Music Video: Super Cat - Dem No Worry We ft. Heavy D (1992)

Championship Riddim Mix

I'm a mixing beast. This is a 11 Minute Championship Riddim mix produced by Stephen "Di Genius" McGregor:
http://soundcloud.com/prince-banton/championship-riddim-mix-1

Favorites of the Year (2010)

Last year, I was somehow able to make a list of my favorite albums of the year from a variety of genres. Granted I had only heard one or two albums from each of those genres. This year I've pretty much buckled down on listening to dancehall and reggae; I barely have any idea what's going on in the rest of the world of music. I also realized that I have not even given a total of ten albums a decent number of listens to be able to see if they really are favorites. I've only really done that for eight. So here's my eight favorite albums of the year in ascending order of greatness:

Favorite Albums:

8) Gappy Ranks - Put the Stereo On
7) Sizzla - Crucial Times (reissue of old never before released material)
6) Coffinworm - When All Became None
5) Bobby McFerrin - Vocabularies
4) Daisycutter - Invertebrate 7"
3) Romain Virgo - Self Titled
2) Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here
1) Gyptian - Hold You

Here's a list of other albums that I've heard this year which I enjoyed but haven't listened to more than 2 or 3 times: Mulatu Astatke's "Steps Ahead", Carolina Chocolate Drops "Genuine Negro Jig", No Bunny's "First Blood"

I also listened to a lot of stuff off of my good friend's Indiana punk label, Midwestern Decline. In particular I've rocked Karloff's and Close Only Count's EPs multiple times, and those releases have taken a good part in my listener ship for this year. Another highlight from their young discography is Cloud Rat's LP. Considering that they've only been around for a short while it's pretty impressive to think all these releases came out in the last year.

Favorite Mixtapes:

Assassin mixed by Shadyville Carribean - Assassin is Agent Sasco Mixtape
Young Jeezy - Trap or Die 2

Favorite Riddims of 2010:
Bad People Riddim
210 Computer
One Day Riddim
Cosa Nostra Riddim
Baheba Riddim


Favorite Live Shows:
Holy crap. I've been to a lot of shows this year. These are only the particularly awesome/good ones.

-Fresh Ben et al. for Cerebral 1.0 at C2G
God dang people going nutty for Ben's set and getting half naked. I danced SO hard. Worst part was people not showing up until late.
-Close Only Counts Release Show at Dash-In (Support the Troopz, Castles)
First time seeing Support the Troopz and the first time seeing Castles in a long time. A good show.
-Emi Knight and Toby/Theo/Ryan
This shit was touching. Perhaps I need more folk/singer songwriterness in my life?
-Coffinworm, Charnel House, and Slam Dunk at the Bishop
Goddang. Coffinworm was awesome.
-Beast in the Field at Berlin
Probably my 5th or 6th time seeing Beast in the Field. They closed with "Discovered: Large Iron Core" and I head banged real hard.

Harrison House Shows:
-Deep Shit and Pizza Hi Five w/ Sick to Deth, Karloff
I remember the singer for Deep Shit wearing a dope Bell Div Devoe shirt at this show.
-Karloff's Second to Last Show [?] (Balaclava, Bob Denver)
I hadn't seen Karloff for while and all of a sudden they had a posse of fans and kids went nutty at this show like I hadn't seen before
-Desperate Measures and Guide
Both of these bands were sweet.
-Greedy Mistress (an Italian hardcore band)
Those dudes were real goofy, I remember the singer drinking maple syrup between songs. Afterwards we were just hanging so late in front of the house with Fresh Ben reading stupid stuff to us from the internet on his new phone. Good time.
-Inter Arma, Bastard Sapling, and Daisycutter
Inter Arma destroys.
-Grind the Night Away
Ok, it hasn't actually happened yet but yuh already know it's gonna be the best



Fests:
-Culture Shock 2010
Not as good as 2009's but still some sweet acts. Really enjoyed Native. Best Coast was a bit disappointing considering how much hype they have now, I thought they were pretty lame.
-Bayfront Reggae Music Festival--Duluth, MN (Headlined by Michael Rose)
First ever time seeing reggae music live. Danced with this real sweet older Jamaican American in a circle of sorts. Mykal Rose performed "Real Jamaican" and I flipped my shit.
-Free Flow Electronic Music Festival 2010 at CS3
A lot lamer than 2009's (thanks to TRF not funding it) but it was still way fun. Was very flattered when I got hit on by a transvestite.
-XRA Fest at Russian Recording/Bishop
Sweet fest made way sweeter by my dude, my guy Grey coming down for it.
-Stay Young Fest at Pint and Slice
Arguably the best $10 ever only diminished by it's low attendance. Frontier(s) was incredible and Into It Over It was the best dude ever. We chanted some rude women out of the show.

Anyway can't say that the year has been too bad to me musically nor otherwise. Have a happy holidays everybody.

1 Hour Sleng Teng Mix

Here's a one hour mix I made for broadcast on WIUX of sleng teng and it's various offspring:

http://soundcloud.com/prince-banton/1-hour-sleng-teng-mix

I've also decided my selector/DJ pseudonym is Prince Banton--adopting Buju's name, so if you see stuff with that from this point on that's why.

