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REGGAE UPDATES FROM JAMAICA: Greensleeves Records’ Ragga Ragga 2006 compilation disc is red hot
(April 20, 2006)
It is the season for reggae and dancehall compilation discs. Ragga Ragga Ragga 2006, the various artistes compilation series from London’s Greensleeves Records stifles the competition with its hit laden tracks. The compilation is an entertaining journey which takes listeners through some of the biggest hits released so far for 2006.
Producers and artistes take the spotlight on this 18-track opus, offering die hard dancehall enthusiasts a plethora of tracks to feast on. This is not a one time listen compilation. It takes more than a couple of spins for songs like Tony Matterhorn’s Dutty Wine, Heart Attack by Beenie Man, 2 Much Gun by Busy Signal, We Set the Trend by Beenie Man, Killa Walk Prezzi Bounce by Sultex 3000, Chicken Head by Idonia, Good Good a Pressure Dem by Buju Banton, Bogle Memorial by Delly Ranx, Get Crazy by Voice Mail and Beauty Queen by Buju Banton to work their magic charm.
Super dancehall producers including Dane ‘Fire Links’ Johnson, Stephen ‘Supa Hype’ Davis, Steely and Clevie, Dave Kelly, Trevor ‘Baby G’ James, Lloyd ‘John John’ James Jr., Michael ‘Liquid’ Brissett, Leftside and Esco, Byron Murray, Chad ‘Goofy’ Simpson, Christopher Birch and Donovan Bennett obviously have their ears to the street, and as such dug deep into their creative boxes to offer some of the trendiest and mouth watering tracks.
Ragga Ragga Ragga 2006 which was released on March 21 is a definite must have!
· Corporate Jamaica hunts Jamaican music stars in marketing campaigns
Toots Hibbert has done it for the Super Plus chain of supermarkets. Richie Stephens represented for both Busta and Courts, while Wayne Marshall did it for both bmobile and Western Union. Corporate Jamaica has over years cashed in on the popularity of entertainers to promote their products and services.
Here are some more examples. Anthony Cruz and McKinneys Tonic Cream; Fantan Mojah and Yardie Roots Malta; Macka Diamond and Wray and Nephew Rum Cream; Beenie Man and Courts and bmobile; Bounty Killer and Singer and bmobile; General B and Bigga; Stitchie and Buckingham Orange Juice; Ernie Smith and Samms Clothing Store; Papa San and Carolina Milk; Elephant Man and JN Money Transfer; Karen Smith and Grace Cock Soup; Shaggy and Grace Tropical Rhythms; and Maxi Priest and NCB Omni.
The latest corporate entity to utilize entertainers, is the Wisynco company. The company has involved the chart topping dancehall duo Leftside and Esco to promote its Wata brand. Leftside and Esco, who are well known musicians, have produced hit dancehall rhythms. As recording artistes, they have hit the charts with the number one hit Tuck in Yuh Belly.
The duo’s latest single Blow Di Whistle has been creating waves. The soca-influenced song has been embraced by Wata for its latest promotional vehicle. ‘This song is basically a work for hire. The distributors of the Wata product wanted to recreate a song coming off the Iwer George song. The vibe has been good so far’, Matthew ‘Esco’ Thompson explained recently.
Although a bit suggestive, Whistle appears to have been embraced by loyal soca enthusiasts. ‘We hope it will do well for the carnival season. If you notice the video has a lot of girls, and we tried to create a whole different look’, added Thompson. The video for Blow di Whistle was shot on location in Lime Cay a few weeks ago.
According to Zachary Harding, Director of Marketing at Wysinco, distributors of Wata, Leftside and Esco were chosen for the campaign due to their popularity and his past association with them. ‘They are one of the hottest duos and they are extremely talented. I have worked with them in the past, and they represent the young energy that is 18-30 demographic that is being focused on’. Mr. Harding added ‘The response on the song has been great and people love it. Its not a regular straight up soca song, but it has a little bit of innuendo in it’.
Mr. Harding also gave props to the director of the video, Winston Mayhew from Hyperactive Entertainment. ‘He did a good job with the video. He brings that kind of energy and he knows what’s happening out there. He has the ability to get people on the set and be creative’.
In related Leftside and Esco news, the duo recently completed work on their hot new dancehall rhythm which is called Dem Time Deh. It is due for release in May. The project features contributions from heavy weight acts including Vybz Kartel, Wayne Marshall, Bounty Killer, Idonia, Flava Unit, Elephant Man, Mr. Easy, and Alaine. The duo contributes three songs to the project. ‘This rhythm is a little bit different from the regular dancehall rhythms out there. We are trying to bring back the days of ‘Dem Time Deh’, Thompson explained. This is the follow up to the duo’s most recent project, the Galore rhythm. The Galore contains the hit singles Wine up Pon Har, and I Forgot Them.
· Controversial Jamaican dancehall hit, tops the New York Reggae chart
Bun Him, a song encouraging women to cheat on their men who abuse them, has given Macka Diamond and deejay Black-er their first number one song on the New York Reggae chart. The success of the song which also hit the top of the local charts, has taken Macka Diamond by surprise. ‘The song is not from a personal experience. I am really surprised that it took off the way that it has. We went through so much to get this song out’, Macka said on the weekend.
She explained ‘Birch had a new rhythm and I wanted to do a song about men who beat their women and the women wanting to get out of the relationship. Teflon suggested that we do the song, and ask Black-er to voice on the song, in the form of giving advice. We had a lot of fun recording the song. It was a good chemistry. But we had a lot of bad vibes when we were doing the video. It took longer to shoot than we had expected’. She said Bun Him is a sort of anthem for women. ‘It has been a while that women facing abuse wanted to speak out, and the song gave them the extra push. Its like they were waiting for something to strengthen their cry’.
Bun Him can be found on Macka’s debut album Money O for Greensleeves Records. She will shortly embark on a series of overseas performances to promote the album. Macka recently recorded songs on new dancehall projects from producers including Steely and Clevie, Donovan Bennett, Arif Cooper and Michael ‘Liquid’ Brissett.
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