Legendary Jamaican Musician Sly Dunbar Has Passed Away

Sad news has hit the musical community. Iconic Jamaican musician Sly Dunbar has passed away on January 26th, at the age of 73. One half of the producer duo Sly & Robbie, he was monumental to the reggae, dub, and dancehall movements. In the words of producer Brian Eno: “When you buy a reggae record, there’s a 90% chance the drummer is Sly Dunbar”. Throughout his career, he worked with numerous musical greats, such as Bob Marley & The Wailers, Michael Jackson, Grace Jones, Sade, Mick Jagger, and many more. He was awarded two Grammy Awards from 13 nominations.

Sly was no stranger to Hip-Hop either. He worked with artists from the culture while Hip-Hop was still in its early days. Sly & Robbie’s 1989 album, “Silent Assassin” featured several prominent emcees, KRS-One, Queen Latifah, Young MC, and Willie D (Boogie Down Productions). The producer duo created some of the cleanest early hip-hop/reggae fusions, such as their 1987 Shinehead collaboration, “Boops (Here To Go).” Sly & Robbie also appeared on the Fugees’ legendary album, “The Score,” on which they’ve remixed the classic joint, “Fu-Gee-La.” Numerous artists sampled their work, including Pete Rock, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Heavy D & The Boyz, Shyne, El-P, Dilated Peoples, and more.

Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare first met in 1972. Since the mid 70s, they’ve released a massive amount of projects. Over one hundred full-length albums are credited to their name, with contributions to hundreds of other projects. In 1974, Sly & Robbie founded Taxi Records, on which they’ve released music by Black Uhuru, Beenie Man, Chaka Demus & Pliers, and Ini Kamoze. Robbie Shakespeare has passed away in 2021.

Sly Dunbar’s contribution to music was nothing short of exceptional.

May he rest in peace.