Ward 21 are Jamaica's one and only musical lunatics with a cause. The madly talented quartet of deejays/songwriters/producers has been released from the music laboratory to unleash the most progressive dancehall. Incidentally their name, Ward 21, is the official name of the Psychiatric Ward at the University College Hospital in Kingston. Since the release of their debut "MENTALLY DISTURBED" they have watched their popularity rise and they have garnered much respect world-wide as top notch performers as well as producers. Andre, Kunley, Randaldo and Mark or Suku, Kunley, Rumblood & Mean Dog as they are more affectionately known started out like many music junkie youths in the Kingston ghettos on various sound systems in their community. They were fortunate to gain their musical experience from one of Jamaica's most influential and groundbreaking producers King Jammy at his legendary studio situated on St Lucia Avenue, Waterhouse which is also where Ward 21 grew up. Andre "Suku" Gray was introduced to Jammy by his band mate Mark and Jammy's son Christopher. The King could see the potential in Suku's imaginative musical skills around the King Jammy High Power set and it wasn't long before he was working at the studio as a recording engineer. Suku soon created "Badda Badda", Ward 21's first commercial success. "Badda Badda" was a ferocious rhythm that stormed through the charts at home and abroad. Suku then went on to create "Da Joint", "Bellyas", "Punanny" and "Volume". It was refreshing to hear something different and experimental in their music and it was not long before people were talking about their progressive approach to the music. Ranaldo "Rumblood" Evans was a member of Jamaica's young people's performing arts group ASHE but his stay there was not long. He was good friends of Suku who was now working out of Jammy's and it wasn't too long before Rumblood was hanging out there too. He would join Suku for endless hours in the studio and was soon rewarded when Jammy gave him a job in the dub-cutting studio. Kunley McCarthy did a number of jobs to make ends meet before joining Ward 21. He played on the King Jammy Hi Power set with his bandmates and it was Suku who bought his attention to King. The King quickly offered him a job as an apprentice engineer. It didn't take too long for Kunley to prove himself as a talented lyricist and vocalist. Their debut single "Haters" on Suku's rhythm "Badda Badda" set charts alight and injected new energy into the music. Kunley's rich baritone delivery set a new speed for the way deejays delivered their lyrics. Grammy nominated Beenie Man immediately imitated Kunley's flow on his single "Has The World Gone Mad"; a major compliment for anyone let alone a debut deejay. Mark "Mean Dog" Henry - Ward 21's oldest member started out as a selector for the Bug Striker sound system. He was very good and his reputation soon spread. Jammy heard about him and quickly secured him for his own sound system the mighty King Jammy's Hi-Power. In 2001, the hyped up Ward 21 dropped their cutting edge debut album "Mentally Disturbed" to rapturous applause. Their avant-garde approach as captured on their previous rhythms provided a fresh twist in the music at a time when people were looking for something new and innovative. Ward 21 had arrived with their unique approach to dancehall. They have been taking further steps forward and experimenting with new sounds, beats and rhythms in the studio to produce a stunning collection of songs laced with their trademark outrageous lyrics. There is also maturity in their production skills that have been carefully honed and perfected at King Jammy's studios. Ward 21 have toured extensively over the last couple of years performing at home on popular stage shows such as Sting, Saddle To The East and Sumfest. They have built up a huge fan base in Europe on the festival circuit where they are invited to perform every year. Ward 21 were one of the two acts billed to appear at the recent sound system festival in Germany as part of David Rodigan's 25 Year Anniversary celebrations. Their set, a mixture of popular favorites plus brand new material received a lot of support and applause from the audience.