Rexton Rawlston Fernando GordonOD[citation needed] (born 17 January 1966),[2] better known by his stage name Shabba Ranks, is a Jamaicandancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throughout his prominence in his home country as a dancehall artist, he gained popularity in North America with his studio album Just Reality in 1990. He released other studio albums, including As Raw as Ever and X-tra Naked, which both won a Grammy AwardasBest Reggae Album in 1992 and 1993, respectively. He is notoriously popular for "Mr. Loverman" and "Ting-A-Ling", which were globally acclaimed and deemed his signature songs.[3]
His father, Ivan Gordon, was a mason who died in 1990.[6] His mother, Constance "Mama Christie" Christie, remained in Seaview after Shabba's success, feeding the community with money sent from her son after his emigration. She was the subject of the 2015 hit song "Shabba Madda Pot" from the dancehall artist Dexta Daps.[7]
He gained his fame mainly by toasting (or rapping) rather than singing, like some of his dancehall contemporaries in Jamaica. He was a protégé of DJ Josey Wales. His original stage name was Co-Pilot.[2] His international career started in the late 1980s, along with a number of fellow Jamaicans including reggae singers Cocoa Tea and Crystal. Ranks also worked with Chuck Berry and American rappers KRS-One and Chubb Rock.
The stylistic origins of the genre reggaeton can be traced back to the 1990 song "Dem Bow", from Ranks' album Just Reality. Produced by Bobby "Digital" Dixon, the Dem Bow riddim became so popular in Puerto Rican freestyle sessions that early Puerto Rican reggaeton was simply known as "Dembow".[8] The Dem Bow riddim is an integral and inseparable part of reggaeton, so much so that it has become its defining characteristic.[9]
Ranks made a partial comeback in 2007 when he appeared on a song called "Clear the Air" by Busta Rhymes, which also featured Akon. Shabba released a single on Big Ship's Pepper Riddim called "None A Dem", in April 2011. In 2012, Shabba was featured on Tech N9ne's EP E.B.A.H. on the track "Boy Toy". In 2013, Shabba was also mentioned in A$AP Ferg's song "Shabba," and has a cameo near the end of the music video.[11] He was featured in the remix alongside Migos and Busta Rhymes on 23 November 2013.[12] In August 2013, he was reportedly working on a new album.[13]
Ranks has been controversial for homophobia, particularly violent attitudes towards homosexuals. The 1990 song "Wicked in Bed" includes lyrics about shooting gay men.[14]
In 1992, during an appearance on Channel 4 music show The Word, he was asked to give his thoughts on the subject of the hit song, "Boom Bye Bye", by Buju Banton. Shabba held a copy of a Bible which he carried with him and stated that the "word of God" advocated the "crucifixion of homosexuals". He also alluded that he advocates the progression of the Jamaican people and freedom of speech but did not conclude that being against homosexuality would be in question of exclusion, according to bible laws. He was condemned for his comments by presenter Mark Lamarr, who said, "That's absolute crap and you know it." Following these comments, Ranks was dropped from a Bobby Brown concert as a performer and faced altercations with his label, Sony Music. Ranks subsequently apologized, after realizing that his comments might advocate "the killing of gays and lesbians and any human being in retrospect".[2][15][16]
^"Shabba plans new album". JamaicaObserver.com. 16 August 2013. Archived from the original on 24 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
^Chunnu, Winsome Marcia (February 2021). "Battyboy must die! Dancehall, class and religion in Jamaican homophobia". European Journal of Cultural Studies. 24 (1): 123–142. doi:10.1177/1367549420951578. S2CID225243371.
^"The Word". Channel 4. 1992. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
