Ward 21
Encyclopedia
Ward 21 are group of dancehall
musicians and producers
hailing from Kingston
, Jamaica
, named for the psychiatric ward at the University College Hospital in Kingston. Ward 21 are renowned producers and have created hit dancehall riddim
s like "Badda badda", "Da Joint", "Bellyas", and "Volume" as well as hit singles like "Haters" and "Judgement Day". In 2005, the group went on a tour through Europe, playing shows in Belgium
, The Netherlands, Germany
, Romania
, Switzerland
, Italy
and Spain
. They also performed at Europe's biggest reggae festival, Summerjam
, later that year.
In addition to countless singles (released mostly on King Jammy
's label) and tracks on compilations, Ward 21 have released three albums on the reggae label Greensleeves
. The band had participated in 311
's remix of Amber song in Supa Dups Remix.
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
musicians and producers
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
hailing from Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, named for the psychiatric ward at the University College Hospital in Kingston. Ward 21 are renowned producers and have created hit dancehall riddim
Riddim
Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm," but in dancehall/reggae parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. Thus, a dancehall song consists of the riddim plus the "voicing" sung by the deejay. The resulting song structure may be taken for...
s like "Badda badda", "Da Joint", "Bellyas", and "Volume" as well as hit singles like "Haters" and "Judgement Day". In 2005, the group went on a tour through Europe, playing shows in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, The Netherlands, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. They also performed at Europe's biggest reggae festival, Summerjam
Summerjam
The Summerjam is Europe's biggest reggae festival. It takes places annually in July at the Fühlinger See, a lake in Cologne, Germany. It is visited by 25.000 to 30.000 people...
, later that year.
In addition to countless singles (released mostly on King Jammy
King Jammy
Lloyd James , better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub master at King Tubby's recording studio...
's label) and tracks on compilations, Ward 21 have released three albums on the reggae label Greensleeves
Greensleeves Records
Greensleeves Records & Publishing is a record label specialising in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick and started as a small record store in West Ealing, London, in November 1975 and is based in Britain....
. The band had participated in 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
's remix of Amber song in Supa Dups Remix.
Albums
- Mentally Disturbed (album) (2001)
- U Know How We Roll (2003)
- King of the World (Ward 21) (2006)
- Genesis (Ward 21 album) (2009)