Alborosie

Alberto D'Ascola (Italian pronunciation: [alˈbɛrto daskola]; born 4 July 1977 in Marsala, Sicily), better known by his stage name Alborosie, is an Italian-Jamaican reggae artist. He is sometimes called the "Italian Reggae Ambassador."

Alborosie
Alborosie performing at Chiemsee Reggae Summer 2013
Background information
Birth nameAlberto D'Ascola
Born (1977-07-04) 4 July 1977
Marsala, Sicily, Italy
GenresReggae, dancehall, dub
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, record producer
InstrumentsVocals, drums, guitar, keyboard, bass
Years active1993 – present
LabelsGreensleeves, VP
Websitewww.alborosiemusic.com

Career

Born and raised in Marsala, Sicily, Italy, but now residing in Kingston, Jamaica, he is a multi-instrumentalist, being proficient in guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. His musical career began in the Italian reggae band Reggae National Tickets, from Bergamo city, when he was 15 years old in 1993, in which he was known as Stena.

In 2001 Alborosie decided to try a solo career. He moved to Jamaica to be close to reggae music's roots and Rastafari culture.[1] There, he started working as a sound engineer and producer. He has also worked with artists like Gentleman and Ky-Mani Marley. His first solo album was called Soul Pirate. In the summer of 2009 he released his second album which was called Escape from Babylon.[2] In August 2008 Alborosie played at the Uppsala Reggae Festival.[3]

The name 'Alborosie' comes from a name he was given in the early years after moving to Jamaica. "Borosie was what they used to call me. Let me put it like this. My early experience in Jamaica was… not nice. Borosie was a name they used to call me and it has a negative meaning. So I said “I'm gonna use this name and mash up the place turn a negative into a positive thing!". Basically my name is Albert so I add "Al" – Al-borosie. But I’m not gonna tell you what borosie mean!"[4]

Alborosie's hits include "Rastafari Anthem", "Kingston Town", and "Call Up Jah". Alborosie recently started his own record label, Forward Recordings. He has given concerts all round the world, including most of Europe and Jamaica.

In 2011, he became the first white artist to win the M.O.B.O. (Music of Black Origin) Awards in the Best Reggae Act category.[5][6]

In 2014, Greensleeves Records released Specialist Presents Alborosie & Friends, a collection of collaborations with other artists.[6] The album entered the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart at number 7.[6] He collaborated with King Jammy on a dub album, Reality of Dub, which is set for release in early 2015.[7]

In 2015, his classic album Soul Pirate is re-mastered and released in Deluxe Remastered Edition with 4 never-before-released bonus tracks – Call Up Jah, Slambam, Streets and Jamaica. It was released by Evolution Music Group.

In May 2016 his album Freedom & Fyah was released by VP records.[8] In the end of 2016, Evolution Music Group released his classic album Soul Pirate in acoustic version, . The title was released on CD and CD+DVD formats.[9]

His 2018 album Unbreakable: Alborosie Meets the Wailers United peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.[10]

He collaborated with Roots Radics on the 2019 album Alborosie Meets The Roots Radics: Dub For The Radicals.[11]

Personal life

Alberto D'Ascola was born on 4 July 1977 in Marsala, Sicily, Italy.

His father is a retired policeman and his mother was a housewife.[12] D'Ascola developed an interest in reggae music and joined the band Reggae National Tickets in 1992 (at the age of 15.) He is a dual citizen of both Italy and Jamaica.

Discography

Solo studio albums

  • Soul Pirate (2008)
  • Escape From Babylon (2009)
  • 2 Times Revolution (2011)
  • Sound the System (2013)
  • Freedom & Fyah (2016)
  • The Rockers (2016)
  • Unbreakable: Alborosie Meets the Wailers United (2018)

Dub albums, EPs and reeditions

  • Dub Clash (2010)
  • Escape from Babylon to the Kingdom of Zion (2010)
  • Specialist & Friends (2010)
  • Dub the System (2013)
  • Dub of Thrones - With King Jammy (2013)
  • Specialist Presents Alborosie & Friends (2014)
  • Sound the System Showcase (2014)
  • Soul Pirate Deluxe Remastered Edition (2015)
  • Soul Pirate Acoustic (2016)
  • Freedom in Dub (2017)
  • Alborosie Meets The Roots Radics: Dub For The Radicals (2019), VP

With Reggae National Tickets

  • Squali (1996)
  • Un affare difficile (1997)
  • Lascia un po' di te (1998)
  • La Isla (1999)
  • Roof Club (2000)

Awards and nominations
Year Organisation Award Result
2011 2011 MOBO Awards Best reggae act Won
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References
  1. "Alborosie marks journey from Sicily to Kingston Town". The Jamaica Observer. 10 June 2007. Archived from the original on 30 June 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
  2. Moore, Malcolm (19 January 2008). "Sicilian reggae performer wows Jamaica". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
  3. "Första artisterna till Reggaefestivalen klara". Upsala Nya Tidning. 3 March 2008. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
  4. "Interview : Alborosie". unitedreggae.com. 28 February 2008.
  5. "MOBO 2011 2011". Archived from the original on 4 July 2013.
  6. "Alborosie debuts on Billboard", Jamaica Observer, 4 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014
  7. "King Jammy and Alborosie join forces", RJR News, 2 October 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014
  8. "Alborosie looks to Freedom & Fyah", Jamaica Observer, 20 May 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016
  9. " https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/alborosie/news/view/new-album-release-alborosie-soul-pirate-acoustic/reggaeville, 17 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018
  10. Jackson, Kevin (2018) "Alborosie is Unbreakable", Jamaica Observer, 10 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018
  11. "Alborosie releases album on Friday", Jamaica Observer, 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019
  12. "Alborosie Interview". reggaenews.de. 22 June 2009.
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