Cutty Ranks
b. Philip Thomas, 12 February 1965, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Thomas began his working life as a butcher, and it is tempting to state that he continued his DJing career as if he was still working with his cleaver— cutting through rhythms and rivals like so many slices of meat. Off the microphone, Cutty is as friendly and personable a character as you're likely to meet in the reggae business, but his style is strictly no holds barred, and his career during the '90s has progressed from strength to strength due to this uncompromising musical stance. 
He first took up the microphone for local sound system Feathertone, and moved on to Stereo Mars, Arrows and Metro Media—all top ranking sounds. He began his recording career for Winston Riley of Techniques Records and then moved to Miami with Skeng Don, learning his craft from Super Cat and Nicodemus. He then moved on to Patrick Roberts at Shocking Vibes where he made his first—and highly influential—hit, The Bomber. His next move to Donovan Germain's Penthouse set-up further consolidated his popularity, and he hit again with Pon Me Nozzle. His ‘rock-stone’ ranting attracted the attention of London-based Fashion Records, and his 1990 recording, The Stopper, became a huge international reggae hit both in the original and hip hop remix versions. The album of the same name still sells some four years after its release like a new outing, while its catch phrases and hooklines have been endlessly sampled and reworked. 
Cutty had arrived and he has now established his position as one of the foremost exponents of the '90s DJing style. He was even able to deal with a falling-off in his popularity on record in 1992 with A Who Seh Me Dun, where he dusted out rivals with his customary blend of venom and humour and came out on top again. He's only ever worked with the best producers in the business, such as Sly & Robbie, Roof International and the aforementioned Donovan Germain, Fashion and Shocking Vibes, and has always resisted the ever present temptation for Jamaican DJs to ‘voice out’ too many tunes for too many producers. It can only be a matter of time before he crosses over in the same way that fellow travellers Buju ( Banton) and Shabba ( Ranks) have done already, as his Limb By Limb, a massive hit in the US in 1993, suggests he will.