Turbulence
Artist. Dancehall, revival
- Active
- 1999-present
- Also known as
- Sheldon Campbell, Biglion
Turbulence is a Bobo dread deejay, chanter and singjay, Sizzla's protege at Phillip "Fatis" Burrell's Xterminator label, and one of the most prolific recording artists of his generation.
Born Sheldon Campbell, a Whitehall youth from Kingston 8, he was brought to Xterminator by Sizzla himself. Once Sizzla had left the label, Turbulence and the deejay Lion were the ones assured of its best rhythms, and by the close of 2003 he had made five albums for Fatis alone, delivering Bobo dread reasoning, with a few love songs, over mellow modern rhythms.
"Notorious," first released in 2004 on the Scallawah rhythm, became his breakthrough and carried him onto the international circuit. Sarah Bentley wrote that he "varies his style from gruff deejaying to melodic singing," which at first "confused the island's producers." Other favorites include "X Girlfriend," "Natty Pon Her Frontline," "Ganja Head" and "Real Warrior." He has released dozens of albums on labels in Jamaica, the United States and Europe, and East Africa has taken to him in particular: he calls Kenya his second home.
Last updated November 5, 2026
Connections
- Fatis Burrell (producer)
- Sizzla (mentor)
- Lutan Fyah (collaborator)
Notes
- Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton, The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd ed. (London: Rough Guides, 2004), 362-63.
- Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 362. "Iyara, Turbulence Are 'Bravehearts,'" Jamaica Observer, January 21, 2022, https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2022/01/21/iyara-turbulence-are-bravehearts/, quoting the singer Iyara on Whitehall. "Turbulence (musician)," Wikipedia, accessed October 22, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbulence_(musician) says instead that Fatis discovered him, in 1999.
- Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 362-63.
- "Turbulence (musician)," Wikipedia, on the rhythm and date; thinly sourced. "Iyara, Turbulence Are 'Bravehearts,'" on its international reach.
- Sarah Bentley, "Turbulence: A Rising Singjay," XLR8R, September 14, 2005, https://xlr8r.com/?p=115287.
- "Iyara, Turbulence Are 'Bravehearts.'" Kenneth Gachie, "Turbulence: Jamaican 'Real Warrior' Brings Dancehall Vibes to Kenya," Citizen Digital, September 3, 2024, https://www.citizen.digital/article/turbulence-jamaican-real-warrior-brings-the-dancehall-vibes-to-kenya-n348871.
