Jamaican artist U Roy, legend of reggae and dancehall, has died at the age of 78.
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Tom Oldham / Shutterstock / SIPA
Jamaican artist U Roy, real name Ewart Beckford, has died at the age of 78, the Trojan Records label confirmed on Twitter, without specifying the cause of his death.
"We are sad to announce that this pioneer DJ who revolutionized Jamaican music in the 1970s passed away yesterday in Jamaica," the label wrote.
We are very sad to announce that pioneering DJ who revolutionized the sound of Jamaican music in the early Seventies - Ewat Beckford aka U Roy has passed away at the age of 78 yesterday in Jamaica.
RIP U Roy, The Originator # uroy #versiongalore #dj #reggaepioneer #toasting pic.twitter.com/TOcHLKViKF
- Trojan Records (@trojanrecords) February 18, 2021
Legend of reggae and dancehall, he is particularly known for having invented and popularized the art of "toasting".
Considered one of the very first deejays in the 1960s-70s, it was also known as The Generator.
Born in Jones Town in 1942, U Roy began his musical career in the early 1960s as a deejay for several sound systems, reports the site reggae-live.fr, which pays him tribute on Thursday.
He was one of the first to experience toasting, speaking on riddims (instrumental of a song), reggae and dancehall.
Author of about twenty albums, including the last
Rebel in Styylle
in 2019, he enjoyed international success with titles like
Natty Rebel
or
Go De Natty Dread
.
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Artist
Jamaica
Reggae
Culture