Yellowman’s Zunggunzungguguzungguzeng Turns 40!
This Dancehall classic turns 40 this month! Forty years ago, in June 1983, Greensleeves Records rode the wave of the hottest emcee in reggae and dancehall, Yellowman, to issue an enduring LP. The lyrical artist, born Winston Foster, had broken out in 1982 with the hits “I’m Getting Married,” “Duppy Or Gunman,” and “Lost Mi Love.” The single “Zunggunzungguguzungguzeng” was an instant sensation when it hit the streets, further defining the early dancehall sound on record. The massive and still instantly recognizable track sits firmly in both the classic reggae and classic dancehall cannons. With nearly 37 million streams on Spotify alone, it leads his catalog in the streaming universe.
The LP, Zunggunzungguguzungguzeng, was the natural follow-up to the single for the global market. With the biggest producer of the era, Henry Junjo Lawes at the helm and the Roots Radics band holding down the instrumental duties, the ten-track album includes rub-a-dub workouts (many with collaborator Fathead) that are the essence of dancehall, referencing the familiar songbook of the early reggae and rocksteady years. For the title track, see Alton Ellis’ “Mad Mad,” for “Rub A Dub A Play,” see Vin Gordon’s “Heavenless,“ for “Who Can Make The Dance Ram,” see the nursery rhyme “Three Blind Mice,“ for “Yellowman Wise,” see Derrick Harriott’s “Solomon,” and for “Take Me To Jamaica,” see The Heptones’ “Get In The Groove”. The whole album is a clinic in the combination emcee tradition and a version excursion for the ages.
Stream this classic album: