Wilfred Limonious was a prodigiously talented Jamaican artist and cartoonist whose work represents a key document for the the dancehall reggae scene of the mid-1980s. Limonious had a background as a newspaper cartoonist, but in the mid-1980s his work became incredibly in demand for album cover art for the dancehall artists like Yellowman, Little John, and Horace Martin. Between 1983 and 1992, Discogs credits Limonious with a staggering
132 covers—much of his finest album art came in the years 1985 and 1986, when he must have been churning out 3 a month, at a minimum, besides doing who knows what else.
Limonious’ work could take the form of a respectful portrait, a galvanizing call to arms (complete with machine guns, natch), or a hilarious comment on sexual politics. It’s easy to draw a correlation between his work (and perhaps that of dancehall in general) and the hip-hop movement in the United States—both feature a fair amount of braggadocio about sexual and criminal activities.
Limonious was way funnier than most of the art associated with rap, however. His most memorable images are street scenes, usually with a variety of people in them, and often there are scurrilous little goings-on and comments off to the side or tucked in between. In many ways Limonious’ comedic strategies call to mind the busy imagery of MAD Magazine.
Limonious’ work could take the form of a respectful portrait, a galvanizing call to arms (complete with machine guns, natch), or a hilarious comment on sexual politics. It’s easy to draw a correlation between his work (and perhaps that of dancehall in general) and the hip-hop movement in the United States—both feature a fair amount of braggadocio about sexual and criminal activities.
Limonious was way funnier than most of the art associated with rap, however. His most memorable images are street scenes, usually with a variety of people in them, and often there are scurrilous little goings-on and comments off to the side or tucked in between. In many ways Limonious’ comedic strategies call to mind the busy imagery of MAD Magazine.
