Andrew Phillip Gregory (14 December 1966 – 29 July 2012), better known as Sluggy Ranks, was a

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

singer who was a major part of the New York dancehall scene.

Biography

Born in the Rae Town district of East

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Ranks relocated to

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

in 1981.Meschino, Patricia (2012)
Sluggy Ranks, New York Based Dancehall Singer, Killed in Kingston Car Crash
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', 31 July 2012, retrieved 1 September 2012 In 1984 he began recording for the Brooklyn-based Jah Life label and worked with local

sound systems Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

such as Mini Mart Hi Power, King Custom Sound and African Love. He became known for his 'cultural' lyrics, which contrasted with the prevailing ' slack' lyrics of dancehall.Huey, Steve
Sluggy Ranks Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, retrieved 1 September 2012Moskowitz, David V. (2006) "Sluggy Ranks", in ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 248 In 1988 he worked with producer Whitfield "Witty" Henry on the single "95% Black, 5% White", a commentary on the state of the US prison system. He went on to record several albums in the 1980s and 1990s, including the

Prince Jammy Lloyd Woodrowe James (born 26 October 1947),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer, sound system owner and record producer. He began hi ...

-produced ''Ghetto Youth Bust'' in 1994, released on

Profile Records Profile Records was one of the earliest hip hop labels. As well as hip-hop they released disco, dance, and electro records. History In 1980, Cory Robbins, who was 23 at the time and had worked briefly for MCA, wanted to start a record label ...

.Nixon, Richard (1995)
Sluggy Ranks ''Ghetto Youth Bust''
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Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...

'', December 1994-January 1995, p. 122, retrieved 1 September 2012 His single "Sodom & Gomorrah", recorded on the "Tempo" rhythm, dealt with the confrontation between

Super Cat William Anthony Maragh (born 25 June 1963),Huey, Steve " Super Cat Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 18 July 2010 also known as Super Cat, is a Jamaican DJ and toaster who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s danc ...

and

Nitty Gritty Glen Augustus Holness (1957–24 June 1991), otherwise known by his stage name Nitty Gritty, was a popular reggae singer. Born in the August Town section of Kingston, Jamaica, he was the second of eleven children born to religious parents. ...

at Count Shelly's record shop that led to Nitty Gritty's death.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, , p. 428 In 1997 he contributed to the Easy Star album ''Easy Star Volume I'', and in 2003 to the Easy Star All Stars' '' Dub Side of the Moon''. At the age of 44, he passed away on July 29, 2012, as a result of injuries he sustained in a car accident in Kingston's Stony Hill neighborhood.Sluggy Ranks dies in crash
, ''

Jamaica Observer The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...

'', 15 August 2012, retrieved 1 September 2012

Discography

Albums

*''Settle Sluggy'' (1988), Park Heights *''Ghetto Youth Buss'' (1989), Grade One *''Ghetto Youth Bust'' (1994),

Profile Profile or profiles may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Music * ''Profile'' (Jan Akkerman album), 1973 * ''Profile'' (Githead album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Pat Donohue album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Duke Pearson album), 1959 * '' ''Profi ...

*''Just Call Sluggy'' (1987), Witty *''My Time'' (1999), Barry U

Singles

*"True Sound" (198?), Jah Life *"Draw Fi Mi Bible" (198?), Jah Life *"Rucumbine" (1987), Music Master - Sluggy & Twitch *"95% Black, 5% White" (1988), Music Master *"Don't Be Prejudiced" (1989), Park Heights *"Ketch Dem Fraid" (1990), Mr. Doo *"My Time" (1990), Shelly's *"Iron Curtain" (1990), Libra - with Rev. Badoo *"Tell Me Now" (1991), Shelly's *"No Money Na Run" (1991), Rockers Forever *"Ghetto Youth Bust" (1994), Profile *"Jah Is Guiding I" (1994), John John *"Sodom & Gomorrah" (199?), Part II/Gold Shop *"Titus, Share the Cake" (1995), Secret Rival - with Chuck Fender, Ninja Kid, Tuffest, Mikey Merican, and Terrible Cat *"Ghetto Youth" (1995), WEA - Booyaka Crew & Sluggy Ranks *"Weedman" (1995), Secret Rival - Sluggy Ranks & Tuffest *"The Coming of the Lord" (1997), Barry U *"Nothing in the World" (2003), Wild Apache *"Zion Gate" (2006), Total Satisfaction *"Don´t Want To Be A Shotta" (20??), Digital English *"Don't Want to be a Shotta part 2" (2010), Digital English *"Rough Wine" (2010), Witty *"Done With The Badness" (2011), Digital English *"Ghetto Youth" (2011), King Kustom *"

Another One Bites The Dust "Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the British Rock music, rock band Queen (band), Queen. Written by bassist John Deacon, the song was featured on the group's eighth studio album ''The Game (Queen album), The Game'' (1980). It was a worl ...

" (2011), 14 Karat *"Too Chatty Chatty" (2011), 14 Karat *"Strictly Reggae Music" (2011), Roots Injection

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranks, Sluggy 1968 births 2012 deaths Jamaican dancehall musicians Jamaican male singers