Ewart Everton Brown (born 31 March 1968), better known by his stage
name of Mad Cobra or simply Cobra is a Jamaican reggae musician.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, raised in the parish of St. Mary and
relocated back to the place of his birth during his teenage years.[1]
He began performing under his stage name, taken from a character
in the G.I. Joe comic books, while still in his teens.[2] He honed
his talents on several local sound systems before entring the studio.[2]
His first single, 1989's "Respect Woman", was produced
by his uncle, Tuff Gong engineer Delroy "Spiderman" Thompson.[1][3]
His next single, "Na Go Work", featured Tricia McKay, giving
him his first hit,[2] and bringing him to the attention of producers
Captain Sinbad and Carl Nelson. Together they released a string of
hit dancehall singles, including "Shoot to Kill", "Merciless
Bad Boy", and "Ze Taurus", which featured tough, gangsta
rap-style lyrics in keeping with the current trends of that time.[2]
In 1990, Cobra began working with producer Donovan Germain and songwriter
Dave Kelly on the Penthouse Records label.[1] This partnership spawned
a series of major hits in Jamaica, including "Yush", "Gundelero", "Bad
Boy Talk", and "Feeling Lonely" (with Beres Hammond).
He released his first full-length album in 1991, entitled Bad Boy
Talk,[2] and over the next year worked with several different producers
on yet more hit tracks ("O.P.P" with King Jammy, "Tek
Him" with Bobby Digital, "Be Patient" with Sly & Robbie).
In 1991 and 1992, Mad Cobra broke into the UK Reggae charts with
five number one hits,[2] bringing with it a backlash over concerns
about the anti-gay sentiments of tracks such as "Crucifixion".[1]
In the wake of his British success, Mad Cobra signed a deal in America
with Columbia Records.[1] His next LP was entitled Hard to Wet, Easy
to Dry, and featured "Flex", a single which interpolated
elements of The Temptations' "Just My Imagination".[1]
It was a smash hit, topping the US Rap Singles chart, hitting #7
on the R&B chart, and peaking at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The success of the single propelled the album to #125 on the Billboard
Top 200, but the follow-up, "Legacy", failed to chart,
and for the next several years Cobra's hitmaking remained primarily
in Jamaica with songs such as 1993's "Mek Noise" and "Matti
Haffie Move". Around this time, Cobra became involved in rivalries
with fellow reggae artists Ninjaman and Buju Banton.
In 1994, Cobra returned with Venom, again recording with King Jammy.
Jamaican hit singles from the 1994-1995 period included "Length
and Bend", "Fat and Buff", and "Selassie I Rules",
now adopting "conscious" lyrics.[2] In 1996, Columbia Records
released Milkman in the US market. The album peaked at #12 on Billboard's
Top Reggae Albums chart and featured a minor hit, "Big Long
John", which charted briefly on the US Dance and R&B Singles
charts. In 1998, a track with Mr. Vegas entitled "Guns High" charted
in some countries in Europe, and a number of re-releases of his Jamaican
material were issued on VP. Further albums were issued in 2001 (Cobra)
and 2004 (Words of Warning). Most recently, Cobra was heard on "Cobrastyle",
a single from Teddybears' 2006 album, Soft Machine.
On the night of May 11, 2010, Mad Cobra was shot three times in
the upper body near his home in Braeton, only a day after another
dancehall artiste, Oneil Edwards of the group Voice Mail, was also
shot in Duhaney Park. He was carried to the Spanish Town Hospital
for treatment.[4] It was later ascertained that the vehicle Mad Cobra
was travelling in, had merely shone its light on a group of men and
this angered them. When Mad Cobra came out to appease the men, he
was shot.[5] He was released from hospital later that week. On the
following Monday night, his house was shot up by unknown assailants
but no one was injured during the incident.[6]
[edit] Discography
* Ex-clusive (Charm, 1991)
* Bad Boy Talk (Penthouse Records, 1991)
* Spotlight (Top Rank, 1992)
* Bad Boy Talk (Penthouse, 1992)
* Merciless Bad Boy (Sinbad, 1992)
* Hard to Wet, Easy to Dry (Columbia Records, 1992)
* Goldmine (RAS Records, 1993)
* Mister Pleasure (VP Records, 1994)
* Venom (Greensleeves Records, 1994)
* Step Aside (VP, 1994)
* Your Wish (Culture Press, 1994)
* Exclusive Decision (VP Records, 1996)
* Sexperience (Critique Records, 1996)
* Playaz in Paradise (New Quest, 1996)
* Milkman (Capitol Records, 1996)
* OK Ride On (EMI, 1999)
* Cobra (Artists Only Records, 2001)
* Exclusive (Charm, 2003)
* Words of Warning (Heartbeat Records, 2004)