Rebel MC
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background = non_performing_personnel
| name = Rebel MC
| image = Congo Natty.jpg
| landscape = yes
| birth_name = Michael Alec Anthony West
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1964|8|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = Islington, London, England
| alias = {{flatlist|
- Congo Natty
- X Project
- Conquering Lion
- Blackstar
- Tribe of Issachar
- Ras Project
}}
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| occupation = {{flatlist|
}}
| label = {{flatlist|
}}
| years_active = 1980s–present
| website = {{URL|https://congonatty.com/}}
}}
Michael Alec Anthony West (born 27 August 1964 in Islington, London, England), better known as Rebel MC and Congo Natty, is a British jungle producer, spiritual chanter and toaster.{{Cite web |last=Bush |first=John |title=Rebel MC Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rebel-mc-mn0000416352 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://perma.cc/7GKP-LCN8 |archive-date=October 24, 2024 |access-date=October 24, 2024 |website=AllMusic}} He has also gone by aliases including Conquering Lion, Blackstar, Tribe of Issachar, Lion of Judah, X Project and Ras Project.{{Cn|date=August 2024}}
Biography
In the late 1980s, West formed the group Double Trouble with Michael Menson, Karl Brown (more commonly known as the UK garage DJ Karl 'Tuff Enuff' Brown) and Leigh Guest. This would lead to two hip house records reaching the UK Top 40 in 1989 - "Just Keep Rockin'" followed by "Street Tuff". The latter reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/street-tuff/|title=street tuff {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company|publisher=Official Charts Company}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jul/04/congo-natty-jungle-revolution-rebel-mc|title=Congo Natty and the jungle revolution|work=The Guardian|date=4 July 2013|author=Ben Beaumont-Thomas}} These would appear shortly after on his debut album Rebel Music.
In 1991, West released his second album, Black Meaning Good, which combined his former hip house and pop-rap influences with radical political, spiritual consciousness and a stronger roots reggae, dubwise and breakbeat edge. The album featured notable reggae and dancehall artists such as Barrington Levy, Tenor Fly and Dennis Brown. Singles released from the album included "The Wickedest Sound", "Comin' On Strong", and "Tribal Base" - to which their breakbeat hardcore and reggae fusion would give rise to an early precursor to the jungle sound.{{cite web |author=Matt Jost |date=October 16, 2012 |title=Rebel MC: Black Meaning Good |url=https://www.rapreviews.com/2012/10/rebel-mc-black-meaning-good/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://perma.cc/6ABG-VKBM |archive-date=October 24, 2024 |work=Rap Reviews}}
His third album Word, Sound and Power (released in 1992) represented further exploration of increasingly politicised awareness, breakbeat hardcore, house, conscious spiritual roots reggae, dubwise, and hip hop, with two singles "Rich Ah Getting Richer" and "I Can't Get No Sleep" released from it. "Rich Ah Getting Richer" was built on melodies and samples from Twinkle Brothers "Jahovia", Junior Byles and King Tubby's'"Fade Away" as well as Junior Delgado's "Tichion." The track "Jahovia" samples the keyboard hook from the sound system favourite, "Kunta Kinte". Kunta Kinte, the film character from Alex Haley's book "Roots" inspired a reggae riddim of the same name, which started off life as a track called Beware Of Your Enemies released from Jamaica's Channel One. A dub version, put out in 1976 by Channel One house band The Revolutionaries became a sound system anthem for many years on dubplate, and inspired a UK version produced by Mad Professor in 1981. The track inspired Rebel MC and other jungle covers.{{cite web |last=Muth |first=Anderson |date=August 5, 2018 |title=Riddimology 101: Essential Cuts of the "Kunta Kinte" Riddim |url=https://www.dub-stuy.com/riddimology-001-kunta-kinte/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://perma.cc/U6XP-XUF8 |archive-date=October 24, 2024 |work=Dub-Stuy Brooklyn}}
On Word, Sound and Power Rebel MC also built tracks around samples and melodies from Yabby You, Lincoln Thompson and the Royal Rasses ("Humanity") and Burning Spear's "Creation Rebel."
The track "African" samples Lloyd Coxsone’s King of the Dub Rock part two, and Johnny Clarke’s vocals from Bunny Lee productions.
The album track “Revolution” is largely based on Dennis Brown’s track of the same name.
