Nicodemus came
to notoriety as a DJ in the late 70s/early 80s performing on the
Socialist Roots sound system alongside selector Danny
Dread. In 1978, King Jammy (then Prince Jammy,)
gave his name to the Tapetown Sound, which flourished when
Nicodemus joined the crew. He delivered his chantings in
a style similar to Prince Far I and Prince Jazzbo.
He recorded a number of hits, including memorable work with the
Roots Radics and notable sessions at Channel One
Studio.
In 1980, Nicodemus
released a combination tune with Ranking Trevor, 'Jamaican
Rockers Hop', announcing his arrival. He enjoyed a string
of hits in 1981, including the adjoining hits 'Gunman Connection'
and 'Boneman Connection'. The DJ Clash, with Ranking Toyan,
which was issued with a voting card, featured the exceptional
'Hail Nico Dread', 'Bubble Nicodemus Bubble' and
'Tubby's Daddy'. Nicodemus was the featured DJ on
Bingi Bunny 's 'Him A Natty Dread', which introduced
his idiosyncratic style to a wider audience. His reputation was
further enhanced by the equally popular combination hits with
Linval Thompson ('Holding On To My Girlfriend')
and Leroy Sibbles ('Rock Steady Party'), while his
solo 'Natty Sell A Million' was credited to the Top Ranking
Deejay Nicadeamus [sic]. Nicodemus' popularity inspired
the up-and-coming John Taylor, who called himself Nicodemus
Junior as a mark of respect to the DJ responsible for motivating
his career. Taylor's fortune changed when he changed his stage
name to Chaka Demus and joined with Pliers.
Sporadic hits continued
through to the late 80s when Nicodemus linked up with Early
B's protege Supercat. His career prospered and he enjoyed
a revival, recording for Don Dada's Wild Apache label.
His combination venture in 1988 with Supercat, 'Cabin Stabbin',
resulted in an all-important US hit, generating new interest in
his past repertoire. The veteran DJs recorded two successful albums
with their proteges Junior Demus and Junior Cat,
joining forces as the Wild Apache crew. The four DJs also featured
in a promotional video for the release of 'Scalp Dem' which
was considered unorthodox in opting for a Western theme. Nicodemus
succumbed to complications from diabetes and died in 1996.
1993 was the first
meeting of Positive Sound Massive and Nicodemus;
and since that time, PSM recorded many concert performances,
on both audio and video formats.
"Dancehall Giant"
was the collaborative result of PSM & Nicodemus'
meeting in San Francisco. We continue to miss him.