On 16th may 2014 Joe Grime teams up with one of london’s premier dancehall & soca nights Palance to celebrate his birthday. Alongside Dejavu Fm’s Bashment specialist Joe Grime on the night will be radio 1/1xtras brumacian badman Serocee, mash up specialist Sai and Palance residents playing the best in dancehall, soca, reggae and booty shaking riddims. Bring your whistles & Horns…..
After over a year without releasing an official mix cd, I’m back with Live from London. Featuring 129 of the finest dancehall riddims hand picked by Me, the mix features some of the scenes biggest artists including Konshens, Bugle, Spice, Vybz Kartel, rising star Alkaline and many more and encompasses not only some of 2014’s freshest music but dancehall’s best known anthems of the last 6 months.
O – Walk Out
Cham – Don Fi Who
Konshens & Darrio – Emergency
Ajrenalin – Gwaan Bad
Demarco – Menage A Trois
Demarco – Gyal Anthem
Kalado – Tun It Da Way Ya
Gage – Kitty Cat
J Capri – Reverse It
Cham – Feel Good
Beenie Man – One King
Agent Sasco – Smile In Face
Busy Signal – Smoker Anthem
Popcaan – Get High
I-Octane – Fly Away
Popcaan – Born Bad
Mavado – Pon Di Gully
Alkaline – Circle Badness
Munga – Cyaah Stop Wi
T’Nez – Cyaah Buy Mi Out
I-Octane – Lowe Badness
Bugle – Music
Beenie Man – Me & My Links
Konshens, Delus & Javada – One Life
Konshens – Caribbean Party
Demarco – Tek Weh Bwoy Gal
Demarco – Drop Nuh
Kalado – Good Pussy
Alkaline – Baby
Laden – Rude Mood
Blak Diamond – When We Reach
I-Octane – Hot Spot
Bugle – Now Until The End
Denyque – Loyal Girl
Beenie Man – Truck Load
Beenie Man – One More Wine
Magazeen ft Wale – Twerkin Cyrus
Gage – Put It Yasso
Busy Signal – Saddle Up
QQ – Wine & Come Over
Spice – Walk Like A Dog
RDX – Bad Gal Wine
Demarco – Mosquito Mesh
Demarco – Fuck Yuh Wah Fuck
Busta Rhymes ft Bunji Garlin – Differentology
Kalado – Personally
Busy Signal – Professionally
Stylo G – Carimbo
RDX – Bubble
Bling Dawg – Drop It Low
QQ – Raise Your Bumper
Konshens – Not Going Home
Busy Signal – Winning Queen
Deablo – Wife Fuck
Aidonia – Ryder
Alkaline – Hold Me Baby
Konshens – Gyal Get That Money
Beenie Man – Set The Place On Fire
Aidonia – Don Deh Ya
Deablo – Gold Mine
Cham ft O – Bend Down
Tiana & Vershon – Wine Pon Di Vershon
Marcy Chin ft Ward 21 – The Bounce
Mavado ft Sha-Quan – Murder
Deablo – Size Zero
Konshens – Come Get This
QQ – Wine & Cock Up
Mavado – Herbs
Beenie Man – Do It To Me
Sean Paul – Front & Back
Konshens – Shake
Vybz Kartel ft J Capri – Mamacita
Chan Dizzy – Love Of Mi Life
I-Octane – Wine & Jiggle
Gyptian – Stuck
Busy Signal – Wine After Wine
Jah Vinci – Loving
Vybz Kartel – You Want Me
Mavado – Friends With Benefits
Alkaline – Fuck You
Popcaan – Da Ting Deh
Konshens – Independent Girl
Mavado – Give It All To Me
Beenie Man – Touch Di Road
QQ – Wine Up
I-Octane – Da Ride Ya
Elephant Man – Tink She Bad
Aidonia – Boom Flick
Konshens – Big People Ting
RDX – Pum Pum Medley
RDX – Fluffy Anthem
Elephant Man – Miley Cyrus
Vybz Kartel – Hi
Tommy Lee Sparta – No Nono No
Darrio – Nuh Badda Dan We
Jah Vinci – Dalla
Konshens & Masicka – Money
I-Octane – Trend Setta
Vybz Kartel – Punany A Mi Best Friend
Suku ft Konshens – Bruk Out
Spice ft Busta Rhymes – So Mi Like It
Alkaline – Gyal Bruk Out
Alkaline – Scumbag
Deablo – Like Dat
Esco – Close Up
Demarco – Good Book
Popcaan – Neva Fraid
Mavado – My Own
I-Octane – My Scheme
Konshens – Code
Alkaline – Wha A Gwan
Agent Sasco – Gyal Alone
Aidonia – Wuk Off You Gal
Cham ft Mavado – Love Song
Alkaline – Mek It Clap
Stein – Pull Up Fuck
Vybz Kartel ft Denyque – Revenge
Worl’ Boss – Make Up
Vybz Kartel & Gaza Slim – Wickedest Ride
Popcaan – Your My Baby
Jordanne Patrice – All 4 You
Bugle ft Lady Saw – Infidelity
Vybz Kartel – No Games
Mavado – Tie Yuh (Persian Mat)
Tifa – Out Of This World
I-Octane – Your Eyes
Denyque – Until You Come
Kranium – Nobody Has To Know
Alkaline – Move Mountains (Things Mi Love)
Yesterday saw the sentencing of Vybz Kartel following his conviction for Murder, for those of you who have some how escape the news; he was sentenced to life with no chance of parole until served at least 35 years. As I said on facebook yesterday the sentence does fit the crime, so I won’t be one of those people that claims to be shocked by his sentence, it’s just shame its come to this, dancehall has lost a very talented individual as we will see below.
