Capleton is known to be the hottest entertainer in the worldwide
reggae fraternity. He is a very strong performer. He is a hard act to
follow. He recently performed prime time on the Rebel Salute and the
Shaggy Festivals in Jamaica and in July he is scheduled to headline
International night on Sumfest in Jamaica. In Jamaica, he Capleton one
of the most popular artists on the island. Every August he hosts a
festival called St Mary Me Come From. After the Sumfest show Capleton
is slated to tour Europe. June 24 he is booked on Grooving in the Park
in New York City.
When Capleton dropped the tune Alms House in 1992, he established
himself as more than just an entertainer. He is a messenger and a
guiding light of righteousness. "United we stand and divided we fall,"
he sang for the benefit of his fans and dancehall comrades. "Nuff of
them nah go know themself till them back against the wall." Other of
his anthem songs are Lotion Man, Good So, Prophet, I-Testament, One
Mission and More Fire.
Many of Capleton's songs "and most of his critics" make mention of the
blazing fire. Capleton hopes to clear up any confusion pertaining this
fire his music speaks of. He says, "Is not really a physical fire. Is
really a spiritual fire, and a wordical fire, and a musical fire. You
see the fire is all about a livity. But is people get it on the wrong
term. People get confused. So when a man say 'more fire' him think
that mean say you fi go light the cane field or go light the church."
Fire, Capleton explains, is a way of reminding one's brother that they
are going astray. "That way a man know say him doing something wrong.
That even give him the urge to know say Yo check up on yourself. What
you're doing is not right, or else him would not say 'Fire fi dat,' or
'Burn dat' or 'More fire.'" "If we go check it back now," he
continues, "fire is for the purification of earth, anyhow you check
it. This earth itself have to even emerge from the literal fire also,
which is the volcanic activity, we a talk bout lava. The hottest
element to rise up in the morning is the sun. The water cleanse, but
it's still the support from the fire that burn the water, burn out of
the bacteria so the water coulda heal we fi cleanse. The herb heal,
but it's still the fire fi burn the herb so the herb coulda heal we
also."
BIOGRAPHY: CAPLETON
Born Clifton George Bailey III on April 13, 1967, in the rural parish
of St. Mary, Capleton earned his future stage name from friends who
were so impressed with his sharp reasoning skills that they named him
after the most famous lawyer in town. From a tender young age, he was
a lover of the traveling sound systems, sneaking out at night to catch
the vibes until dawn. But it wasn't until he turned 18 and moved to
Kingston that he was able to realize his destiny.
In the fast-moving world of dancehall reggae, fame and success are
hard to obtain and easy to lose. Fans can be fickle, and trends change
in the blink of an eye, leaving most entertainers with painfully short
career spans. Only a rare few can remain relevant from year to year,
holding their audience's attention and leaving them crying for more.
Capleton's lyrics are deep, precise, and thoughtful. His live stage
shows are consistently dynamic, explosive performances. Capleton's
remarkable staying power and longevity may be his greatest gift.
While the veteran DJ's words and works long ago earned him the title
of "The Prophet", he is also referred to as King Shango, King David
and the Fireman. His record label, office, and home for his direct
supporters is called David House Productions."Anytime you try to
uplift righteousness and upliftment of the people them, then you ah go
get a fight", says the hottest entertainer in the worldwide reggae
fraternity. "Bob Marley come do it and them fight him. And when Bob
Marley dead, that's when they start to endorse him. I already aware of
this, I am not unaware. So I know the more them fight I is the more I
get stronger"
"I think the people dem see say me really deserve that because of the
amount of years me put in," Capleton says, "and we never really bow
and we still hold the faith. We stand up for whatever we a say. Yeah
and we really work for it. And them say by your works, a so you get
your pay. The people them see the amount of fight me face and the
whole heap of accusation. And me still never give up"
When he dropped the tune "Alms House" in 1992, Capleton established
himself as more than an entertainer but as a guiding light of
righteousness through music. "United we stand and divided we fall," he
sang for the benefit of his fans and dancehall comrades. "Nuff of them
nah go know themself till them back against the wall." A few years
later he came back with yet another antidote to the clashing and
rivlary that had taken hold of the dancehall business. "Music is a
mission," he reminded his fellow artists, "not a competition. Some man
use the music to cause confusion." The path of this dancehall Prophet
was clearly established in 1994 with a string of songs that declared
his newfound faith in Rastafari. "INI sight up the light and see say
really, yunno, Rasta is real," he recalls. "founder of the world,
because Rasta did come set the trend. Y‚unnerstand. Rasta is life."
Even as he uplifts the black race, Capleton always makes a point of
clarifying that he does not seek to alienate any race. "We are not
being racial nor prejudiced star," he says. "Becaw we know Jah is for
everyone. But where history and prophesy in concerned, that is our
witness and we have to be ourself, and we cannot hide from the truth.
Caw we woulda be a traitor and a sellout to ourself. And you cannot
sell out yourself."
Soon thereafter came the song "Tour" a blazing state of the dancehall
report written in the weeks following the slaying of Panhead and
Dirtsman, two of Capleton's fellow artists. That song not only became
an anthem of the roots revival within the dancehall, but a hip hop
flavored remix of that song hit the Billboard charts, opening up a
huge new audience to Capleton's messages of righteousness.
There followed a relationship with Def Jam records, who released two
Capleton albums, Prophecy and I-Testament, which featured memorable
collaborations with rap stars like Method Man and Q-Tip. Both records
were warmly accepted by the international audience, but as the
millennium drew to a close, Capleton sensed that it was time to return
to his core audience. He had work to do. "I have to be myself, right?
And I only can be me," he reasons. "So whichever way fi make me be me,
I work with dat. Y'understand."
Capleton is now at the height of his powers. 1999 and 2000 brought a
ceaseless string of sound system favorite and dancehall chart toppers
like the anti-violence anthem "Jah Jah City" and "Good In Her
Clothes," a message of respect for the sisters who carry themselves
like Empresses rather than. But even as he completes his mission of
upliftment, Capleton has had many critics. One of his biggest hits, in
fact, is addressed the naysayers in the press and the ivory towers of
power. "Critics won't leave I alone," chats the Prophet. "They say
they can't take the fire weh me put pon Rome"
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05/07/2018 Last update