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.
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