Black Star & Youthman Promotion Sound Systems (80s vibes)

​@LeoOReggio
E-Store: https://leosretroreggaestore.company.site/
I filmed two dance sessions in 1985 and edited them together as one video product. This was the first dancehall party video I ever produced and released on DVD in the early 90s. The inclusion of the footage of Jamaican life, especially in the tourist areas, was deliberate, as the target market for the video was the Diaspora, to remind them of the beauty of Jamaica and for tourists to see what they are missing.

Hailing from Elletson Flats, situated in the uptown Kingston 6 area, the very popular Black Star sound system emerged onto the dancehall scene during the seventies. Occasionally known as Black Star Liner they flew the flag for this tough neighbourhood promoting conscious dancehall, much like Jah Love did, combining lyrical deejays and upcoming singers. We are unsure of when Black Star first started playing out but they were reportedly a soul sound at first before graduating to the reggae arena. According to some informative Bruk Back lyrics they were active alongside Tippatone, King Tubby, and Emperor Faith in the early part of the seventies. The set was put together by two brothers Noel and Donald Darling, playing in and around the Papine area and building up a good, solid reputation. Both the brothers played their part in the sound’s running, in particular Donald, who was Black Star’s main selector for the duration of their popularity. Donald Darling was a man of many nicknames and when he first started selecting he was known as Danny, then changing to Danny Dread. But to avoid confusion with King Attorney’s selector Danny Dread, he became better known as “Smokey Don”, or even “Smokey Joe”. Noel aka “Yams” or “Yammy” performed the important role of the sounds manager and was frequently hailed in the dance by the artists on the microphone. With Black Star and Jahlovemuzik sound systems both operating out of the same North-East Kingston community, it is not unsurprising that Brigadier Jerry (b. Robert Russell) would choose to perform on Black Star when Jah Love didn’t have a date or was inactive. He features on most of the Black Star tapes from 1979 onwards bringing his trademark roots and culture deejaying to the sound. Briggy’s spar from Jah Love, Natty aka Natty Clive, would sometimes link up with Black Star in the late seventies as well. The next important deejay to join, around 1983, was Bruk Back. Raised in Sievwright Gardens and an original spar of Super Cat, he made Black Star his home. A tremendous performer who could really handle the microphone in a dancehall setting, he remained loyal to Black Star over the next few years. In fact, any session which had Bruk Back and Tiger firing off lyrics was essential listening. Norman Jackson aka Tiger had originally started out as a singer in the seventies and had graduated to the dancehall, first on the Inner City Vibes set before starting on Black Star early in 1984 and quickly developed into a deejay with a unique energetic style that could whip up any dance into a frenzy. Tiger’s popularity in the dancehall led to a successful recording career with countless hit singles and albums for Island, Penthouse, and King Jammy’s, amongst many others.

Youthman Promotion has the distinction of starting the first dancehall crew, a phenomenon which has been emulated time and time again.
The Youth Promotion crew included Yami Bolo, Michael Palmer, Junior Reid, Garnett Silk, Andi Livingston, Shalom (then known as Steve Harper), Nitty Gritty, Tenor Saw, Tony Rebel, Daddy Freddy, Color Man, Daddy Ants, Daddy Shark, Little John, Triston Palmer, Trevor Junior, Thriller, Blacka T, Dona P and many more.

These artists honed their talents at Youthman Promotion under the guidance of Sugar Minott and showcased their talent alongside a popular sound system of the same name – Youthman Promotion, which is also owned by Sugar Minott and was used to promote the stable of artists.

The sound system was one of four sounds that participated in another first for the dancehall – the first-ever soundclash. The landmark clash was held at Cinema II in New Kingston. The other three sounds were King Jammys, Black Scorpio & Arrows Intl. Youthman Promotion with its battalion of young artists led by Sugar Minott crushed all opposition and took home the crown. Sugar Minott and Youthman Promotion have toured England, Asia, the United States, Europe and was one of the first reggae acts to tour Japan. In fact, his impact in Japan was so tremendous that he played a critical role in establishing Reggae in Japan. After over 60 albums and thousands of singles, Sugar Minott can be referred to as one of the fathers of the dancehall phenomenon and one of Jamaica’s most versatile and prolific singers.

Promoters for the dances were Neville Valentine (Youthman Promotion) and Jah World (Black Star).