Conquering Lion
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Short form of "the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah". One of emperor's Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia many titles.
Conquering Lion aka Congo Natty is the stage name of Jungle producer and Toaster Michael West.
One of Jungle's unsung heroes, Michael West began his career as Rebel MC with Brit rappers Double Trouble and the bubblegum pop hit "Street Tuff". After leaving Double Trouble in 1990, he released Black Meaning Good (1991), an album that featured ragga notables like Barrington Levy, Tenor Fly and Dennis Brown crooning and toasting on top of reggae-House rhythms. Word, Sound and Power (1992) was a further exploration of roots electronica that mashed up techno, house, reggae, ragga and hip hop music. Forming the Tribal Bass label, Rebel MC released "Tribal Bass" (1992) and the Demon Boyz "Dett" (1992) and "Jungle-ist" (1993) which were Hip house tracks borrowing a vibe from the Yard that heralded the emergence of Jungle.
The X Project label followed shortly with the "Old School Ting" (1993) single. As Conquering Lion, West, with help from DJ Ron and Jumping Jack Frost, released the sound system mash up "Lion of Judah/Innah Sound/Dub Plate Special" (1993). With vocals from Supercat and more gun shots than a Sam Peckinpah flick, Conquering Lion's massive "Code Red/Phenomenon" (1994) caught the attention of 4th & Broadway who re-released the track along with "Rastaman/Word, Sound and Power/Code Black" (1995).