Whilst West was enjoying further commercial success with "Tribal Base" featuring Barrington Levy and Tenor Fly, he was also experimenting with white label releases on his X Project label.{{cite book |title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music |date=1998 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=0-7535-0252-6 |editor=Colin Larkin |edition=1st |page=280}} The first of these would be "Walking in the Air" (which contains samples from The Snowman track), followed by a further five releases which by this time were jungle.{{cite web |date=January 9, 2017 |title=History Sessions: Congo Natty Special (1992-1998) |url=https://abasschronicle.co.uk/history-sessions-congo-natty-special/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://perma.cc/JT4U-9DBU |archive-date=October 24, 2024 |work=A Bass Chronicle}}
West is often noted for having popularised the term "jungle". In the book Energy Flash by Simon Reynolds, MC Navigator of Kool FM is quoted as saying: "Rebel got this chant - 'all the junglists' - from a yard-tape" (referring to the sound system tapes from Kingston, Jamaica). "When Rebel sampled that, the people cottoned on, and soon they started to call the music 'jungle'".{{Cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |title=Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture |date=2008 |publisher=Picador |isbn=9780330454209 |location=London |publication-date=2008 |page=245 |oclc=175283973}}
In 1994, West converted to Rastafari.{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/12795-congo-natty-interview|title=I've Got Souls To Save: An Interview With Congo Natty|author=Joe Clay|date=11 July 2013|work=TheQuietus}} As Conquering Lion, he would release a classic jungle track "Code Red", with vocals from Super Cat.{{cite web |author=Jones |first=Charlie |date=September 18, 2012 |title=The 10 Best Jungle Tracks, According to Uncle Dugs |url=https://dmy.co/10-best/the-10-best-jungle-tracks-according-to-uncle-dugs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://perma.cc/X8GU-GJ8D |archive-date=October 24, 2024 |work=DMY Mag}} This was picked up for major release by Mango Records, a subsidiary of Island Records, which was followed by "Champion DJ" (featuring Top Cat) and "Junglist" (featuring Peter Bouncer), both released on his Congo Natty label that would be prolific in the mid-1990s to early 2000s.
In 2013, West returned with the album Jungle Revolution, featuring Jah Shaka's son, Young Warrior, General Levy, Top Cat, Tippa Irie, Tenor Fly, and Nãnci Correia.
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of albums, with selected details and chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Details ! scope="col" colspan="5"| Peak chart positions |
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| UK {{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/26061/rebel-mc/|title=Rebel MC {{!}} full Official Chart History|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=10 September 2022}} ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| AUS ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| NLD ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| NZ ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| SWE |
|---|
| scope="row"| Rebel Music
|
| 18 || 98 || 54 || 9 || 40 |
| scope="row"| Black Meaning Good
|
| 23 || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"| Word, Sound and Power
|
| — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"| Tribute to Haile Selassie I
|
| — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"| Born Again
|
| — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"| Jungle Revolution
|
| — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"| Ancestorz [Rootz of Jungle]
|
| — || — || — || — || — |
=Compilations=
- Most Wanted (Congo Natty, 2008)
=Singles=
==As Rebel MC==
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of singles, with selected chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="6"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| UK ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| AUS ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| BEL ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| NLD ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| NZ ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| SWE |
|---|
| scope="row"| "Just Keep Rockin'" {{small|(with Double Trouble)}} | rowspan="3"| 1989 | 11 || — || 14 || 3 || — || — | rowspan="4"| Rebel Music |
| scope="row"| "Street Tuff" {{small|(with Double Trouble)}} | 3 || 85 || 7 || 3 || 29 || 12 |
| scope="row"| "Better World"
| 20 || 131 || 22 || 14 || 4 || — |
| scope="row"| "Rebel Music"
| rowspan="2"| 1990 | 53 || 155 || — || 84 || 15 || — |
| scope="row"| "Culture"/"Comin' On Strong"
| 90 || — || — || — || — || — | rowspan="4"| Black Meaning Good |
| scope="row"| "The Wickedest Sound" {{small|(featuring Tenor Fly)}} | rowspan="2"| 1991 | 43 || — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"| "Tribal Base" {{small|(featuring Tenor Fly and Barrington Levy)}} | 20 || — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"| "Black Meaning Good"
| rowspan="5"| 1992 | 73 || — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"| "Rich Ah Getting Richer"
| 48 || — || — || — || — || — | rowspan="3"| Word, Sound and Power |
| scope="row"| "Word, Sound and Power"
| — || — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"| "Humanity"/"I Can't Get No Sleep"
| 62 || — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"| "Under Me Sensi" {{small|(with Barrington Levy)}} | — || — || — || — || — || — | Barrington |
==As X Project, Lion of Judah et al==
- "Walking in the Air" (X Project, 1992)
- "The Calling"/"Jah Sunshine" (X Project, 1993)
- "Inahsound"/"Lion of Judah" (X Project, 1993)
- "Code Red" (as Conquering Lion) (X Project/Mango, 1994)
- "Champion DJ" (as Blackstar with Top Cat) (Congo Natty, 1994)
- "Junglist" (as Tribe of Issachar) (Congo Natty, 1995)
- "Jah Set It" (as Lion of Judah) (Congo Natty, 1996)
- "Emperor Selassie I" (as Lion of Judah) (Congo Natty, 1997)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Michael West}}
- [https://congonatty.com/ Official website]
- [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Rebel+MC Rebel MC] at Discogs.com
- [http://www.discogs.com/label/Congo+Natty Congo Natty] at Discogs.com
- [https://www.heroesofukhiphop.com/rebel-mc/ Rebel MC at Heroes of Hip-Hop]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rebel MC}}
Category:English drum and bass musicians
Category:English record producers
Category:Singers from the London Borough of Islington
Category:Military personnel from the London Borough of Islington