Bob Marley: The Transformative Sound of Selling Out

This is a nice article by Dmitri Vietze on the Wailer's work with Chris Blackwell on Catch a Fire:
http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/bob-marley-the-transformative-sound-of-selling-out.html

Gyptian - Hold You (2010)

Artist: Gyptian
Album: Hold You
Genre: Reggae/Lover's Rock/ Dancehall
Release Date: July 20th, 2010
RIYL: Beres Hammond, Everton Blender

Rating: *****

Gyptian's newest effort is a fantastic album that moves effortless about a number of styles. Unlike his prior 2008 release, "I Can Feel Your Pain", all of the production here contains a level of reggae or dancehall influence. The farthest reaching from it's Jamaican roots, is the rolling "Tease Me" which features a synthesized drum line that recalls current hip-hop trends, but regardless of this inclusion, a pounded snare and bass rhythm underlays the entire song in a classic dancehall style. These touches create an extremely contemporary listening experience that still remains distinctly Jamaican. Autotuning is also very tastefully used here, not as a crux (because Gyptian's singing voice is excellent) but as a tool to create interesting effects. This is most apparent on "Call Gyptian" in which an autotuned echoed version of the lyrics follows the original unedited version of the vocals. Autotuning is used as an electronic accent that further deconstructs dancehall music into an digitally textured genre.
The album is also commendable for it's large variety of styles that maintain the listener's interest from start to finish. Some of the songs like "Na Na Na" fall back on a classic reggae rhythm, including soaring guitar solos that don't feel the least bit cheesy. "Tease Me", as mentioned, is in a contemporary dancehall/hip-hop style, while "Leave Us Alone", featuring the Diseases riddim, acts as a throw back to the 90s. The title track "Hold You", featuring a sparse piano rhythm coupled with marching snares, even after becoming an anthem of the summer and hearing it a million times remains excellent if given a fresh listen. Gyptian's emphasis on singing rather than toasting (not that there aren't hints of it here) while including many dancehall rhythms reminds one of Everton Blender's fusion of roots and dancehall of the 90s. Extremely impressive is the dub styled "Where You Belong", featuring an addictive trumpet line and a sharp dub attack that turns instrumental at the end of the 5 minute 30 second song. The album is held together by an overarching lyrical theme of lover's numbers, with few exceptions in the two closing tracks. Much of it's success can be chucked up to the production. This isn't to discredit Gyptian's songwriting or singing which has been great on less enjoyable prior albums, but it is likely at it's best here. Massive album, highly highly recommended.

1. To Be Held [Intro]
2. Beautiful Lady *****
3. Call Gyptian *****
4. All In You ****
   
5. Hold You *****!
6. Nah Let Go *****!
7. Tease Me (Haffi Easy) *****
8. L.U=V0.E [Interlude]
9. Rendezvous *****
   
10. So Much In Love ****
    
11. Na Na Na (A Love Song) *****
    
12. Drive Me Crazy ***
    
13. Where You Belong *****!!
14. Leave Us Alone *****!
15. Selah ****
    

A List of Reggae Labels

Here's a brief list of modern Reggae labels that I've compiled (I'm not including the classic Jamaican labels (such as Studio 1), these are more the heavy hitters with global distribution that you would come across searching for reissues and contemporary CDs). I'm sure the list is insufficient even with that standard, but it is merely a list of ones that occurred to me as important, and I will expand it if necessary. Also the "Major Artist" lists are very incomplete, and there's a lot of crossover (almost all of these artists have had releases on 2-4 of these labels) but it's more to give a little flavor of what kind of material the label represents.

VP Records http://www.vprecords.com/
VP records is the largest distributor of reggae today, and the label for many major dancehall artists particuarly. VP also releases Soca music as well as Jamaican music.
Founded: 1979
Founders: Vincent "Randy" Chin and Patricia Chin
Location: Queens, New York
Major Artists: Mavado, Elephant Man, Busy Signal, Gyptian, Sean Paul, almost all of the major dancehall artists today
Wiki Bio: "The VP Records label was founded in 1979 by the late Vincent "Randy" Chin and his wife Patricia Chin, Chinese Jamaicans who owned the Randy's Records in Kingston, Jamaica (as seen in the 1978 film Rockers) as well as the Studio 17 recording studios. In the mid-1970s, the Chins moved to New York City, setting up a record store in Brooklyn called VP Records in 1975, from which they sold and distributed records. In 1979 they relocated the store to Jamaica, Queens. In 1993, the record label was formed after the success of the retail store. The name of the label is a product of the first letters in the founders' names, hence the title "VP"."

Greensleeves http://greensleevesrecords.blogspot.com/
Greensleeves is now part of VP records, but has a huge back catalogue.
Founded: 1975
Founders: Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick
Location: Isleworth, London
Major Artists: Huge list (Dr. Alimantado, Eek-a-mouse, Sizzla, and Vybz Kartel just to name a few, most recently Gappy Ranks)
Wiki Bio: "The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick and started as a small record store in West Ealing, London, in November 1975 and is based in Britain... Greensleeves Publishing has the largest catalogue of reggae songs in the world, including the copyrights of Shaggy's "Oh, Carolina," Sean Paul's "Get Busy", and "Break it Off" among over 20,000 copyrights.
In February 2008, Greensleeves was acquired by VP Records, the largest reggae label in the world."

