Boomshots

Tag: Shabba Ranks

  • Shabba Records First Song In JA For Three Years

    Shabba Records First Song In JA For Three Years

    If you want to work with Shabba Ranks, don’t bring “Monkey Money”—make sure it’s “Gorilla Money”!

    Shabba Ranks decides to record a new track in Jamaica after ceasing his production there for years. (His last Jamaican production was “None A Dem” for Di Genius in 2011.) While in New York the Dancehall Emperor collaborated with American rappers A$AP Ferg and A$AP Rocky on the official remix of a eponymous song “Shabba Ranks”. The Grammy award winning DJ boasts an elaborate list of hits from his travels from yard to the United States. On his most recent visit back to JA, Shabba discusses his new musical projects, his pay rate—”no monkey money, we take gorilla money”—and his clothing line E.R.E. : Emperor. We expect more crossover success from the “Mr.Loverman” singer. Video After The Jump…

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  • HEAR THIS: Vybz Kartel & Shabba Ranks “Bulletproof”

    HEAR THIS: Vybz Kartel & Shabba Ranks “Bulletproof”

    Bulletproof Vest, But We Nah Shoot Chest

    Two of the most lyrical dancehall artists collide on one amazing track. Vybz Kartel and Shabba Ranks unleash a barrage of individual wordplay not rivaled by many, in fact you can probably count on one hand. Both artist trade verses/warnings to those who wa try test over the “Rolling Mad” Riddim and are quick to remind us how deep their arsenal really is. Tune After The Jump…

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  • WATCH THIS: Aidonia “80s Dancehall Style” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Aidonia “80s Dancehall Style” Official Music Video

    Aidonia Salutes Veterans and Vinyl

    Many of Jamaica’s musical legends never predicted the millions of fans, felt the weight of money or received instant gratification through social media the way today’s artists do. These musical soldiers earned their stripes the real way, with unquestionable authenticity. One must remember , as Supercat indicated in his recent interview with Rob Kenner, the days when a DJ drew the crowd into the dancehall with nothing but a big sound system combined with sheer vocal talent and lyrical ammunition. In a cultural tradition that predates Amateur Night at the Apollo, the crowd would decide whether it was worthwhile to pay admission and enter the party. There was no hiding behind good promotion, Auto-Tune or computerized production and deejaying. Born in 1981, Aidonia may not have been old enough to hang out in dancehall sessions during that time, but he represents for the newer generation, aware of their roots and culture. Aidonia (Didi) pays tribute to this era with his new video for “80’s Dance Style.”   Video After The Jump…

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  • Top 10 Philip Smart Selections

    Top 10 Philip Smart Selections

    Click On The Image Above To Start The Countdown

    Childhood friends with Augustus Pablo, teenage apprentice to King Tubbys, “Prince” Philip Smart would later move from Kington to New York and establish the most important reggae recording studio in the USA. The very first song produced at HC&F Studios was a crossover hit for the band Monyaka, who’d invested sweat equity into their recording time by helping to construct the Freeport, Long Island studio with their own hands. Over the years, numerous historic recording sessions went down at Smart’s soundlab that helped to spread reggae music into the American pop charts and around the world, as did his weekly radio show on WNYU FM, Get Smart! As friends, family and music lovers mourn the man—who passed away last week—what better time to take a deep dive into the music and reflect on all the works one man in his late 50s could accomplish on earth. Many of Philip Smart’s hardest selections, including Scion Sashay Success futuristic digi-dancehall cut “The Trainer,” are includied on the hard-to-find compilation Five Borough Fire, which is well worth the effort of hunting down on eBay. In one of many tributes that appeared following the tragic news, Clinton Lindsay quotes Sting International saying, Father Phil was “a man who gave so much and asked for nothing.” Make sure to tune into the next episode of the Strictly Boomshots show on RadioLily.com for a musical celebration of the man known affectionately by so many as “Father Phil.”  Click Through The Gallery Above To Start The Countdown

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  • Colonel Josie Wales Pon Radio Lily

    Colonel Josie Wales Pon Radio Lily

    The Outlaw Rides Through The Strictly Boomshots Show. Jesus Christ—We Nice!

