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Words by Jesse Serwer—
“I want to introduce you to a brand new musical sound called soca…it starts with di bass drum.” That’s the late Lord Shorty (later known as Ras Shorty I), father of soca music, getting his James Brown on, with an instrument-by-instrument breakdown of his then-new creation.
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Words by DJ Gravy—
Back when New York was a dangerous and cutting edge city, before the homogenization, and when reggae and its byproduct, hip hop, were still getting aquainted, a group of bright kids who went to the esteemed Stuyvesant High School together put a group together called the Skadanks.
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Words by Jesse Serwer—
With the long-awaited documentary Marley hitting theaters tomorrow—and making history as the first movie to premiere simultaneously on Facebook—we thought we’d draw your attention to some footage that makes its way into one of the more interesting parts of the movie.
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Words by Scott Brown—
A sacred set of Caribbean songs have made it into the canon of Miami party music. Songs like “Get Involved,” from the Bahamas’ Dr. Off, and an assortment of dancehall hits, like Red Rat’s ”Tight Up Skirt,” get locals dancing regardless of heritage. “Zouk la Sé Sél Médikaman Nou Ni” is another must-have for any Miami DJ’s collection. While the zouk sound please the kompa-loving Haitian massive, the infectious rhythm of the song has remarkable cross cultural appeal.
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Words by DJ Autograph—
If you have ever been to or are from Jamaica and have taken taken public transportation, you certainly will identify with the lyrics of the Caucasian female duo, The Word. In “Two White Girls Pon A Minibus,” the duo recaps their journey across the island of Jamaica on…yes, a minibus. I remember seeing this video quite a lot on our local TV channel JBC (now known as TVJ) while growing up in Jamaica.
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Words by Jesse Serwer—
Yellowman’s phrasing on 1982′s “Zunguzungunguzunguzeng” has been reinterpreted by everyone from Frankie Paul and Super Cat to KRS-One, Biggie Smalls and Mos Def. Our good friend and LargeUp contributor Wayne Marshall could probably write a book on what he’s called the “Zigzagging Zunguzung Meme,” if he hasn’t already. Although perhaps not one of the best known songs to reference Yellowman’s classic catchphrase and sublime delivery, one of the most explicit homages was the 1994 single “Zunga Zeng” by K7 and the Swing Kids.
