Edward Ronald Browne, known professionally as Solo Banton, is a dub-reggae and

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 ...

artist based in the United Kingdom. He has released four albums highlighting a range of influences including

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Ethnic groups of Africa, Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the ho ...

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

, and

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

. '' The Canary'' has called Banton "one of the pioneers of UK reggae and a legend within the movement".

Early life

Browne was born

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. His family has roots in St Kitts and Nevis in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. Browne first started MC'ing at age 11.

Career

He emerged from UK sound system culture as an expressive and often comical deejay, committed to conscious lyrics and "edutainment". He was first known simply as Solo, and was active in the UK

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

scene. He took up the Banton part of his name after switching to reggae music. He released his first album ''Walk Like Rasta'' on Reality Shock Records in 2010, followed by ''Higher Levels'' and ''Old Raggamuffin'' in 2012 and 2019. His 2024 album ''In This Time'' was released on the French label, Irie Ites Records. Solo Banton has collaborated on recordings with Jahtari,

Roots Manuva Rodney Hylton Smith, better known by his stage name Roots Manuva (born 9 September 1972), is a British rapper and producer. Since his debut in 1994, he has produced numerous albums and singles on the label Big Dada, achieving commercial succ ...

, Macka B, Fantan Mojah, Mungo's Hi-Fi,

Errol Dunkley Errol Dunkley (born 6 February 1951), sometimes spelled Erroll Dunkley, is a Jamaican reggae musician, born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1951. Biography Dunkley's recording career began in 1965, when he was 14, with "Gypsy" (a duet with Roy Shirle ...

Tippa Irie Tippa Irie (born Anthony Henry, 1965, London, England) is a British reggae singer and DJ from Brixton, South London. He first came to prominence in the early 1980s as an MC on the South London reggae soundsystem Saxon Studio International. He f ...

, Soom T, Dubkasm, Radikal Guru, George Palmer, Benny Page, Kris Kemist, Manudigital and many others, with over 50 releases to his name.

References

British reggae singers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people British dub musicians British graffiti artists Dancehall musicians {{authority control