Sizzla Kalonij: His Early Influence on Jamaican Music and Legacy Today

Sizzla, popularly called Sizzla Kalonji, is a Jamaican artist who was born in St. Mary on the April 17, 1976. Miguel Orlando Collins is his birth name. His was raised by Rastafarian parents who lived in August Town, which is located in Kingston Jamaica.

Sizzla started his musical career during the early teenage years where he was groomed at the time by Homer Harris. He learned the skills as well as techniques which were needed for him to become an excellent artist. 

His name was Little One during the early years, but Harris called him Sizzla due to his loved for hot soup and how he drank it like cold water. This sizzle was reflected in his lyrical delivery and style as well.

During the same period of time, Sizzla was developing a career in the field of mechanical engineering at Dunoon High School and he also got some training at an auto garage that was operated by Aston Collins, his father. It did not take long for the mechanic dreams to fade away as music take over. 

Sizzla’s mother, affectionately called Mama Lou, also played a big role in his life as she made sure that he got a very strong education. His years of studying contributed significantly to not only a love for writing, but for his musical legacy.

While focusing on his music, Sizzla Kalonji also spent several years studying the Rastafi principles in St Thomas at an official Bobo Ashanti Camp. Here, he embraced fully the philosophies of not just Rastafari, but also panAfricanism, reparations and repatriation to Africa, and cannabis was used as a spiritual sacrament.

When Sizzla honed his skills in music, he got a gig on the Caveman Hi-Fi sound system and made his name as a performer. He emerged on the music scene in the latter part of the 1990s with heavy Rastafarian influence to lead the dancehall back to its spiritual and musical roots of reggae.

In 1995, he released his first single on the small Zagalou label and Homer introduced him to Luciano and Bobby Digital Dixon. This ultimately led to an extensive music tour with Luciano, who is a fellow artist with roots and culture lyrics. Although this tour gave Sizzla some publicity, his breakout success did not come until Dean Fraser, a popular saxophonist, recommended him to Philip Fatis Burrell, a well-known producer.

This musical connection marked a very important turning point as Sizzla and Fatis developed a mutual respect as well as inspiration right from the start. 

Sizzla had a successful run with singles leading to the release of a debut album called Burning Up. The alliance was successful once again a year later with the Praise Ye Jah album. Sizzla secured his position in the music industry as a top artist in the conscious reggae category and set about to become a spiritual messenger. As a passionate and brilliant performer, he broke many boundaries and appeal to those who were looking for music that was brand-new with more depth. The latest dancehall rhythms and the Rasta principles combine to help make Sizzla’s hard-line approach to music more pleasant.

Sizzla had a major breakthrough in 1997 when he released Black Woman and Child album, which is a classic today. With all the hallmarks of a production that is influenced by Bobby Digital, this album had a phenomenal impact on reggae as well as the mainstream markets. Aside from getting universal praise, Sizzla was nominated as the Best International Reggae Artist for the Year 1998 by MOBO Awards and the album was featured in many magazines. Sizzla had many more hits in 1997, such as Like Mountain, King of the Earth and Babylon Cowboy.

There is no denying that Sizzla has the ability to combine passionate lyrics with simple rhythms which covers different genres from roots reggae to dancehall and surprisingly to commercial soul and R&B music. Sizzla manages to have a very strong presence over the years on the reggae charts across the world. He has released more than fifty solo albums and more than fifteen combinations, crossing over different Reggae genres. 

Twenty-one of the albums have made it to the Billboard Top Reggae Music Chart to date, with the Words of Truth reaching the highest position at number five. In addition to that, Sizzla’s recordings have gone to many top 10 and top 100 charts. He  has earned awards from many sources include MOBO, Vibe Magazine, IRAWMA, EME, People Choice, Rolling Stone, IRIE FM, Digital Music Award, Reggae Academy Awards, and numerous Grammy nominations.

Today, Sizzla is one of the most critically acclaimed and popular reggae artistes. He is also a prolific leader when it comes to the conscious movement of dancehall. He continues to release a lot of music throughout his career displaying a level of talent which shows through his spirituality and creativity. Sizzla is also somewhat controversial, as he has maintained strong views of Bobo Ashanti, especially promoting the end of oppression and the African Family.

Overall, Sizzla’s music is positive with lyrics advocating compassion for the poor black youths, faith and respect for women. Even though he rarely gives interviews and he does not appear in a lot of concerts, Sizzla is stilled ranked as arguably one of the most popular artists in the conscious reggae category and many know him worldwide through his high number of top releases.