Here I will try to take you through my top 41 favorite Kartel songs (in no paticular order), expect some surprises, some hits from his earlier years and plenty of slackness.
So Mi A Say
One of many collabs between Vybz Kartel & Don Corleon we will see in this list, it’s tunes like this that highlight why kartel rose to fame so quickly, lyrics & delivery mixed with a great beat…..”Most Girls love Mi So…..”
Last Man Standing
This tune dropped within 24 hrs of his sting clash with Mavado and was like a final nail in the coffin for Mavado in terms of this clash. Kartel did little more than sum up the clash in this tune but some of the comparisons Kartel uses really hit hard!
Tattoo
Taken from his first album Up to Di Time, this cut on the Marmalade riddim was a banger! There’s a saying that a beat is only half a song and this is a great example
Badda Dan Dem
Kartel killed the Casablanca riddim with this boastful track. At the time kartel offered something so different to what dancehall had been offering and anyone who can remember the original Life Of Grime Mix CD (In the days of the physical CD) will remember this track kicked off the whole series!
Hello Motto
In days before smartphones, Kartel released this lyrical bomb! Cheekily using the “Hello Motto” tagline Motorola (remember them) had used in an advert around the same. Kartel’s use of melody to emulate phone sounds and the line “Can You Hear Me Now” were brillaint!
White Trash Party Remix
Vybz Goes toe to toe with one of Hip Hop’s finest Eminem on his remix and easily delivers, it’s tunes like this that make me wonder why no one within Hip Hop reach out properly.
Frontin’ Def Jamaica Remix
Part of the Def Jamaica Album, Kartel, teams up with Wayne Marshall and of course Jay Z & Pharrell to produce one of my favorite dancehall remixes. Not Much more to say really except BIG TUNE!!!
School
Kartel in full Teacha mode, although many blamed Kartel for everything under the sun. This is Vybz talking directly to youths and talking a lot of common sense – that teamed with a classic riddim equals this great track.
Free
Produced by Vertex, this combo with Jah Cure shows Kartel’s other side. At the time this was rumored to be part of a album project that would of see the Worl’ Boss take on his Addi Di Teacher alter ego for an entire album, Kartel’s Social commentary is often overlooked but this highlights how good he was at it
Thank You Jah Jah
If you read the Vybz Kartel book, he explains this track in detail in the first chapter, taken from the Gangster City Riddim, his lyrics sit nicely over Not Nice’s simple chord progression. Even after 3 years this track is still huge!
Move Your Body Remix
Just what this tune needed, from the minute Jabba shouts remix the madness begins! “Ladies ride ride it….”
Street Vybz
Brilliant Marketing hear from Kartel, advertising his rum through a big tune. Imagine how much it would cost to get an advert out to the amount of people this tune has reached, plus its a big tune!
Touch A Button Nuh
From the intro drops, you no what time it is! The damage this tune used to do in a dance!
British Love
Love this tune, partly because I can do a great british accent just like kartel 😉 Also any tune that features the line “Come In the kitchen lets have a cup of tea” get’s my endorsement.
Summertime
The Soundtrack to many peoples summer and Kartel perfectly provides that summer vibe, also a big break for swedish producer Adde Instrumentals.
Business Remix
Business itself could be on this list but teaming it with DJ Snake & Lil Jon’s Turn It Down For What was a masterstroke by Willy Chin, similar vibe to Touch a Button Nuh and this tune is doing damage!
New Millenium
Kartel & Wayne Marshall combo often in the early years and this was their first real commercially successful tune (I remember seeing the video on MTV Base)
Picture This (Me & You)
Classic on the blackout riddim, using the popular Nursery Rhyme to provide this great slice of slackness
Breast Specialist
Kartel & The Doctor on one tune! What a combo, especially as at the time Vybz Kartel was Bounty Killer’s Protogje
Sweet To Di Belly
Kartel working with Don Corleon who produced much of his first album their relationship produced some big tracks and none bigger than this
Go A Jail
In Combo with Alozade on this piece from the Chrome Riddim, hopefully life really is a cushy for him in Jail as his going to be there a long while.
