Lady Saw (born Marion Hall, 12 July 1968, Saint Mary, Jamaica)
is a Jamaican reggae singer, known as the queen of dancehall.
Hall began performing with sound systems at the age of fifteen.
She soon became known for her slack style, with songs such as "Stab
Up De Meat." Her performances were banned in some parts of Jamaica,
though equally lewd male performances were not. This prompted
her to record "Freedom of Speech" in protest. She enjoyed
a big hit in Jamaica with "Hardcore" in 1985, and followed
it with "Welding Torch."
She also recorded "Condom," warning
girls of the dangers of unprotected heterosexual sex. By the mid-1990s
she had moved towards "conscious" lyrics.
She is the first female deejay to win a Grammy Award and to be certified
as a triple-platinum artist. She is also the first woman to headline
dancehall shows outside her native Jamaica. She launched her own
record label, Divas Records, in January 2010.
Lady Saw received a gold certification from the R.I.A.A. for "Smile" with
Vitamin C.
Lady Saw received a triple-platinum certification from the R.I.A.A.
for "Underneath It All", her 2003 collaboration with No
Doubt.
In 2003, Lady Saw earned a Grammy Award for Best Performance by
a Duo or Group for her featured performance on No Doubt's single
_Underneath It All_, which reached number #3 on the U.S. Billboard
Hot 100 chart.
[edit] Discography
Main article: Lady Saw discography
[edit] Albums
1994 Lover Girl
1996 Give Me A Reason
1997 Passion (Album)
1998 Raw, the Best of Lady Saw
1998 99 Ways
2004 Strip Tease
2007 Walk Out
2010 My Way