Sugar Minott spent his youth hanging around the legendary "Studio 1" listening to the artists that recorded there, such as Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, The Heptones, Dennis Brown and others.
Sugar began his career with the formation of the African Brothers, along with Tony Tuff and Derek Howard (and later Triston Palmer) in the early 1970s. The African Brothers were a harmonious roots act, of which Sugar became the most popular member. By 1979, Sugar had been invited by Studio 1 to record a solo album.
When recording at Studio 1, he chose not to use a backing band as in conventional recording, but elected to sing over instrumental versions of old Studio 1 classics. This is considered to be the birth of "dancehall," which lead to countless artists making new hits out of old classics, a tradition that continues in Jamaica today.
Sugar was also well-regarded for hard work on his Youthman Promotion sound system and Black Roots & Youthman Promotion labels into the 1980s, which brought forth such artists as Tenor Saw, Nitty Gritty, Yami Bolo, Junior Reid, Tony Rebel, Garnett Silk, and many more to the industry. Up until his death, he was still working with young artists both in Jamaica and the US, including his daughter Pashon Minott.
Tune In
Sugar Minott Lyrics
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Bounty
This is more than a rhyme, this is a crime
Come to dis my sound yuh on the wrong line
Sugar Minott longside the might Bounty Killer
Maxfield inna no long talking
CHO
Sugar Minott
Di man dem inna club, di gal dem inna club
Di whole a dem dress up a duh di rub a dub
Di butcher an di baker an di cndlestick maker
Di juicemaker di nurse and di gal name Precious
Tune in to the A 1 sound
Tune in to the rub a dub sound
Bounty
1. Well tek in da soun yah bass and tek in da sound yah treble
Everything EQ sound balance an well level
Top end a gwaan good an all di bass miserable
So a dem yah sound ram dance 7 to 7
Selector say him bad like galawass
Yuh drop a pin yuh coulda hear to how di dance quiat
All di mid-range seems as if it naah riat
When him start play yuh know mi naah hear nuh hyatt
Di bassline soun like say it dey pan diat
All mi coulda hear from di crowd is a wha dat
Di fus tune mi play an get red like Goliath
Di boss start tremble like him never eat carrot
Well this is a warning to all yuh sound idiot
Sugar Minott
Why won't you tune in to the rub a dub sound
CHO
Bounty
2. Bwoy yuh force two box and sound buss up speaker
Yuh overdrive the sound an bun up di tweeter
Yuh old time mixer an di equalizer
Yes yuh have a selector but my own wiser
Yes yuh an yuh boss is a late arriver
Di scratch up dub dem just a swim inna water
An yuh selector dis a pinch like pastor
Sugar Minott
Say mi an Bounty Killer inna A 1 class
Tune in, Bugga Minott in yuh town
Why won't yuh tune in, Bounty Killer in yuh town
Wi come fi nice up yuh area, wuh yoi!
Wi come fi nice up yuh area, wuh yoi !
Rub a dub, rub a dub a whey di people love
Rub a dub, rub a dub a whey di people love
CHO
RPT verse 1
Cho
Sugar Minott
The critics dem a fight but mi know sey mi right
Play rub a dub till a broad daylight
Watch how di Uptown posse, an di Downtown posse
Dis one is coming from Sly and Robbie
Tune in to the a 1 sound.
In Sugar Minott's tune Tune In, he starts by introducing the song along with his counterpart Bounty Killer. The lyrics that follow revolve around singing and dancing at clubs to Sugar Minott's A 1 sound system. The song's main message seems to be the promotion of the rub a dub sound to the masses, with lyrics such as "tune in to the A 1 sound" and "tune in to the rub a dub sound."
Bounty Killer jumps in on the first verse, providing insight into how good the sound balance is for Sugar Minott's sound system. The Selector proclaims himself to be bad like galawass ("galawass" means "a type of traditional Caribbean hooped skirt with needlework.") As the verse goes on, Bounty Killer's aggression toward other sound systems intensifies as he gives them a warning to not compete with their sound system.
The second verse starts with Bounty Killer pointing out the shortcomings of other sound systems, saying their equipment buss up the singer and is outdated. He then boasts about his and Sugar Minott's sound system and how it is better overall than any competitor. Finally, the song ends with Sugar Minott telling the critics that they can fight all they want, but he knows that he's doing the right thing by playing rub a dub on A 1.
Line by Line Meaning
Di man dem inna club, di gal dem inna club
Men and women are in the club
Di whole a dem dress up a duh di rub a dub
Everyone is dressed up to participate in the rub a dub dance
Di butcher an di baker an di cndlestick maker
People from all walks of life are present
Di juicemaker di nurse and di gal name Precious
More people from various professions are present, including a nurse and a woman named Precious
Tune in to the A 1 sound
Listen and pay attention to the high-quality sound system
Tune in to the rub a dub sound
Listen and pay attention to the rub a dub style of music
Bwoy yuh force two box and sound buss up speaker
Your sound system is too powerful and caused the singer to break
Yuh overdrive the sound an bun up di tweeter
You played the music too loud and damaged the tweeter
Yuh old time mixer an di equalizer
Your mixer and equalizer are outdated
Yes yuh have a selector but my own wiser
You have a music selector, but I have a better one
Wi come fi nice up yuh area, wuh yoi!
We have come to improve your area and make it more lively
Rub a dub, rub a dub a whey di people love
The rub a dub style is what the people enjoy
The critics dem a fight but mi know sey mi right
Critics are trying to stop me, but I know that I am right
Play rub a dub till a broad daylight
Keep playing rub a dub music until dawn
Watch how di Uptown posse, an di Downtown posse
Observe both the Uptown and Downtown groups
Dis one is coming from Sly and Robbie
This music is produced by the legendary duo Sly and Robbie
Tune in to the a 1 sound.
Listen and enjoy the high-quality sound system.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SLY DUNBAR, ROBBIE SHAKESPEARE, RODNEY (PKA "BOUNTY KILLER" PRICE, LINCOLN BARRINGTON MINOTT, LINCOLN MINOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind