Fathead (musician)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Fathead, born Vernon Rainford (c. 1960 – 1988), was a Jamaican dancehall musician best known for his work with Yellowman in the early 1980s. Born in Kingston, he was an established deejay when he teamed up with Yellowman during his peak popularity. They often performed at Aces Disco in St. Thomas and released Live at Aces, the first live dancehall album, followed by Bad Boy Skanking and For Your Eyes Only (both 1982). Other duo albums include One Yellowman, Supermix, and The Yellow, The Purple, and the Nancy, which also featured Purpleman and Sister Nancy.

When Yellowman pursued solo projects, Fathead continued to collaborate with others, scoring a 1983 hit with "It's Me" and working with Beenie Man, Early B, Johnny Ringo, and Ranking Toyan. The two artists reunited in 1984 for Showdown vol. 5, a release that split between the duo and Purpleman. Fathead was killed in Florida in 1988. A later interview claimed he had been involved in the Miami drug trade, and that involvement was said to have contributed to his death; this account remains unverified.