SUGAR Minott, in the 1980s, was one of dancehall’s hottest commodities. But, despite his rigorous schedule, he managed to make time for emerging acts.

“What daddy told me is that he knew what he went through trying to get his foot in the music business. Sometimes he was locked out of the studios, so he wanted to make it a little easier for these young youths coming up because he knew the hardships that he went through. He decided to create a much easier avenue for them,” Pashon Minott, daughter of the late singer, told the Jamaica Observer in a previous interview.

The “avenue” she refers to is the entertainer’s sound system Youthman Promotion and his record label of the same name. With them, Sugar Minott gave a ‘voice’ to many dancehall/reggae artistes from tough backgrounds.

Triston Palmer, Little John, Tenor Saw, Yami Bolo, White Mice, Garnett Silk, Barrington Levy, Michael Prophet, and Junior Reid passed through Minott’s hands.

“Daddy brought in Musical Youth from England,” said Pashon Minott, who is also an artiste.

“Anything to do with the youth, anything to enhance the youth, that is him — giving, giving, and always helping. Daddy was a humanitarian — not just a singer. He was for the people,” she continued.

Sugar Minott, given name Lincoln Minott, started his career as a member of The African Brothers, a trio that included Tony Tuff. His solo career was launched at Studio One in the late 1970s.

He scored big in the United Kingdom in 1981 with a cover of Michael Jackson’s Good Thing Going. He was a fixture on Jamaican charts with Vanity, Mr DC, Herbman Hustling, Lovers Race, No Vacancy, and Tune In.

Sugar Minott is credited with introducing Jamaica’s sound system culture to Japan. He died in July 2010 from a heart-related illness. He was 54.

He was posthumously honoured in 2019 with a Reggae Gold award by the Government of Jamaica for his contributions as a producer and singer.