Like a Human Flood: Attempting to Uncover the Real Sleng Teng Story

John Doran

Feb. 23, 2025, 9 a.m.

Wrongtom celebrates the 40th birthday of the culture-changing Sleng Teng riddim, while admitting that everyone, including us, has the date wrong

On the night of 23 February 1985, a soundclash to end them all was in full swing on a big lawn off Waltham Park Road in Kingston, Jamaica. Black Scorpio sound system's Jah Screw kicked off the event with an onslaught of fresh dubplates from the likes of Frankie Paul, Johnny Osbourne and Earl Sixteen. A heaving crowd begged for more as the mic passed down a lineup of deejays, from General Trees to Sassafrass to Culture Lee, all hyping the dancers into a frenzy. Across the park, Lloyd “King Jammy” James looked beyond the sea of bouncing heads, to...

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