     

    In A$AP Ferg’s smash hit “Shabba,” the Harlem rapper idolizes Shabba for wearing “eight gold rings” and “one gold tooth.” But if the truth be told, it was not Shabba Ranks but his mentor Josie Wales who originated that style of fanciness. Had Josey Wales done nothing more than carry Cocoa Tea to the studio for the first time or introduce a young Shabba  to King Jammys, his place is dancehall history would be secure, and yet this humble musical soldier—whose official rank in the dancehall militia is Colenol— has done all that and much much more. (Although he modestly states that he has had “no career” to date thus far, he’s now working with the team Irish & Chin, so watch out for big things from The Colonel in days to come.) Born Joseph Winston Sterling in St. Mary, Jamaica, Josie Wales took his DJ name from the 1976 Clint Eastwood movie The Outlaw Josey Wales. He built his reputation on Stur Gav sound system alongside foundation DJs like Daddy U Roy, Brigadier Jerry, and Charlie Chaplin, and recorded classic sides for Junjo Lawes’ Volcano label (“Leggo Me Hand“) George Phang’s Power House label (“Undercover Lover“) and King Jammy’s (“Nah Lef Ya.“) By the mid 1980s he was acknowledged as Jamaica’s ruling dancehall artist. And his influence continues to this day. Queen Latifah borrowed one of his signature styles to make her Grammy-winning hit “U.N.I.T.Y.” and Josie’s voice was heard on last year’s smash hit “Sweet Jamaica.” A certified legend from the streets to the sound systems, he is both eloquent and witty in person, so it was both a treat and an honor to welcome him to the Strictly Boomshots show on Radio Lily.   Audio & Video After The Jump…

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  • HEAR THIS: A$AP Ferg ft. Shabba Ranks, Migos & Busta Rhymes “Shabba Remix”

    HEAR THIS: A$AP Ferg ft. Shabba Ranks, Migos & Busta Rhymes “Shabba Remix”

    We Requested It, And Now Ferg Delivers The Big Dutty Stinkin’ Reeeeeeemix

    From the moment we heard the Trap Lord goin’ in about the Dancehall Emperor, we knew there was just one way to make this tune better. And when we saw the Ranks up in the video, we started thinking maybe it was about to happen. But when RGAT chopped it up with Ferg and mentioned the idea of doing a remix with the Rankin, Ferg seemed lukewarm on the idea. But we kept patiently waiting until we almost gave up hope and then, this weekend—pow! And not Shabba but BussaBuss and Migos too! Thank you Trap Lord. Audio After The Jump…

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  • WATCH THIS: Smif N Wessun ft Junior Reid “Solid Ground” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Smif N Wessun ft Junior Reid “Solid Ground” Official Music Video

    Boot Camp Vets Stand Firm With Mr. “One Blood”

    In the past couple of months, a wave of reggae collaborations has surfaced across genres of music—from the lover’s rock of Shaggy’s “You Girl” featuring Ne-Yo to A$AP Ferg saluting “Shabba Ranks” to Nicki Minaj and Busta Rhymes providing dance lessons with “Twerk It” to Selena Gomez trying to walk “Like A Champion” in Buju Banton’s footsteps. Some collaborations represent sheer genius while others lean on loud yelling and Ja-fakin’ accents. The best usually feature a reggae artist’s vocals, giving the tracks authenticity. Case in point: Boot Camp Clik’s Smif N Wessun (General Steele & Tek) have paid homage to reggae music ever since their inception. Their classic “Sound Bwoy Bureill,” from their 1995 debut album, Dah Shinin, painted on a canvas of echoes from old-school dancehall verbal artillery. The verbal brushstrokes of Fuzzy Jones’s  intro and Smif N’ Wessun’s use of Jamaican patois-infused rap, create a masterpiece of hip-hop reggae fusion that could only have been birthed in Brooklyn. This warning was also sampled on Kanye West smash hit, “Mercy” in 2012. “Sound Bwoy Buriell” also features lyrics from Buju Banton’s “Boom Bye Bye” making it a BoOM tune by far! Video After The Jump…

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  • Reasoning with Chronixx “Me’s a Dancehall Man”

    Reasoning with Chronixx “Me’s a Dancehall Man”

    The Young Roots Lion Chats About Reggae Versus Ragga, Real Producers, and His Dancehall Daddy

    (Photography and Videos by Mark Shaw)

