Keeping consistent with the vibe of earlier posts, i want put you all up on some more trunk rattling Reggae fusion that i have been bumping in the last few months. Though this album dropped all the way back in 2007 the effect of Million Stylez’s debut album From A Far is still being felt around the globe. With a birth name of Kenshin Iryo born in Sweden and raised by his French father and Japanese mother, it is easy to see why he developed a million styles.
He exploded onto the spot with his hit single “Miss Fatty” but it was his interpretation of classic Roots Reggae that really impressed me. The title track “From A Far” particularly shows his versatility as well as the Roots track “Give Me Strength” and “In This Time.” I also had the opportunity to check this man out at the Reggae Rising music festival in August and he killed it even though I’m sure he would have been much better with a full band. Check out some of that performance as well as a few other videos below and keep an eye out for up and coming releases.
What a Gwaan,
Keeping you up on all the happenings in the Reggae world I want to give you a heads up on a new artist that should definitely be on your radar. First making a splash on the Collie Monster Riddim with his hit “Boom Draw,” Mitch has been swooped up by Sly and Robbie for his debut album “Original Yard Man.” As you know I will listen to just about anything that Sly & Robbie produce, but I really think that this project was a major success for them as they remain the most innovative production team in Reggae. Mitch has a sound reminiscent of Akon and the Rhythm Twins laid the foundation for him to bust on the scene and infiltrate the Dancehall. Featuring new and classic riddims as well as guests appearances from Wyclef, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man, and rapper Scantana this will definitely be an album that every DJ is sure to have.
The record starts strong with “Want No More” over the legendary Baltimore Riddim, then moves on to a hard hitting Hip-Hop feel on “Follow Me” and “Ghetto Heaven.” The cuts you’re sure to hear spun by your favorite Selectah are the aptly named “DJ,” “Bounce,” and “Grown” which sounds more like something coming out of Atalanta than Jamaica. And though this is a fresh step for Reggae, Mitch also has a few tracks for us purists with “Borrowed Time,” “Come Back Baby,” and my personal favorite “Special For You.” Mitch seemingly came from nowhere but apparently he expects to be around for a while with his signature tag line “It’s Mitch Again!” Check the videos below and catch the vibe.
I wanted to check in with you since i haven’t touched base in a few weeks. Here’s wanted to keep you in the know about the Reggae news that is exciting me these days. The first news I have is great news for the World of Reggae but does make me eat my words from my post claiming that the Damian Marley and Nas album would never manifest. Honestly, I’ve never been happier to be wrong. The duo will be debuting their new African themed project titled “Distant Relatives” while headlining the famed “Rock The Bells” tour this summer. Though there is plenty to read about the project, they have yet to release any audio from the album due to drop in just a few weeks (June 23rd). I haven’t even seen any camera videos from the exclusive listening party they had in LA. I am very excited to hear that Damian has done the bulk of the production with help from brother Stephen of course and maybe even guests such as Alchemist. I’m not sure how much longer I can wait.. There is no doubt that this is going to take the music world by storm. Click here for more information on this project.
The other big new is the long awaited release of Reggae’s newest star, Alborosie with his Greensleeves debut. His album is scheduled to drop next Monday June, 15th. We have come to expect a few things from Alborosie since he dropped Herbalist several years ago: 1) He is consistent and never lets you down if you are looking for the hard hitting one drop Rub a dub style 2) There is always an Alborosie track that you have never heard. This project is no different and doesn’t feature any of the tracks that have made him famous.
Check out the track listing:
01. America
02. No Cocaine
03. Mama She Don’t Like You Feat. I.Eye
04. Global War
05. Money
06. Irusalem
07. I Can’t Stand It Feat. Dennis Brown
08. Real Story
09. Good Woman
10. Dung A Babylon
11. One Sound Feat. Gramps Morgan
12. Humbleness
13. Promise Land
14. Mr. President
15. Operation Uppsala
16. Likkle Africa
Greetings Reggae massive,
I have a lot of cool things to tell you about as the summer concert season rolls closer. This is the busy time of year in the Reggae world and there are no less than 20 live performances in northern California this month including Collie Buddz, Capleton, Jr. Reid, Mad Professor and many more. This is the good life. For all my Californians you can keep up on all the up on all the upcoming shows at ireggae.com. In other concert news, Reggae Rising has finally began to populate their website and releasing their lineup which is already looking impressive with confirmed artists Gentleman, Queen Ifrika, Tony Rebel, Aswad, Marcia Griffiths and others. They have also made quite a statement by dropping their ticket price to just $99 for a limited time. This is a welcome financial relief to all of the dedicated Reggae fans who have been excluded from this celebration as the price been steadily increasing over the past few years and was almost $200 last year. Much respect to People’s Productions. Also make sure to check out their videos from last year.