Sen On
“First Thing we do when we wake up” – Big Weed anthem! Need I Say more
I Neva
Often Exclaimed in dances by patrons! It’s one of those tunes that has people screaming the lyrics regardless of the content, I wonder if Kartel looks back on that tune as his recent content is very far removed
Your Love
Taken off the divisive Kingston Story Album produced by Dre Skull, this is a simple track that allowed Kartel to deliver some heart felt lyrics.
Go Go Wine
Another Dre Skull collab and big one at that! The Bass on this tune is immense and his lyrics encourage the ladies to buss that “Go Go” wine
The Lyricist
The title says it all, puts many MCs/Rappers too shame
The Lyricist part 2
Part 2 of the above track – Kartel effortlessly delivering lyrical fire!
ABC Sex
Addi di teacha on this one teach the ladies the ABC with a difference!
Buss It Up
Kartel alongside Kano on this grime inspired track, can you imagine Kartel on a Grime Set??
Pon Di Floor
Without this combo many people would not of been introduced to Kartel, although he only features briefly the combo with Major Lazer’s beat took dancehall to a new audience.
Ramping Shop
Took Neyo’s Miss Independent and made it his own to the point where people associate the riddim with him more that Neyo.
Virginity
Slackness pure and simple but even when talking slackness Kartel makes hits
Send Fi MI Army
There’s a lot of warish tunes I could of picked but this is my favorite – one of them tunes that make selectors gassed!
Straight Jeans & Fitted
Kartel always mixed fashion and dancehall well and this combo with Russian run dances across the world!
Gaza Commandments
This song fuelled the Gaza/Gully rivalry in the UK I remember being in a club in essex and got asked by a rather intoxicated raver if I was Gully or Gaza my answer “Let me tell you about Gaza…”
Get Your Own Lighter
Any song I can use to tell my bredrins not steal my lighter is a winner with me. Plus it features the line “Jesus Christ Fatty gone pon di sound box….Cross mi Fingers hope she don’t drop”
Worl Boss
More Freestyle than track at only 1min 18secs but still better than a lot of artists full tracks
Bicycle
This alongside his piece on Set Mi Free riddim and English town seemed to run “Urban” raves for years and considering the slackness this was huge hit!
Doller Sign
As Soon as “Hustle di Money” comes in the whole dance lights up! At a time when there was lots of big tunes centered around the ladies this was a man dem anthem! taken off the brilliant Good Life riddim this still gets a huge response now
Dancehall Hero
Kartel has always had a knack for summing up periods in dancehall and this tune sums up perfectly what was happening at the time
Clarks
From mentions in The Guardian to Clarks themselves Acknowledging that sales went up after this tune, this is truly a modern anthem. Although not being the first to sing about Clarks he brought desert boots back to the masses
Bonus!!
This freestyle was featured on the Up To Di Time CD and is bad!
It’s officially the first week of British summer, and I haven’t written a blog post in a while so I thought I’d give you little round up of my thoughts on what’s been happening in dancehall recently.
The Art of Blogs
I thought I’d start with a little moan about the current trend for blogs to post the same content without offering any sort of individual opinion. Many bloggers seem content with copy and pasting stories from each other (or from other media outlets) without offering their own slant on the topic. I’m not saying people have to go down the line of Vice and others that give the impression they are looking down their noses at most things they comment on but I for one enjoy reading a blog that offers me the chance to get an insight into the writers opinion and even give me a sense of their personality. I understand blogs are competing for clicks but still I don’t believe that’s an excuse for some of the shoddy plagiarism I’ve seen lately!
Media Need to Get Their House In Order
Continuing on from my little moan on the lack of creative bloggers, I think the media has a lot to answer for lately. If you only read blogs/websites you would think that dancehall has descended into some sort of strange sexual frenzy, with numerous reports of slack artists, slack songs, demonic behaviour and a lot more along those lines. Now before we start I’m by no means pretending that we haven’t seen a lot more slackness within dancehall but as I’ve said before Dancehall is a genre that encompasses many styles of artist and the media’s obsession with reporting on the negative elements of dancehall, although nothing new holds back the genre. Artists achievements go unnoticed while an unknown artist gets a full page article on his song about his love for eating pussy or for tattooing his eye balls!
