Hailing originally from Spanish Town, the first capitol of the island paradise Jamaica, Jason ‘Sly’ Rankin, developed his childhood love for music into a budding career, which started when he and a group of high school friends banded together to form Gangsta Colony in 2002.
SLY RANKIN fuses the sounds of Jamaica's reggae and dancehall with the hip-hop and pop sounds of the United States. He draws inspiration from the colorful surroundings, experiences, and observations found in his homeland of Jamaica, his numerous trips to his adopted home Brooklyn, NY where his record label is based and his time spent in Florida with his family and friends. This is enough to give his music a uniquely refreshing sound. While his content stays true to reality, he finds the need to maintain positivity in his lyrics; “Negativity is a reality that we must reflect, but I feel that the negativity we see and experience in our societies can be portrayed from a positive perspective, not necessarily a perspective that will PROMOTE it.”
Sly Rankin completed his bachelor’s degree in literature and philosophy at the University of the West Indies, while traveling back and forth between Jamaica and New York City to prepare material for his debut album. Solja Life Records recently released a music video for "Wasn't There", the first single from Sly Rankin's debut album titled "Jamaican Pride" which has been rotating on Jamaica’s leading music video stations. He has been performing at shows from New York to New Hampshire, and collaborating with several artists. He has also been featured on numerous episodes of Jamaica’s R.E.TV rap exposure program Face-Off, all of which can be found at youtube.com/SoljaLife. The upcoming album “Jamaican Pride” features six songs licensed by MTV Networks for use in their programming and video games.
