Sizzla

Sizzla (real name Michael Collins) is a Jamaican reggae musician. He was born of devout Rastafarian parents and raised in August Town. He is unusually prolific, even by Jamaican standards.

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Sizzla is accepted as one of the most influential and inventive reggae stars of all time, however he has been involved in controversy over his anti-gay lyrics, and has been attacked in press statements by gay special interest group, "OutRage!" ? the controversy led to him being dropped from appearing at the MOBO awards, and cancelling tours of the UK and France.

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At one stage, the British Government considered banning him from entry to the United Kingdom. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3977791.stm

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On February 3 2005, Sizzla was jailed for 15 days in Jamaica, after swearing on stage at a concert in St Thomas. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4231797.stm

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Sizzla ascribes to the "boboshanti" sect of Rastafarianism which is a sect which is known for its orthodoxy in terms of its stringent rejection of values associated with western culture and colonialism.

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Sizzla, along with reggae recording artists such as Capleton, Buju Banton, and Anthony B, are credited with leading a movement toward a re-embracement of Rastafarian values in contemporary reggae music by recording material which is concerned primarily with spirituality, social consciousness, and resistance against perceived agents of oppression.

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Jamaica: Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 240 kilometers in length and as much as 80 kilometers in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is 630 kilometers from the Central American mainland, 150 kilometers from Cuba on the north, and 180 kilometers from the island of Hispaniola, on whic...

Reggae: Reggae is a style of music developed in Jamaica. Reggae may be used in a broad sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, including ska, rocksteady, dancehall and ragga. The term may also be used to distinguish a particular style that developed in the mid-1960s. Reggae is founded upon its rhyth...

Musician: A musician is a person who plays or composes music. Musicians can be classified by their role in production, including instrument and genre:...