British ‘Soundbwoy’ – Jamaican-born artiste making inroads in the UK
Dancehall artiste Stylo G, who has made a name for himself in United Kingdom underground music, has hit the big time with his song Soundbwoy.
Produced by Amsterdam-based producer Diztortion, Soundbwoy is an ode to sound system culture. It debuted at number 18 on the UK pop singles chart last week.
A remix of Soundbwoy, produced by Stephen McGregor, was recently released.
These are good times for the Spanish Town-raised Stylo G, who has come a long way since his debut single, My Yute, was released in 2006.
In 2012, he was hailed by respected British newspaper The Guardian as ‘One to Watch in 2013’.
The previous year, he released the EP Call Me A Yardie. The title song was popular among ‘clubbers’ and opened doors for Stylo G.
“Last year at the Olympics (in London), Call Me A Yardie was like the anthem for Jamaicans visiting London. With the buzz surrounding the track, I did a tour sponsored by Puma which featured Shaggy and Gyptian,” he told Splash.
Last year, Stylo G signed a five-song deal with British independent record label, 3 Beat Records. He also inked a publishing deal with Universal Music UK.
Stylo G’s pending EP contains the single, Number One, featuring Gyptian.
Soundbwoy was inspired by the Red Bull-sponsored sound system clash at Wembley in London in October last year.
The show saw Stylo G performing alongside Major Lazer, Usher, British rhythm and blues singer Rita Ora and dancehall veteran Johnny Osbourne.
“I can safely say that one of the biggest highlights for me was performing on that sound clash event. That was just a crazy highlight performing before over 9,000 people,” he said.
That appearance has earned him spots on major British festivals including Leeds, Glastonbury and Reading.
Born Jason McDermott, Stylo G has lived in the UK since 1998. He moved there with his family after his father, dancehall artiste/producer Poison Chang, was murdered.
Although he had dreams of becoming a deejay while at Calabar High School in St Andrew, he never recorded while in Jamaica.
Following the modest success of My Yute, he formed the group Warning Crew and released the first in a series of mix tapes, which did well enough to attract a loyal following.
He has collaborated with several underground UK acts including Wretch 32, Chipmunk, Giggs and Dot Rotten.
