Reggae Summer Anthems 2009
Greetings and Blessings,
Winter is over and the sun is out which can only mean good things for Reggae fans. It is time to enjoy the season’s major releases that will carry us through the summer. Speaking of the summer, I want to start off by giving quick update on Sierra Nevada World Music Festival which has added several more artists to their already impressive lineup. The newest editions are Bushman and the legendary rhythm twins Sly & Robbie who will join the already confirmed Michael Rose, Gregory Isaacs, Etana, Easy Star Allstars, Michigan & Smiley, Tarrus Riley, Anthony B, The Heptones and many more. They must have felt overshadowed by Reggae Rising last year who put together one of the more impressive american reggae festivals in recent memory. But even though SNWMF is making quite a statement by nabbing Sly & Robbie who have headlined RR the last two years, Reggae Rising has finally begun to revamp their website and it looks like their line up will begin to manifest shortly, so stay tuned for that.
The song that is guaranteed to be in hot rotation as the summer gets under way is John Legend’s single, “Can’t Be My Lover,†which features two blazing verses from Dancehall legend Buju Banton. This song was supposed to be included as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Legend’s latest release, “Evolver,†but for some reason never made the cut. I’m not sure why, but this track has grown to be a very popular tune for a track that isn’t even legally for sale anywhere. Amazon.com was carrying a single but after looking for it again, it has a note that explains that it had been “discontinued by the manufacturer.â€Â Got to love the music business… making sure the people get what they want. Well, that’s what we have imeem and YouTube for. Give thanks.
If you don’t like to be caught off guard when you hear everybody talking about certain new artists, then you had better familiarize yourself with Serani and Demarco. These two artists have brought melody back to dancehall for much needed refreshment. Serani’s track, “No Games†is likely to be the anthem of 2009, and “She Loves Me,†won’t be far behind. This is a huge step as a solo artist after his breakout collaboration with Bungle last summer titled “Doh.â€Â I first heard about Demarco after a picked up a copy of his track “I Wonder†on a mix tape while in Jamaica last year. I usually am not an advocate of auto-tune, but Demarco does it as well as it can be done. Though he sounded great over a one-drop, he knows that his style is better suited for the dancehall, so he dropped “Sort Dem Out†for the summer of 09. Check them out on the YouTube playlist below.
Make sure you also keep an ear out for Jah Cure who has an all new album dropping on April 7th titled, “The Universal Cure.â€Â This will be his first release of new material since being released from prison last year. His first single “Mr. Jailer,†is brilliant fusion track where he takes on the oppressor and comments on how they themselves are in prison. Cure is poised to make a serious comeback and regain his thrown as a Reggae superstar. Reggae fans have a lot to look forward to as artists continue to innovate and redefine our place in the greater music landscape. I look forward to being along for the ride.
Jah Bless - One Lovell
Heavy D. spreading the Vibes
Greetings Reggae Massive,
Don’t worry, I haven’t forgot about you. I have been hard at work since I was given the opportunity to re program the Reggae Essentials channel on Rhapsody.com that is available for free. I’m also working on revamping the Dancehall station and building a brand new Dub Wise station that will be available soon. Please check them out and let me know what you think. Give Thanks
I see a lot of records come across my desk as i process music for Rhapsody, but this new Release from Heavy D. of Heavy D. and The Boys caught my attention. Heavy D. has been known to dabble in Reggae as he was born in Jamaica before being raised in Mt. Vernon New York, and I had heard about this all Reggae album that he was working on. Since D.’s career has been born in the world of Hip-Hop, I expected a dancehall based record with lots of features as that would be the natural route. Much to my surprise “Vibes” would best fall into the sub genre of Lover’s Rock. My first impression of the album is that it is surprisingly authentic and genuine both lyrically and musically. It is hard to take D. seriously as crooner but he has a astonishingly good voice which is well balanced with the sound of a full Reggae band. The album starts strong with the hard hitting single “Long Distance Girlfriend,” and also sets the tone for the subject base of the project. He goes on to display his singing skills on “No Matter What” and the rock steady track “Queen Majesty” which are definitely worth a spin. Heavy then measures his chords to the Dancehall legend Barrington Levy on “Love Me Like This,” while also displaying his best Deejay impression. Then he looses me with “All I Have” and “Hugs and Kisses” but picks it back up when he brings along Sizzla for “Private dance.” It is always helpful to have some notoriety and experience when branching out into a new genre. The only track really worth mentioning after that is my favorite selection from the album “Chasing Windmills.” On this particular track, D. shines and it is clear that he stumbled upon a potential anthem. This one is definitely in rotation on Reggae Essentials. All in all, I’d say that this was a great effort from Heavy D. and overall successful project. Though there were several obvious misses, 5 of the 10 tracks will definitely be in rotation on your next Reggae mix. This video is protected by UMG on Youtube, but here is a link to the video of the single “Long Distance Girlfriend.” If you look closely you can see Julian Marley making an appearance and blessing the drums.
Jah Bless   -   One Lovell
Whose World Is This? – K-Salaam & Beatnick
 Every now and again, movements have major milestones… I believe that this album is just that for the fusion movement of Reggae and Hip-Hop and will go down as a turning point in this long relationship. I have to start off and apologize for being so late on the curve with this incredible project put together by DJ K-Salaam. This album dropped in July of 2008 but I just ran across it last week while preparing some new radio stations for Rhapsody. I’m not going to get into his whole story but he has come a long way from his humble beginnings in Minneapolis to moving to New York and coordinating one of the best and most complete Hip-Hop and Reggae collections that we have seen thus far. The beauty is in that this connection was based on an ideology as well as musical alignment. You can find out more about the artists and the project at the VP Records website as well as the Youtube playlist below. It started with a vision of empowering oppressed people across the globe. The CD also comes with a DVD (included in its entirety on the playlist) that starts by saying that it is dedicated to the people of Palestine and New Orleans. What you come to understand is that it is also dedicated to all oppressed brown people in between, but Salaam says it better himself:
“There are many other people who this album should be dedicated to. However, The World Is Ours was not meant to be a dedication album. Instead this album is a movement, made to spark new ideas and philosophies that would in turn bring about a change in this wicked system; and lead to a better way of life.”
Despite the current trend of mainstream Rap, Hip-Hop will always have it’s roots in the struggle, and that is where Reggae will always be. This is why I have come to see them as branches on a common tree because the greatest of both genres often come from the same unfortunate upbringings and inspire their communities to overcome oppression and to unify. K-Salaam and Beatnick drew upon this and built an album that is musically dynamic and consistent as it fuses the best parts of Reggae and Hip-Hop. The highlights on the album to me are the “Street Life” remix by Trey Songs and Buju Banton, “As We Continue” with Kardinall Offishall and Solitaire, and of course “Babylon (Must Be Mad) by Young Buck and Sizzla that also features a Barrington Levy sample. The true fusion tracks shine the brightest but the other tracks by solo artists such also are worth a spin such as Talib Kweli’s “Feel,” “Never Let Us Down” by Capleton, and my personal favorite, “Mission Complete,” by Jamelody. Check the track listing below and check out the making of this fantastic project on “The World Is Ours” DVD included on the playlist.“
“The World Is Ours” DVD: The making of “Whose World Is This.” Released by VP Records.