Billy Boyo, born Billy Theophilus Rowe in Kingston, Jamaica, on September 21, 1971, was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist who was among the most prolific child deejays of the early 1980s. He emerged in the music industry during his teens, gaining prominent recognition as a live MC and releasing several vocal and dub twelve-inch discomix singles on the Greensleeves Records label. Backed by the Roots Radics and engineered by Scientist, Boyo charted in 1982 with the Henry “Junjo” Lawes-produced single “Wicked She Wicked”, and achieved widespread popularity with his hit song “One Spliff a Day”. In 1983, he traveled to London with Little John and Ranking Toyan to collaborate with producer Silver Kamel. Known primarily for his live performances, Boyo released only one sound-clash studio album during his lifetime, DJ Clash Vol. 2, in collaboration with Little Harry in 1983. Throughout his active career, he collaborated with prominent reggae vocalists including Don Carlos, Dennis Walks, Linval Thompson, Sammy Dread, and Anthony Johnson. Following a period of inactivity after the late 1980s, Boyo died of a brain tumor on October 29, 2000, after a two-month struggle, at twenty-nine years of age. His recording Zim Zim was posthumously released in 2002.
