Turbulence

b. Sheldon Campbell, Mannings Hill Road, Jamaica, West Indies. Turbulence is widely acknowledged as being discovered by Philip ‘Fatis’ Burrell, although his first recording, ‘Keep It Going’, was actually recorded with Sky High. Turbulence’s initial foray into the Jamaican music industry faltered and it was not until 2000 that he enjoyed notoriety with Burrell’s Exterminator crew having recorded ‘Word Wid It’ in 1999. Widely considered a ‘sing-jay’ he effectively combined ragga, hip-hop and R&B that resulted in a unique style. Turbulence’s sound leaned heavily towards the US market and led to unwarranted trepidation from the purists. The Exterminator crew also featured artists such as Sizzla and Prince Malachi with whom Turbulence toured in the summer of 2000. The tour covered Europe and included a highly acclaimed appearance at the Montreux International Jazz Festival. In the same year he released ‘Where Are Your Wings’, a release that proved sufficiently popular to inspire Burrell to record the Turbulence’s self-titled debut. The release demonstrated his R&B leanings with the track ‘Hold The Faith’, that was also utilised by labelmate Malachi on his debut Watch Over We. Sing-jays are often considered to be second-rate vocalists but Turbulence proved otherwise as he was able to sing in a sensitive style as well as demonstrating his skills as a hardcore dancehall DJ. The debut was deemed a mixed bag and featured dancehall classics such as, ‘Hotness A Gwan’, ‘Nah Beg No Friend’ and ‘Living In Sufferation’.