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| Prezident Brown (Fitz Cotterell) was born in the hills of Clarendon, Jamaica. His mother called him Junior Ranking because he would grab the microphone and chant at schoolyard and country dances. He was first known as Slim Brown because of his resemblance to and similar DJ style to his mentor, U Brown. The most formative influence on Prezident Brown was producer and sound system operator Jack Ruby. Ruby saw something special in young Slim Brown; he took Slim Brown under his wing, re-named him Prezident Brown and appointed him resident M.C. of his Hi-Power Sound System. In 1989 Prezident Brown began recording with Grove Music and Roof International but it was Barry O'Hare's label, X-Rated, that provided a home base for Prezident Brown and with Runn Records helped launch his career in Europe. X-Rated took off just as a massive roots revival swept across Jamaica, washing gun and slackness lyrics out of the dance halls, paving the way for conscious reggae music. 1996 he signed a lucrative 5 album artist deal with Island Records, which didn't work in his favor. He then made the timeless To Jah Only album with Jamaican based record label Kariang in 1998. At the turn of the millenium he worked with German based label Chet Records and released the album Generation Next which is distributed by Sony Germany. A 46 show tour in the summer of 2002 put together by Jahmani Productions took Prezident Brown all over the United States, including performances at The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival and Reggae On The River. Also, Jahmani Productions released Showcase Volumes 1 and 2 that year with Showcase Volume 3 following in 2003. Prezident has since done repeat performances at both festivals and has added may other prestigious ones to his list. Now he releases Showcase Volume 4 Health and Strength which he decided to sell on his own, independent of any record label. Additionally he is working towards making all past and future works available on this site. Prezident Brown has been very well received in the United States and is building a large fan base, and as a champion of the new roots and reality consciousness reggae movement he entertains, informs and inspires. |
