About this person
Capleton, whose real name is Clifton George Bailey III, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician. He also performs under the names King Shango, King David, The Fireman and The Prophet and closely connects his work with Rastafarian beliefs.
He was born on 13 April 1967 in Islington in Saint Mary Parish. He was given the nickname Capleton after a local lawyer and family friend and later began to prefer the name King Shango. As a teenager, he secretly attended dancehall performances and moved to Kingston at the age of eighteen to pursue music professionally.
His first international opportunity came in 1989, when he travelled to perform in Canada. In the early 1990s, he achieved success with Alms House, Music is a Mission, Tour and Cold Blooded Murderer. He released Prophecy and I-Testament through Def Jam Recordings, while the album More Fire ushered in another notable period. Since 2000, he has organised the A St Mary Mi Come From charity concert for local schools and hospitals.
Capleton describes himself as vegan, eats neither meat nor dairy products and also avoids soya. His Rastafarian beliefs influence his lyrics and public persona. At the same time, he has faced criticism for anti-gay lyrics, which have led to the cancellation of some concerts and tours. He has said that he understands references to fire metaphorically as purification, rather than as calls for violence.