Prince Far I - Cry Tough Chants on U: Prince Far I at On-U Sound 1978-1984 [2LP] (RSD 2024)

A compilation pulling together various guest appearances the legendary and much-missed Jamaican MC Prince Far I made with On-U house bands Creation Rebel and Singers And Players, as well as some alternate versions and deep cuts for the true dub reggae heads.

Prince Far I is a legend of roots reggae, both as producer and for his incredibly distinctive deejay style on the microphone. After cutting sides for the likes of Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee and Coxsone Dodd, he made a name for himself with the Psalms For I album, featuring the gruff-voiced Prince intoning bible passages over the heaviest of dread rhythms. In 1976 he set up his own Cry Tuff imprint, distributed in the UK by Adrian Sherwood’s pre-On-U Sound label Hitrun, and a close working relationship was forged.

The musicians who played with Prince Far I, known initially as The Arabs, became a core part of the On-U crew, performing in different permutations as Creation Rebel, Singers & Players, and Dub Syndicate. Sherwood cut his production teeth on albums such as Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter III, a Prince Far I set featuring an eclectic cast of musicians including David Toop, Steve Beresford, and Ari Up of The Slits. Far I went on to contribute several memorable vocal performances to the Singers & Players project, and toured with On-U band Creation Rebel in the early 1980s. Tragically, Prince Far I was murdered by gunmen in Jamaica in 1983, but his influence lives on in Adrian’s recordings right up to the present day.