Mad Cobra

Mad Cobra (born Ewart Everton Brown on 31 March 1968) is a Jamaican dancehall musician known for his energetic style and versatile hits spanning gangsta, conscious, and crossover dancehall. Born in Kingston and raised in St. Mary, he adopted his stage name from a G.I. Joe comic book character and honed his skills on local sound systems as a teenager. His early singles, including “Respect Woman” and “Na Go Work”, brought him attention in Jamaica and led to collaborations with producers Captain Sinbad, Carl Nelson, Donovan Germain, and Dave Kelly, producing hits like “Yush”, “Gundelero”, and “Feeling Lonely”. Cobra gained international fame in the early 1990s with his album Hard to Wet, Easy to Dry, featuring the crossover hit “Flex”, which topped the US Rap Singles chart and reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. He continued to release albums and singles in both Jamaica and the US, such as Milkman, Cobra, and Words of Warning, and collaborated with artists including King Jammy, Run-D.M.C., Mr. Vegas, and Tony Touch. His music evolved from hardcore dancehall and “bad boy” themes to more conscious and socially aware lyrics in the mid-1990s. Mad Cobra’s personal life has included violent incidents and legal troubles. In May 2010, he was shot three times in an altercation in Braeton, Jamaica, and his home was later targeted by unknown assailants. More recently, on 25 July 2023, he was arrested in Florence County, South Carolina, after police discovered cocaine and a firearm in his vehicle. Despite these challenges, Mad Cobra remains a notable figure in dancehall, recognized for his dynamic contributions to the genre.