Shabba Ranks was ragga's figurehead in the early '90s, delivering rude & lewd "slackness" lyrics (sample title: "Hard & Stiff") with a rough gravelly voice over equally aggressive, electronic beats. His international recording deal with Sony did not dilute his music, and allowed him to reach a far wider audience than any Jamaican DJ before. His work thrived in a world that had been hardened by hip-hop's early successes.