Editing General Levy

{{Short description|British recording artist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image               =
| name                = General Levy
| caption             =
| image_size          =
| background          = solo_singer
| birth_name          = Paul Scott Levy
| alias               =
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1971|4|28}}
| birth_place         = [[Park Royal]], London, England
| death_date          =
| death_place         =
| instrument          = Vocals
| genre               = {{flatlist|
* [[Ragga]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dummymag.com/10-best/10-best-jungle-general-levy/|title=The 10 Best Jungle Tracks of All Time, according to General Levy|website=DummyMag}}</ref>
* [[Jungle music|jungle]]<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://djmag.com/node/6327|title=EXCLUSIVE: GENERAL LEVY'S 'INCREDIBLE' JOURNEY|date=19 January 2015|website=DJMag.com}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestudentpocketguide.com/2018/02/entertainment/music/general-levy-plans-new-music/|title=Student Pocket Guide - Jungle legend General Levy discusses new music|date=23 February 2018}}</ref>
* [[reggae]]<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://365bristol.com/event/welcome-to-the-jungle-ft-general-levy-live-o2-academy-bristol/|title=Welcome To the Jungle ft. General Levy live at the O2 Academy Bristol|website=365 Bristol}}</ref>
}}
| occupation          = Musician
| years_active        = 1988–present
| label               =
| associated_acts     =
| website             =
}}

'''Paul Scott Levy''' (born 28 April 1971), also known as '''General Levy''', is an English [[ragga]] [[Disc jockey#reggae|deejay]], regularly employed on studio tracks by [[drum and bass]] DJs. He is best known for the track "[[Incredible (M-Beat song)|Incredible]]" which he recorded with [[M-Beat]]. A remixed version of this reached number eight on the [[UK singles chart]] in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/artists/m-beat-featuring-general-levy/|title=Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com|accessdate=5 January 2019}}</ref>

==Biography==
General Levy was born in [[Central Middlesex Hospital]] in [[Park Royal]], [[London]] on 28 April 1971. He is of Trinidadian descent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.factmag.com/2014/11/28/council-of-elders-uk-club-culture-icons-general-levy-and-sticky-in-conversation/|title=Council of elders: UK club culture icons General Levy and Sticky in conversation|website=Fact|date=28 November 2014|accessdate=2 June 2021}}</ref> Levy's formative years were spent in [[Harlesden]] and [[Wembley]] in the [[London Borough of Brent]] in northwest London. Levy's musical influence was developed in the area, collecting [[dancehall]] tapes, beginning in 1981. At the age of 12, General Levy began writing lyrics and went on to form his first [[Sound system (Jamaican)|sound system]] with friends, two years later, named Third Dimension.<ref>{{cite news|title=General Levy|url=https://townlandscarnival.com/acts/general-levy/|publisher=Townlands Carnival|accessdate=26 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826113344/https://townlandscarnival.com/acts/general-levy/|archive-date=26 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

General Levy's first major releases were with the [[independent record label]] Fashion Records, who signed a distribution deal with [[London Records]] for the re-releases of the tracks he had recorded. He had earlier releases with the record producers Lloydy Crucial and Robbo Ranx (later of BBC 1xtra), but these were mainly tracks that were hits on the underground [[dancehall]] scene. General Levy was ostracized by the UK [[Jungle music|jungle]] scene in 1994, due to mis-reported comments he made relating to his collaboration with [[M-Beat]] on "Incredible".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=238 |title=Him only smoke cigarettes and strictly shag |publisher=Dilate.choonz.com |accessdate=2012-05-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120709224902/http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=238 |archivedate=9 July 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> He had claimed in an interview with ''[[The Face (magazine)|The Face]]'' that "I run [[Jungle music|jungle]] at the moment". This controversy has since died down and he is now being cited as one of the 25 UK [[Emcees|MCs]] "who changed the game".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/projects/best-uk-rappers-mcs-who-changed-the-game|title=25 UK MCs who changed the game|website=Redbull.com|accessdate=2020-07-06}}</ref>

"[[Incredible (M-Beat song)|Incredible]]" was featured in the film ''[[Ali G Indahouse]]'', and as a TV advertising campaign by Honda.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Honda HR V TV Advert 'Honda Stepping'|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By6I6wBe-ck| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213220247/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By6I6wBe-ck| archive-date=2020-12-13 | url-status=dead|language=en|access-date=2021-04-08}}</ref>

General Levy briefly collaborated with Rocco Barker of [[Flesh for Lulu]] in the band The Space Police. Levy also featured on the song "Only God Can Judge Me" by [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] singer [[Mark Morrison]].

