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Words by Jesse Serwer—
Remember when having a Jamaican chick talking trash in thick patois was a thing in hip-hop? Dr. Dre kind of set it off on the intro to his classic “Let Me Ride” from The Chronic. Two years later, Biggie (and producer Poke of Trackmasters) had a young Diana King adlibbing something fierce at the beginning of “Respect,” from Ready to Die.
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In his review of Snoop Lion’s reggae reinvention Reincarnated for the New York Times, writer Jon Caramanica noted “Busta Rhymes runs circles around Snoop on the bonus track ‘Remedy’ — his would be a reggae album worth hearing.” We couldn’t agree more. We’ve always rated Busta for his unique way of bringing dancehall flavor to hip-hop. Check our Busta’s Biggest Bashment Tunes Toppa Top 10 list for some classic examples, to see what we mean.
Still, everything about Busta’s patois-inflected new single “Twerk It” produced by Pharrell took us for a loop. For one thing, it’s called “Twerk It.” (Initial reaction: Busta is doing a twerk song? No, Busta, no.) Who’d guess based off that info that the now YMCMB-signed Busta would rap the whole thing in a Jamaican accent, dipping into patois while a rude gyal begins the whole thing talking about Yuh dun no, this time when we come in we come fi flatline everything inna dis bumboclaat til clash done!!!!!!
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Words by Jesse Serwer—
We like Busta when he’s on his New York shit, we don’t even mind Busta when he’s on his global domination superhero/villain shit, but we really love him when he’s on his Jamaican shit. Ever since he made his debut with Leaders of the New School back in ’91, Trevor Smith has been one of hip-hop’s primary ambassadors for dancehall culture, with his rugged, deejay-inspired flow, and his frequent collaborations with dancehall artists.
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Words by Jesse Serwer—
Popcaan has been knocking out hit after hit over the last year on his way to becoming dancehall’s newest crossbearer, so it was only a matter of time before a major international artist stepped onto a remix of one his tunes. Frankly, we’re a bit surprised that “Only Man She Want” was the one that did the trick, as he’s had much better candidates recently, but no matter: Popcaan x Busta!!! This is definitely one of the best co-signs he could get towards breaking him in the US. Sample the official remix below and, if you like what you hear, drop $.99 on it here. Meanwhile, cop Mr. ‘Caan’s new remix, Yiy Change, here if you haven’t yet, to hear him voicing some recent hip-hop beats and classic dancehall riddims.
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Words by Jesse Serwer—
Now that you’re up to speed on producer Sham “Sak Pase” Joseph (Read his Now Things interview from this past Friday) and his super track record (Rihanna’s “Man Down,” Watch the Throne‘s “Who Gon Stop Me”), let’s take a look at the end product of his latest creation, shall we? Among the other projects the beatmaker currently has his hands in, Sham is heavily involved in Busta Rhymes’ upcoming Cash Money Records debut, having already produced the album’s lead single, “Why Stop Now” featuring Chris Brown. The Hype Williams-directed video for the tune dropped today, the clear (and random) highlight of which is a moment where Busta’s face into something resembling Damien Hirst’s diamond skull, as he mills about an encampment of Occupy Wall Street type protesters. Watch below, and download the track here.
