Dre Skull went down to Kingston, Jamaica in mid-June to record with Vybz Kartel for an upcoming Mixpak release. Read his recap of the trip.
Dre Skull And Vybz Kartel
July 21st, 2010New Leftside
June 15th, 2010The funky bashment tip is running hard in Jamaica, with Sticky’s ‘Jumeirah’ even making it onto Assassin’s mad mixtape last month. Leftside’s ‘Dem Gyal Deh’ has been ripping the dancefloor for a few weeks, with its killer brass and straight-up funky bassline produced by the man himself. Lock in around 1:24 for some crazy Leftside rhymes.
Leftside has been dropping the dancehall bombs left, right and center in the last few months. His latest release on KeepLeft Records, ‘Phat Punani’ (seems he has some obsession, having released a track with the exact same name about a year ago) leaves the funky aside for a bona fide minimalist dancehall bassline. Try not to wheel this one, I dare you.
The Fader Interviews Dylan Powe
June 11th, 2010
Check out the The Fader’s recent interview with Dylan Powe on the weekly West Kingston dance party Passa Passa.
The real person who started Passa Passa was my cousin O’Neil Miles, the operator of our family sound system, Swatch International. What happened was, after the first Reneto Adams raid in 2001*, Tivoli people stopped going out. There was war and political friction going on and West Kingston became a more insular community. A lot of people weren’t coming there to party and people weren’t leaving to go party. My family has a business down there from the early 1950s, a drug store. Wednesdays downtown closes half day and the roads become less busy. So O’Neil used to set up the sound system in front of the store to test it for dates over the weekend, and he would take a couple of hours or so playing new records. When he’d play, people from the immediate area who wouldn’t normally come out of their homes would come out. Maestro, who is one of the major selectors, actually coined the name Passa Passa because what he saw was people from different areas in West Kingston partying together by default since there was nothing else to go out to. So, Passa Passa really means, “mix up.”
Our Thoughts Are With Jamaica
May 25th, 2010The situation in Jamaica has severely deteriorated over the weekend and the news has been quite heartbreaking. Our thoughts are with the people of Jamaica.
If you aren’t familiar with what’s happening, read some basic coverage from The New York Times, CNN and The Jamaica Gleaner. For more up to date news, stream the live television feed above or watch stories break via twitter.
Jamaican Radio 1988
May 6th, 2010
[via steady bloggin]
Enjoy this hour long Jamaican radio rip from 1988 with Richie B in the mix doing a top 40 countdown.
It works well on several levels. On one hand it’s just a good compilation of late 80s dancehall, pretty much as good as most others you can buy or download elsewhere. If you wanna get a little deeper and a bit more pretentious, beyond its simple entertainment value this tape rip also makes for something of an immersive experience vaguely bordering on amateur cultural anthropology. Hearing the tracks via singles or albums is great in of itself, but within this context you also get a small glimpse of the music in its original setting as it was played for its original intended audience. Granted, the insights to be gleamed here are a bit slim and the prerequisite ingestion of collie will likely make them even slimmer. But it’s still fun as shit any way you look at it.
This radio countdown was recorded to cassette and is divided into two 30 minute sections…sadly, the tape ran out before they got down to number one, but still, this is a very nice listen. Respect is concrete!
The Beat Goes On: Jay Elect, Mystikal, Em, Canuck Rappers, Mixtapes, Ice Cube
May 3rd, 2010The “Beat Goes On” is a column where we feature the hottest rap tracks from around the world. So without further ado . . .
New Orleans rapper Jay Electronica goes bi-coastal and teams up with Diddy for his street-certified banger “The Ghost of Christopher Wallace.” Jay Elect says the track is a tribute to his idol, the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. and for his contributions to hip-hop. While the “Exhibit C” rapper’s verses are clearly braggadocios, Diddy is on some outlandish bully talk at the end of the song. Jay says the track (produced by newcomer Quincey Tones) is still unfinished with more to come. Oh boy!
Jay Electronica – The Ghost of Christopher Wallace
After spending seven years in prison on sexual battery charges, former No Limit soldier Mystikal is back and is still lyrically sharp as ever. The New Orleans native has the Internet going nuts over his boastful single, “I’ont Like You.” Mystikal’s rapid-fire delivery and southern growl are still intact. The song is a little profane, but it’s not far from his “unpredictable” songs with No Limit Records from back in the days. Whatever serving time in prison did to Mystikal, it certainly didn’t affect his lyrical bravado — not one bit.
Mystikal – I’ont Like You (featuring Fiend)
Next, we head to Detroit and find that Eminem is a new man. The inspirational song “Not Afraid” is from his forthcoming LP Recovery (due June 22). Eminem doesn’t sound like a pill-popping maniac on this track. Instead we get the introspective Marshall Mathers (his real name) who is ready to step out of the darkness and embrace a promising life for him and his daughter, Hailey. Time will only tell if fans are ready to embrace a sober and mature Eminem. Peep the track:
Over in Jamaica, we see that reggae crooner Gyptian is making power moves on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart with his piano-driven ballad, “Hold Yuh.” The romantic track jumped 9 spots from 51-42 last week. And I can attest that this song will probably be one of the hottest jams of the summer. I was at a barbecue recently and when this song came on the radio, all the fly girls were winding and grinding to it. Check out this remix featuring rap-chick Nicki Minaj.
Gyptian – Hold Yuh (featuring Nicki Minaj)
Another track that will definitely appeal to the ladies is the new one by Toronto rapper-singer Drake. The Kanye West-produced track is the second single from his debut LP Thank Me Later, which hits stores June 15.
Hold up! Drake is not the only Canuck rapper making noise up north.
Check out Toronto emcee Keysha’s track “Hollywood Floss” with the cool sample of Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick’s “La-Di-Da-Di.” It’s fresh like a million bucks.
Fellow T.O. rapper Eternia is back with the “It’s Funny” (Remix), featuring California lyricist Rass Kass.
Finally, check out the “Revenge” video by rap duo Scorsese & Ceaza Leon, two Canadians emcees who call themselves “The Write Brothers” because they pen their own rhymes and spit “fly”-ass lyrics. Get It?
(props to Ian from a Different Kitchen for the Canadian hook-ups)
Now let’s see what’s popping with the mixtapes. . .
Reggae’s Civil War
March 5th, 2010
The cover story from this month’s Village Voice takes an in depth look at the rivalry between Vybz Kartel and Mavado and explores why they “might be the Biggie and Tupac of Dancehall.” Good read.
Ms. Thing & Psycho Tanbad “Bonify” Out Now!
February 16th, 2010
Mixpak is proud to release Ms. Thing and Psycho Tanbad’s new single “Bonify.”
“Bonify” is their take on Dre Skull’s Smoke Machine Riddim (the riddim underlying Vybz Kartel’s “Yuh Love”). The video has been causing some controversy in Jamaica which landed a front page story in the Jamaica Star.
