Boomshots

Tag: Winston Riley

  • Kakaba Pyramid Torched the SOB’s Stage with Blazing Lyrics

    Kakaba Pyramid Torched the SOB’s Stage with Blazing Lyrics

    Kabaka Pyramid Kontraband Tour Hit New York City

    On Friday, November 23, New York City fans endured the frigid weather for the highly anticipated, Kabaka Pyramid, Kontraband Tour at SOB’s. New York City renowned selector DJ Gringo of Stateside Revolution and Host of Sirius XM, “The Joint,” warmed up the crowd awaiting the revolutionary artist. Next up, the Bebble Rockers excited the crowd with an electrifying, symphonic rendition of “Make Way” (the song features Pressure Buss Pipe on the Kontraband album), as Kabaka Pyramid joined the stage. More Concert Highlights After The Jump…

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  • Reasoning with Sister Nancy

    Reasoning with Sister Nancy

    Dancehall’s Original Muma Talks “Bam Bam,” Rihanna, and Kanye West

    Quick: what’s the most sampled song in reggae history? If you guessed “Bam Bam” by Sister Nancy you know your stuff. Her 1982 album cut has provided raw material for dozens of records for artists ranging from Chris Brown to Too $hot to Diamond D. The latest may be the biggest tune of all:”Famous” by Kanye West featuring Rihanna and Swizz Beatz, off The Life of Pablo. Yep, that’s the song where Yeezy disses Taylor Swift–the one everybkdy’s chatting bout although few have actually heard it. When Boomshots caught up with Muma Nancy for a recent Billboard piece the legendary foundation DJ had not heard the tune yet. Not that she’s in much of a hurry to do so. She’s unimpressed with the whole sampling thing, much preferring a live session. But trust and believe she will be picking up that royalty check. Pree the full reasoning below. Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Phillip Fraser “God of My Righteousness”

    FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Phillip Fraser “God of My Righteousness”

    Reggae Music Legend in the Mecca of Music and Culture, Brooklyn

    The sun was shinning bright as I walked along New York Avenue, in Brooklyn, New York. I was greeted by a Rastafarian King, left hand over the heart,  wearing a sunny yellow hat with a  polo to match. I tipped my black shades to take a closer look at the face of the person greeting me and it was the living legend himself, Phillip Fraser!  He was shocked that I recognized who he was. I said “Great music is great music!” Known for albums  like “Come Ethiopians” (1974, Freedom Sound Label), “Back to Africa” (1978, Different Records, original recording with Busta Riley, Winston Riley’s brother) featuring Earth and Stone, “Blood of the Saint” (1983), “Never Let Go” (1991, Razor Sound Records), “Phillip Fraser: Sharp Like Razor” (1993, Razor Sound Records),  “More Phillip Fraser” (2015, Razor Sound Records) and a plethora of complication albums and productions. If you appreciate roots reggae and lovers rock, you have to know this artists’ anthology of music. Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • 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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  • The Techniques Top 21

    21 Reasons Why The Late Great Winston Riley’s Music Can’t Stop Play

    (Photo By Luca D’Agostino – Rototom Sunsplash)

    Late last night came the grim news that Winston Riley—one of the last true living legends in the reggae industry—has died. Riley made musical history both as a singer and a producer over a half-century span. Starting as a founding member of the vocal group The Techniques, he went on to establish the prolific and pioneering Techniques label, which released the instrumental hit “Double Barrel” that went on to top the UK charts. He created the immortal Stalag riddim, a strong contender for the greatest reggae instrumental of all time. He produced breakthrough hits by artists as diverse as General Echo, Tenor Saw, Super Cat, Sanchez, Red Dragon, Buju Banton, and Spragga Benz, just to name a few. He had been attacked at home last November, suffering gunshot wounds in the head and arm from which he never fully recovered. “Turning into a producer is a very good ting,” he told the Jamaica Gleaner in 2008. “Yuh achieve a great goal, but is not an easy road.”
    In recent years he’d been working on refurbishing the Techniques headquarters on Kingston’s Orange Street into a museum commemorating the music to which he devoted his life. His efforts were rewarded with senseless violence. Upon hearing the news, the only thing that came to mind was one of the less famous cuts from Mr. Riley’s classic Stalag 17 album:

    Brigadier Jerry “What Kind Of World” (1985)

    “What type of world are we living in?” Briggy asks, his voice filled with righteous indignation. “Jah know it is a sin…”
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