Jamaica’s first dancehall superstar, Yellowman ushered in a new era in reggae music following Bob Marley’s death. His early-’80s success brought the popularity of toasting — the reggae equivalent of rapping — to a whole new level, and helped establish dancehall as the wave of the future. For better or for worse, he also epitomized dancehall’s penchant for “slack” lyrics — that is, casual violence, sexism, homophobia, and general rudeness. Bouts with cancer pushed him into more thoughtful, socially conscious territory in the 1990s, but his initial style remains the most influential, paving the way for countless dancehall toasters to follow. He remained quiet through most of the 2000s before mounting a comeback with 2019’s No More War.