Tippa Irie

A British dancehall MC who launched his career in the '80s, Tippa Irie remained active long after ragga's heyday, traveling to the top of the charts with a guest shot on <a href="spotify:artist:1yxSLGMDHlW21z4YXirZDS">Black Eyed Peas</a>' 2003 hit "Hey Mama" and working with jam bands like <a href="spotify:artist:3zAxGWQqKmDnAsCY57ihKR">Long Beach Dub All-Stars</a>. Born Anthony Henry, Irie was born in Jamaica but raised in Brixton. Tippa grew up watching his father running a sound system, Musical Messiah, and fell in love with some of the visiting artists. <a href="spotify:artist:0UmBaQJflaHddKtf1lrA6F">Dennis Brown</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5J69edy1luLIzbgyl4u1Dv">Dillinger</a> were his favorites, and they got a lot of airtime when Tippa joined his own sound system, Saxon Studio International. At Saxon, the young artist worked with fellow MCs <a href="spotify:artist:0XmDvNxqtAKzJked929ytf">Smiley Culture</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:61Z5UzhH7PWCmVlOT7SCj0">Papa Levi</a> along with singer, and future superstar, <a href="spotify:artist:3aTuTR5Nf6pVW3837q2ZL7">Maxi Priest</a>.

In 1984 he broke out as a solo artist with a string of singles on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22UK+Bubblers%22">UK Bubblers</a> label, including "Complain Neighbour" and "Heartbeat," both of which landed on his 1986 debut, Is It Really Happening to Me. In 1988 <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Fashion+Records%22">Fashion Records</a> issued JA to UK MC Clash, Vol. 2, a recorded soundclash between the MC and <a href="spotify:artist:06eDTSeVX3k8W5bNAbnF9a">Papa San</a>. It was a popular and influential release with U.S. rappers and producers, who were already familiar with Tippa through bootleg tapes of Saxon. In 1989 his Ah-Me-Dis album was released by the U.S. label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22I.R.S.+Records%22">I.R.S. Records</a>, while Original Raggamuffin from 1990 found him on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Island+Records%22">Island Records</a> imprint <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mango%22">Mango</a>. He recorded the 1994 LP Rebel on the Roots Corner for <a href="spotify:artist:3hbnUwHvxyFxeJ9veCzOE7">Mad Professor</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ariwa%22">Ariwa</a> label, then in 1999 he joined the California rock-reggae crew <a href="spotify:artist:3zAxGWQqKmDnAsCY57ihKR">Long Beach Dub All-Stars</a> on their album Right Back.

After <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Jahmin%27+Records%22">Jahmin' Records</a> issued his solo album I Miss in 2000, <a href="spotify:artist:085pc2PYOi8bGKj0PNjekA">will.i.am</a> contacted the singer in 2003 for an (uncredited) appearance on the <a href="spotify:artist:1yxSLGMDHlW21z4YXirZDS">Black Eyed Peas</a> single "Hey Mama." Four years after <a href="spotify:artist:1yxSLGMDHlW21z4YXirZDS">the BEP</a> hit reached the top the charts in multiple territories, Tippa released his album Talk the Truth on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22LockDown+Productions%22">LockDown Productions</a>. An underground dubstep collaboration with producer <a href="spotify:artist:213i4NKah1DX9q0FNiKsuw">the Bug</a> landed on the latter's 2008 album London Zoo, then in 2010 <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22LockDown%22">LockDown</a> released Stick to My Roots, Tippa's album with <a href="spotify:artist:5tlNJfV9UIpgnbWmvUEFu7">Gentleman</a>'s usual backing crew, the Far East Band. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi