In Jamaica, the world of dancehall music is a vital part of the culture. And while dancehall artistes make the music, it is the sound system DJs, commonly known in Jamaica as selectors, who play the music. While dancehall artistes create the music, it is the selectors who often make or break the popularity of the music by the way they mix them or if they play them or not to live audiences. Out of Kingston, Jamaica in the late 1980s, came the mighty Renaissance Disco. It was a mainly dancehall sound system that crossed music genres into hip hop, mainstream reggae, R&B, house, and soca.
Renaissance Disco has seen tremendous commercial success with its original members and some additional members who came along a few years later, including Tarik “Jazzy T” Thompson, who joined the sound system in 1993.

Jazzy T is a professional selector since 1991 and was thus already well seasoned in his craft when he joined Renaissance Disco. He had a passion for music as a child. He recalls his father having a large record collection at home, and that he would use his lunch money to buy the current records just so that he could practice on the belt drive turntables he had received as a gift from his uncle. He remembers fondly having such a great admiration for the art of mixing on turntables. He also took inspiration from DJs who came before him, not only in Jamaica, but even American DJs such as DJ Jazzy Jeff.

“I used to listen to the radio and try the same mixes from Hol Plummer and Donovan Dacres from Fame FM in Jamaica,” Jazzy T reminisced. As his interest in this artform deepened, his next-door neighbor, Super Don, a radio DJ on Jamaica’s RJR, noticed, and took Jazzy T to work with him to do mixes on his radio show. This served as an incredible opportunity for a young Jazzy T to practice and polish his craft. This experience left an indelible impression on Jazzy T and as his career took off, he felt it was his duty to return to radio where he it all began. He was one of the first DJs to helm the
position on ZIP103FM in 2002, along with his Renaissance Disco partner, Delano. They also took on the role as mentors by training future DJs, and by so doing, passed their craft on to others.