Big Youth

Born in Kingston in 1949, Big Youth, whose real name is Manley Augustus Buchanan, emerged in the early 1970s as one of the first major Jamaican reggae DJs, developing a toasting style that blends spoken phrasing, singing and Rasta slogans over roots riddims. After a period working various small jobs, he was noticed on Kingston’s sound systems—particularly Lord Tippertone—following in the wake of U‑Roy, who influenced his vocal delivery. Big Youth quickly recorded a string of notable singles, including “S.90 Skank” and “Chi Chi Run,” which placed him at the heart of the nascent roots scene. His debut album Screaming Target (1973), and subsequent records such as Dreadlocks Dread (1975) and Natty Cultural Dread (1976), established an aesthetic focused on urban daily life, social justice and Rastafarian spirituality, delivered with incisive diction and an improvisational sense of commentary. He collaborated with several key producers of the era, moving between roots reggae, early dancehall and forays into soul or rock, while remaining associated with the golden age of Jamaican sound systems. Active on stage and in the studio well beyond the 1970s, Big Youth’s work continues to be regularly reissued and sampled, keeping it in contact with new generations of listeners interested in reggae history and the origins of rap.