Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon (born 17 January 1966), better known by his stage name Shabba Ranks, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throughout his prominence in his home country as a dancehall artist, he gained popularity in North America with his studio album, Just Reality, in 1990. He released two studio albums, As Raw as Ever and X-tra Naked, which both won a Grammy Award as Best Reggae Album in 1992 and 1993, respectively. He is notoriously popular for "Mr. Loverman" and "Ting-A-Ling", which were globally acclaimed and deemed his signature songs. Early life and family Shabba Ranks was born in Sturge Town, Saint Ann, Jamaica, and raised in Seaview Gardens, Kingston. He and his wife, Michelle, have two sons Rexton Jr and Jahwon. He currently resides in New York City. His father, Ivan Gordon, was a mason who died in 1990. His mother, Constance "Mama Christie" Christie, remained in Seaview after Shabba's success, feeding the community with money sent from her son after his emigration. She was the subject of the 2015 hit song Shabba Madda Pot from dancehall artist Dexta Daps. Career He gained his fame mainly by toasting (or rapping) rather than singing, like some of his dancehall contemporaries in Jamaica. He was a protégé of DJ Josey Wales. His original stage name was Co-Pilot. His international career started in the late 1980s, along with a number of fellow Jamaicans including reggae singers Cocoa Tea and Crystal. Ranks also worked with Chuck Berry and American rappers KRS-One and Chubb Rock. He secured a recording contract with Epic Records in 1989. The stylistic origins of the genre reggaeton can be traced back to the 1990 song "Dem Bow", from Ranks' album Just Reality. Produced by Bobby "Digital" Dixon, the Dem Bow riddim became so popular in Puerto Rican freestyle sessions that early Puerto Rican reggaeton was simply known as "Dembow". The Dem Bow riddim is an integral and inseparable part of reggaeton, so much so that it has become its defining characteristic. His biggest hit single outside of Jamaica was the reggae fusion smash "Mr. Loverman". Other big tracks include "Housecall" with Maxi Priest, "Slow and Sexy" with Johnny Gill, "Respect", "Pirates Anthem", "Trailer Load a Girls", "Wicked inna Bed", "Caan Dun", and "Ting A Ling". He won the Grammy