Ewart Beckford, who performed as U-Roy, began deejaying on Kingston sound systems in the early 1960s, refining the melodic, exactingly timed "toasting" style he learned from predecessors like Count Machuki and King Stitt. His 1970 singles for producer Duke Reid, including "Wake the Town" and "Rule the Nation," turned the sound-system deejay from a local hype man into a chart-topping recording artist in his own right, laying groundwork for both dancehall and, eventually, hip-hop's MC tradition.

the sound in question

1970

Wake the TownU-Roy