Island Records http://www.islanddefjam.com
Island records today specializes mostly in rock and pop records. But it was originally founded in Jamaica and brought Bob Marley (and by extension, reggae) to a global market. The record label "Tuff Gong", founded by Bob Marley, is a subsidiary of Island.
Founded: 1959
Founder: Chris Blackwell
Location: New York City
Major Artists: Bob Marley and the Wailers, Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come" soundtrack
Wiki Bio: "Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group. The label now operates as a division of The Island Def Jam Music Group in the United States (where it is now a largely rock-oriented label) and as a standalone label in the United Kingdom (also known as Island Records Group or Universal Island)"

Trojan http://www.trojan-records.com/
Trojan records is a British record company that originally was a major provider of reggae music to the skinhead and mod subcultures in Britain during the 60s. Today they are well known for their "Trojan Boxsets" that release themed compilations of crucial hard-to-find tracks.
Founded: 1968
Founder: Lee Gopthal
Location: United Kingdom
Major Artists: Desmond Dekker, Ken Boothe, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Horace Andy
Wiki Bio: "Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary RecordsTrojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica. The truck had "Duke Reid - The Trojan King of Sounds" painted on the sides, and the music played by Reid became known as the Trojan Sound.
Trojan Records was founded in 1968 by Lee Gopthal, who had previously run a record store called Musicland, and before that collaborated with Chris Blackwell of Island Records on mail order sales... Trojan's main function was not to develop new artists, but to serve as a sister label for Island Records... The music became especially popular in British youth subcultures, such as the mods, skinheads and suedeheads.
In 1972, Island Records pulled out of its partnership with Trojan Records. Around the same time, there was a declining interest in Jamaican music among British youths, who ventured towards other genres when Rastafarian lyrics and slower tempos entered the music...By the late 1980s, Trojan was unearthing and compiling many ska, rocksteady and reggae recordings and re-issuing them for the first time in 25 years... They also started the popular Trojan Box Set series, which usually feature 50 songs on a 3-CD (or vinyl record) set in a simple cardboard package. In 2001, the Sanctuary Records Group purchased Trojan Records. The deal gave the label leverage to buy music rights controlled by other vintage reggae labels, secure worldwide distribution, and enact slicker marketing campaigns."

Shanachie http://www.shanachie.com/
Shanachie is a label with many releases under it's belt. They have held the rights for many classic releases from the 70s and done reissues on CD. They also release traditional folk and world music, as well as jazz and blues.
Founded: 1975
Founder: Richard Nevins and Dan Collins
Location: ? United States
Major Artists: The Mighty Diamonds, Culture, Max Romeo, Augustus Pablo
Wiki Bio: "Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by CelticPlanxty, Clannad and The Chieftains groups such as ...Shanachie Records is first, foremost, and most famously known as a Reggae label... Shanachie was also the U.S. liaison for the UK-based Reggae label, Greensleeves Records until about 1987. Shanachie also issued material for Augustus Pablo under the Message imprint of his company, Rockers International. The label is named for "shanachie", an Irish 'story teller'."

RAS (Real Authentic Sound) http://www.rasrecords.com/
RAS records has a dedication to positive reggae, and thus releases material by many roots oriented artists. The label is likely inactive as the last release provided on the website was in 2005.
Founded: 1979
Founder: Doctor Dread
Location: ? United States
Major Artists: A huge list again: Charlie Chaplin, Dennis Brown, Israel Vibration, Sizzla, Culture, Black Uhuru to name a few.
Wiki bio:"RAS Records was founded in 1979 by Doctor Dread. In his travels to Jamaica he created a network within the reggae artist community there."

Heartbeat
Heartbeat Records is another solid distributor and has many important reissues as well as originals. It appears their website has disappeared and the fate of the label is questionable.
Founded: 1981
Founder: Duncan Browne and Bill Nowlin
Location: Burlington, Massachusetts
Major Artists: Big Youth, Michael Rose, Everton Blender, Mutabaruka, Burning Spear
Wiki Bio: "Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of Linton Kwesi Johnson's Dread Beat an' Blood (1981). In 1989, Chris Wilson was hired as VP of A&R and the label began their association with Studio One label founder Clement Dodd and released Best of Studio One... Heartbeat has released over 60 Studio One albums"

Music Video: Tony Rebel - Sweet Jamaica (1993)

BOOOOOOOM!

Gappy Ranks - Put the Stereo On (2010)

Artist: Gappy Ranks
Album: Put the Stereo On
Genre: Reggae/Dancehall
Release Date: Aug 24, 2010
Mood: Feel Good, Positive
RIYL: Tenor Saw, Buju Banton, Romain Virgo

Rating: ***

The British deejay, Gappy Ranks' full length debut presents a dilemma. It is an album composed of original toasts by Gappy Ranks over old school pre-ragga riddims (a number of which are Studio One classics). Of course this recycling is an integral part of the reggae culture and it's music industry; the difficulty is not the reuse of old riddims but rather the fact that the music here is nearly indistinguishable in most respects from dancehall created 20+ years ago (Gappy's toasts are generally arranged in a very old school singjay style here to fit the riddims). The problem lies in the fact that the main distinct contemporary element of Gappy's album is his use of autotuning on five of the songs (under half).
Ultimately, I think the throwback element of this album is wonderful, the whole work becomes a very cohesive listen with it's consistent dedication to early riddims. But I wonder about the use of autotuning. Generally, I am less aggravated by the use of autotuning then most purists; I quite enjoy it on a number of other contemporary dancehall albums, such as Busy Signal's Loaded. However, when coupled with old riddim classics it just doesn't seem to go over as well. "Heaven In Your Eyes", despite being an excellently written song, does not sound as good as many of the excellent tracks in which Gappy left his voice unaltered. Yet, I can't seem to fully dismiss the autotuning on this album altogether. The title track, "Put the Stereo On" is one of the best songs here and doesn't seem to suffer from it's use. Overall though, the rest of the songs that do use it (there are three) make up some of the least engaging moments on the album.
Beyond the question of autotune, Gappy Ranks shows that he is an excellent songwriter. His singing is solid enough to be satisfying (without the autotuning) and his toasting is superb. Lyrics are positive throughout, whether serving up culture chunes or lover's numbers. Besides using old riddims, the album contains numerous looks backward at reggae's history. The packaging contains information about Pekings records' history, which is also mentioned in the title track. "Pumpkin Belly" is a cover of a classic cut by Tenor Saw originally over the Sleng Teng riddim. "Rude Boy" is a dedication to Bob Marley consisting of lyrics composed largely of his song titles impressively strung together. "Soul Rebel" is a Marley cover spiced up into a dancehall style that recalls Tony Rebel's version "He's a Rebel" off of "Rebel with a Cause" (1992). Regardless of the slight grating of the autotuning, this album is a solid listen and a refresher in a dancehall market a bit oversaturated with hip-hop and militant trends. Expect good things from Gappy Ranks in the future.

