Issential Knowledge

My fascination with Akon started several years ago when I revisited the all time great Fugees album, “The Score.”  At that point at my life I was rediscovering the greatness of Sly & Robbie and how they had been the first to really make the connection with the world of hip-hop on the production side.  So I’m grooving on the Fu-Gee-La Sly & Robbie remix and then about 4 minutes into the song I hear I familiar voice making a cameo. “Is that Akon?”  I asked myself.  All I knew about Akon is that he had had a breakout debut album and sounded like the next Nate Dogg but what was he doing with the Fugees?  Even more, what is he doing with Sly & Robbie?  Based on the fact that it was such a small part and that it was on this particular version of the song out of the 3 on the album I figured he must be in with Sly & Robbie.  As Akon’s career has progressed his appreciation of Reggae music has been more and more evident.  On his second album titled, “Konvicted” he included a track called Mama Africa that features him representing the motherland a smooth one drop rhythm.  This one was on every playlist I made for a solid 6 months. Akon also has graced several tracks with top Reggae artists such as Shaggy and Beenie Man, lending them his voice and production skills and allowing them to access his wide ranging fan base in the United States.

Recently, Akon has stepped it up a notch by taking Canadian Reggae star Kardinal Ofishall and break out star Tami Chynn under his wing.  In the playlist below I included a few of Chynn’s hits that she had in the Reggae world before her recent work with Akon.  It’s easy to see why she has made such an impression on Akon.  Her beauty and her talent have the potential to have her music reach much further than the shores of Kingston where she hails from.  I expect that she will make the transition much as Rihanna has and hopefully bring the Reggae world along for the ride.  Though I like her work on the riddim circuit much more than, “Frozen,” I see where they are going.  Tracks like this allow her to break into the American Pop scene and capitalize on the neo-disco movement that is coming to dominate the airwaves. Check out her website for more information on this up and coming star.

Akon’s work with Kardinal Ofishall on the other hand is surprisingly authentic to the Ofishall sound that we have come to know and love.  Identifying more as a MC (Hip-hop) than a dee-jay (Reggae) Kardinal’s heritage is not hard to find as he slips in and out of his parents’ Jamaican patios seamlessly.  On the playlist I included some videos of projects that he has done leading up to, “Not For Sale.”  His first major hit was Bakardi Slang and that set him up for a strong career in the Jamaican music scene but it was clear that his expectations of success were unmet because he didn’t want to be pegged in one genre or the other.  That is why his teaming up with Akon is such a perfect fit because he transcends genres.  Check out the videos and listen to Kardinal in his own words and a sample of his latest project.

Akon’s unique style has refreshed the popular music scene and I think it’s clear that he understands the potential of Reggae music.  As I have mentioned before I think the Reggae’s lack of popularity is more based on poor distribution methods rather than disinterest and developments such as this will greatly increase America’s accessibility to Reggae.  I’d love to hear what you think about the videos so feel free to post a comment.

Jah Bless – One Lovell