OLDIES SUNDAY: King Yellow Man – Zungguzeng (1982)

Today’s Oldies Sunday selection comes from one of Dancehall’s foundation artists and the most popular albino artist, King Yellow Man. Titled “Zungguzungguguzungguzeng” (Yes LONG name), it was produced by “Junjo” Lawes on the “Diseases” Riddim a.k.a. “Mad Mad Riddim”. Yellow Man showcases his rhyming abilities all while stating he shouldn’t be taken for a child. The rhyming style is reminiscent of the toasting rappers used to do at parties in the 1980s.

Zungguzungguguzungguzeng became a huge success for Yellow Man and made his album of the same name an even bigger success after being released on Columbia Records. His single has been a big hit in the dancehall and hip hop scene for it has been sampled numerous times by artists such as KRS-One, Buju Banton, Talib Kweli, NinjaMan, Dead Prez, and many others.

Yellow Man went on to release many more singles and albums and because of his uncanny ability to ride a beat perfectly he was named the undisputed King of the Dancehall. He was also referred to as the King of Slackness however because of his sexually explicit lyrics which seemed to win over the fans. He once stated that his music is not slackness but merely reality and spreads truth messages.

Bad health managed to get a hold of him over the years as he was diagnosed with skin cancer but nevertheless after numerous surgeries he bounced back onto the music scene releasing music and going on tours. Thank you Yellow Man for this classic.