GENERAL DEGREE and Size8Music


Born in the parish of Manchester in Jamaica on the 28th of April, General Degree had very strict Christian parents and of such he had to hide away if he wanted to wet his taste buds with what was taking place on the radio. But, it did not take him long to get his songs on the radio, as during the early part of his 20’s he hit the airwaves showing off his brilliance of imitating a grandmother.

This song was called “Granny” and was produced by Danny Browne of Main Street; this was an instant hit as it rose to number one on the charts. This hit song created waves on the music charts and at the dances continuously for a year. However, Degree did not stopped here as this hilarious vibe blossomed in his career and one could say that this attribute is a natural gift.

His outstanding line of No.1’s continued locally and overseas and this just goes to show that he in fact knows what it takes to stir the “lyrical pot”. In later years you have other songs such as “Brinks”, “Bodyguard”, Hold Yuh Tonight”, Mr Dweet Nice”, “Spark Plug”, “Papa Lover” and many more.

He is also famous for using provocative words that generally don’t leave much for one’s imagination, to some extent they could be classified as X-rated. Perhaps one of the prime examples is a song called “Pianist”, in which he is saying that the girls are crying for his pianist. It could be said that his works with suggestive lyrics are well received by his fans simple because of his untainted creativity.

This is a trademark that will undoubtedly ensure that you will not hear similarities in two of his songs, regardless of the subject. In his 1998 hit song that was called “Bag a Tings”, one could clearly recognize his skillfulness on any rhythm as his vocals generally lingers on double bass. This has now grown to be more or less the distinct outline for the unchanging tones that you will hear being used by numerous artists ever since.

You will find recordings such as “Boom Boom”, Traffic Blocking”, “Cartoon Character” and others, that continues to keep this talented artiste in the charts over the years. In fact his fans are always appreciative and this was shown when he was given an award for best dancehall album at the Reggae Soca Award, the song called “Bush Baby” was the title track.

Some of the other hits that you can find from this talented DJ that came on the scene in the twentieth century with hit songs after hit songs, plus some fresh and creative ideas include “Inna”, “My Girls”, “Bounce Somebody”, “Man Shortage” and “The Specialist”. Another thing that you can say about this artist is that all his songs proves that he is consistent and this is why he is still doing well in the industry at home and a abroad.

All in all, Degree is one artist that is not making it easy to be defeated by the many young artists in this business. In fact, he is still holding his own; can continue to be ranked among the very best and always pledged to keep up his contribution for future growth and success of Jamaican dancehall music.