Walshy Fire
| Walshy Fire | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Leighton Walsh |
| Born |
November 25, 1982 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Occupation(s) | DJ, producer, musician |
| Labels | Mad Decent |
| Associated acts | Major Lazer, Diplo, Jillionaire |
Leighton Walsh, better known by his stage name Walshy Fire, is a Jamaican-American DJ, MC and record producer who is better known as part of the dancehall reggae-influenced group Major Lazer alongside fellow DJs Jillionaire and Diplo. Walshy Fire toured with the Black Chiney sound system beginning in 2004. Black Chiney is cited as a significant influence on the evolution of Major Lazer with its mash ups that blend hip hop or R&B rhythms with reggae & R&B artist vocal tracks and its representation of the Jamaican sound system. The subsequent mix tapes that the Black Chiney collective of DJ's, engineers and MC's would develop were the training ground for Walshy to become a remix producer.
Walsh was born on Molynes Road in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Carol City, Florida in a Chinese-Jamaican family. He attended North Miami Beach High School. He attended Clark Atlanta University for undergraduate studies and Florida A & M for graduate school where he completed a master's degree in communications.
Walshy Fire has been influenced by reggae and dancehall traditions. In 2013, he said: "my sole purpose with this Major Lazer thing is to bring back some glory and international exposure [for] reggae and dancehall." His favorite reggae riddim is "The Answer" by the iconic producer Coxsone Dodd.
Since 2012, Walshy Fire has presided as master of ceremonies for Major Lazer. In 2013, he described his role as follows:
Basically, Diplo is the selector and I'm the MC. He's the one that picks the records and mixes the records and I'm the one that's out front and presents the records to people, makes speeches that makes the records make sense, and pulls up the records. I give the crowd humor when it's time to give them humor, emotion when it's time to give them emotion, and just keep the whole vibe intense throughout the whole set.
...
Wikipedia