Released on the Island Records subsidiary Mango in July 1980, Sinsemilla, named after a type of marijuana, was Black Uhuru's first album to be issued internationally, its third overall. Although the group was nominally a trio at this point ? consisting of Derrick "Duckie" Simpson, Michael Rose, and Sandra "Puma" Jones ? in effect, Sinsemilla was a solo album by Rose, who wrote all the songs and sang lead vocals.