Maxi Priest was born Max Elliot in Lewisham, London on June 10, 1961. In the early '80s, Priest was working as a carpenter building speaker boxes at a local reggae dance hall. While testing the mic systems, his vocal skills were noticed and he soon had a regular spot singing at live events. His musical career kicked off soon after when he produced and performed on a track called "Mi God Mi King." It was to become the first British track to top the Jamaican song charts. With the ball rolling, Maxi Priest recorded two albums with his band Caution and one solo, self-titled album in the '80s.
The band Musical Youth was made up of a group of British Jamaican teenagers from Birmingham, England. The Reggae outfit consisted of two sets of brothers, Kelvin and Michael Grant, and Junior and Patrick Waite, as well as their father Frederick Waite. The band formed in 1979 and, although young, began performing in local bars and clubs around the Birmingham area. In 1982, Frederick stepped down and was replaced with 14-year-old Dennis Seaton. The band's first major single was released at this time. "Pass the Dutchie" was a huge hit and earned a Grammy nomination. The band released two albums and numerous singles during the '80s.
Ranking Roger was Born Roger Charlery in Birmingham, England on February 21, 1961. His musical career began in 1978 as part of the ska group English Beat, with whom he recorded three albums. In 1983 he and a fellow English Beat member left to form a soul group called General Public. General Public recorded two albums before breaking up. Ranking Roger then embarked on a solo reggae career, producing one more album before the end of the '80s, with fellow reggae front man Pato Banton.
Slick Rick was born Ricky Walters in Wimbledon, London, on January 14, 1965 to Jamaican parents. He was a rap artist who began his career in 1988. He moved to the Bronx with his family in the late '70s and went to La Guardia Music School. His trademark look included ridiculous amounts of gold chains and a bejeweled eye patch. He had a huge underground following for his music, but was not received well by the mainstream because of the offensive nature of many of his raps. He only produced one album in the '80s; his second was put on hold by an arrest for attempted murder.