1. Mountain Top ****
2. Heaven in Her Eyes ***
3. Put the Stereo On *****!
4. Pumpkin Belly *****
5. Happiest Day of My Life **
6. Musical Girl *
7. A Little Understanding ****
8. Thy Shall Love ***
9. So Lost **
10. Heavy Load *****!
11. Rude Boy ****
12. Soul Rebel ****
    

Gregory Isaacs passes at 59.

Gregory Isaacs died yesterday from his battle with lung cancer. The king of lover's rock, he was one of my all time favorite reggae singers. A remix of "Night Nurse" was one of the first reggae songs I remember falling in love with; the full length album of the same title was one of the first reggae albums I purchased. It remains a favorite that I listen to regularly. Certainly one of the best performers (among a list of many) to work with the Roots Radics. Rest in peace.

Mackie Ranks - Lick Out (1993)

Artist: Mackie Ranks
Album: Lick Out
Genre: Reggae: Dancehall/Ragga
Release Date: 1993
Mood: Aggressive, Dance, Feel Good
RIYL: Ninjaman, Supercat

Rating: ****


This is the first of two reviews I'll be doing dedicated to the oeuvre (which is limited to four cds, two of which are LPs and the other two are compilations) of the mysterious Outernational/Hightone record label. I'll be making a short post about the label itself later. But for now I would like this to function as both a review of this commonly overstocked CD (you can pick it up for 39 cents plus shipping on Ebreggae, which I highly, highly recommend doing at that price (if for the album cover alone) but also the only source for information on Mackie Ranks on the internet.

It appears this is the only album that the dee jay ever released. I will transcribe the brief biography provided on the back of the insert for internet archival sources:

"Born Andrew Grant in the Parish of St. Andrew, Jamaica, Mackie Ranks has developed into one of Jamaica's top D.J. talents. He began his musical career outside of sonic sounds distribution-kingston. There, he was better known as Country Man. His responsibility was: gatekeeper. Somewhere in that job, Country Man got a taste for rapping. In 1991, Outernational delivered Country Man from the parking lot to the studio where he voiced "Prestige Punany" on the Joe Frazer Rhythm. This risque hit got Country a bonafide stage show on the island of Grenada. From that point, Country stepped up to adopt his place in the ranks family. Mackie Ranks has since had numerous hits in Jamaica and England on the Outernational, Tipsy, Sinbad, & Taxi Label. So Just lick it out..."

Beyond this, little information about Mackie nor "Country Man" can be found on the internet. Allmusic's review of the album is pitiful. One source I found that was a biographies of his dancehall contemporaries in list format stated that Mackie showed talent with "Prestige Punany" but just needed to get a hit. Otherwise he appears to have disappeared off the map. A few of his singles, including "Power Surge" from this album but also another "A You Him Love" (which I have not heard) appear on Sonic Sounds compilations.

The album itself is hard hitting, very noisy ragga at it's best. Mackie wears an influence stuttering his way through songs. The lyrics generally go in one of two directions. The first taking on a conscious vibe, especially with "Positive", a tune chanting down negative bad bwoy talk in music. The second direction is far more lewd, with songs about Mackie's sexual prowess as on "Prestige Punany" and "100% body". "Power Surge" comes through with a very hard riddim that I can't seem to identify, although it seems like it is possibly an alteration of the Cherry Oh Riddim. On "Brand New Year", Mackie demonstrates his versatility, lowering his voice into a grumble that sounds eerily like Buju Banton's (which you're only shocked out of believing by the fact that the Ranks challenges Buju within the song). Highly, highly recommended for the ragga enthusiast, especially at the very low price.

1. Lick Out *****
2. Should A Me ***
3. Positive ***
4. Power Surge *****
5. Come Here ***
6. Prestige Punany ****
7. 100% Body *****
8. Nah Negotiate ***
9. Brand New Year ****
10. Acre of Land ***
    

Toussaint - Black Gold (2010)

Artist: Toussaint
Album: Black Gold
Genre: Reggae/Neo Roots

Label: I Grade Records

Release Date: August 1, 2010
Mood: Contemplative, Spiritual, Passionate
RIYL: Tarrus Riley, Everton Blender, Jah Cure

Rating: **

This is an album of soulful neo roots reggae that moves between a number of different styles, to varying degrees of success. “Unforgettable” is a fairly horrible lover’s track with a latin tinged riddim that would be difficult for anyone other than Beres Hammond to pull off. “Conquering Cocaine” is a militant styled song which brings to mind the Roots Radics, that starts strong, but when it breaks into a “dub style” the drum and bass patterns leave something to be desired.

