Jazzie was born in London UK to parents of
Antiguan descent in
Hornsey, London, the ninth of 10 children, several of whom began running
sound systems in the 1960s and 1970s. At the age of 18, Jazzie was working for
cockney pop/
skiffle musician
Tommy Steele, as a tape operator. He had his first gig in 1977 working with friends under the
Rastafari name
Jah Rico. He changed their working name to
Soul II Soul in 1982. Soul II Soul was originally an umbrella name for several of his projects - the
sound system, a clothing line and
Camden record shop, a record imprint, as well as the group itself. From 1985 to 1989, Jazzie and Soul II Soul held nights at the
Africa Centre in
Covent Garden. The Soul II Soul track "Fairplay" was recorded there just before the group started to find wider success. At this time, he would also host a show on then
pirate radio station
Kiss FM, which would continue through its legal licence and until 1997. From 2009 to 2012, Jazzie B hosted the "Back 2 Life" radio show on
BBC London 94.9, which he then brought to
Mi-Soul since 2014. Jazzie B has produced and remixed tracks for those including
Incognito,
Maxi Priest,
James Brown,
Kym Mazelle,
Cheryl Lynn,
Teena Marie,
Johnny Gill,
Ziggy Marley,
Nas,
Destiny's Child, and his wife
Efua Baker. He is a founding director of the
Featured Artists Coalition. ==Honours==