Reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry has died at age 85, according to reports issued by Jamaican media. Perry was reportedly in a Lucea hospital at the time of his passing.
The term “genius” is too frequently tossed around to describe artists of even middling influence; Perry was a true genius. From his early career at the legendary Studio One — where Perry got his nickname and recorded some of Bob Marley‘s best tracks — to later experiments in sound at his Black Ark studio, Perry was an indomitable musical force, his restless tonal experiments forever reverberating through the annals of history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y651C7aNXRc
It’s difficult to overstate Perry’s influence, even outside of the realm of reggae where he reigned as king. His dabbling with dub informed ’80s post-punk and hip-hop, for instance, while the drum machines and rhythmic vocal overlays that he tinkered with in following decades eventually parlayed into the work of producers that came years later.
Suffice to say, genres like IDM, dubstep, grime, and drum & bass wouldn’t exist or wouldn’t have quite the same reach without Perry laying the groundwork first.
https://youtu.be/bEPHlpjMPIc
“I’m a miracle man,” Perry once said. “Things happen which I don’t plan, I’ve never planned anything.”
Perry suffered from wavering mental health throughout his life, but he was perennially optimistic and productive, constantly working, creating, churning out new music.
He consistently hosted and was honored on radio shows, even taking over his own “Blue Ark” station in Grand Theft Auto V alongside peers like Bootsy Collins and Frank Ocean.
https://youtu.be/9qxVt8Mg3uE
from Madlib to Supreme, admirers have lined up to pay homage to the titanic, unshakeable legacy of Lee “Scratch” Perry.
HAI££€ MY FANS AND FRIENDS
I WAS VERY BUSY IN THE STUDIO DOING SOME LOVELY REMIXES.
KEEPING FIT FOR THE UPCOMING SHOWS IN EUROPE AND HOPING THEY WILL HAPPEN!
Sending you much love ️and blessings from the best place on earth Paradise Island #JAMAICA 🇯🇲
£$P️ pic.twitter.com/aG3iIpCZk2— Lee Scratch Perry (@ScratchLee) July 23, 2021
Blessed journey into the infinite.
RIP Lee “Scratch” Perry pic.twitter.com/CBAoMTnfd0— YASUKE (@flyinglotus) August 29, 2021
— Madlib (@madlib) August 29, 2021
We give thanks for the wonderous life of Lee "Scratch" Perry… the ORIGINAL UPSETTER.
"I grew up with revolution in my brain, revolution in my leg, and revolution in my head"~ Lee "Scratch" Perry
JAH LIVE🇯🇲 pic.twitter.com/Vme5phrHPt
— Tuff Gong (@TuffGongINTL) August 29, 2021
I tire of the trope that genius rides shotgun with madness, but few people were as weird or cast as long a shadow as Lee Perry. His records were shocking and became talismans for anybody who ever tried to manifest the sound in their head.
Requiescat. https://t.co/MpGpT6W2cc— steve albini (@electricalWSOP) August 29, 2021
We lost another phenom friend & pioneer, Mr. Lee "Scratch" Perry /28 Mar 1936 – 29 Aug 2021) was a Jamaican record producer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. (Send out ur prayer's to his family & friends) R.I.P. Brother.Bootsy baby!!! pic.twitter.com/rr6QIfkTYo
— Bootsy Collins (@Bootsy_Collins) August 30, 2021
Rest in peace king Perry,
total rebel , pioneer , and inspiration ,
May ur bass shake systems and souls forever ☠️#leescratchperry pic.twitter.com/oUYyhTLgf4— The Prodigy (@the_prodigy) August 29, 2021
Rest in peace our good friend Lee "Scratch" Perry.
He was the heart of our album "The Orbserver In The Star House"."The upsetter the dub original specialist & chemist of the most high . The disco devil has left Babylon , lee will be forever in my heart " – Alex Paterson pic.twitter.com/DS9OF1tRDt
— The Orb (@Orbinfo) August 29, 2021
My fav pic of Lee “Scratch” Perry. Have it saved on my phone for inspiration. RIP pic.twitter.com/TvxwSQINIl
— Karl Fousek (@analogue01) August 29, 2021
Lee Scratch Perry’s letter to the Japanese Minister of Justice when Paul McCartney got busted with 200 grams of skunk in Tokyo is a mood pic.twitter.com/0ACktMemaZ
— Various Jams (@VRSJMS) August 29, 2021
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTKfpDlFIjk/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTKoaB0rm2N/