ARTIST PHOTO GALLERIES: Sean Paul | Tinga Stewart | Ky-mani Marley

Click here for Tanto's HOT 105 profile

Through his lifelong love for music, being raised in the church, and as a youth growing up in Jamaica where music is the food of life, it wasn't unusual that Tanto Irie started playing music in a club at age 16. During age 16-25, he played music on and off in nightclubs, while pursing other interests, such as scuba diving. Over the next 5-7 years, Tanto opened a record store in Kingston, Jamaica, boasting the name of "Tanto's Record Store", which became a popular spot for local artists. Tanto also traveled back and forth to England & the U.S. trying to obtain record deals.

In 1988, Tanto migrated to Texas to further his education. He attended the University of Texas, where he studied Mass Communications. He would soon obtained a full-time job on KXCR radio in Texas, playing jazz for four years. After some time on the radio, he introduced the concept of a reggae program to the station managers, which was brought to life and aired once a week, every Saturday. After four years on KXCR, he was approached by the Program Director for a popular radio station, Coyote Radio, located in Sante Fe, New Mexico. He later relocated to New Mexico, playing strictly reggae every Sunday evening. After six years on Coyote radio, Tanto decided to make the move to South Florida with the determination to continue his life-long dream.

After working for short periods with local Caribbean stations, HOT 105 has provided him with the ultimate gift, Reggae Runnin's. Every Saturday night between the hours of 10pm to midnight, “I spread Jah Love and message through reggae music. Being a native Jamaican, it makes me proud that I am able to promote my culture through music, at such a level!”

Jah love and guidance.....Tanto Irie