Boomshots

Category: Interview

  • WATCH THIS: Reasoning With Ed Sheeran

    WATCH THIS: Reasoning With Ed Sheeran

    Reshma B Interviews The UK Phenom Who’s Redder Than Red
    Ed Sheeran played a little gig today at Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Playing 300 gigs a year is nothing unusual for the 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Suffolk, England first whose single “The A-Team” lodged in the UK Top 10 for three months in 2011. His follow-up tune, “You Need Me I Don’t Need You” reached No. 3 on the British pop charts. Now signed to Atlantic, Sheeran has a dozen or so EPs under his belt, including Slumdon Bridge with Yelawolf, whose rapid-fire flow Ed likens to UK Grime artists. “I don’t think anyone has a specific sound anymore,” says Sheeran, whose music draws on a plethora of sounds and styles. He spent years gigging with his cousin’s reggae band Laid Blak, and often interpolates their ganja tune “Red” into his live set, as well as snatches of Damian Marley’s “Welcome To Jamrock” and 50 Cent’s “In Da Club.” Sheeran’s debut album, titled simply +, is already a hit in England, and will be released in America one week from today on June 12. After blazing a solo acoustic version of “You Need Me I Don’t Need You,” Ed sat down with the Reggae Girl About Town…
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  • Interview: Reasoning With Rodigan Part 3

    Sir RamJam’s Royal Recognition, His Radio Clash With Barry G, And His Fears For Reggae’s Future

    David Rodigan‘s trophy case must be getting mighty crowded. This year alone the veteran UK selector and radio personality has won the World Clash, received Member of the British Empire honors at Buckingham Palace,  and earlier this month he bagged the Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Best Specialist Music Programme in recognition of his recent BBC Radio 2 reggae series. But even as his accolades accumulate, Rodigan wastes no time resting on his laurels. He is fully booked through next year with gigs all around the world. And he seems genuinely concerned about the future of the music he loves—as he explains in the third and final installment of our “Reasoning With Rodigan” series… In the first of our exclusive interviews, Rodigan spoke about how he has been able to reach the dubstep generation, and paid respects to the late, great King Stitt. In part 2, the rude boy gentleman recounted his “baptism by fire” at King Tubbys, revealed how his background in theater helped him become a reggae DJ, and explained why he never talks patois on the air. [In case you somehow missed REASONING WITH RODIGAN PART 1 or PART 2, fret not thyself.] In our third and final installment, Rodigan details the roots of his legendary radio clash with Barry G, talks about receiving MBE honors from Prince Charles earlier this year, and voices his concerns that reggae music may have lost its way. OK, let’s get to it. (more…)

  • Salaam Remi on the Making Of Nas’ “The Don”

    The Ace Producer Tells How A Super Cat Classic Evolved Into A Hip-Hop Banger

    Ever since Nas dropped “The Don,” he’s had the streets on fire. We knew it was a Salaam Remi production, based on a classic Super Cat sample, and “Heavy D gave this beat to Salaam for me to rap on.” But the details surrounding the creation of this modern-day classic have remained murky until now. As part of their big Nas cover story, Complex scribe Rob Marriott spoke with Remi about the making of “The Don.” Read on to learn the half that’s never been told…

    Salaam Remi: We were talking about reggae stuff, and Hev was like, “Yo, here’s this Cat record, ‘Dance Inna New York.’ You ever heard it?” I’m like, “Nah.” He’s like, “Yo, I’ve never heard it before either. I’m going to send it to you. If you could find some way to flip this, I’m telling you, it would be crazy.” (more…)

  • Interview: Reasoning With Rodigan Part 2

    The Rudeboy Gentleman’s Long & Winding Road From King Tubby’s Dub Studio To Buckingham Palace

    David Rodigan is sometimes referred to as the rudeboy gentleman, a nickname that sums up the apparent contradictions that make the veteran UK selector and radio personality such a singular character. Who else can say that they have cut dubplates in King Tubby’s studio, juggled tunes in King Jammy’s yard, and received royal honors from the Prince of Wales inside Buckingham Palace? Youth like Prince Harry will have to practice long and hard before they can test Rodigan. Because Rodigan has always been more than a DJ—he’s a cultural historian and educator who elucidates the nuances of Jamaican music to a wide audience (and whose dubplate collection is a veritable musical museum.) He’s also a rigorously trained professional actor on stage and television who might have easily chosen another path in life. Last week the selector talked about how he’s reaching the dubstep generation and paid respects to the late, great King Stitt. In part 2 of our series of exclusive interviews, the legendary selector and radio presenter reveals how his girlfriend first landed him a gig on the radio, how his background in theater helps him as a reggae DJ, and why he never talks patois on the air. OK, let’s get to it. [And if you somehow missed REASONING WITH RODIGAN PART 1, fret not thyself.]

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  • Interview: Reasoning With Rodigan Part 1

    Sir RamJam Talks About Getting Sampled On Dubstep Tracks And Bigs Up The Late Great King Stitt

    2012 has been a great year for David “RamJam” Rodigan, the veteran UK selector and radio personality. Last month he won Irish & Chin’s World Clash, defeating Bass Odyssey in the final round. The month before that he was invited to Buckingham Palace to be proclaimed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his work as a reggae disc jockey. Not bad for a man who never intended to pursue a career in music. But Rodigan has always been a music lover, and a passionate historian and educator about Jamaican music. In this first of a series of exclusive interviews, the legendary selector and radio presenter speaks about how he’s connecting with a whole new generation of reggae fans since having his unmistakable voice sampled by dubstep producers. He also recalls the first time he saw Jimmy Cliff perform live, and pays respects to the original reggae DJ, the late great King Stitt aka The Ugly One—Who was, among other things, one of the unheralded pioneers of rap music. OK, let’s get to it. (more…)

  • Interview: Reasoning With Ziggy Marley

    Executive Producer of Marley Documentary Speaks On His Vision For The Film, And Its Biggest Surprise

    The long-awaited, critically acclaimed documentary Marley had its L.A. premiere last night, with a Jamaican debut scheduled for Thursday April 19th in Kingston’s Emancipation Park. And then on April 20—which also happens to be both America’s unofficial ganja holiday and Stephen Marley’s birthday—Marley will debut at select theaters and on demand. Just hours before the premiere Boomshots caught up with the co-executive producer of the film, to reason about the challenge of choosing the right director and to share his own personal hopes for the film. Ziggy even revealed what he considers the movie’s biggest surprise.

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