About Congo Natty
Michael Alec Anthony West , better known as Rebel MC and Congo Natty, is a British jungle producer, spiritual chanter and toaster. He has also gone by aliases including Conquering Lion, Blackstar, Tribe of Issachar, Lion of Judah, X Project and Ras Project.
In the late 1980s, West formed the group Double Trouble with Michael Menson, Karl Brown and Leigh Guest. This would lead to two hip house records reaching the UK Top 40 in 1989 - "Just Keep Rockin'" followed by "Street Tuff". The latter reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart. These would appear shortly after on his debut album Rebel Music.
In 1991, West released his second album, Black Meaning Good, which combined his former hip house and pop-rap influences with radical political, spiritual consciousness and a stronger roots reggae, dubwise and breakbeat edge. The album featured notable reggae and dancehall artists such as Barrington Levy, Tenor Fly and Dennis Brown. Singles released from the album included "The Wickedest Sound", "Comin' On Strong", and "Tribal Base" - to which their breakbeat hardcore and reggae fusion would give rise to an early precursor to the jungle sound.
His third album Word, Sound and Power represented further exploration of increasingly politicised awareness, breakbeat hardcore, house, conscious spiritual roots reggae, dubwise, and hip hop, with two singles "Rich Ah Getting Richer" and "I Can't Get No Sleep" released from it. "Rich Ah Getting Richer" was built on melodies and samples from Twinkle Brothers "Jahovia", Junior Byles and King Tubby's'"Fade Away" as well as Junior Delgado's "Tichion." The track "Jahovia" samples the keyboard hook from the sound system favourite, "Kunta Kinte". Kunta Kinte, the film character from Alex Haley's book "Roots" inspired a reggae riddim of the same name, which started off life as a track called Beware Of Your Enemies released from Jamaica's Channel One. A dub version, put out in 1976 by Channel One house band The Revolutionaries became a sound system anthem for many years on dubplate, and inspired a UK version produced by Mad Professor in 1981. The track inspired Rebel MC and other jungle covers.
On Word, Sound and Power Rebel MC also built tracks around samples and melodies from Yabby You, Lincoln Thompson and the Royal Rasses and Burning Spear's "Creation Rebel."
The track "African" samples Lloyd Coxsone’s King of the Dub Rock part two, and Johnny Clarke’s vocals from Bunny Lee productions.
Map & Directions To Venue
