Kush I

A dancehall deejay in his early teens who followed after the style of General 
Josie Wales, the self-proclaimed ‘General’ gravitated toward singing under the 
guidance of the legendary Ken Boothe who took interest in Kush I and introduced 
him to London studios and music-makers. Sanchez, Dennis Brown and Kush I’s own 
cousin, ‘Pipe’ of The Wailing Souls were placed alongside the original General 
Josie Wales as musical role models.

Kush I’s first release “Too Much Gun" on the Binggae label in the late 1990s 
was recorded in Kingston, Jamaica and produced by Keith Francis of the 
legendary band Chalice. “Too Much Gun”, with its instrumentation, production 
value, conscious message and emphasis on Jamaican vibes and musicians 
established a successful creative formula that Kush I relies on to this day and 
looking back is seen in the albums, Love Deyah (produced by Ansel Collins’ 
nephew Richie Calbot) and eponymous Kush I (produced by Keith Francis and 
Aubrey Manning, son of the Abyssinians Donald Manning), as well as 45’s 
released with various producers, all of which were recorded in Jamaica.

Despite the quality of the individuals he surrounds himself with, or perhaps 
because of it, Kush I consciously maintains his individual creative and musical 
identify. However, self-awareness does not mean self-indulgence as Kush I, as 
despite regular comparisons to the immortal Garnett Silk and living legend that 
is Sanchez, continues to let his music speak for itself, humbly and 
respectfully.   Kush I’s latest release is called Solid Ground. With 
instrumental assistance from Jamaican sax maestro Dean Fraser, guitarist 
extraordinaire Earl Chinna Smith, Keith Sterling and Ansel Collins on keys as 
well as Pam Hall providing harmonies, Solid Ground has been acclaimed as “every 
bit as SOLID (and mature) as the title would have you believe… Absolutely 
delightful.” (Achis Reggae) with Kush I hailed for a “vocal presence 
captivates… delightful [and] well produced” (Reggae Vibes).