Alborosie and Shengen Clan

Contrary to what many would have you believe, there is an absolutely thriving reggae scene all across Europe, and after the young Albert D'Ascola became enamoured with the sound at an early age, he formed one of the most celebrated bands in that scene at the age of 15. Reggae National Tickets became one of the biggest reggae acts in Europe in quick succession, and relocated to Jamaica in 1999 in order to make a name for themselves all over the world. However, at this point D'Ascola, who went by the name of Stena when he fronted the band, was feeling constricted by the responsibilities of being in a band. Fortunately for him, no-one else in the band were feeling particularly happy with their lot either, and after their time in Jamaica didn't really do anything to raise their profile, they split in 2000.

D'Ascola stayed in Jamaica with one eye on beginning a solo career, but first he took any work he could get as a producer and sound engineer, starting from the very bottom of the food chain. This still didn't endear himself to the people he was working with, and he soon got used to being called Borosie, Jamaican slang for a rude person. However, he kept working, earned his dues and later took the insult as his stage name, renaming himself Alborosie. By the mid-2000's, he'd secured himself a record deal with Forward Recordings and released his debut solo album, “Soul Pirate”, in 2008. Ever since then, he's gone from being the most successful reggae artist in Italy to a genuine world-wide concern, with his 2014 album “Specialist Presents Alborosie and Friends” crashing into the Billboard Top Reggae Albums Chart at number 7. For showing that great music knows no boundaries, Alborosie comes highly recommended.