Johnny Osbourne - Folly Ranking (1980)

Johnny Osbourne puts this rude boy posse firmly in their place, "Folly Ranking, you're bound to get a spanking," he warns them, far from enthralled by the gang's exploits. The Folly bad boys, top ranking yardies, were running wild across Kingston at the time. Their defiant behavior and frequent recourse to their guns may have impressed some, and certainly they glorified themselves, pilfering stars' names for their own, but the singer reduces them to what they are, naughty, if extremely dangerous, children who have earned themselves a good thrashing.

"Throw away your guns and lemme have some fun, live some life before your judgement comes," Osbourne wisely counsels, while behind the sonorous backing singers harmonize around him.

Producer Prince Jammy set the song to a fabulous rhythm, all insistent beats and percussion and deep roots flavor, and shot through with sublime guitar flourishes, beautifully delivered up by the Roots Radics.

A popular single from 1980, this song would title Osbourne's superb Jammy produced album released this same year. Incidentally, the singer would ride a version of this same rhythm on "Folly Lover", a single cut for Junjo Lawes that would also title a full-length album. - Jo-Ann Greene