Posts tagged: Passa Passa

Back to Bass: Watch No Doubt’s Jamaican Street Dance-Inspired “Settle Down” Video

July 16, 2012

Words by Jesse Serwer, Photo by Ashley Andrea Beliveau—

Music video premieres rarely achieve event status anymore but the unveiling of a new No Doubt video—their first in 10 years—is definitely a big deal. Apparently, half-hour, Ryan Seacrest-hosted E Channel special big. For those of us more curious about how much Jamaican flavor the Lady Saw/Bounty Killer collaborators will squeeze onto their upcoming, Major Lazer-produced Push and Shove LP than what Gwen will be singing about, the dubby “Settle Down” definitely offers an idea, though not nearly as much as the street dance-inspired video they’ve just premiered. The clip sees each of the band’s members driving personalized big rigs (guitarist Tom Dumont’s boasts a massive mobile sound system setup) before convening in a sort of family reunion that quickly turns into a vaguely Passa Passa-esque street party. Authentic yard vibes? Hardly. But a worthy sequel to “Underneath it All”? Perhaps.

Tags:Dancehall, Diplo, Island pop, Jamaica, Jamaican street dance, Major Lazer, No Doubt, Passa Passa

World Premiere: Bonjay featuring Natalie Storm, “Stumble (Passa Passa Remix)”

June 21, 2011

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Words by Jesse Serwer

Bonjay are a duo from Ontario—Toronto, by way of Ottawa—with a sound all their own and a name that means “Good God” in Granadian patois. Their 2010 EP Broughtupsy–also Caribbean slang, this time from Trinidad–juxtaposes dancehall-inspired riddims with half-Jamaican/half-Granadian singer Alanna Stuart’s R&B-meets-Kate Bush vocalisms (and some occasional chatting, too). “Stumble,” a single with one of the more creative uses of airhorn sounds we’ve heard in a while (and that’s saying something), was released in North America back in the fall but it’s still going strong thanks to a recent European single release and a sweaty, spastic video with a Flashdance-meets-Talking Heads vibe. The “Passa Passa Remix,” by producer Prodigal (of Swatch International/Passa Passa fame) turns the bashment vibes way up, with chunky dancehall drums and a verse from our very own Punany Monologues columnist Natalie Storm. Stream/download below and check this space for more on Bonjay–currently at work on their debut album in Berlin– in the very near future.

Tags:Bonjay, Canada, Dancehall, Granada, Natalie Storm, Passa Passa, patois

Bend Ova (Laughing): RDX x Omar The Comedian

February 1, 2011

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Words by Eddie STATS Houghton (via Federation)

Our cohorts over at Federation just posted this hilarious clip of Omar Thompson AKA Omar the Comedian incorporating the inna inna inna inna segment of RDX’s hit “Bend Over” into his routine–in several different ways–at Caroline’s comedy club, followed by a quick impression of a Passa Passa DVD. We could milk this for secondary jokes all day. And we will–offline. For now, just watch it, cause like R Kelly, you bout to double up!

Tags:"Bend Over", Daggering, Omar Thompson, Passa Passa, RDX

We Small Kings: New Passa Passa Book, Exclusive Anicee Gaddis Interview

December 20, 2010

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Words by Erin MacLeod, photos by Allessandro Zuek Simonetti.

Last year, just before New Year’s, writer Anicée Gaddis and photographer Alessandro Zuek Simonetti spent an evening at Passa Passa, Swatch International’s world-famous street dance on Spanish Town Road at Bread Lane, in Kingston, Jamaica. They didn’t stay together that night—both collected their own images, Simonetti with his camera, while Gaddis took mental notes. The result is Small Kings, out now from Automatic Books.

Tags:Alessandro Zuek Simonetti, Anicee Gaddis, Automatic books, Jamaica, Kingston, Passa Passa

Showa Scene: Wiley x Prodigal “It’s Wiley”

November 16, 2010

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Words by Jillionaire

HELLO UNIVERSE! Yeah, so (this one time) we’ve been a bit late on the draw but…big things have been brewing down in Jamaica recently and it has to be spoke about: Wiley voiced the big chune “It’s Wiley” on the Showa Eski riddim, produced by my bredrin Prodigal (aka Dylan Powe of Passa Passa/Swatch International). The full run includes tunes from Natalie Storm, Lady Chann, Einstein, Rage and Ward 21; the tracks are really good at bridging the gap between bashment and dancehall, and they’ve been getting nuff forwards out here in Inglan. Listen below and then go cop em for yourself over at Juno. Or just give me a shout I’M GIVIN OUT ZIP FILES LIKE A VIRUS! – Jilli

Tags:Dancehall, Dylan Powe, eski, Jillionaire Juice, Natalie Storm, Passa Passa, shower posse, UK grime, Ward 21, Wiley

Fashion Forwards: The Style of Passa Passa

November 16, 2010

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Words by Eddie STATS Houghton, via Kingston Style

It must be true that you never miss the water until your well runs dry because now that the legendary Wednesday night (Thursday morning, really) street dance called Passa Passa has been discontinued–due to the state of emergency that was recently declared in Kingston’s Tivoli Gardens community–it seems like it’s finally being recognized as the cultural phenomenon it is (was?). Making something out of nothing, crossing political lines, defying both the biological laws of sleep and any reasonable life-expectancy for a weekly party, Passa Passa not only changed the way Jamaicans thought about themselves but attracted pleasure-seekers and film crews from Toronto to Tokyo. Kingston Style just posted these pics documenting the hallucinatory fashion the event became famous for, and FADER recently posted a thought-provoking interview with Swatch International’s Dylan Powe. Next thing you know it will be getting it’s own book. It is, actually…but more on that soon! More pics after the jump:

Tags:Dancehall, Dylan Powe, Jamaica, Kingston, Passa Passa, style, Swatch International, Tivoli Gardens