World of Jamaican Music

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An illustrated map of the creators of Jamaican music and how they are connected.

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Alborosie

Artist. Revival

Active
2001-present
Sunrise
July 4, 1977, Marsala, Sicily, Italy

Alborosie was born Alberto D'Ascola in Marsala, Sicily, on July 4, 1977. He joined the Italian reggae band Reggae National Tickets at fifteen, recording under the name Stena, and left in 2001 to move to Kingston. The stage name he adopted there derives from an insult directed at him during his first years on the island.

Most European reggae musicians who record in Jamaica return home afterward, but Alborosie settled there permanently. He worked as an engineer and producer before releasing anything under his own name, learned Patois, and eventually took Jamaican citizenship. He now operates Shengen Studio in Kingston and plays most of the instruments on his own records.

His production is deliberately old-fashioned, favoring analog equipment and the arranging and mixing conventions of 1970s roots reggae. Soul Pirate (2008) and Escape from Babylon (2009) established the approach; the dub albums that followed, beginning with Dub Clash (2010), applied it at the mixing desk in the manner of King Tubby and Scientist.

Collaborations with Ky-Mani Marley, Gentleman, Beenie Man, and David Hinds of Steel Pulse, among others, have given his work a standing with Jamaican musicians that few outsiders have achieved. Reviewing a reissue of Soul Pirate in 2015, Erik Magni called it a modern classic and counted Alborosie among the tipping points that revived interest in Jamaican roots reggae at a time when dancehall dominated; Reggae Europe calls him the first Italian reggae artist to gain international recognition.

Last updated November 1, 2026

Connections

Notes

  1. "Alborosie," artist biography, TIDAL, accessed October 1, 2026, https://tidal.com/artist/3527532. Wikipedia gives both 1992 and 1993 for the year he joined. "Alborosie," Wikipedia, accessed October 1, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alborosie.
  2. "Alborosie," Wikipedia, accessed October 1, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alborosie, quoting Alborosie: "Borosie was a name they used to call me and it has a negative meaning." "Alborosie," TIDAL glosses the term as a harsher form of "jerk."
  3. "Alborosie," artist biography, Reggaeville, accessed October 1, 2026, https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/alborosie/about/, which places his early engineering work at Gee Jam studios in Portland and describes him as a Jamaican national; "Alborosie," Wikipedia, which describes him as a dual citizen of Italy and Jamaica.
  4. "Alborosie," Reggaeville, on Shengen Studio's analog equipment and his playing of guitar, bass, and keyboards; "Alborosie," TIDAL.
  5. "Alborosie," TIDAL, on Soul Pirate (2008) and Escape from Babylon (2009); "Alborosie," Wikipedia, for Dub Clash (2010); "Alborosie," Reggae Europe, accessed October 1, 2026, https://reggaeeurope.com/upcoming-reggae-artists/alborosie/, which notes that Dub Clash was recorded and mixed at Shengen Studio.
  6. "Alborosie," Wikipedia (Gentleman, Ky-Mani Marley); "Alborosie & Shengen Clan," Time Out Barcelona, accessed October 1, 2026, https://www.timeout.com/barcelona/music/alborosie-shengen-clan (Beenie Man); "Alborosie," Reggae Europe, accessed October 1, 2026, https://reggaeeurope.com/upcoming-reggae-artists/alborosie/ (David Hinds, on "Stepping Out").
  7. Erik Magni, "Alborosie: Soul Pirate," United Reggae, February 25, 2015, https://unitedreggae.com/articles/n1775/022515/alborosie-soul-pirate. "Alborosie," Reggae Europe, accessed October 1, 2026, https://reggaeeurope.com/upcoming-reggae-artists/alborosie/.

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