Posts tagged: Panamanians

TONIGHT: Los Rakas, New Kingston + The Encyclopedia of Reggae on The LargeUp Sessions

February 7, 2013

Words by LargeUp Crew—

We’ve got a whole heap of guests stopping by the LargeUp Sessions on RadioLily.com tonight: Los Rakas, New Kingston and author Mike Alleyne. Though they come from very different places— New Kingston are a three-piece band from NYC via Jamaica, and Los Rakas are a hip-hop duo from California’s Bay Area, by way of Panama—both groups come to the LargeUp Sessions fresh off the Dark ‘N Stormy Tour with Collie Buddz, which crisscrossed the Western US this fall. Meanwhile, Alleyne, a professor at Middle Tennessee University, will discuss his newly published Encyclopedia of Reggae book with us.

Tags:Collie Buddz, Dark 'N Stormy Tour, DJ Gravy, Hip Hop, Jamaicans, Los Rakas, Miss Lily's, New Kingston, Panamanians, Radio Lily, Reggae, regggae

Ground Provisions: Jamaican and Panamanian Food Meet in Vermont?

January 16, 2013

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Words by Jesse Serwer, Photo by Matthew Thorsen—

If you’re going to open a Jamaican spot in an area best known for winter sports and ski slopes, you’ve got to call it Cool Runnings, right? That’s just obvious. But what’s not typical or obvious is what’s happened at Negril native Leroy Headley’s Burlington, Vermont shop and restaurant since opening. Cool Runnings is the site of a rather unlikely— but practical— fusion now that Panamanian Mayllet Paz has joined Headley in the kitchen, adding dishes like Plátano en tentación to the menu.

Tags:Cool Runnings, Jamaican food, Jamaicans, Panama, Panamanian food, Panamanians, Vermont

Brown is Beautiful: Los Rakas Large Up Las Morenas On “Africana”

November 28, 2012

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Words by Jesse Serwer—

Los Rakas-Africana

“Si las mujeres mas buenas son las morena,” Los Rakas’ Raka Rich suggests on “Africana,” the latest single from the Panamanian duo from out of California’s Bay Area. Non-Spanish speakers might miss some things in translation, but Rich and rhyme partner Raka Dun’s message on “Africana” is loud and clear: brown skinned women are the best women. No matter how you slice it, the poppy, reggae-tinged tune, produced by frequent Rakas collaborator Yeti Beats, sends a positive message to gals of darker complexion and African heritage. And if you can’t follow the lyrics, the alluring cover art goes a long way to getting the point across.

Tags:African women, Africana, Bay Area, Black women, Los Rakas, morenas, Panabay, Panamanians, Raka Dun, Raka Rich, Yeti Beats

LargeUp Premiere: Los Rakas Rep JA + Oscar Grant with “Hablemos Del Amor”

August 20, 2012

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Words by Jesse Serwer—

los-rakas-rep-ja-riddim

You might be asking yourself right now: Los Rakas rep JA? Ain’t they those Panamanian dudes from the Bay? Yes, but they’ve just hopped on the brand-new riddim called Rep JA, from the streetwear label (and LargeUp family) of the same name. Gyptian, Laza Morgan, RDX, Kardinal Offishall, Dre’ and the Kid Daytona have all voiced the riddim but the inclusion of Los Rakas struck us particularly notable. Not only are we longtime supporters of Los Rakas and their efforts to bridge reggae, Panamanian plena and hip-hop but we knew they’d come with something extra strong.

Tags:Dancehall, Los Rakas, One Love, Oscar Grant, Panama, Panamanians, Rep JA, The Bay Area

Video: Ski Beatz feat. Los Rakas, “Mr. Miyagi”

May 3, 2012

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Words by Jesse Serwer—

We’ve been doing our part to spread the Panabaynian gospel of Los Rakas for a while now and it seems that more and more people are catching on to what the duo of Rakas Dun and Rico have to offer. Fresh off their recent collaboration with fellow Bay Area-n, E-40, and being spotted in the studio with Diplo, legendary Brooklyn hip-hop producer Ski Beatz, of Roc-a-Fella fame, has tapped the duo for his upcoming Latin hip-hop project, 24 Hour Karate School Presents: 24 Horas Escuela de Karate. The result is a brief crane kick in the face called “Mr. Miyagi,” and it now has an NYC-set video which captures the interested parties (and one breakdancing toddler) soaking up NYC from the Williamsburg Bridge and a BK rooftop.Check it out below.

Tags:Control Creativo, Los Rakas, New York City, Panabay, Panamanians, Roc-A-Fella, Ski Beatz

Throwback Thursdays: El Chombo’s “El Gato Volador”

February 16, 2012

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Words by Wayne Marshall—

While Panama is widely acknowledged as the birthplace of dancehall reggae en español, Puerto Rico gets credit for eating up the faithful versions of Panamanian artists like Nando Boom and El General and spitting out something more hip-hop laced and sample-based, as heard on the Noisy collages that made dembow loops the centerpiece of maratón mixtapes. But Panamanian producers deserve props of their own for developing and popularizing an equally distinctive and irreverent, sample-based approach to Spanish dancehall (though faithful approaches persist under the plena banner, sin duda).

Tags:El Chombo, Panama, Panamanians, Plena, Reggae en Espanol, reggaeton