Shabba Ranks
Shabba Ranks’s charisma and outlandish fashions made him the first dancehall pop star in the early 90s; his success after signing with Epic Records and releasing “Mr. Loverman”, “House Call” (with Maxi Priest) and other singles set off a wave of signings of dancehall deejays by US and UK major labels in subsequent years. Though he’s recorded only sporadically in the last 15 years, his appeal was never more apparent than on his return to Jamaica after 10 years away last month. —Jesse Serwer