Ranking Dread

Ranking Dread (born Winston Brown, c. 1955–1996) was a Jamaican reggae deejay who grew up in the Kingston communities of Rema and Tivoli after being born in Trelawny parish. He rose to prominence in the 1970s through his work with the Ray Symbolic sound system, becoming known for his energetic deejay style. His early success established him as a recognizable figure in Jamaica’s sound system culture before he later relocated overseas. By the late 1970s, Ranking Dread had moved to London, where he worked with Lloyd Coxsone’s sound system and released several albums. His debut album Girls Fiesta (1978) was produced by Linval Thompson, and he later collaborated with Sugar Minott on Lots of Loving. He achieved modest chart success in the UK with the single “Fattie Boom Boom” in the early 1980s. However, his music career declined by the mid-1980s as he became increasingly associated with criminal allegations rather than musical output. During his later years in the UK and North America, Ranking Dread became notorious due to serious legal troubles, including accusations of gang leadership and violent crime, which he publicly denied. He was arrested, deported from multiple countries, and eventually extradited back to Jamaica after failed attempts to remain abroad under false identities. His life ended in 1996 when he died in a Jamaican prison, marking a controversial and troubled conclusion to the career of a once-prominent reggae deejay.