Toussaint is perhaps strongest on the atmospheric piano, guitar, and melodica (perhaps harmonica) driven melodies of “Patient” and “Nobody Knows”, the latter of which is a very powerful opener to the album, perhaps the best song here. In fact, most of the good songs are on the first half of the LP, and the album putters off quite badly after about halfway through; dragging itself through a lengthy 15 songs. This album, like many other contemporary reggae ones, suffers from the over packing that occurs in the age of the digital format allowing such lengths. In my opinion, it is better to create a twenty minute album of great material than an hour long one of mediocrity. The closer, “Rain Again”, is a cheesy harp driven number that one may be able to swallow if they weren’t suffering from listener fatigue.

Despite these complaints, overall , Toussaint’s voice is solid, his backing band is tight enough, and his songwriting is fairly good. Cut the album down to ten of the best numbers and it would be highly recommended. Otherwise, a few singles, particularly “Nobody Knows” (which truly is a knockout song), are definitely worth listening to.

1. Nobody Knows *****
2. This Song ***
3. Roots in a Modern time ****
4. Be You **
5. Sunshine in Morning **
6. Hello My Beautiful **
7. Black Gold ***
8. Look Up *
9. Conquering Cocaine *
10. Rise and Fall ***
11. Marching **
12. Patient ****
13. Unforgettable *
14. Changing ****
15. Rain Again **
    

Rap Intros

For no particular reason, I'd like talk about the subject of introductions to rap albums for a quick minute. I don't know the historical reason for their prominence in the genre, but they are altogether very common, and can become integral to the listener's experience. If a rap intro is done well, one will never desire to skip it, likely it will get him or her excited for the music to drop. One of the greatest, and likely my favorite rap intro, is the "The Genesis" by Nas on "Illmatic":


A lot of this is based on the fact that the track is followed by one of the greatest rap songs of all time (N.Y. State of Mind); but I do think that there is something very special about the 1 minute and 46 second introduction itself. The rail car sound effect and vocal samples at the very beginning already hint at the album's themes of inner city life and struggle; with Nas' rapping in the distance acting as a display of the skills one is about to witness. Following that, a beat drops that gets the listener into a groove, and one finds himself bobbing his head immediately. Intentionally or not, Nas' conversing with his crew acts as a piece of the overall theme of ghetto loyalty, but regardless of how hard he may try to act here, the quality of his compatriots' voices and behavior is a clue to the fact that Nas was very young when the album was recorded (only 18).
The hectic nature of the conversation between Nas and his crew makes the introduction feel unscripted even if this wasn't the case. This allows it to avoid the goofy feel of the rap skit, a common form of rap introduction. A personal favorite rap intro along those lines is from Methodman and Redman's first "Blackout" LP titled "Special Joint (Intro)":

The song already prepares the user for the humorous, no boundaries, swaggering music and marijuana themed lyrics that they are about to hear.
Another humorous introduction, and one of two that got me thinking about rap introductions in general, is Busta Rhyme's "Part 2" on the album "When Disaster Strikes" [1998] (which I cannot find on youtube, unfortunately). Busta seemingly adlibs a spoken intro about the coming armageddon at the turn of the millennium in the form of his crew (the Flipmode Squad). He warns everyone to "stack their paper" and prepare for the end times. This is followed by the drop of an intense electronic rhythm and a shorter song.
A more serious rap intro that comes to mind is Goodie Mob's "The Experience" from the album "Still Standing":

For their second album, Goodie Mob, under the pressure of the rap community, cut back on the consciousness of their lyrics a bit and allowed themselves to record a few party oriented and gun boasting numbers. Besides being a powerful critique of the use of the word "nigger" and identity problems within the black community, the first song on the album also acts as a disclaimer to this change. Cee Lo raps, "You don't want to hear the truth/So I'ma lie to ya/Make it sound fly to ya".
The second rap intro that brought this subject to mind is the most recent of my examples; Petey Pablo's "Still Writing In My Diary: 2nd Entry" (2004) opens with a track titled "Part 2" (which also cannot be found on youtube). The first sounds of the album are a recording of a man giving credit to Pablo's character in a humble fashion ("I'm very proud to say I even know the young fella'"). This is set to a simple violin rhythm. Then the music cuts and Pablo himself says "My momma said, 'Can you give her three dollar for a five dollar book of food stamps so she can get her some cigarettes.' [laughter]". Immediately the crunk beat drops and Pablo goes into one of the LP's best songs (also part of the same intro track). This song is a boast about his skills and his return for the second album, as well as southern pride, and a thanks for the support that has been provided by his fans.
As with the other albums, Petey Pablo's introduction sets the mood, prepares the listener for the type of music they are about to be subjected to, and provides an index to some of the themes and subject matters that will be featured for the remainder of the recording. In Goodie Mob's case, the introduction to "Still Standing" is arguably the best song on the album. Regardless of their common brevity, a rap introduction can function as a vital part of understanding a whole LP taken as a cohesive work of art.

