Shabba Ranks, A Mi Shabba

Shabba Ranks' 1995 release of A Mi Shabba coincided with the period in time when the big man was at the peak of his powers. A string of UK chart hits had seen him rise to being one of the most popular artists in the country. A Mi Shabba was pilloried for containing explicit homophobic views and lyrics. His appearance on Channel 4's The Word confirmed his evident forthright stance on this matter and his career never really recovered. This is an amazing record and should be in your collection if you love Jamaica. People forget that Shabba won 2 Grammys so he can't be all bad. If you liked this record try Elephant Man and Sizzla. Quality. Ray Von's catchphrase "Shabba" in Phoenix Nights has recently whipped up some renewed interest in the great man in recent times. Buy it.