some of the controversial lyrics have been mistranslated and do not actually refer to gays. Capleton himself has admitted that through his Rastafari faith he believes that a homosexual lifestyle is not right, but has insisted that terms such as "burn" and "fire" are not to be understood in the literal sense "to go out and burn and kill people", but as a metaphor for "purification" and cleansing.Savage, Shannon (6 October 2004)"Dancehall music silenced" , The Orion (student newspaper of CSU Chico) – Entertainment. Updated 11 May 2009. However, Capleton has continued to sing songs that some see as anti-gay, causing the cancellation of a concert in Switzerland in 2008 and a United States tour in 2010."Capleton Concert cancelled in Basel, Switzerland" , Another Green World. Thursday, 6 November 2008.
Discography
Lotion Man – 1991 Alms House – 1993 Good So – 1994 Prophecy – 1995 I-Testament – 1997 One Mission (compilation) – 1999 Gold – 2000 More Fire – 2000 Final Assassin – 2000 Still Blazin''' – 2002Voice of Jamaica, Vol.3 – 2003Praises to the King – 2003Reign of Fire – 2004The People Dem – 2004Duppy Man (featured with Chase & Status)Free Up – 2006Hit Wit Da 44 Rounds – 2007Rise Them Up – 2007Bun Friend – 2008Yaniko Roots – 2008Jah Youth Elevation – 2008Liberation Time (featured with AZAD) (2009)I-Ternal Fire – (2010)Heights of Fire'' – (2026)
References
External links
Capleton's profile at VP Records' website History of Capleton Capleton Biography