Burro Banton
Donovan Spalding, known as Burro Banton, came up on Kingston's Roots Unlimited and Volcano sound systems in the late 1970s, developing a gruff, aggressive deejay style within the golden age of Jamaican dancehall. His signature tune 'Boom Wah Dis' became a foundational dancehall anthem, and his hard-edged delivery is often cited as an inspiration for later stars like Buju Banton and Bounty Killer.
Burro Banton has named Ranking Joe among his early influences — the nimble, sung-toasted style of 1970s deejays fed directly into the generation of Kingston chatters he came up alongside.
listen forRanking Joe's rapid, melodic flow on 'Weakheart Fadeaway' and Burro Banton's own chat on 'Tek A Set' both ride the riddim in that classic rub-a-dub deejay pocket.
Burro Banton also cited Dillinger, one of the deejays who established the raw, half-sung, half-spoken toasting style that later dancehall chatters inherited.
listen forDillinger's laconic, deadpan chat on 'Cokane in My Brain' and Burro Banton's own gruff delivery on 'Boom Wah Dis' both sit behind the beat in that same loose, conversational toasting pocket.
U Brown's smooth, melodic toasting over dub-heavy riddims was part of the late-1970s deejay wave Burro Banton listed among his formative influences.
listen forCompare U Brown's easy, sing-song delivery on 'Gimme the Music' to Burro Banton's grittier variation on 'Washington Session' — same deejay-over-riddim format, very different textures.