Jah Kettle at the Ottawa Reggae Festival
This was an impromptu performance by Kettle at the Ottawa Reggae Festival 2010 in Le Breton Flats, arguably the best the Ottawa Reggae Festival had to offer with all the no-shows of its headliners this year.
Video and editing by Paul Salvatori:
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Reasoning with Sean Paul
[This was first published for Jahworks.org in October of 2002, right on the cusp of his mainstream popularity.]
Who would have thought that a Jamaican swimmer and water polo player from uptown Kingston would introduce the world to authentic dancehall music? Clearly Shaggy has become a worldwide household name by breeding pop with reggae. Even Bounty Killer got a glimpse of the top when he collaborated with pop superstars No Doubt on the Orange-County-flavored track, “Hey Baby.” But the torch is now in Sean Paul’s hands as dancehall ambassador, and he vows to stay true to the genre.
CD Review: Gappy Ranks, Put the Stereo On
Gappy Ranks, Put the Stereo On [VP Records, 2010]
Standing out most in Ranks’ debut album is an original blend of contemporary and classic sound. It combines instrumentals reminiscent of the Studio One era, as on “Happiest Day Of My Life” and “Pumpkin Belly” (remake of the Tenor Saw original), with the modern versatility of Ranks’ vocal style—flowing naturally over beats with an array of thoughtful lyrics on love (“Heaven In Her Eyes”), childhood memories (“Put The Stereo On”), and universal respect (“Thy Shall Love”).
The Value of Host Families in the Gap
Woke up this morning to the peaceful sounds of life in Hagley Gap, Jamaica: Children running around playing with odds and ends; Women making their way to the river for water, passing gossip along the way; Wind rippling through date palm fronds; A car straining to make it up the hill. Looking out the window I saw the trees and flowers – brilliant greens and yellows and reds undiluted by pollution. Ripe limes and mangoes hang from nearby trees; maybe they will be on my breakfast plate tomorrow. This morning I was greeted with ackee (creamy yellow), breadfruit (slightly starchy and firm), and papaya (deep orange and so so sweet).
Virgin Islands’ Rapper Benny D Releases Mixtape
Virgin Islands native Benny Demus, infamous for being the kilt-wearing, fire-breathing, mohawk-sporting selector for Akon and Rock City, recently dropped his Ben In Black Mixtape, and, no, he isn’t spinning; he’s rapping, with the raspy growl of an angry, caged animal. While it is difficult for some DJs and selectors to evolve without being typecast, Akon’s DJ is also a DeeJay, and a rapper, as exemplified on his latest release.
While it’s natural to normally associate reggae and dancehall with its birthplace of Jamaica, Big Bad Benny Demus’ message is that the Virgin Islands is not to be ignored in terms of talent. Benny D is to the VI what Bob Marley is to Jamaica and Collie Buddz is to Bermuda, i.e., a musical ambassador. With a hardscrabble, single-parent upbringing familiar to many ghetto youth, his true-to-life lyrics pierce bitterly one moment, while evoking hope and encouragement the next. While disreputable anti-heroes-with-attitude have typical cache in the rap game, Benny D comes across as strikingly more sincere, and intelligent, than your average gunman-turned-musician. This is definitively elucidated on Track #19, the aptly titled Path to Ambassador. “I was a misled, to believe I had the chance to get the go-ahead, to pursue my dreams, but I’m from the islands, and people always seem to want to stereotype us. See we have an attitude, and we talk rude, some people think we don’t even have schools...”
On track 10, Not Tonight, Period!!! (featuring Tori Alamaze), a seductively smooth ladies jam, his appeal to women is explained by the dichotomy of his nature, both past- the hood dreamer, who will make a women a screamer, and present- the iconoclast, who is the mack in the sack. While you are left with the distinct, overall impression that Benny D would “saw your head off with his sawed off ” just as soon as look at you, you still can’t help but want to come a little closer.


