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The names King Shango, King David, The Fireman, and The Prophet, all refer to the same person, the dynamic reggae-dancehall artiste Capleton. Born in Islington, St Mary, Capleton has never forgotten his roots and not only pays tribute to St Mary in song, but also hosts the annual ‘A St Mary Mi Come From’ charity stage show, all proceeds from which are given to various projects in the parish.
According to his Wikipedia bio, when Capleton first arrived on the scene in the late 1980s, there was a proliferation of slackness and gun talk lyrics in the dancehall. The pre-Rasta Capleton hit with songs such as No. 1 Pon the Look Good Chart and We No Lotion Man.
Capleton’s music career got a boost in 1989 when Stewart Brown, owner of a Toronto-based sound, African Star, flew him to Canada for a stage show alongside Ninjaman and Flourgon, and the fans loved him.
Songs such as Alms House in 1992, No Competition and the massive hit, Tour, followed and established Capleton as one of the big names in dancehall. By 1993, he was voicing tunes which became increasingly conscious, such as Prophet and Cold Blooded Murderer.
With songs such as Tour and Wings of the Morning dominating charts, Capleton inked a deal with Def Jam Recordings. Prophecy and I-Testament, the Grammy-nominated Still Blazin (VP Records) are among the arsenals in Capleton’s discography. He released a total of 22 albums between 1991 and 2010.
After a hiatus from VP Records, Capleton returned in 2010 with the release of I-Ternal Fire.
After headlining a US tour with Romain Virgo, Munga Honorable, and Kulcha Knox in fall 2010, Capleton toured Africa from late 2010 into early 2011, with stops in Gambia, Senegal, South Africa, and several dates in Zimbabwe. In December 2012, he performed at the Unite Cape Town International Reggae Festival alongside artistes like Black Dillinger and Blak Kalamawi.
This week, 5 Questions With… catches up with the Fireman, Capleton.
1. Thirty years ago you released a song titled ‘Tour’, which became an anthem immediately. Share with us the story of ‘Tour’, why was it relevant then and has anything changed?
That song Tour was my real life story . I started to write this song to reflect my Rastafarian faith and talk about the things going on in Jamaica that were on my mind and that the masses of people were talking about. I was on tour in the Caribbean when I started writing it. My schoolmate and fellow artiste Pan Head was killed so I had to speak about it. There was a certain style of culture creeping into Jamaica with jheri curl and men getting their ears pierced and I wanted to burn a fire on it. So it was a social commentary song and that made it relevant. It’s relevant now because it was a warning and we see now where things are getting out of hand.
2. How long have you embraced Rastafari, and are you a better person having done so?
What’s important is that Rastafari embraced me when I started to break into music. My mother was a Christian woman so I grew with values. This made me make wholesome music which has uplifted my career to this day. I am a much better person because I remain humble, learning and growing each day.
3. What keeps Capleton’s fire blazing and how did you get the name King Shango?
My love for reggae music keeps me going and the love of the fans. I have a great team around me with my family, Contractor’s Marketing and my Capleton Music Team. The name King Shango comes from my fans in Africa. I uphold the mannerisms of Halie Selassie and Shango is a African royal name.
4. What changes, if any, would you like to see in our music business?
I would like to see reggae music continue to grow and see more mainstream reggae festivals around the world. I would like to see more honour of the reggae icons when they are alive.
5. How will you be spending Labour Day?
I will spend my Labour Day working on my farm projects in St Mary and home improvement projects to help give work to my community tradesmen.
Brawta:
How do you relax, and what would fans be surprised to know about Capleton?
I relax by watching professional football and I like to throw my line out at sea and go fishing . People would be surprised to know that Capleton does not eat fish even though I love fishing. I catch them and give them away to my family members.
English (US) ·