Cudjoe Banton

Dancehall DJ Cudjoe Banton was born in 1977 and hails from the Maxfield Avenue (Jungle) area of Kingston, Jamaica but from the age of 12 lived in Spanish Town. 
He began his musical journey at the age of 15 when he entered the local heat of the Tastee Talent Search and won 1st prize. A subsequent appearance at the Roof Talent Contest in Ocho Rios also saw him getting 1st prize and this led to him recording his first specials at Courtney Cole's Roof Dub Studio. 
Spurred on by these small successes, he spent the next five years hanging round the <a href="http://www.bigupradio.com/labelDetail.jsp?lid=1207">Record Factory</a> and <a href="http://www.bigupradio.com/labelDetail.jsp?lid=163">Black Scorpio</a> dubplate studios voicing specials and looking for a proper break into the notoriously difficult Jamaican music business. This happened when he voiced his first tune "Burn The Weed" for the <a href="http://www.bigupradio.com/labelDetail.jsp?lid=506">God Bless Crew</a> in 1997 and then voicing for Stone Love, Jamaica's number one sound system. 
At this time, as a poor youth desperate for a break, Cudjoe voiced some "fraud dubs" for a sound in the USA pretending to be <a href="http://www.bigupradio.com/artistDetail.jsp?aid=287">Beenie Man</a>, who he happens to sound a lot alike. This turned into a big controversy when these tunes mashed up a big dance in New York but Beenie Man himself happened to be in attendance. Beenie took the dubplate off the sound and back to Jamaica, determined to find the artist responsible. Local newspapers broke the story and Cudjoe then apologised through the press. The two finally met at a big stage show, where the crowd were bawling for Beenie Man to bring his "son" on stage. Beenie called Cudjoe on stage and the pair of them completely mashed up the dance. They became friends and the argument was forgotten. 
Cudjoe Banton has voiced many killer dancehall sides for the <a href="http://www.bigupradio.com/labelDetail.jsp?lid=102">Stone Love</a> label like "Have No Mercy", "Rose Garden" (with <a href="http://www.bigupradio.com/artistDetail.jsp?aid=1619">Bobby Crystal</a>), "Soundclash", and "Banana". He has also voiced for the <a href="http://www.bigupradio.com/labelDetail.jsp?lid=847">Sonic Sounds</a>, <a href="http://www.bigupradio.com/labelDetail.jsp?lid=156">Builders</a> and Border Clash labels. 
He visited the UK in 2001 and voiced a number of tunes for <a href="labelDetail.jsp?lid=432">Jet Star</a> and Top Secret in London. He also voiced two tough tracks produced by <a href="http://www.bigupradio.com/artistDetail.jsp?aid=236">Rootsman</a> for future release on Third Eye Music. The first of these "Rocky Road" is on Rootsman's "New Testament" album. Cudjoe Banton is an extremely talented and exciting dancehall DJ and also one of the warmest dancehall artists you are likely to meet. Big things are surely his destiny.

Cudjoe Banton on BigUp Radio ● Listen Live

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