It's the 30th anniversary of the original SOUNDBOYS of NEW YORK CITY..the legendary KING ADDIES of BROOKLYN NEW YORK....
Started by the Jamaican immigrant known as Addies and his business partner Father Eaton...
They supposedly named the sound as admirers of the Rastafarian faith while visiting Ethiopia ...stopping by the city Addis Ababa ...hence the name ADDIES.
The first dances started with Pleasure Minott on the turntable, who was the brother of the "GODFATHER OF DANCEHALL" ...Sugar "Booga" Minott whom also was the owner and operator of the Jamaican based soundsystem YOUTH PROMOTION which gave opportunities to young artists who became international stars such as Yami Bolo, Tenor Saw, Junior Reid and Garnett Silk...
Through this connection with Pleasure's brother at Youth Promotion ...Addies Soundsystem was able to take advantage of having these artists cut ORIGINAL TUNES (SPECIAL) DUBPLATES for their soundsystem which they could use at CLASHES (soundboy burials) as refrenced by Brooklyns own SMIF AND WESSUN:
Pleasure's presence was definitely a plus for the Brooklyn sound till he was shot and left wheelchair bound in 1989.
This didn't stop the SOUNDSYSTEM which then recuited the legendary selector (turntablist) DANNY DREAD who is immortalized in Barrignton Levy's famous ganja tune "UNDER MI SENSI"
Where as the Pleasure Minott connection was crucial to Addies early success...the Danny Dread association proved even greater.....for it was well known that Danny Dread was the lead selector of the infamous STEREO MARRS soundsystem home to legendary guntalkers....Ninjaman ...Junior Demus....and Supercat as well as the celebrated singjay Tenor Saw whose global hit "RING THE ALARM" would not only be the SOUNDBOY BURIAL anthem recalling a time when Saw and his soundsystem crew were involved in a war (RING THE ALARM..ANOTHER SOUND IS DYING!!!") but would also bring attention to the hiphop world of dancehall's influence on it's own history and traditions (deejaying..battling)
KING ADDIES soon got known as the "KILLING SOUND" or "CLASH SOUND" because it specified in aggressive dubplates voiced by artists who had strong content in a battle guntalk theme as evident in their association with the Gullymen of Brooklyn and the Spangler Posse as illustrated by Supercat and Junior Demus in this clip:
These contributions would not go without notice in NYC, as popular urban stations such as WBLS and KISS FM had already incorporated DANCEHALL MUSIC into their regular programming via deejays such as BOBBY KONDERS, PAT MCKAY and DJ RED ALERT......
KING ADDIES would also benefit from this as well with their appearance as the backing selectors (deejays) on the video promoting "FREAKS" by DOUGIE FRESH featuring Jamaican immigrant Lil Vicious of Brooklyn which produced on Coney Island.
The Early 90's is when KING ADDIES would gain even further prominence with the success of their celebrated artists who often appeared at their dances such as Ninjaman and Supercat whom both gained GLOCAL SUCCESS as recording artists...as well as thier own fellow selector TONY MATTERHORN who became a reggae star in his own right....this along with the rise of dancehall music via the mtv generation turned ADDIES into the BILLBOARD SOUND and now the sound had expanded into recording dubplate specials by American artists such as Lauryn Hill, the Wutang Clan , and Tony Braxton whose special take on "BREATH AGAIN" became a infamous anthem for the sound during a clash with Jamaica's KILLAMARO (KILL A MAN) Soundsystem in Jamaica in 1995
"and if you ever test ADDIES SOUND you shall NEVER BREATH AGAIN"
BABYFACE ..BOUNTY KILLER..AND TONY MATTERHORN at the FUGEES "KILLING ME SOFTLY" VIDEO SHOOT
KING ADDIES "FUGEES" DUBPLATE"
KING ADDIES "SNOOP DOGG" and "BLACK ROB" exclusive dubplate:
KING ADDIES DUBPLATE MIX (a collection of exclusives from THE ADDIES SOUND)
