Gyptian (born 25 October 1983) – real name Windel Beneto Edwards – is a Jamaican reggae singer. His musical calling came at the age of seven when he began singing in church.
The young Gyptian was introduced by his promoter father to Mr. Wong, a record producer from Portmore, St. Catherine, who helped him to hone his sound. The singer’s stage name came from his habit of tying a shirt around his head and styling the hair on his chin like an Egyptian pharaoh. Gyptian’s style of reggae has been labelled lovers rock and roots reggae. His musical and lyrical style has been compared to fellow Jamaican artists such as Sizzla, Beres Hammond and Luciano.
Gyptian released his first album “My Name is Gyptian” via VP Records in September 2004. In 2005, Gyptian had two hits with “Is There A Place” and “Serious Times”, and in 2006 he was nominated for Best New Entertainer at the 2006 International Reggae and World Music Awards. Other well-known hits include “Beautiful Lady” and ballad “Mama, Don’t Cry”.
Gyptian’s biggest hit and most well-known song is “Hold Yuh", which was released in 2010. It became a multi-chart hit worldwide. The official remix for the song features rapper Nicki Minaj, which spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Gyptian also released an album of the same name, gaining him more chart success in the US. “Hold Yuh” has been remixed by several EDM producers, including dubstep producer Diplo and Toddla T.
His fourth album “Sex, Love and Reggae” was released in October 2013 and debuted at number one in the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart.
Jared Benjamin
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