XTERMINATOR - XSTORY

Phillip “Fatis” Burrell had the uncanny ability to find young artists and groom them to become some of Jamaica's most popular musical acts. These artists were held to a high standard of integrity where no foolishness or bad behaviour was tolerated. Fatis commanded respect. He was a devout Rasta and the principles of Rastafari were tantamount in his life and how he car-ried himself and his artists knew these ideals were to be respected. Artists like Luciano, Sizzla, Capleton, Mikey General, Sanchez, and many others came under his tutelage as he advanced their careers to great heights.

I first met Fatis at a reggae media event put on by Reggae Report Magazine being held in Mi-ami, Florida in approximately 1987. He had just completed a Yellowman album titled “Yellow Like Cheese” and I had the fledgling reggae label RAS Records. We immediately hit it off. We talked about my vision for taking legitimate reggae artists with something significant to say and spreading this music as far and wide internationally as possible. He talked about working with artists in Jamaica who also had the integrity necessary for them to be heard and respected worldwide. He told me that he did not know many people yet in the reggae business but that he felt he could trust me, and that he would give me a try. A type of bond and partnership was created that night.

As I would go to Jamaica on a very regular basis, Fatis and I got closer and closer as friends and bredrin. He had me put out the first LPs by both Luciano (“Moving Up”) and Sizzla (“Burn-ing Up”). Little did either of us know at the time that both of these artists would go on to be-come some of the biggest artists in Jamaica's music history. And there were many more that Fatis brought to the RAS label for release and international distribution.

He had started the Exterminator label back in the mid-1980s just as RAS was beginning to grow in stature. Exterminator became Xterminator, having the E removed. His label had a rep-utation for putting out tough music with a passionate side as well. Sly & Robbie, Dean Fraser, Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith and The Firehouse Crew were the musicians that provided Fatis with his riddims and, as I have mentioned before, the artists needed to be spot-on with their lyrical presentations. His reputation as a producer of calibre grew and grew and many of his artists were now being signed to bigger labels, and Fatis was becoming well-versed in the ins and outs of the music industry at large, but he always held onto his core Rasta beliefs and main-tained his integrity with his artists.

He had started out as a youth growing in the Maxfield Park area of Kingston. A tough ghetto area to say the least. He learned how to survive and thrive on these mean streets and due to his large physical structure took on the moniker of “Fatis”. He related to me some of his trials and tribulations as he lived this life and some were not very pleasant. But he managed to sur-vive, and thank Jah, he moved on to a music career that took him away from the dangerous world he had been living in.

As we began to work together, I got to know Fatis and his family. His wife Donna and his kids Kareem, Kasheik, Nefertiti & Nia. Fatis and I were like brothers. We would spend great amounts of time together discussing life and how peculiar people could be. We spent lots of time together in the recording studios both in Jamaica and then back in Washington DC where we would mix many of his productions with Jim Fox at Lion & Fox Studios there.. He would bring his family over to my home in Port Antonio where we would all unwind from the grueling task of working night after night in the recording studio. My family and his family became one big family.

I should also point out that due to the immense quantity of work that Fatis was turning out, he also developed a close relationship with VP Records and Chris Chin. They would release many of his singles on both 7” and 12” vinyl. VP's access to the Jamaican music market worldwide helped to firmly establish the Xterminator label within this community and his street cred grew tremendously. His music always had a punch and reggae fans worldwide became followers of his releases and of his artists.

Fatis passed away far too young at the age of 59. It hit me very hard and the hole it created in my life that day was very hard to accept. He had done his work here on Earth and was called home to Zion where I and I know he is at peace. His works speak for themselves and what you have here on this compilation exemplifies his great talent as both a producer and discoverer and groomer of musical talent. He lives on through his children, especially my “son” Kareem, who continues to embrace his father's musical legacy and is creating a legacy for himself. The circle of life continues itinually.

Doctor Dread

founder of RAS Records and author of the book “The Half That Has Never Been Told”