Mad Cobra
Mad Cobra, The Dancehall Mega Star Who Took "Flex" to Global Charts.
He was born Ewart Everton Brown on March 31, 1968, in Kingston, through he spent his early years in Islington, a small settlement in hills of Mary Parish, before moving back to Kingston as a teenager. The stage name came from the G.I Joe comics, Cobra command, the villains, which he picked up while still a schoolboy cutting his teeth on local sound systems.
His first single, “Respect Woman”, came out in 1989, produced by his own uncle, Delroy “Spiderman” thompson, an engineer at Tuff Gong. it didn’t do much. The real break was the follow up, “Na Go Work”, a duet with Tricia McKay that caught the ear of producers Captain Sinbad and Carl Nelson. From there the hits came fast and hard edged, “Shoot to kill”, Merciless Bad Boy”, Ze Taurus”, gun talk and slackness, exactly what the dancehall audience ofthe early 90’s wanted.
RIAA Certified Multiplatnium plaque
A monumental piece of Mad Cobra cross over history is the RIAA certified multiplatnium plaque with Toni Braxton's chart topping single, "You're Making Me High", from her 1996 blockbuster album Secrets. Highlighting the incredible commercial power of blending smooth R&B with vibrant Jamaican beats.
RIAA Gold sales
Mad Cobra was also awarded RIAA Gold sales for the legendary hit flex, presented directly to the artist, this plaque commemorates the massive milestone of over 500,000 copies sold across cassette and CD formats via Columbia Records, featuring a striking gold vinyl record, a gilded cassette, and the classic original artwork, the award immortalizes the exact moment when Jamaica reggae music took over the mainstream urban radio.
American Society if Composers Award
Mad Cobra was officially honored by the American Society if Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) for his work as the writer of the big hit FLEX, Presented in New York City on June 9, 1993 and signed by the President Morton Gould, the award commemorates the track's massive crossover success, specially recognizing it as one of the songs that reached the Top Ten on the R&B music charts in 1992. This prestigious plaque stands as a testament to the song's enduring popularity and Mad Cobra's significant impact on the music industry during the early 90s.