Sluggy Ranks
Pioneers & 90s Icons
known for
Dancehall singer central to the New York dancehall scene, known for 'cultural' conscious lyrics amid the era's prevailing slackness.
record
- Birth name
- Andrew Phillip Gregory
- Born
- December 14, 1966, Rae Town, East Kingston, Jamaica
- Died
- July 29, 2012, Kingston, Jamaica (car accident)
Full biography
Andrew Phillip Gregory, professionally known as Sluggy Ranks, was a Jamaican dancehall singer born in the Rae Town district of East Kingston who relocated to Brooklyn, New York in 1981 and became a significant figure in the city's dancehall scene.
He became known for 'cultural' lyrics that stood in contrast to the 'slack' style then dominant in dancehall. In 1988 he worked with producer Whitfield "Witty" Henry on "95% Black, 5% White," a commentary on the state of the United States prison system. He recorded several albums through the late 1980s and 1990s, including the Prince Jammy-produced Ghetto Youth Bust (1994), released on Profile Records.
Sluggy Ranks died on July 29, 2012, at age 45, from injuries sustained when the car he was riding in swerved and crashed into a light post in Kingston; he was pronounced dead at Kingston Public Hospital.
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