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Words by Jesse Serwer, Photo by N. Corren Conway
Coming into December’s Okayplayer Holiday Jam, we had quite the task before us. Last year we brought out Shaggy and Patra, among others, for an all-star session with The Roots that turned out to be the hip-hop legends’ first-ever dancehall jam. How could we possibly outdo that?
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Words by Jesse Serwer, Photo by Janette Beckman—
Slick Rick is easily one of the greatest rappers of Jamaican or Caribbean extraction. Unlike some of his yardie bredren, though, Rick didn’t make many overtures towards reggae or dancehall during his career: the style icon’s chief contribution to the Jamericanization of hip-hop was introducing yardman fashion to hip-hop in the form of Kangols, Clarks and Bally shoes. (Yep, young Ricky D. was rocking Wallabees years before Wu-Tang lionized the comfy British kicks). That and the “Children’s Story” beat, later used in one of the greatest dancehall remixes ever, Capleton’s “Tour.”
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Words by Jesse Serwer—
Trinidad James leaves himself open to parody in his over-the-top “All Gold Everything” video. Unsurprisingly, as the Trini-born rapper’s song and video have blown the hell up these last few weeks, the spoofs have started rolling in. For a number of reasons, this one from actor Lamorne Morris of Fox sitcom The New Girl reigns supreme, though. For one thing, Morris’ doppelganger is called Belizean James. Then there’s the visuals, a to-the-tee recreation of “All Gold Everything” that looks exactly like the original except where it’s supposed to not look like it. If you’re already in the loop with the whole Trinidad James thing, prepare to laugh yourself silly.
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Words by Jesse Serwer—
Just one week after the underwhelming “Here Comes the King,” the guy now calling himself Snoop Lion has unleashed the most interesting track thus far from his Reincarnated project. And he’s brought some notable guests from the dancehall world to “Lighters Up,” namely the Gully Gad Mavado, and Popcaan. Though unbilled, Jahdan Blakkamoore (who co-wrote “Lighters”) also lends his vocals to the track.
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Words by Jesse Serwer—
In the South Bronx of the early 1970s, just around the time when Afrika Bambaataa and his Black Spades gang were refocusing their energies into community activism and music, the leaders of a nearby Puerto Rican street organization, Ghetto Brothers, followed a similar path. But where the hip-hop pioneers of Bambaataa’s Universal Zulu Nation took their inspiration from James Brown and obscure breakbeats found in funk and rock records, the Ghetto Brothers’ were inspired by the melodies of the Beatles, doo-wop and the emerging Latin rock sound of the day.
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Words by Jesse Serwer—
Clipse/G.O.O.D. Music rapper Pusha T has been known to spend his Sundays quoting gunman lyrics, drop references to dancehall classics like Nardo Ranks’ “Burrup,” and generally give Jamaican music his full respect. We’d heard that the MC recently visited yaad to shoot a video and link with the Warlord at Bounty Sundays but it looks like he’s come back with more than that. In what is definitely the highest-profile (and perhaps most brief) cameo to emerge thus far in his career (we’re still waiting for his Snoop Lion feature), Popcaan gets a look on Pusha’s new G.O.O.D. single “Blocka,” produced by Chicago’s Young Chop and also featuring Travis Scott. Stream here:
