- Mad Lion
Oswald Priest, known as Mad Lion, is a
dancehall musician andrapper . He frequently collaborates with fellowhip hop artistKRS-One — most recently on a DVD promoting theTemple of Hiphop . The recipient of the 1994 Source award as Reggae Artist of the Year, he has inspired similar-sounding recordings by such artists as Ini Kamoze, Capleton, and Rayvon.A native of London, Mad Lion was raised in Jamaica. Shortly after moving to the
Bronx, New York , he met reggae performer Super Cat at Super Power Records. At Super Cat's suggestion, he adopted his professional name, an acronym for Musical Assassin Delivering Lyrical Intelligence Over Nations. Mad Lion's earliest success came in the mid-1980s when he applied his hip hop rhythms to Shabba Ranks' hit single "Jam". He later appeared, along withQueen Latifah , onSalt-N-Pepa 's 1997 album "Brand New".Launching his own label, Spinners Choice, Mad Lion was working on his debut album when he met and convinced KRS-One to work with him. The collaboration proved fruitful as Lion's single, "Shoot to Kill", sold more than 100,000 copies. His next single "Take It Easy", did even better, exceeding the 300,000 sale mark.
After releasing the album "Real Ting" in 1993, Mad Lion made countless guest appearances on such albums as "The New Jersey Drive" and "D&D Project", compilations, and produced a tune for
Born Jamericans . His second album "Ghetto Gold & Platinum Respect" was released in 1997. Three years later, his third album "Predatah or Prey", which also included an interactive game, arrived.He also appeared in the music video for
Craig Mack feat.Notorious B.I.G. , Rampage,LL Cool J andBusta Rhymes - "Flava In Ya Ear ".
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