Alkaline, Vybz Kartel Mk 2 I Think Not
This brings me on nicely to Alkaline who seems to be dividing dancehall recently, I am a genuine fan of Alkaline but he’s come in for a lot of criticism lately whether it’s being compared to Vybz Kartel or for the content of his music. Now let’s address the Vybz Kartel comparison, yes he uses similar shock tactics (although I will say Kartel’s use of shock tactics always seemed more calculated) and yes he sings about some more freakier topics but that’s where the similarities end for me. I have said on radio a number of times Alkaline embodies a lot of aspects from various “Gaza” artists and has almost refined it, taking the best elements of a number of different artists, Kartel included. As for the criticism regarding the content of his music, I think its simply if your not a fan don’t listen, as I’ve said earlier there is plenty of artists with various styles to choose. I also have a problem with the number of artist jumping on his hype with “diss” songs. Yes it’s always a part of dancehall but I don’t like seeing a young artist being shot at lyrically, when very few of these artists are bringing anything more constructive to the dancehall table and on this subject I will let Alkaline have the final say
Alkaline – Too Real
P.S look out for Alkaline hitting the UK in April for his first UK appearance
Dancehall Music Round Up
Time to take you through a few of my favourite new releases
Busy Signal – Professionally
The Turf President delivers a brilliant visual for his take on P Squares afro beat anthem “Personally”. Not only do we get Busy’s brilliant lyrical delivery but the video is a great advert for all that’s great about dancehall, with the female dancers throwing down some great moves and having some great fun doing it!
Its not only Busy who’s caught the afro beat bug, ANG artist Kalado has jumped on Personally as well with a much more explicit take (Check it out below)
Kalado – Personally
Spice Ft Busta Rhymes – So Mi Like It Remix
Fresh from collaborating with Soca king Bunji Garlin on the remix of Differentology, Busta has brought his talents to Spice’s Hit “So Mi Like It”, Busta delivers everything you expect and a little bit more and I can see this dominating dances over the summer.
Onto big riddims and I have to mention Claims Records new riddim “Pre Order” featuring big cuts from Cham, his wife O and a nice collab from Veterans Wayne Wonder & Beenie Man. I remember seeing Cham post a preview of this on facebook and I looked forward to its release, it follows a simple formula but like the saying goes if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Cham – Don Fi Who
Finally I wanted to mention Rvssian’s new riddim aptly named after him, I’ve always been a fan of his production and although I was initially disappointed when I first heard this riddim it really has grown on me. The riddim features cuts from Masika, Konshens, Vybz Kartel & J Capri and Sean Paul and it’s Sean’s piece that I have really taken to (Never expected to say that).
Sean Paul – Front & Back
End Of An Era
Finally it saddens me to write that after a long run Heatwave have decided to concentrate on their Hot Wuk parties and will finish their weekly event Hot Wuk Wednesday’s at The Social. As someone that has been resident there on and off since it’s Madd Raff Inception I have nothing but good things too say, the vibes have always been electric and it will leave a lot of patrons wondering where they can get their weekly west end dancehall fix!
2014 sees and new wave of artist breaking through, but who do you think will turn their buzz into sustained success in 2014?
Alkaline
Here’s an artist I think Jamaica has needed for a while, his style reflexes the changing styles in dancehall (I often say he’s got elements of many of the “gaza” artists such as Kartel, Popcaan & Tommy Lee) this combined with his styling and more liberal approach give him an edge, some may talk about gimmicks etc but I have been impressed with his output so far and if that continues he’s bound to have a big year!
J Capri
This female has had alot of love since her combo’s with Konshens & Charley Black last year and with new single “Reverse It” getting good support, I predict big things this year for this multi talented artists (She is also a TV presenter & Dancer amongst other things). Her collaborations with producer Rvssian seem to suit her style and with up coming single “Mamacita” seeing her go toe to toe with Worl’ Boss Vybz Kartel will 2014 be this females year?
Kranium
The new york based dancehall artist burst on the seen last year with his cheeky love song “Nobody Has to Know” could 2014 see him establish himself further, with support from some of Dancehall’s biggest taste makers it looks likely. I for one look forward to hearing more from him in the coming months
Samantha J
Finally a slighly different choice, 17 year old Samantha J came through late last year with Washroom produced single “Tight Up Skirt” and represents a more poppy dancehall sound, her styling and catchy lyrics I’m sure will prove popular with both the core audience and the wider international market and having seen her interviewed a few times she surely has a bright future in the business
Been ages since I’ve done a classic tune of the week, but it felt right after the tragic news that Dancehall lost one of its legendary pioneers. Wayne Smith died this week after being admitted to hospital at the end of last week. Wayne smith was the voice behind “Under Mi Sleng Teng”
“Under Mi Sleng Teng” was released in 1985 on King Jammy’s label, and the riddim itself was discovered on Noel Davey’s Casio MT-40 by Wayne Smith and is said to be the first computerised dancehall riddim. Any one who listens to dancehall will be aware of the riddim (I honestly couldn’t tell you how many versions of the riddim there are) and it’s historic effect on dancehall but Wayne Smith’s “Under Mi Sleng Teng” itself has influenced dancehall greatly and has made a huge contribution to what Dancehall is today
DJ Joe Grime 