RebelOne Patois Shop RebelOneMart

Selector

noun si-LEK-ta sɪˈlɛkta

Also spelled: selecta, select

Meaning

The person on a sound system who chooses and plays the records — the equivalent of what much of the world calls a DJ. The selector reads the crowd, drops the right tunes at the right moment, and calls for wheel-ups; the deejay, by contrast, is the one on the mic.

Examples

  • “Di selector know exactly wah di crowd waan.”

    The selector knows exactly what the crowd wants.

  • “Big up di selecta!”

    Respect to the selector!

    'Selecta' is the common spoken form.

  • “A good selector mek or break di dance.”

    A good selector makes or breaks the party.

Origin

From English 'selector', one who selects — here the records — a role that has existed on Jamaican sound systems since the 1950s.

How it's used

Usually said 'selecta'. Remember the Jamaican split: the selector plays the music, the deejay chats over it.

Related words