General Levy
{{Short description|British recording artist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image =
| name = General Levy
| caption =
| image_size =
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = Paul Scott Levy
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1971|4|28}}
| birth_place = Park Royal, London, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| instrument = Vocals
| genre = {{flatlist|
- Ragga{{Cite web|url=https://www.dummymag.com/10-best/10-best-jungle-general-levy/|title=The 10 Best Jungle Tracks of All Time, according to General Levy|website=DummyMag}}
- jungle{{Cite web|url=https://djmag.com/node/6327|title=EXCLUSIVE: GENERAL LEVY'S 'INCREDIBLE' JOURNEY|date=19 January 2015|website=DJMag.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestudentpocketguide.com/2018/02/entertainment/music/general-levy-plans-new-music/|title=Student Pocket Guide - Jungle legend General Levy discusses new music|date=23 February 2018}}
- reggae{{Cite web|url=https://365bristol.com/event/welcome-to-the-jungle-ft-general-levy-live-o2-academy-bristol/|title=Welcome To the Jungle ft. General Levy live at the O2 Academy Bristol|website=365 Bristol}}
}}
| occupation = Musician
| years_active = 1988–present
| label =
| associated_acts =
| website =
}}
Paul Scott Levy (born 28 April 1971), also known as General Levy, is an English ragga deejay, regularly employed on studio tracks by drum and bass DJs. He is best known for the track "Incredible" which he recorded with M-Beat. A remixed version of this reached number eight on the UK singles chart in 1994.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/artists/m-beat-featuring-general-levy/|title=Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com|accessdate=5 January 2019}}
Biography
General Levy was born in Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal, London on 28 April 1971. He is of Trinidadian descent.{{Cite web|url=https://www.factmag.com/2014/11/28/council-of-elders-uk-club-culture-icons-general-levy-and-sticky-in-conversation/|title=Council of elders: UK club culture icons General Levy and Sticky in conversation|website=Fact|date=28 November 2014|accessdate=2 June 2021}} Levy's formative years were spent in Harlesden and Wembley in the London Borough of Brent in northwest London. Levy's musical influence was developed in the area, collecting dancehall tapes, beginning in 1981. At the age of 12, General Levy began writing lyrics and went on to form his first sound system with friends, two years later, named Third Dimension.{{cite news|title=General Levy|url=https://townlandscarnival.com/acts/general-levy/|publisher=Townlands Carnival|accessdate=26 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826113344/https://townlandscarnival.com/acts/general-levy/|archive-date=26 August 2018|url-status=dead}}
General Levy's first major releases were with the independent record label Fashion Records, who signed a distribution deal with London Records for the re-releases of the tracks he had recorded. He had earlier releases with the record producers Lloydy Crucial and Robbo Ranx (later of BBC 1xtra), but these were mainly tracks that were hits on the underground dancehall scene. General Levy was ostracized by the UK jungle scene in 1994, due to mis-reported comments he made relating to his collaboration with M-Beat on "Incredible".{{cite web |url=http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=238 |title=Him only smoke cigarettes and strictly shag |publisher=Dilate.choonz.com |accessdate=2012-05-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120709224902/http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=238 |archivedate=9 July 2012 |df=dmy-all }} He had claimed in an interview with The Face that "I run jungle at the moment". This controversy has since died down and he is now being cited as one of the 25 UK MCs "who changed the game".{{Cite web|url=https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/projects/best-uk-rappers-mcs-who-changed-the-game|title=25 UK MCs who changed the game|website=Redbull.com|accessdate=2020-07-06}}
"Incredible" was featured in the film Ali G Indahouse, and as a TV advertising campaign by Honda.{{Cite web|title=Honda HR V TV Advert 'Honda Stepping'|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By6I6wBe-ck| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213220247/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By6I6wBe-ck| archive-date=2020-12-13 | url-status=dead|language=en|access-date=2021-04-08}}
General Levy briefly collaborated with Rocco Barker of Flesh for Lulu in the band The Space Police. Levy also featured on the song "Only God Can Judge Me" by R&B singer Mark Morrison.
He collaborated with Madness singer Suggs on his 1998 album The Three Pyramids Club, on the track "Girl".
Levy featured on many sound systems in the late 1980s and early 1990s, such as Java One love and Tippertone Sound.
His collaborations with dub producer Joe Ariwa appear on several releases including "In the Ghetto" and "Be Conscious & Wise: Dub Showcase".
In 2018, he collaborated with artists such as Chase & Status, Fedde Le Grand and Spragga Benz.
Discography
=Albums=
- Double Trouble (1991, Gussie P Records) – Capleton & General Levy
- The Wickeder General (1992, Fashion Records)
- Wickedness Increase (1993, FFRR/London)
- Rumble in the Jungle Volume One (1994, Jungle Fashion Records) – Top Cat & General Levy
- New Breed (1999, Arts Records)
- Spirit & Faith (2008, BoombamMuzik)
- We Progressive (feat The PSB Family) (2011, X-Ray Records)
- In the Chamber of Dub (2012, Ariwa Sounds) – Joe Ariwa & General Levy
- 4ward (2014) – DJ Bonnot & General Levy
- Be Conscious and Wise – General Levy & Joe Ariwa
=Singles=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Song ! style="width:45px;"|UK |
|---|
| rowspan="3"| 1992
| "Heat" | align=center | — | |
| "Champagne Body"
| align=center | — | |
| "Sceeming"
| align=center | — | |
| rowspan="2"| 1993
| "Mr. Push It Good" | align=center | — | |
| "Monkey Man" (with Junior Dan)
| align=center | 75 | |
| rowspan="4"| 1994
| "Ready for the World" | align=center | — | |
| "Weh Dem a Watch We For" (with Cutty Ranks)
| align=center | — | |
| "Incredible" (with M-Beat)
| align=center | 39 | |
| "Incredible" (remix) (with M-Beat)
| align=center | 8 | |
| 2004
| "Shake (What Ya Mama Gave Ya)" | align=center | 51 | |
| 2007
| "Bring It On" | align=center | — | |
| 2012
| "Blaze the Fire" (with Danny Byrd) | align=center | — | |
| 2014
| "Pull Up" (with Sticky) | align=center | — | |
| 2017
| "Move" (featuring Toni Toolz) | align=center | — | |
| rowspan="3"| 2018
| "Flex" (with Fedde Le Grand & Funk Machine) | align=center | — | |
| "Are You Ready" (with Spragga Benz)
| align=center | — | |
| "Heater" (with Chase & Status)
| align=center | — | |
| 2020
| "Good Love" (with Reggae Roast) | align=center | — | |
| 2023
| "We Run the Area" (with Idris Elba, Toddla T & Naomi Cowan) | align=center | — | |
| 2024
|"Good Mourning" (with Shaznay Lewis & Shola Ama) | align=center | — | |
| 2024
|"Old Days" (with Leanne Louise & DJ Illatek) | align=center | — | |
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Book
On 13 November 2022 Levy self published his autobiography entitled Incredible exploring his life and career to date.{{Cite book |last=levy |first=paul |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BLWBK3Z5/ref=dbs_a_def_awm_bibl_vppi_i0 |title=Incredible: written by General levy |date=2022-11-13 |publisher=Paul Levy |edition=1st |language=English}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{discogs artist}}
- [https://generallevy.co.uk/ Official website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, General}}
Category:People from Park Royal
Category:English reggae musicians
Category:English drum and bass musicians
Category:Black British male rappers