Boomshots

Tag: Ancient Future

  • HEAR THIS: Protoje “Can’t Feel No Way” DOWNLOAD

    HEAR THIS: Protoje “Can’t Feel No Way” DOWNLOAD

    New Music From Diggy British!

    First things first: Protoje’s debut album Ancient Future was a masterpiece. The fact that it did not receive a Grammy nomination was a grievous oversight, but then again the Grammys have a long history of fuckry. Ancient Future joins a distinguished group of reggae albums that were slept on by the Recording Academy. Diggy speaks on these and other matters on a dynamic new song—the first taste of a soon-to-drop album, Royalty Free—which is currently downloadable for free on his Soundcloud. Produced by Hartford’s own Tracker John MD, the track—built around a ghostly Horace Andy sample—is str8 fiyah. (Shout out to Taj Francis on the ill single illustration; attention to detail we say!) The song’s title notwithstanding, we can’t help but feel like the DJ feels some type of way. Listen and draw your own conclusions.  Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • Take A Sudden Flight Back to The Future

    Take A Sudden Flight Back to The Future

    Protoje & Jesse Royal Bridge the Gap Between 1980s and 2015

    Every now and then, a special tune hits the tympanic membrane, laden with both pearls of wisdom and music history. “Sudden Flight” by Protoje featuring Jesse Royal (from Protoje’s third studio album, Ancient future), lyrically advises the youth to use their God given talents and mind to overcome stress and oppression; instead of  guns. From it’s opening line, La Di Da Di , we don’t join nah party, “Sudden Flight” puts us in a time capsule and shoots us back to 1985 when  Bally’s, Adidas, Gucci suits, Kangol hats, Gold teeth and Rope Chains were in fashion and the Get Fresh Crew were the Kings of  1980’s Hip Hop. The song entitled “La Di Da Di” on Slick Rick’s Album, “The Art of Storytelling,”  had people break dancing and spinning on their head tops. The combination of the narrative poetry and humor of Slick Rick and classic beat boxing of Doug E. Fresh in this song, solidifies its spot as one of the top 10 Classic Hip Hop songs of all time. More After The Jump… (more…)

  • Ancient Future Is Now

    Ancient Future Is Now

    Diggy British Scores Big as Ancient Future debuts Pon Top of iTunes Reggae Chart

    “Sharp like the thorn crown pon Christ head,” Protoje spits on “Protection,” the opening track of his new album Ancient Future, “And you know the flow Hardo like slice bread.”  True, that. The artist’s third album, which dropped today and shot to the top of iTunes reggae chart, marks a quantum leap in his lyrical prowess, not just in terms of flows and patterns but also in thought-provoking ideas (“drastically free from hypocrisy I say yeah”). Anybody sleeping on this youth needs to wake up fast. Between Protoje’s endless cascade of pause-and-rewind punchlines and Winta James’s sophisticated soundscapes, the album stands out as a breath of fresh air in the modern Jamaican music scene—which has elders like Sizzla so deeply vexed. In Jamaica many reggae lovers use the term “Ancient” to describe artists of the 70s and 80s, and Protoje clearly taps into that era for inspiration. Mark you, this remarkable album is not a throwback, but rather a leap forward—hence the second half of its aptly chosen title. As Ancient Future week continues on Boomshots, Reshma B quizzes Diggy about the levels of meaning behind his tune “Stylin.”  Video After the Jump… (more…)

  • Protoje in the UK: Reasoning with Diggy British

    Protoje in the UK: Reasoning with Diggy British

    Kick Off Ancient Future Week With a “Bubblin’” Selection and Reshma B’s Epic Interview

    “We radically transforming the landscape of Jamaican Music on March 10th,” reads the official IG feed for the man called Protoje aka Diggy British. Well, so much for managing expectations. But that’s Protoje for you. Every since he first began bubbling under the reggae radar around 2010 or so, it was clear he was on some next next level movements—even if, especially if, they weren’t perfectly in tune with what everybody else was doing at that moment. He was always himself up on stage, never playing a role, never pretending to be too cool, fearlessly blending sincerity and complexity and militancy and rock-solid roots and dub sonics. Long before folks were chatting about a “reggae revival,” Diggy was quietly putting in work. From the Seven Year Itch to the Eight Year Affair it’s been a long journey. Recently he and several other like-minded bredrens formed like Voltron and started making noise as a collective, combining old school musical values with state-of-the-art social media savvy to wage asymmetrical musical warfare. Then last year Diggy and his longtime parring-p Chronixx dropped a certified Boomshot known as “Who Knows.” From that point it was on and popping. “Now is our time to govern the music,” Diggy told us late last year. We’re expecting big things, so we’ve declared Ancient Future week on Boomshots. Keep it locked. Audio & Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Protoje “Answer to Your Name”

    HEAR THIS: Protoje “Answer to Your Name”

    Diggy Dips Back to UK 1971 On This Ska-Style Skorcha

    A breath of fresh air on the reggae scene, Protoje blends classic Jamaican sounds with up-to-the-minute energy—plus a winning sense of humor but not one drop of the posing and posturing that can turn cool into cliche. “Like to tell you a story about a girl I know,” he says at the top of this ska-tempo rave-up, “or should I say a girl I used to know.” Set in England circa 1971 (around the time ska was killing it in the UK) the tale concerns one of those beautiful British girls who can turn ice-cold at the drop of a hat. Taken from Diggy’s highly anticipated album Ancient Future with frequent collaborators Winta James and Lewis Planter on the track. Audio After The Jump… (more…)