Of all the great deejays of the seventies, I Roy was the one who impressed me the most with his humour, intelligence, wit and his very clever wordplay on the mic - a very criminally underrated wordsmith indeed.
I-Roy is my favourite from the seventies by far. I am proud to say that I have heard all 25 of his studio albums several times, and like someone else said, there are many gems in there besides the few most famous ones. His first self produced album Hell And Sorrow, as well as Crisus Time with Bunny Lee, are top shelf masterpieces. And it deserves mention that not only did he have incredible lyricism but also an incredible approach to timing. While listening to his music, the musicality seems unassuming, but if you pay close attention you will notice that rhythmically it is far more complex than what most reggae deejays do. Many of his rhythmic ideas would be right at home in math rock music. I had never heard of the tragedy of the later years of his life. A true shame. Big up the legend.
Yeah man. I-Roy was and is my #1 reaggae Artist! "The mighty Poet" No man could ride the rythm like him. "Musical Shark Attack" is one of the best albums ever recorded!
There's no question about he is one of the greatest. I still listen to hime everyday as I speak. Got to know I-Roy as a young man at 15 in Nigeria. Still does this today. Recall "Festival Marsh up" alone or with Eric Donaldson
Thanks for the history lesson bro! I never knew or heard of his passing. Wow! A true legend and icon for Jamaica, and Reggae. ❤🇯🇲❤️🇬🇾 These stalwarts must be respected and appreciated for their dedication to the growth of music in Jamaica and the Caribbean.
The Lyrical Faucet, I-Roy spat rhymes just as taps gush out water. The bredrin voicing this mini- documentary is obviously a Nigerian or grew up in Nigeria. By the voice and accent Nigerians know themselves.. This is a superb and world class documentary of the life and times of the great I-Roy. But it is also a great testimony of the depth of talent lurking in Nigeria which is shackled, suppressed and downtrodden by worse than mediocre leadership. If Peter Obi emerges victorious as President of Nigeria, in 5 years Nigeria will be challenging Brazil in terms of GDP. We are watching 👀.
I had the opportunity to speak with him for a few days b4 he died some months later, he told me he wasnt well. Those talk were very informative about our music and his sound clashes with other DJs.During those conversation i realised he could be very intelligent when its needed and thats when i learnt that he attended high school.
I roy in my opinion was by far the better of the two, believe it or not at the age of 7 i had Blackman time at the age of 7 and white 😂 London, still my favourite lick of Lloyd park's slaving ,in fact i roys cut has shaped me as the violin's in it has stayed with me till today,ifact i played it alongside No more slaving, the melodica cut Today ❤🇮🇪🍀🇬🇧🙏
Wow, thanks very much for this one, I'm 26 and I-Roy is one of my favourite artists, but as you say, he's criminally underrated, which makes it so great to see this documentary. Such a unique artist in terms of his intelligent approach to lyrics, and such a deep catalogue. I even like his later stuff, maybe it didn't fit the times anymore, but it wasn't bad... Such a shame how he ended up but it seems like he lived a full life.
I Roy was simply a guy on his own standards and very high. The talk about rivalry is not agreeable to me. U Roy , Big Youth are all great guys. Yellowman same. There are some I Roy tracks I play almost every day. I Roy ran out of luck. We cant query his Creator . Another thing. Managers of I Roy didnt do well. How come those tours were not recorded on video? Today you have only Blackman's Time you can only lay hands on as the surviving recorded live performance of great I Roy!
It was a sad ending for a great d j like I Roy, I used t attend sessions featuring the great man including turbo tronic sound. I Roy will always be remembered by me , may his soul rest in peace.
Sometimes I'm really amused when some people harp on the on-record slanging match between I-Roy and Prince Jazzbo..There really was no contest...I-roy 's was probably the main DJ that truly challenged U-Roy"s hegemony...Big Youth grew in time
Growing up in Jamaica in the. 60s and 70s I remember Papa Uroy!! This man is a JAMAICAN LEGEND AND DID NOT CREDIT HE SO WELL DESERVED!! LUV U PAPA UROY❤❤❤REST IN PEACE!!
Damn, I realize now that I have been going to roots reggae for my own life's inspiration, opening myself up to a positive energy I really did not know existed to be honest. Now, I am getting that same inspiration from watching your videos. In my mind, you are like a roots reggae band because of the way you present the material. It is like your one of their friends who cares enough about the art form, you are revealing all the back stories and human affairs that went into making the music we love. I must say Big Up to you Reggae Mon for keeping the vibe alive!
Very interesting stories for me as a reggae man since '84 but I do miss musical examples, clips and performances in the videos but we only we have the background loop...
Respect due Reggae Appreciation, im in my 60s now and i roy is my favourite DJ, his Deliverance of his lyrics were so Brilliant, my fav, Maggie Breast, upark camp, Hot Bomb, dread collie, Together. Bless U
I bought Many Moods of I Roy when it came out. I loved it and I went to the record store and saw U Roy so I bought Dread in a Babylon.. for many years I thought it was the same guy.. so I guess I love them both.
Great post....except you totally ignored his "feud" with fellow DJ and equally talented Prince Jazzbo. BTW, MONEY WORRIES is my favorite I-Roy tune !!!!