    Fresh off his first ever performance at Reggae Sumfest, rising reggae star Chronixx sat down to reason with Reshma B. “Me’s a dancehall man,” he tells her, “Nothing like me Shabba Ranks and me Supercat.” The young singer/songwriter/producer who’s been credited with helping to lead a “roots revival” takes care not to stir up any roots-versus-dancehall “genre war” but instead focuses on quality songwriting and conscious content. Before becoming the hottest new artist in reggae, Chronixx was a producer, creating his own tracks like “Behind Curtain” and “Warrior.” In part 2 of his reasoning with Reshma B, Chronixx bigs up all the “real producers” and talks about his admiration for Kanye West, although he admits that YEEZUS is probably not his favorite Yeezy album. He also speaks on how he likes to bring his family along with him when he performs, including his father Chronicle, whom Chronixx describes as “the original dancehall daddy.” Chronixx also reveals that he is “the biggest Jr. Gong fan in the world” and bigs up Gongzilla to the max. The young roots lion is currently on his first tour of the U.S. and his first-ever New York City performance goes down at SOBs. Before you catch the show, hold a reasoning with the artiste. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Caribbean Fever Music Fest Brings Reggae and Soca Beat To Barclays

    Caribbean Fever Music Fest Brings Reggae and Soca Beat To Barclays

    Shabba Ranks, Damian and Stephen Marley, I-Octane, Bunji Garlin, Fayann Lyons, and Alison Hinds Headline As Caribbean Fever Music Festival Celebrates Caribbean Music at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center This Labor Day

    “This concert is a collaborative effort between Bobby Clarke, CEO of Irie Jam Media and Caribbean Fever” Dahveed Levy, CEO of Caribbean Fever, draped with Caribbean beauties wearing elaborate headpieces and vibrant body paint, confirmed at the press conference held at Milk River.  He went on to describe the concert theme for each night. Friday, August 30  “International Night” will feature music predominately from the French Caribbean with artists such as Wyclef Jean, Kassav, Tabou Combo and Djakout #1.  Saturday, August 31 “Carnival Mania Night” will have acts like Allison Hinds, Bunji Garlin and Fay-Ann Lyons, Edwin Yearwood, Iwer George and Tallpree “preparing the massive for Eastern Parkway and the true culture of Carnival.” Details After The Jump… (more…)

  • A$AP Ferg Mashes Up Trillectro Fest in Washington D.C.

    Trap God Drops Today—You Have Been Warned
    asap-fergA$AP Ferg drops his debut album Trap Lord today and he’s all set to take the A$AP Worldwide movement to another level. He first caught our attention with his street banger “Shabba” and we just had to sit down and reason with him about his love for the dancehall emperor. (Turns out Ferg comes from a Trinidadian household and used to vacation in MoBay as a youth.) Since that time the buzz on Ferg has only gotten louder. Just the other day Fergenstein took the stage at the Trillectro Music Festival in Washington D.C. and pandemonium ensued. In other words, he shelled down the place. Trillectro nuh good again. Or as the capo Joe LaPuma observed on Twitter, “This is what a hit looks like.” Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • A$AP Ferg Speaks on Shabba

    A Rare Interview with the Trap Lord
    ASAPFergBoomshots    A$AP Ferg’s summer scorcher “Shabba” has set the streets of NYC on fire—and the mad music video featuring the whole A$AP Mob and Shabba Ranks himself has everybody wondering why a youth from Harlem decided to pay homage to Shabba. The A$AP Mob is known for their ’90s nostalgia, and who was a bigger dancehall star in the early 90s than Shabba Ranks? And of course if you listen to A$AP Rocky’s hit “Pe$o” you can hear the dancehall influence runs deep amongst the mob. But still Ferg’s connection to Shabba runs even deeper. Born into a Trinidadian family, Ferg used to visit Jamaica as a youth. Boomshots’ own Reshma B sat down with Ferg for an in-depth discussion of “Shabba” and a preview of Ferg’s debut album, Trap Lord. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: A$AP Ferg ft. A$AP Rocky “Shabba Ranks” Official Video

    Dancehall Emperor Makes a Cameo Appearance in the new A$AP Mob Visuals
    ASAPShabba
    The A$AP Mob may come from Harlem, but they’ve always showed love for Jamaican flavor. A$AP Rocky’s mixtape hit “Pe$o” had a chopped-and-screwed raggamuffin-style hook. Now comes A$AP Ferg with the smash hit named after dancehall emperor Shabba Ranks. It’s clear that A$AP Ferg has nuff respect for Shabba’s swag: “Eight gold rings like I’m Shabba Ranks” / “Two bad bitches like I’m Shabba Ranks” / “One gold tooth like I’m Shabba Ranks” And Rocky chats a few lines of Shabba’s hit “Ting A Ling” on his verse. The video dropped today and yes, Mr. Loverman does make a cameo appearance. Let’s hope he hops on a remix too. It’s only right. Video After The Jump… (more…)