Rebel MC

The 80's popster turned proto-jungle revolutionary was born Michael West 27 August 1964 in Islington, London. He was part of the Beatfreak sound system. He joined [a=Double Trouble] in the early '80s with [a=Michael Menson] and [a=Leigh Guest] and released the ska-pop hit [b]Street Tuff[/b]. Rebel MC gained fame in England as a Pop-rapper, but by 1991 had released [m20270], an album that presaged Jungle with hardcore techno married to dub basslines and ragga toasters such as [a=Barrington Levy] and [a=P.P. Arnold]. The 1992 singles [b]Rich Ah Getting Richer[/b] and [b]Humanity[/b] also showed the new direction. 1994's [b]Code Red[/b] - released as Conquering Lion - became a smash and brought the Jungle movement to the British masses. West converted to Rastafarianism in the mid-90s and changed his name to Mikail Tafari.