Mad Lion

Mad Lion (born Oswald Priest) created one of the most influential sounds of the past two decades. The recipient of the 1994 Source award as Reggae Artist of the Year, Mad Lion has inspired similar-sounding recordings by such artists as Ini Kamoze, Capleton, and Rayvon. A native of London, Mad Lion was raised in Jamaica. Shortly after moving to Brooklyn, NY, he met reggae performer Super Cat at Super Power Records. At Super Cat's suggestion, he adopted his professional name, an acronym for Musical Assassin Delivering Lyrical Intelligence Over Nations. Mad Lion's earliest success came in the mid-'80s when he applied his hip-hop rhythms to Shabba Ranks' hit single "Jam." He later appeared, along with Queen Latifah, on Salt-N-Pepper's 1997 album Brand New.