Lady Saw

by John BushThe First Lady of Dancehall, Lady Saw is a Jamaican bad girl with loads more attitude and sex appeal than hip-hop mistresses like Lil' Kim or Foxy Brown, plus one of the most distinguishing images in reggae. Born in 1972 in the small Jamaican village of St. Mary's, Marion Hall signed to the Jamaican grassroots label VP Records and debuted in 1994 with Lover Girl. Lady Saw soon proved she was up to the challenge of Jamaica's rudest boys by teaming up with Shabba Ranks on the single "Want It Tonight." Her second album, Give Me the Reason, was followed by 1997's Passion, which featured her X-rated vocal swaggering on duets with Shaggy ("Mr. Lover Lover") and Beenie Man ("Healing"). The album was her most popular, prompting the 1998 release of two greatest-hits packages, Collection and Raw: The Best of Lady Saw. In 2004 she released Strip Tease, then three years later the ambitious Walk Out.