Garnet Silk, born Garnet Damion Smith in Bromelia, in the parish of Manchester, Jamaica, on the second day of April 1966,
became one of reggae's most promising cultural artists from the moment this singer turned deejay made a serious impact with
his debut album "It's Growing" and his first major hit "Hello Africa". At a very young age - when he was still in elementary
school - Garnet dreamed of becoming an entertainer. Family and friends encouraged him and at the tender age of 12 Garnet Silk
entered music business when he started deejaying as Little Bimbo with a local sound system called Soul Remembrance. Thus this
youth discovered an outlet for his thought-provoking lyrics, an audience outside of his schoolmates and family, and there
was no turning back. In the years that followed he got involved with other sound systems like Destiny Outernational, Pepper's
Disco and Stereophonic. While working with these sounds Garnet developed his vocal and lyrical delivery further. Drawing inspiration
from the words and music of Bob Marley and Burning Spear he started his recording career in 1985. It was actually dub poet
Yasus Afari who hooked up Garnet with Delroy "Callo" Collins who produced his first single, "Problem Everywhere", then still
under the name of Bimbo.
Sizzla Kalonji is one of the most prolific leaders of the conscious Reggae dancehall movement. Emerging
in the latter half of the 90s, he helped lead dancehall back to the musical and spiritual influence of roots reggae and heavily
Rastafarian subject matter. He was born Miguel Collins on April 17, 1976 in St Mary and was raised in the community of August
Town by devout Rastafarian parents. The 1980s witnessed a dancehall explosion, and with the music came the lifestyle. Sizzla
watched carefully, collecting his lyrical ammunition. He began his career in the music industry in his early teenage years.
After honing his vocal skills, he landed a gig with the Caveman Hi-Fi sound system, where he first made a name for himself
as a performer. He cut his first single for the small Zagalou label in 1995, and soon moved on to Fattis “Exterminator”
Burrell. Extensive touring with fellow roots and culture artist Luciano followed, earning Sizzla critical acclaim. Working
with Fattis marked an important turning point for Sizzla. From the outset their relationship was one of mutual respect and
inspiration. A run of successful singles led to the release of Sizzla's debut album, 'Burning Up' (RAS). The alliance again
proved fruitful a year later with the follow-up, 'Praise Ye Jah' (JetStar). Securing his position as a top conscious reggae
artist, he set about cultivating his role as a spiritual messenger. Sizzla's combination of Rasta principles and up-to-the-minute
dancehall rhythms made his hard line approach more palatable. A brilliant and passionate performer, Sizzla broke boundaries,
appealing to those looking for something new, music with depth. His major breakthrough came with the release in 1997 of the
now classic album, 'Black Woman and Child' (Greensleeves). Bearing all the hallmarks of Bobby 'Digital' Dixon's dancehall-influenced
production, the impact on both the reggae and mainstream markets was phenomenal. The evocative title track, issued as a single,
rapidly achieved anthemic status. Along with universal praise came Sizzla's first nomination for Best International Reggae
Artist of the Year at the 1998 MOBO Awards and a place in various magazines' top 100 albums of the year. Sizzla scored several
more hits during 1997, including ‘Like Mountain’, ‘Babylon Cowboy,’ ‘Kings of the Earth,’
and the Luciano duet ‘Build a Better World.’ This hot streak kicked off an enormously productive recording binge
that has lasted for years. He has an ability to fuse passionate lyrical styling with deceptively simple rhythms that take
in range of genres from staccato dancehall and gentle roots reggae to surprisingly commercial R&B and soul arrangements.
Somewhat controversial, Kalonji has maintained to the views of the Bobo Ashanti Rastafarians, particularly his aggressive
condemnations of slavery, inhumane acts, and Western Oppressors. Overall his music is generally positive, advocating faith,
compassion for poor black youth, and respect for women. He remains something of an enigma to the public at large, rarely granting
interviews and keeping his concert appearances to a minimum. Nonetheless, he still ranks as arguably the most popular conscious
reggae artist of his time. A versatile singjay-style vocalist with a gruff, gravelly tone, he is capable of both rapid fire
chatting, powerful, melodic singing, and his best backing riddims are among the strongest in contemporary dancehall. Sizzla
Kalonji has released over 45 impressive solo albums and over fifteen combination albums, crossing different genres of Reggae.
The number of mix tapes on the street are countless. He also started his own company Kalonji Records; this set the mark of
his growth not only as a great reggae artist but also a record label executive and businessman. In a joint venture with Kalonji
Records, his most recent album The Overstanding was released in November 2006 with Damon Dash Music Group and Koch Records.
It is as prolific, infectious, and melodic as the previous albums. This is his third album released through Kalonji Records;
as well as ‘Black History’ and ‘Life’. Sizzla Kalonji continues to release music through his career
showcasing the level of talent that exudes through his creativity. In addition to his musical breakthroughs, Sizzla continues
to build different business opportunities to empower himself and the community by creating an environment for young people
to grow and develop skills. Currently, some of his new business initiatives include a signature Sizzla shoe distributed by
Pro-Keds; a Sizzla clothing line, an outlet for communities to tell their stories and be creative through Black Magazine,
Rasta TV, and a recording studio; plus a sound system to spread the music using Tafari Sounds. As Sizzla Kalonji continues
to build and grow, the community builds and grows but most importantly, he is creating opportunities for young people who
sometimes don’t have opportunities the same way he was given an opportunity.
