I Wayne

With his sweet-voiced excoriations of improper behavior and frequent exaltations of ganja, Rastafarian singer I Wayne is a 21st-century throwback to the conscious reggae sound of the ’60s and '70s. Born Cliffroy Taylor in Portmore, Jamaica, in 1980, I Wayne was raised by his aunt and her husband, renowned roots-reggae keyboardist Ansel Collins. A high-school stint in local group Vibes Machine led to the 2004 release of "Can't Satisfy Her," a gritty, detailed story of a female sex worker. That track and "Living in Love" topped reggae charts and buoyed I Wayne’s hit 2005 debut album, Lava Ground. On 2007’s Book of Life and 2011’s Life Teachings, Wayne applied his singjay technique to songs about the rise of Rastafarianism ("Change Them Ways"), the downfall of Babylon ("Keep Burning Rome"), and the delights of righteous romance ("Life Joy"). The presence of Collins and rhythm stars Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare on Life Teachings further reinforced Wayne's connection to reggae's golden age.