U-Roy, Whose âToastingâ Transformed Jamaican Music, Dies at 78 He popularized the genre in which the D.J. adds a vocal and verbal layer to a recorded track, a precursor of rap. U-Roy performing in 1984 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. “I think we can call him the ‘Godfather of Rap,’” an authority on reggae music said.Credit...David Corio/Redferns, via Getty Images Feb. 19, 2021 U-Roy, who helped transform Jamaican music by expanding the role of D.J. into someone who didnât just introduce records but added a layer of vocal and verbal improvisation to them, a performance that was known as toasting and that anticipated rap, died on Wednesday in Kingston, Jamaica. He was 78.