Innocent Kru

The Innocent Crew comprises Courtney ‘Clumsy Daps’ Morris, Carey ‘Macka Head’ Campbell, Leonard ‘Copper Kid’ Anerly and Hemsley ‘Benzley Hype’ Morris Jnr. Prior to teaming up the individual members had all made names for themselves on the sound system circuit in Jamaica. Courtney Morris began chanting and nurtured his career on the Stone Wave Sound in Seaview Gardens. Campbell performed on a local sound while working as a studio engineer in Ocho Rios. Morris Jnr., the son of early reggae artist Hemsley Morris noted for the 70s hits ‘Just Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind’ and ‘Little Things’, joined the La Benz sound system noted for launching the career of Spragga Benz. It was on the La Benz sound that the crew were formed initially by Morris Jnr. and Campbell who later enrolled Courtney Morris and Anerly. The crew first found fame performing on a regular Sunday night session in Duhaney Park, which led to a performance at the prestigious Cactus nightclub supporting Spragga Benz. Yolande Rattray-Wright became the quartet’s manager in 1997, and set about securing them a recording contract with Sly And Robbie’s Taxi production outlet. With Sly And Robbie the group enjoyed Jamaican chart hits with ‘Impossible Train’ remixed as ‘Mission Impossible’ and ‘Tell A Gal Seh’, although a move to Arrow Records resulted in an international hit with ‘Wow’. The group also made a successful performance at the 1998 Jamaican Sumfest festival, and in 1999 performed alongside DJ Merciless at the notorious Salem Unity Concert in Montego Bay. Later in the same year the group, following frustrations with Rattray-Wright, announced in the local press that they had fired their manager. They immediately notched a hit with Thriller U (‘Long Time’) and on their own with ‘Haunt Woman’.