Safi Abdullah - Another One Gone (1979)

Artist: Safi Abdullah
Album: Another One Gone
Label: Shanachie
Genre: Reggae: World Fusion
Release Date: 1979
Mood: Afrocentric, Fiery, Spiritual, Marching

Rating: *****

This post is less a review than an internet source for information on a forgotten artist and a superb album. To quote the biography as provided by Shanachie in the inner sleeve:

"The music of Safi Abdullah is at once a progressive bridge to the entire pan-African music universe and also strongly rooted in musical tradition. His unique blend of reggae, soca, African music and funk reflects his own wide-ranging experience as a citizen of the world.
Safi Abdullah was born Stuart Bennett in Jamaica. He started playing drums as a youth in Maypen, later joining respected bandleader Lyn Taitt in his Comets band. A stint as resident session drummer at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One put him at the heart of the exploding Jamaican music scene as it generated such new styles as ska, rocksteady and ultimately reggae; working on recordings by the Wailers, Heptones, Alton Ellis and other soon-to-be legendary stars afforded an extraordinary opportunity to develop as a musician. Freelance work with other producers such as Lee "Scratch" Perry, Bunny Lee, and Prince Buster led to work with Tommy McCook and The Skatalites through the mid-sixties. Safi then formed a band with such top musicians as Larry McDonald, Keith Sterling, Boris Gardner and Willie Lindo with whom he performed until 1968 when he traveled to the United States to work with Eartha Kitt.
Arriving in America in 1968 plunged Safi Abdullah into an intense revolutionary political climate. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and saw action in Vietnam from 1969 through 1971. After discharge, work with such top American r 'n' b groups as the Moments and Archie Bell and the Drells yielded an inside look at the American pop scene. Moving to Montreal, he formed a band with his former mentor, Lyn Taitt before moving back to the U.S. for university studies. In 1979, Safi Abdullah recorded his first solo work, "Fatherless Children", an innovative mixture of soca, reggae and African rhythyms; an updated version appears on this album; it's trenchant. This experience social commentary seems ever more timely. His next recording "Afrika is Burning" fused afrobeat, reggae, soca, and disco in an angry anthem which happened to also be great dance music; it was an underground club hit in discos on both the West and East Coast, as well as in several European countries.
After touring Europe from 1981-1982, Safi traveled to Dakar, Senegal, where he enrolled in the University of Dakar and absorbed African culture firsthand. This experience led him to convert to Islam, taking the Muslim name Safi Allah Abdullah.
"Another One Gone" is an explosive tour of the pan-African musical universe using reggae as a base. Classic Jamaican rhythms are used and re-shaped, their affinity with African and other Caribbean rhythms revealed by clever interpolations. Always Safi Abdullah's singing is urgent, passionate, even anguished as he sings of the material and spiritual corruption which keeps humanity from a higher, more fulfilling existence."

That mini bio is a pretty great summary of the sound of this album, and there is little more to add to make a sufficient description. The first and second tracks ("Afrika is Burning" and "Another One Gone") are the strongest here, but Abdullah's song craft is consistently strong throughout. His lyrics are afrocentric, revolutionary, and on the very edge of any political spectrum. "Selfish Desires" is an analysis of the symbols on the U.S. dollar bill, featuring free masonry and other conspiracy-based readings. Other songs are more a reflection of Abdullah's faith than radical mind set, such as "Song for Jah". Bizarre genre clashes are abound, such as the instrumental "Requiem for Dolphy". Safi Abdullah dedication to the avant-garde jazz musician is intepreted as a 80's dancehall riddim overlayed with a low quality electric guitar solo and synth horn section. Despite sounding like a train wreck on paper; in the hands of Abdullah, it all sounds great.

1. Afrika is Burning '89 *****!!
2. Another One Gone *****!
3. Fatherless Children *****
4. Song for Jah *****
5. Emmanuel Road ****
6. War Dance ***
7. Selfish Desires ***
8. Requiem for Dolphy *****!

(non album version)

Mavado - Mr. Brooks... A Better Tomorrow (2009)

Artist: Mavado
Album: Mr. Brooks... A Better Tomorrow
Label: VP Records
Genre: Reggae: Dancehall
Release Date: Mar 2, 2009
Mood: Militant, Dark, Spiritual
RIYL: Busy Signal, Assassin

Rating: *****

An incredible dancehall album. Mavado polished his sound from his 2007 release, "Gangster for Life" and emerged with a collection of songs that showcase his talents wonderfully. Mavado's voice has a sonic quality that acts like a piece of a dub soundscape, moving through the music in a slow drawl that mirrors the darkness of the subject matter. For the entirety of the first eight tracks, Mavado calls upon Jah for protection from his enemies and the power to overcome them. The driving rhythms of contemporary dancehall act as Mavado's war drum. The best of these first songs is "On the Rock" in which Mavado employs a singjay style and backup chorus to call upon Jah's strength. A song that showcases the oddly successful fusion of Rastafari religion and violent themes is "So Special" in which the DJ toasts: "Jah knows/I'm so special, so special, so special, so special/That's why I'm strapped with a .45 special".
The subject matter changes with "Gangsters Don't Play" and "Real Killer" which are violent boasts of Mavado's street integrity. "Jailhouse" is an effective song about the conditions of the Jamaican jail system. "Don't Worry" is an assurance to Mavado's Gully followers that, in the event of his death, that retaliation will be swift. "Money Changer" and "Money" sound like counters to Gaza disses and go well together back to back. A couple of the songs reuse riddims from the "Gangster for Life" LP, but these versions are better than their predecessors. "In Di Car Back" is the only song that doesn't quite fit in overall, a boast about a sexual encounter, but it acts a nice reprieve towards the end of the album. The album closes with the culture chune "Overcome" a knock-out Big Ship production, similar to "On The Rock" and also extremely effective.
For seventeen straight tracks, Mavado fails to have a bad number. Regardless of their level of truth, the gangster themes here are more believable than almost any album I have ever heard, including hardcore rap's oeuvre. On top of it all, this album is one that gets better with every listen. Highly, highly, recommended, likely one of the greatest contemporary reggae or dancehall releases available.

1. David's Psalm (intro) *****
2. Every Situation ****
3. On the Rock *****!!!
4. So Blessed *****
5. So Special ****
6. Life of a G ****
7. Welcome to the Armageddon (interlude) *****
8. Gangster's Don't Play *****!
   
