From chart topping rapper to jungle pioneer, Mikail Tafari aka Rebel MC aka Congo Natty, is one of the most groundbreaking artists in UK music.
Growing up in Tottenham, but with some years spent with family in Llandrindod Wells, he played his first DJ set at the age of 10 and was running the Beat Freak sound system with friends by the age of 20, playing a mixture of hip hop, reggae and house and putting on Warehouse parties across London.
As Rebel MC he hooked up with Double Trouble in the late 80s and their first single ‘Just Keep Rockin’’ hit the UK Top 20. This was followed by ‘Street Tuff’ which made it to No. 3, and from there he released two game changing albums, ‘Black Meaning Good’ and ‘Word Sound & Power’ which laid the foundation for Jungle to rise.
As Conquering Lion, X Project, Blackstar and eventually Congo Natty he helped to define the sound of Jungle and has been one of its leading lights around the globe. As a devout Rastafarian with a Jamaican father (and Welsh mother), he sees Jungle as an extension of roots reggae, “The message of reggae is Ras Tafari and Ras Tafari is love. They sang about love your brother but they was also prophesying and talking about the system, talking about things that were going on in the world. I saw Jungle as being that same music, where we were going to spread a message.” He also introduced a number of UK dancehall legends into the scene such as Top Cat and the late great Tenor Fly.