He collaborated with [[Madness (band)|Madness]] singer [[Suggs (singer)|Suggs]] on his 1998 album ''[[The Three Pyramids Club]]'', on the track "Girl".

Levy featured on many sound systems in the late 1980s and early 1990s, such as Java One love and [[Tippertone Sound]].

His collaborations with dub producer Joe Ariwa appear on several releases including "In the Ghetto" and "Be Conscious & Wise: Dub Showcase".

In 2018, he collaborated with artists such as [[Chase & Status]], [[Fedde Le Grand]] and [[Spragga Benz]].

==Discography==

===Albums===
*''Double Trouble'' (1991, Gussie P Records) – Capleton & General Levy
*''The Wickeder General'' (1992, Fashion Records)
*''Wickedness Increase'' (1993, FFRR/London)
*''Rumble in the Jungle Volume One'' (1994, Jungle Fashion Records) – Top Cat & General Levy
*''New Breed'' (1999, Arts Records)
*''Spirit & Faith'' (2008, BoombamMuzik)
*''We Progressive'' (feat The PSB Family) (2011, X-Ray Records)
*''In the Chamber of Dub'' (2012, Ariwa Sounds) – Joe Ariwa & General Levy
*''4ward'' (2014) – DJ Bonnot & General Levy
*''Be Conscious and Wise'' – General Levy & Joe Ariwa

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Song
! style="width:45px;"|<small>[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]</small><br><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book| first= David| last= Robertson| year= 2006| title= British Hit Singles & Albums| edition= 19th| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited| location= London| isbn= 1-904994-10-5| page= 224}}</ref>
! [[Music recording sales certification|Certifications]]
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1992
| "Heat"
| align=center | —
|
|-
| "Champagne Body"
| align=center | —
|
|-
| "Sceeming"
| align=center | —
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1993
| "Mr. Push It Good" 
| align=center | —
|
|-
| "[[Monkey Man (Toots & the Maytals song)|Monkey Man]]" <small>(with Junior Dan)</small>
| align=center | 75
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1994
| "Ready for the World" 
| align=center | —
|
|-
| "Weh Dem a Watch We For" <small>(with [[Cutty Ranks]])</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
| "[[Incredible (M-Beat song)|Incredible]]" <small>(with [[M-Beat]])</small>
| align=center | 39
|
|-
| "Incredible" <small>([[remix]]) (with M-Beat)</small>
| align=center | 8
|
* [[British Phonographic Industry|BPI]]: Gold<ref>{{cite web|title=M-Beat Ft General Levy -  Incredible|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/14569-4501-1|website=bpi.co.uk|access-date=30 August 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 2004
| "Shake (What Ya Mama Gave Ya)" <br><small>(General Levy vs Zeus featuring Bally Jagpal)</small>
| align=center | 51
|
|-
| 2007
| "Bring It On" <br><small>(Dancehall Party Riddim) (with Ragga Meridional Crew)</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 2012
| "Blaze the Fire" <small>(with [[Danny Byrd]])</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 2014
| "Pull Up" <small>(with [[Sticky (musician)|Sticky]])</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 2017
| "Move" <small>(featuring Toni Toolz)</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2018
| "Flex" <small>(with [[Fedde Le Grand]] & Funk Machine)</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
| "Are You Ready" <small>(with [[Spragga Benz]])</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
| "Heater" <small>(with [[Chase & Status]])</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 2020
| "Good Love" <small>(with Reggae Roast)</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 2023
| "We Run the Area" <small>(with [[Idris Elba]], [[Toddla T]] & Naomi Cowan)</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 2024
|"Good Mourning" <small>(with [[Shaznay Lewis]] & [[Shola Ama]])</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
|2024
|"Old Days" <small>(with Leanne Louise & DJ Illatek)</small>
| align=center | —
|
|-
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
|}

==Book==
On 13 November 2022 Levy self published his [[autobiography]] entitled Incredible exploring his life and career to date.<ref>{{Cite book |last=levy |first=paul |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BLWBK3Z5/ref=dbs_a_def_awm_bibl_vppi_i0 |title=Incredible: written by General levy |date=2022-11-13 |publisher=Paul Levy |edition=1st |language=English}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{discogs artist}}
*[https://generallevy.co.uk/ Official website]
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, General}}
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Park Royal]]
[[Category:English reggae musicians]]
[[Category:English drum and bass musicians]]
[[Category:Black British male rappers]]
[[Category:British male rappers]]
[[Category:Jungle musicians]]
[[Category:Ragga musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians from the London Borough of Brent]]
[[Category:English people of Trinidad and Tobago descent]]