Unno Tell Me Wa Really A Gwan Star
Thrust upon the scene just before the turn of the new millennium, the artist formerly known as Assassin (now Agent Sasco for googlebility reasons) showed form early he was a force in the Dancehall realm. Boasting an unmistakable style and command for lyrics Assassin broke out with his 2000 hit “Wa Gwan” of the popular Bug Out Riddim. Sasco bad from long time, Tune After The Jump… (more…)
Agent Sasco’s Smokin’ New Visuals Will Leave You Shell-Shocked
Agent Sasco’s releasing his first video since his big feature on Kanye West’s Yeezus album and it’s going to leave you shell-shocked. The new video Directed by Michael Burbridge aka @BiggzShip is definitely a bad man sittin. Str8 Shellingz. Video After The Jump…
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Agent Sasco Nices Up The Strictly Boomshots Show—And Shaggy Drops By To Turn It Up Another Notch
This past Monday the #StrictlyBoomshots show celebrated International Reggae Day inna fine style by welcoming Assassin as our special guest. The veteran dancehall star and lyricist extraordinaire has been in the spotlight lately thanks to his ruff, tuff feature on Kanye West’s critically acclaimed album, Yeezus. Agent Sasco kicked it live on RadioLily.com for over an hour—talking about his Yeezy collabo, previewing some of his latest dancehall releases, and freestyling over all types of versions. Just when it seemed things couldn’t get any better, diamond-certified superstar Shaggy grabbed the mic and took the vibes to a whole nother level. Audio After The Jump… (more…)
Even Some of Kanye’s Collaborators Seem To Be A Little Confused…
This is Assassin, aka Agent Sasco… the respected Jamaican dancehall artist who spits a verse on “I’m In It,” a track from Kanye West’s dancehall-peppered album Yeezus. For those who have been following his career over the past 12 years, the high-profile feature on the most anticipated rap release of 2013 thus far is an unexpected treat. But for the rest of the music industry it’s a source of confusion. Take, for instance, this article from MySpace.com, a reputable publication that served up a major fail in its entry on I’m In It. The site apparently had no idea who Jeffrey Campbell was despite extensive coverage of the fact that Assassin was featured on this particular track. OK, maybe it’s not fair to expect American journalists to know dancehall artist’s government names off the top of their head, but there is this thing called google that’s really helpful when it comes to telling reggae stars from shoe designers. Here’s what MySpace wrote about the writing credits to “I’m In It”: “Like some writing credits on Yeezus, the paper trail leading back to people can be misleading. While we’re unsure who exactly the Jeffrey Ethan Campbell is that’s credited alongside Jill Scott and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on ‘I’m In It,’ but all signs point to the shoe designer. Stranger things have happened in the world of the West, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Campbell was hanging in the studio with Yeezy and offered an idea on how to shape the song.” SMFH. If you think the name game is confusing, just imagine trying to interpret Assassin’s rapid fire patois flow. Lyrical Breakdown After The Jump… (more…)
Agent Sasco Says His Phone Started Burning Up on Leak Day
If you aren’t living under a rock, then you know that today Kanye West’s album Yeezus hit stores. And if you read this blog, you know that Yeezus is Kanye’s most dancehall-flavored project yet, with four of ten tracks including vocals by dancehall artists—not to mention the occasional “Dutty Wine” mention. Where most of the tracks are sampled vocals, one Jamaican dancehall star actually spit a new verse on Yeezus. His name is Assassin aka Agent Sasco, and we had a chance to reason with him earlier today. Audio & Interview After The Jump… (more…)
Popcaan, Beenie Man, Capleton and Assassin All Featured Prominently
Last night an A-list hip-hop crowd—including Jay-Z, Beyonce, Q-Tip, and Busta Rhymes—came out on a rainy Monday night and packed into Milk Studios in Manhattan’s meatpacking district for a chance to hear Kanye West’s long-awaited sixth solo album, Yeezus. Kanye spoke at length before pressing play as fly graphics of air force bombers were projected on the walls. He talked about production by Daft Punk and Young Chop. He talked about guest verses by Chief Keef, King Louie, and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. He talked about Rick Rubin’s crucial role in shaping the final project. But one thing he didn’t have to say—because it became very clear after hearing his hard-edged album—is that “Mercy” was not a fluke, and Kanye is becoming a major dancehall fan. We should have known when we heard that subtle Barrington Levy sample on the remix of “I Don’t Like.” Now here comes Yeezus, which has ten tracks in total, four of which feature prominent vocal samples of dancehall stars, including Popcaan (a chopped and screwed portion of his intro to Pusha T’s “Blocka”), Assassin (a new verse), Capleton (“Forward Inna Them Clothes“), and this tune “Send It Up,” featuring a classic Beenie Man cut. Video After The Jump… (more…)
We Try Fi Tell Unnuh
Agent Sasco the Deejay formally known as Assassin hops on another Genius track and spits his usual dose of lyrical badness. Sasco reminds us if anyone who tries to violate he ago shell dem. Tune After The Jump… (more…)
The Tune Was Hard, But The Video Goes Harder
When Wayne Marshall and co-producer Baby G first dreamed up the idea for “Go Hard” they envisioned an all-star dancehall posse cut. They were seeking to create a “mixtape style” record around an explosive rhythm track built by in-demand studio musician Teetimus. “We wanted to make a big collaborative dancehall track with that kind of Wu-Tang feel,” Marshall explains. “Hip-hop energy blended with thatdancehall snare—just something anthem-like.” Today the long-awaited video was released, and it’s every bit as epic as you need it to be. Go in. Video After The Jump…
Ghetto Youths Presents The Maddest Collaboration Of The Summer—Seven The Hard Way
Ever since it premiered in Jamaica a week or so ago, the first single from Wayne Marshall’s album on the Marley brothers’ Ghetto Youths imprint has had the place in a frenzy. Baby G and Teetimus on the riddim; Wayne Marshall and friends on the mic. Everybody on here is spitting fire, but Jr. Gong truly goes H.A.M. on his verse. Still trying to figure out how they got Kartel on there?! But one thing’s very clear: the Ghetto Youths movement is strong. (more…)
Shaggy, Assassin, Beres Hammond, Tarrus Riley, Damian Marley, Romain Virgo, Chevelle Franklyn, Wayne Marshall, Tifa & Tessanne Chin Join Forces To Sing Jamaica’s Praises
A new song celebrating Jamaica’s 50th Anniversary of Independence just dropped. Shaggy brought together an all-star lineup for the tune, which joins Mikey Bennett’s “Find a Flag” as the second “official” song of the golden anniversary. Audio after the jump. (more…)
Words And Images From The Greatest Reggae Show On Earth, Night #1
Dateline: Montego Bay, Jamaica. Whether your musical taste runs
more to Bunny Wailer, Mavado or Nicki Minaj—the 19th annual staging of
the Greatest Reggae Show on Earth had a little bit of something for
everybody. As usual, the festivities kicked off on Thursday with
Dancehall Night, and all the hottest artists on the streets of
Kingston were in attendance… (more…)
From Studio One To Studio 2000, Dancehall’s Dynamic Duo Did It All
Steely’s untimely death this week leaves an enormous void that can only be filled by more tunes. At times like these all we can do is say a prayer for the man’s family and loved ones, and honor his legacy by returning again and again to the music he loved so deeply. (more…)