Rebel MC
| Rebel MC/Congo Natty | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Michael Alec Anthony West 27 August 1964 Islington, London, England |
| Other names | Conquering Lion, Congo Natty, Blackstar, Tribe of Issachar, X Project, Ras Project |
| Occupation | Record producer, Toaster |
| Years active | 1980s-present |
Michael Alec Anthony West (born 27 August 1964 in Islington, London), better known as Rebel MC, is an English jungle producer and toaster. He has also used the aliases Conquering Lion, Congo Natty, Blackstar, Tribe Of Issachar, Lion of Judah, X Project and Ras Project. "Conquering Lion" is an abbreviation for "The Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah", one of emperor Haile Selassie's many titles.
He is married to former page 3 glamour model, Maria Whittaker.
In the early 1980s, West formed the group Double Trouble with the now deceased Michael Menson, Karl Brown (more commonly known as the UK garage DJ Karl 'Tuff Enuff' Brown) and Leigh Guest; and released the single "Just Keep Rockin" on the Desire record label in 1989 as Double Trouble and Rebel MC. The single was a UK Top 20 hit, and the follow-up "Street Tuff" (1989) was his biggest success, reaching #3 in the UK Singles Chart.
Because of the style and content of these releases, West was often dismissed by a British hip hop community, distrustful of pop success and "selling out". His first album was Rebel Music (Desire, 1990) which included the popular dance track "Better World".
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