9. Real Killer *****
   
10. Chiney K ****
    
11. Jailhouse *****
12. Don't Worry ****
    
13. Money Changer ****
14. Money ****
    
15. In di Car Back ****
16. Which Gal ***
    
17. Overcome *****!

Busy Signal - D.O.B. (2010)

Artist: Busy Signal
Album: D.O.B.
Label: VP Records
Genre: Reggae: Dancehall
Release Date: July 13, 2010
Mood: All over the map
RIYL: Assassin, Mavado, Bounty Killer

Rating: ***

This Busy Signal LP is a bit of a disappointment in comparison to its predecessor, the excellent "Loaded". "Loaded" was a cohesive collection of club numbers, militant riddims, and Busy's pension for culture lyrics; there was plenty of variety, yet it all worked well together. The same cannot be said here. Busy tries his hand at a latin dancehall number ("Busy Latino") which falls flat miserably and results in goofy sounding salsa. He also gives a go at the strange, longstanding tradition of opera dancehall on "Opera", which isn't a total loss (largely due to the high quality of Busy's lyrical craft on that track) but certainly isn't great and sounds miserable stuck in the middle of the rest of the album. The best tracks here stand at two entirely different ends of a spectrum of mood: militant anthems and lover's numbers. As singles the lovers songs "Sweet Love" and "One More Night" are actually quite great and something Busy hadn't done before to this level of success. The militant numbers "Money Tree" (in which Busy considers how the social changes he would make in Jamaica if he was infinitely rich) and Summn' A Guh Gwaan (another culture number featuring Bounty Killer) are both massive chunes and are the highlights of the album.
The two Stephen "Di Genius" McGregor (current reigning king of dancehall production) tracks ("How U Bad So" and "Hairdresser Shop") aren't bad, but surely Busy has had better cuts with Big Ship in the last few years. Also sorely missed on this album is any sign of the Jafrican riddim by Coppershot Productions, which Busy had two or three excellent versions on. And if Busy Signal was looking for genre variety certainly he could have replaced the awful "Busy Latino" with the excellent "Wooeii Gal Wooeeii" soca number featuring Trinidad and Tobago's Machel Montano. The Stagalag riddim (a reworking of the legendary Stalag riddim) does make an appearance here with Busy's cut "Hi Grade"; however, his version was far from the best on that compilation.
But, a fan accustomed to dancehall albums as carriers of three to four great singles and a few misses will find what they're looking for here in the stronger numbers. Definitely recommended for Busy Signal fans, but not a crucial release to pick up this year.

1. How U Bad So ***
2. Picante ****
3. My Money (Money Tree) *****
4. Yes Dawg ****
5. Busy Latino *
6. Gal Dem Song ***
7. Sweet Love (Night Shift) *****
8. Hi Grade ***
9. Opera **
10. One More Night *****
11. Summn' A Guh Gwaan (feat. Bounty Killer) *****!
12. Hair Dresser Shop ***
13. Nuh Fraid ****
14. Peace Reign **
15. Nuh Boy Caan Buy Without (Acapella) [CD Bonus Track?] ***

Romain Virgo - Self Titled (2010)

Artist: Romain Virgo
Album: Romain Virgo
Genre: Reggae: Lover's Rock, Neo-Roots
Release Date: Jun 8, 2010
Mood: Love Making, Sunshine
RIYL: Beres Hammond, Gyptian

Rating: ****

This is Romain Virgo's debut self titled album. Romain is an up-and-coming singer with an superb voice. The LP opens with two knock-out culture tunes, Mi Caan Sleep, with lyrics about youth violence in Jamaica, and Who Feels It Knows It (not to be confused with the Bob Marley song), an anthem for the lower working class Jamaicans. Romain seamlessly moves from heartfelt roots and culture numbers to excellent Lover's tunes with a skill rivaling Beres Hammond in his prime. In fact, most of the songs show little evidence of being a contemporary release, with only the slightest evidence of tastefully executed autotuning revealing their actual modern nature. The Lover's middle tracks, including "Taking You Home" and "Should I Call Her" are almost as excellent as the two openers. Unfortunately the album is very front heavy, although none of the later tracks are truly bad (with the somewhat cheesy lyrically "I'm Doing Good" closing off things on a sour note). A little better distribution of the stronger songs would make for a better listening experience, but that's a small complaint for a highly recommended LP. Romain's singjaying in an old school dancehall style on "Customer Care" (using the Duck Riddim I believe) and the Nyabinghi production of "Be Good" offer up a nice variety to the album on a whole. This is likely to be one of the best reggae albums of the year. Looking forward to seeing this young artist (he's only 20) continue into the future.