My mentor I Roy the man who gave me Ras Emmanuel my first recording at People Choice recording studio in Spanish Town St. Catherine ... Now I made history to become the first Jamaican to get a proclamation as reggae ambassadorship in NJ. USA Long live his legacy. We missed you ❤️
I liked other DJ',s but I Roy was my DJ of choice, I remember hearing Hot Bomb on the Tighten Up and that was it for me. I read that the "death of his son had a massive impact on I Roy and possibly contributed to the dip in his mental health. I also read that Prince Jazzbo helped him out. Not sure how true that is but I like to believe it happened
This is wonderful, thank you! I first heard of I-Roy in the early 1990s. Living in the US, finding reggae was not easy. At the time, a lot of reggae albums were re-issued on the Front Line Label. When I first saw I-Roy's album, I never had heard of him. The small record shop near my University had one copy. At first I didn't buy it, but after weeks of the cd greeting me every time I went into the shop, I finally decided to take the gamble. The album was not what I was expecting. I was blown away by the second track Casmas Town. Still to this day, It is one of my favorite tracks.I think I've been able to collect most of his songs issued on CD, but I''m sure there are some gems on 7 still waiting for me to find. I do have a copy of I-Roy performing on his Turbo Tronic sound system, that was given to me from a fan on the old Blood & Fire message board. It's a true treasure, although it was recorded in the early 80s. I-Roy is my favorite, who knew accountants could be so cool?
When it comes to lyrical ability I Roy was in a class of his own. His humour and wit came through and his intros are some of the best ever recorded. Good documentary. However, his "clash" with Prince Jazzbo was overlooked. This was quite an event at the time, with reggae music fans eagerly awaiting the reply to the "diss" the other artist had put out. This was historic. Two deejays going at it lyrically. Other than that omission. Give thanks.
For many years I've been totally astonished that nobody on RU-vid ever talks about or acknowledges that I ROY ever existed - never mind the fact that he was without doubt the greatest dj artist ever. So this video is well overdue. Thanks! Nobody could ever touch I ROY or his lyrics in the 1970s - absolutely nobody. His "Presenting I ROY" album is a masterpiece - especially the mesmerizing track "Blackman Time" on that album. In the 1970s, I had the privilege to hear I ROY toasting live one night on Sir Coxsone's sound system at the Roaring 20s club in Carnaby Street London. I hope more RU-vidrs will acknowledge I ROY's greatness and give him the respect he deserves!
@@kingstonban URoy was the originator of toasting with the album "Version Galore" but I-Roy took it to a much higher level with "Presenting I-Roy". Were you even born or there in the 1970s? I-Roy had hit after hit after hit for years! U-Roy literally had nothing happening when I-Roy was on top. Even Big Youth was bigger than U-Roy at *that* time. Those are the facts.
@@jonztube Absolutely right my friend. U-Roy may have been the Originator but as soon I-Roy took off with "Gussie Clarke: Presenting I-Roy" in 1972 he ruled the roost for 3-4 years till 1975.. U-Roy's 3 albums till date: Version Galore 1 and 2 of 72 and U-Roy 1974 were no match for I-Roy at the time... U-Roy only rebounded after his LP Dread ina Babylon was released following his deal with Virgin Records in 75......But globally I-Roy was a match....Which partly explains why U-Roy had never gotten over the fact that he could be rivalled
An education, again. So well presented, again! Fascinating, this artist. So many of his songs were pretty much just him and Robbie Shakespeare, with only light touches from other instruments. Yet there was nothing lacking.
I used to dj an all vinyl reggae radio show a while back and this channel has been awesome to dig deeper into the history of all these talented individuals! Thank you!
Those who question Kool Herc’s title of founder of hip hop need to check this clip. The years U- Roy, and I-Roy were doing their thing Hip Hop’ 2 turntable and a microphone foundation didn’t exist. In ‘73 when Herc started that most important part of hip hop culture in the Bronx from what he saw as a youth in Jamaica ….dancehall was in full swing already. Jamaican Dancehall was the most important ingredient in the recipe of Hip Hop.
We've been doing that shit before Herc was born..Black Americans always have relied on.being innovative..we don't need no help from some island motherfuckers get outta here with that shit
@@quanelliott2911 thnx for the info. Quick question …. I asked this elsewhere but really didn’t get a clear answer. Were they rapping on the mic in ‘71? And if so … who was the first rapper??
J'ai d'abord découvert la musique de U-roy à travers RASTA AMBASSADOR et NATTY REBEL. Par la suite lorsque I-roy rentre dans ma collection de disque avec des reprises comme FADE AWAY et FORWORD ON et WORDS OF WISDOM, je vu qui était meilleur.
Funny U should bring him up I often wondered what happened to him as I heard of him before I even heard of U Roy when I was a child here in London UK 🇬🇧...... Thanks for sharing 👍🏽 APTTMHY SHALOM
UROY woz the king no doubt.. but it pisses_ me of that iroy woz or it seems he was overlooked...,,, I definetly herd of thr dude..top man rip Roy.. Roy...
Big youth jah youth is a original copy when it come to style a d originality big big youth by far change the music ferternity a true legend respect to u Roy the godfather and I Roy his rivalry yeaman
Not true. We who know him will never forget. He was a classic. As he liked to say, whole lot a income with taxation, whole lot a victimization, help us from this situation, whole heap a bloody confrontation. I-Roy will never be forgotten by those who know the music.
So it's I Roy who wrote Sidewalk Killer, right? I'm down with the bourbon bottle I Roy 😅. His music helped a lot of us youths. Ty again RAS, excellent history again. Nuff Respect, bless you
I love reggae so much!!!! I grew up in Venezuela loving reggae music even though I couldnt understand english at the time; but the vibes have no language, the vibes are felt not spoken. I'm currently reading Bass Culture by Lloyd Bradley to learn about the history of reggae and the coverage on daddy U Roy brought me here. Bless! Bendiciones! One love!
I’m trying to find the artist with lyrics “You know it rough you know it tuff/ You know it mad a street/Mi hafi food ‘pon mi plate/ For mi hafi eat” in it. Can’t find that song anywhere because the title isn’t obvious from the lyrics I used in my searches.
