Who is Mykal Rose?

For more than 25 years, Michael Rose has been recording and performing his brand of militant, hardcore Jamaican music to the delight of reggae fans around the world. As a solo artiste with Black Uhuru, and back as a solo artiste, the "Ruff" Rose has achieved much success throughout his career, even as different Jamaican musical styles have phased in and out of popularity.

Perhaps the heights of those successes came in 1984, when Michael Rose and the other Black Uhuru members (Duckie Simpson, Puma Jones, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare) won reggae's first Grammy award for the album, Anthem. But the story doesn't begin with Black Uhuru.

In 1976, Michael Rose was already a seasoned performer, having honed his skills by performing on Jamaica's hotel circuit. When an early incarnation of Black Uhuru (Ducky Simpson and Errol Nelson) approached Michael to join the group, he already had several solo singles to his credit. These included the original Guess Who's Coming To Dinner and Clap the Barber both recorded for producer Niney the Observer, and Running Around for Winston Campbell.

Continued success

Throughout the first half of the 1980s, Black Uhuru continued their success with albums like Sinsemilla, Red, Chill Out, and Anthem, along with compilations, dub albums, and live albums for Island Records . They became the best-known reggae act since Bob Marley, and won the first reggae Grammy for Anthem in 1984. Even today, Island continues to capitalise on the group's success by re-compiling and re-releasing the group's Island years material.

With lead singer Michael Rose seemingly at the top of his game, he parted ways with Black Uhuru, with the intention of redefining his musical direction as a solo artiste. In the early 1990s, Rose suddenly appeared on the scene with new material including Jamaican singles produced by Sly and Robbie.

Monkey Business, Visit Them, One a We Two a We were notable singles which came along with three albums: Proud, Bonanza, and King of General which was released in Japan.

As a solo artiste, Rose regularly tours the United States and Europe, and has maintained his Jamaican fan base with hit singles on the island and abroad. He is a modern roots singer, and fits perfectly into today's scene. With a glorious past and a wide-open future, Rose is truly a reggae superstar.