ENTITY · PERSON (ARTIST, SELECTOR, PRODUCER…)

General Trees

Well supported

Jamaican dancehall deejay Amos Edwards, one of the most popular fast-chat voices of the late 1980s. He rose on Maurice Johnson's Black Scorpio sound and later worked with King Stur-Gav, delivering hits in a rapid, multi-voiced style.

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At a glance

Type: Person (artist, selector, producer…) →
Era: Dancehall and the digital turn →
Confidence: Well supported
Sources: Wikipedia; Beth Lesser, Dancehall; Discogs.

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Connections

Media & sources

Footage

Black Scorpio sound system w. Gen. Trees Apr '85

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · performance footage

Black Scorpio playing out with General Trees on the microphone, recorded in April 1985.

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In stories

Story · Well supportedFast chat: Kingston to South London and back

The rapid-fire deejay style crossed the Atlantic twice, and came home transformed.

Debate & reception

What people argued about this record — two documented positions each time, kept apart from verified fact. Browse every argument in the archive →

Debate

Fast style: Jamaican invention or a South London refinement?

One side

Born in Jamaica's dancehalls

The other

Crystallised in South London and re-exported

A documented discussion about the origins of the rapid fast-chat deejay style, stated neutrally: one account roots it firmly in Jamaica's dancehalls with deejays such as Ranking Joe and Peter Metro; another emphasises that it was crystallised and popularised at London's Saxon Studio by Papa Levi and Smiley Culture before returning to the island. Neutral framing; no verdict.

Read the argument →