Sugar Minott — Godfather of Dancehall
Introduction:
Born Lincoln Barrington Minott on 25 May 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica, Sugar Minott was the Godfather of Dancehall — the artist, producer and sound system operator whose innovations at Studio One in the late 1970s established the template that dancehall music would follow for the next half century. His 1979 debut album Live Loving is widely credited as the first true dancehall album. His technique of writing new lyrics over existing rocksteady and reggae rhythms — "versioning" — became the fundamental production method that defined dancehall and, through its descendants, shaped hip-hop and contemporary popular music worldwide. His self-produced 1980 UK hit "Hard Time Pressure" led him to relocate to Britain, where he became one of the central figures of the British reggae community. His cover of Michael Jackson's "Good Thing Going" reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart in 1981. He founded the Youth Promotion label and sound system, through which he launched the careers of Tenor Saw, Garnett Silk, Junior Reid, Barrington Levy, Nitty Gritty and Ranking Dread. He released over 100 albums across his lifetime. He died on 10 July 2010 at the age of 54 and was posthumously awarded a Reggae Gold award by the Jamaican government in 2019.
Studio One, Versioning & The Birth of Dancehall:
Lincoln Minott grew up in Kingston and began his musical life as a selector on the Sound of Silence Keystone sound system. In 1969 he joined The African Brothers — a roots harmony trio with Tony Tuff and Derrick Howard that became an early vehicle for Rastafari influence in Jamaican music. After the group broke up in the mid-1970s, he joined producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd at Studio One as an apprentice, working as singer, guitarist and percussionist. His crucial insight — that writing new songs over Studio One's existing rhythm catalogue was not only acceptable but artistically richer than the originals — was considered unconventional at the time. It wasn't. It became the DNA of an entire genre. His early Studio One hits "Vanity", "Hang On Natty" and "Mr. DC" preceded the career-making Live Loving (1979), regarded universally as one of the foundational documents of dancehall.
His move to Britain in 1980 — where "Hard Time Pressure" established him as a UK reggae star — brought him into contact with one of the most important regional reggae communities in the world. While in England he discovered the group Musical Youth. His UK hits included "Good Thing Going" (UK number 4, 1981), "Run Come", "Not for Sale", "African Girl" and "Make It with You" with Carroll Thompson. Back in Jamaica, his Youth Promotion sound system at Kingston's Maxfield Park became a crucible for new talent. He worked with every major Jamaican producer of the 1980s — Sly & Robbie, King Jammy, Philip "Fatis" Burrell, George Phang, Mikey Dread, Donovan Germain — and his Black Roots label provided a platform for a generation of artists who went on to define the 1980s dancehall era.
Sugar Minott - The Best Of - Track Listing:
01 Chinchilla Choons - Skit (Warrior king ).mp3
02 Good Thing Going - Sugar Minott.mp3
03 Herbman Hustlin' - Sugar Minott.mp3
04 Mr DC - Sugar Minott.mp3
05 Oppression - Sugar Minott.mp3
06 Never Gonna Give Jah up ( Studio One) - Sugar Minott.mp3
07 Come Now Natty Dread - Alton Ellis & Sugar Minott -.mp3
08 Vanity - Sugar Minott.mp3
09 Ruff Ole Life -Sugar Minott.mp3
10 Run Tings - Sugar Minott.mp3
11 Hard Time Pressure - Sugar Minott.mp3
12 Penny for my song - Sugar Minott.mp3
13 Sandy - Sugar Minott.mp3
14 This Is Lovers Rock - Sugar Minott.mp3
15 Love Gonna Pack Up - Sugar Minott.mp3
16 Sing A Happy Song - Sugar Minott.mp3
17 Get It All Over - Sugar Minott.mp3
18 Show Me Yhat You Love Me - Sugar Minott.mp3
19 Let's Get Back - Sugar Minott.mp3
20 Slice Of The Cake - Sugar Minott.mp3
21 Chinchilla Choons Skit - (Joe Lickshot).mp3
22 African Girl - Sugar Minott.mp3
23 Give Thanks & Praise - Sugar Minott.mp3
24 Chinchilla Choons ( Skit ) - Outro.mp3
* The Best Of
* Play Tracks Directly On Your Mobile Phone.
* All Tracks Are Individual.
* Full Tracks. *
* All Tracks Are Mp3 (320kbps) Quality.
* No Jingles Over The Tracks*
Key Albums:
- Live Loving (1979, Studio One) — widely cited as the first dancehall album
- Showcase (1979, Studio One)
- Ghetto-ology (1979)
- Roots Lovers (1980) — UK hit
- Good Thing Going (1981) — UK singles chart #4
- Herbman Hustling (1983)
- With Lots of Extra (1983, Channel One)
Sugar Minott on Reggae On A Stick: 
Sugar Minott is one of the featured artists on our Reggae On A Stick USB — 100 of the greatest reggae albums compiled onto a single plug-and-play USB drive. Experience the Godfather of Dancehall alongside 99 other legends.
👉 Shop Reggae On A Stick — 100 Reggae Albums On 1 USB