1. Mi Caan Sleep *****!
2. Who Feels it Knows It *****!
3. Love Doctor ***
4. Taking You Home *****
5. As the Money Done ****
6. Should I Call Her *****
7. Wanna Go Home ****
8. Dark Skin Girl ****
9. Live Mi Life ****
10. Customer Care ****
11. No Money ***
    
12. Murderer ***
    
13. Be Careful ****
    
14. I'm Doing Good **

Gyptian - I Can Feel Your Pain (2008)

Artist: Gyptian
Album: I Can Feel Your Pain
Genre: Reggae: Lover's Rock, Dancehall/R&B
Release Date: Oct 21, 2008
Qualities: Soft
Mood: Love Making, Late Night
RIYL: Neo Soul/R&B but would like some hints of Reggae

Rating: ****

Gyptian effectively intertwines both lover's rock styled more traditional reggae tracks with stellar pop/R&B tunes. This albums contains a number of knock out chunes from the effective opening plead to ghetto youth's "Keep Your Calm", followed by the more traditional reggae number "Nobody Cry", and then the incredibly heartfelt title track. Two other highlights are the piano driven "Love Against the Wall", and the effective "Touch" which features Gyptian dueling with the voice of Yanique-Sasha. The album is very front heavy, and the second half is a less satisfying listen. Although reggae purists may be put off by some of the tracks that feature no trace of Jamaican music (such as "Love Against the Wall"), the tradition of being influenced/appropriating the sounds of American R&B and Soul has been a long standing one in Jamaica and is vital to the birth of reggae. With R&B dominating in American popular music today (largely from it's fusion with hip-hop), it's refreshing and great to hear a Jamaican accent and the vocal inflections that come with it (such as the satisfying "Oi" on "Keep Your Calm") added to the R&B sound. Gyptian's greatest weakness is perhaps his lyrics, which, for the most part, are overcome by the feeling of sincerity given by the recordings overall. However, it's hard not to wince at lines such as "I never knew I could love someone/That could be the chosen one". Or the ridiculous nyabinghi outing, "More Money" with "My people want more money/fi want pretty house and drive Bentley" (Although the sentiment is noble, I have doubts that Bentleys are a first priority in uplifting Jamaica's people). But regardless, Gyptian is creating heartfelt music here and this album is packed with enough hits to keep you coming back over and over. Cut a couple of the weaker ones and polish the lyrics just a bit and you'd have a classic release.

1. Keep Your Calm *****
2. Nobody Cry *****
3. I Can Feel Your Pain *****
4. Where's My Baby ****
5. Love Against the Wall *****
6. World Is Caving In ****
7. Touch *****
8. Thanks and Praise ****
9. Too Bad Mind ****
   
10. Sensi ***
    
11. More Money **
    
12. More Love ****
    
13. Guide Me ***
    

Free Music Download: Assassin is Agent Sasco Mixtape

Assassin aka Agent Sasco is definitely one of my favorite dancehall DJs out there right now right up beside Busy Signal. Hear dis mixtape and see wa mek him so:
http://www.mediafire.com/?zonm0mwyzjy

Mr. Oizo is directing a movie...

...about a renegade mind exploding tire:
http://twitchfilm.net/news/2010/01/quentin-dupieux-redefines-the-road-movie-with-rubber.php



(and yes... he's making the soundtrack)

Banner Redesign, Minor Format Changes

Made some changes to the blog's format. Most notably I designed a blog banner image based on this Horace Andy cover:



I also changed the colors of some of the different text types and expanded the main panel's width by 100 pixels to allow for easier reading.

Dam Funk - ToEachIzOwn (2009)

Artist: Dam-Funk
Album: ToEachIzOwn
Format: Double Disc CD release
Genre: Syntesized Funk, R&B
Release Date: 2009
Qualities: Synthesizers, Drum Machines, FUNK
Mood: Chill, Nighttime, Romantic, Driving
RIYL: Prince, Electro-boogie music

Rating: *****

(this review borrows from my Favorites of the Year (2009) post because I felt like I said things pretty well the first time)

It's extremely ambitious to make your first release a double album, but synth-funk wizard Dam-Funk (pronounced "dame") did just that, successfully. It is a refreshing release and one of 2009's best. What Dam does here is to enter into what I might consider Post-Modernist music. Just like a Post-Modern visual artist, he doesn't necessarily do something entirely new, trailblazing, or genre defying; he simply utilizes techniques/concepts already developed, rearranges them, and combines them to achieve his own vision. And within this vision comes uniqueness. Dam-Funk revives the blatant use of synth and so called "dated" sounds to show that it isn't just OK to use them, but actually that they could in fact have many advantages over modern production.
The first CD features songs with Dam-Funk's vocals, whether they be highly distorted or not. This tends to make the songs lean to a little more of an R&B aesthetic (as seen on the wonderful "One Less Day" and "I Wanna Thank You"). So a listener looking for a romantic soundtrack would probably choose the first disc over the harder hitting instrumental second one. The second disc is great to drive to, with the g-funk styled "Hood Pass Intact" and the short but bopping theme song "Toeachizown". The album does lull a bit at points (as most of even the best doubles do), such as on "Brookside Park", which, at over nine minutes long, could be cut to four. Because of the solidity of material overall, and the difference between discs (although they are still both very similar listening experiences) the album retains listener attention regardless (even if they choose to listen to only one of the CDs each sitting). Very highly recommended.

Disc 1 (vocal):

1. Let's Take Off (Far Away) ***
2. Come On Outside ***
3. Mirrors ****
4. One Less Day *****!
5. Brookside Park **
6. The Sky is Ours ****
7. (My Funk Goes) On & On ****
8. Searchin' 4 Funk's Future ***
9. Love Is Here 2Nite (I Can Feel It) ****
10. I Wanna Thank You For (Stepping Into My Life) *****
11. Fantasy ****
12. Keep Lookin 2 the Sky ****

Disc 2 (instrumental):

1. Toeachizown (D-F's theme) *****!
2. 10 West ****
3. The Move Suite *****
4. Flying V Ride ****
5. Burn Straight Thru U *****
6. Rollin' ***
7. Hood Pass Intact *****!
8. Killdat aka Killdatmuthafu*ka ****
9. I Gots 2 Be Done Wit' U ***
10. LAtrifying *****
11. Spacecapades **
12. In Flight ***