Yellowman

Winston Foster, known as Yellowman or King Yellowman, was born 15 January 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica. He is a reggae and dancehall deejay and is widely considered a pioneer of dancehall. He was abandoned as a child and raised in a children’s home and then at Alpha Boys School, a school famous for its musical alumni. He faced stigma growing up because he has albinism.

He placed second in the 1978 Tastee Talent Contest and won it the next year, which launched his professional career. He honed his craft at outdoor sound-system dances, performing with Aces International, and worked with producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes. By the early 1980s he had dozens of singles and sometimes put out several albums a year. In 1981 he became the first dancehall artist signed to a major American label, Columbia. His best-known track is “Zungguzungguguzungguzeng” (1983), whose riddim and vocal melody have been sampled and imitated by many reggae and hip-hop acts. His lyrics were often sexually explicit, which drew criticism. He answered that he was only describing what happens behind closed doors.

In 1982 he was diagnosed with skin cancer, and the disease later spread to his jaw. Surgery left his face permanently changed, but he returned to performing in 1987. His 1994 album Prayer moved toward religious themes, partly as thanks for surviving. He still tours internationally with his Sagittarius Band and released the album No More War in 2019.