Janice Fyffe (born 7 May 1968), known as Lady G, is a Jamaican dancehall and reggae deejay. She is widely recognised as a dancehall veteran and pioneer.[1]

Lady G
Lady G performing in Canada
Lady G performing in Canada
Background information
Birth nameJanice Fyffe
Born (1968-05-07) 7 May 1968 (age 56)
Spanish Town, Jamaica
OriginJamaica
GenresDancehall, reggae
Occupation(s)Deejay, singer
Years active1984–present

Early life

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Born in Spanish Town in the parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica, Fyffe attended St. Joseph High School and Dunoon Technical School.

Her father is reggae singer Ken Fyffe, who has toured with the Congos and worked with vintage reggae groups the Sparkles and the Eternals.[2][3]

As a child she used to sneak out of the house to travel round the island with renowned soundsystem Black Scorpio.[4] After leaving school, Lady G met dancehall deejay Lord Sassafrass, who became her mentor.[5]

She currently lives in New Jersey, United States.

Music career

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Lady G is probably best known for her first hit, "Nuff Respect",[6] produced by Gussie Clarke in 1988. In the same year, Lady G recorded two popular songs in combination with Papa San: "Legal Rights" and "Round Table Talk".[7]

In successive years in the late 1980s, Lady G caused a stir with her performances at the infamous Sting stageshow in Jamaica. In 1988, she appeared in a clash with Lady Mackerel, Sister Charmaine and Junie Ranks. In 1989, she clashed once more with Sister Charmaine, as well as Patra and Lady P.

In 1994, Lady G began working with Danny Browne and his Main Street label, and in 1997 the partnership resulted in the hit single "Breeze Off" on the Filthy riddim, the same instrumental used by Mr. Vegas for his international smash "Heads High". In 1997, she recorded "Man a Bad Man" for the film Third World Cop.[8]

In 1998, Lady G and Crissy D featured on the compilation album Oracabessa One with the song "Girls Like Us" which was reworked into a UK garage version by UK duo B-15 Project, also titled "Girls Like Us". This version reached No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart in 2000. In July 2001, Lady G performed to great acclaim at the Splash! festival in Chemnitz, Germany.[9]

In 2002, she formed her own production company, G-String, with her brother.[10] G-String productions released the Bellyskin Riddim (featuring Sizzla, Capleton and Ce'cile) through Greensleeves Records and the Flava Riddim (featuring Macka Diamond, Lady Saw and Sizzla) distributed by VP Records.

Lady G performed at Tony Rebel's Rebel Salute 2020 festival which drew much praise from audience, organisers and media alike.[11][12]

Lady G was recognised by the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) with an 'Iconic Artiste in the Music Industry' award in February 2020.[13] Buju Banton and Shabba Ranks were also honoured at the same event.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Top 10 Dopest Female Dancehall Artists Of All Time". Urban Islandz. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Dancehall Legend Lady G Starts YouTube Channel, Talks New Music". DancehallMag. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Jamaica Observer Limited". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Lady G – dancehall and reggae music artiste". Dancehall Reggae World. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Lady G – dancehall and reggae music artiste". Dancehall Reggae World. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Dancehall artiste Lady G has New Album, New Music and a New focus on Life". Dancehall Reggae World. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Dancehall Veteran Lady G To Release Tell-All Book". Urban Islandz. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Dancehall Legend Lady G Starts YouTube Channel, Talks New Music". DancehallMag. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Splash! 2001 another level!". The Germaican Observer. July–August 2001. Archived from the original on 12 October 2006. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Dancehall Legend Lady G Starts YouTube Channel, Talks New Music". DancehallMag. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Rebel Salute 2020 | Lady G, Minister Grange Lobby For More Women on the Big Stage". jamaica-gleaner.com. 19 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Dancehall Icon Lady G Gets "Nuff Respect" At Rebel Salute 2020". Urban Islandz. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Jamaica Observer Limited". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Buju Banton, Shabba Ranks & Lady G To Receive JaRIA Award". Urban Islandz. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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