On this site I have talked at length about the profound influence that Reggae has had on the world of Hip Hop and Pop in general but something that I have yet to talk about is Dub. Dub is the foundation of Reggae and has led its own journey through music being the basis for much of the electronic music that is produced today. Dub’s tempo was doubled which created Drum n Bass which lead way to House and Techno. You can learn all about it and its pioneers in the new feature film “Dub Echos,†which looks to be one of the coolest reggae documentaries of all time. Seriously, this is not to be missed. Check out the trailer below. If that isn’t enough Dub, Rhapsody’s newest channel “Dub Wise†programmed by your truly will soon be available for free on Rhapsody.com. I’m really excited about this and will definitely let you know as soon as it is available.Â
Last but not least let me put you up on a few tracks as always. First off let me flash you back with a rediscovery of one of Reggae’s many one hit wonders. Ever heard of VC? No I didn’t think so, but I bet you remember this cut from some party in the last decade. Track by the name of “By His Deeds.†I’m not sure what happened to you VC but you will never be forgotten because this is an anthem. Big Up. The next track on our always trusted YouTube playlist is a remix of Athea and Donna’s Dancehall classic “Uptown Top Rankin,†by our favorite Reggae crossover artist Estelle. This is a crazy track featured on Joni Rewind’s album. It’s great to see her sticking to her roots. We salute you.
Alborosie is at it again… At any given time there are at least 2 or 3 new Alborosie tracks floating around the digital world. Bredren, if you’re reading this, much respect but give us a chance to support you by releasing these tracks officially. We want to let you know how much we love you and want you to continue to produce and resurrect the original rub a dub style. And PLEASE COME ON TOUR TO THE U.S.!! My favorite new tracks that I featured below are Promise, Rainy Day, Always, and Angel. Got to keep up with this hard working Ras. I also included a couple riddims you’re bound to hear at the club this summer. We got Jah Cure and Cherine Anderson on the Indiscretions Riddim and Turbulence, Mykal Rose, new comer Mitch on the Collie Monster Riddim.
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.
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 Essentialschannel 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.
 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.
I must be dreaming… I just caught wind of an album that is in the process of being recorded between reggae royalty Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Rap legend Nas. Nas’s manager Anthony Saleh told Billboard.com that the two have been recording in Los Angeles for the past few months and the album was planned to drop in the spring with a tour in the summer. Damian has always said what a huge fan he is of Nas and the two paired up for “Road To Zion” which I think ranks in the top Reggae/ Hip-Hop collaborations of all time. It is the first time the link between the two genres has been made both lyrically and musically and has cemented Marley as a prominent figure in the Hip-Hop community. But a whole album!? I’m trying not to get too excited because some projects can get recorded but never released. One glaring reason that might happen is because both of the artists are signed to different labels. Nas has said that the album will be a community service project, with proceeds going towards building schools in Africa. That is righteous work indeed and should go a long way to making this album a reality. I will have my fingers crossed but if the album does manifest, I think it’s more reasonable to expect it in the Fall or early 2010. Check out the article on Billboard for more information.
I got to Big Up Itation Records out of the Bay Area in California. Itation started in Vermont as a Sound System and transformed into a record label in 2007 and moved to my home town of Oakland CA. As a record label they debuted with the “Higher Meditation” Riddim which features cuts from Sizzla, Jah Mason, Freddie McGregor and more, and recently released the “Show Love” riddim which features Lutan Fyah, Natty King, and the Bay Area’s own Nyorah. Both of these releases are available at iTunes.com, ebreggae.com, and the Itation Records site. Make sure you check out ItationRecords.com and find out about their events, artists, and releases. Respect
The next few posts will highlight the best the Internet has to offer in Reggae services. GreenLionCrew.com is a production team and sound system offering mixtapes, show production and more. Based out of New Hampshire, GLC has a weekly radio show on WUNH Durham 91.3 called the Green Lion Reggae Show as well as a weekly Reggae night (Stormy Wednesdays) at the Red Door music venue. Check out GreenLionCrew.com and support the movment.
