REGGAE: THE STORY OF JAMAICAN MUSIC (PART ONE: FORWARD MARCH) --- DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW

REGGAE: THE STORY OF JAMAICAN MUSIC (PART ONE: FORWARD MARCH)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, June 2008 - The first part of this excellent series of documentaries by the BBC takes us back to the 1960's and before, providing tremendous insights into the birth of the music that we like so much.

The UK based documentary deals with the early 1960's, when Jamaica "gained independence" and SKA originated in the celebrations surrounding the events. It doesn't take long before we are introduced to a number of then contemporary artists and go even further back in time to get more knowledge and overstanding.

It's part of on an in-depth series of documentaries that "inform, inspire and enlight" as Mikey Dread used to say. A series that tells the remarkable story of a remarkable music created by a remarkable people.

In about an hour worth of sights and sounds, we see countless artists, producers, and even Jamaican politicians as they tells us how the music originated back in the 1960's and before.

A must-see!

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TYRICAL - NO GUERILLA WAR (2007) - DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW

TYRICAL - NO GUERILLA WAR (2007)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, June 2008 - Artists dissing and bashing each other: there's something wrong with certain vibes in the dance. Tyrical come to chant it down!

With guest appearances of such greats as Beenieman and Bounty Killer, Tyrical makes his point: it's better for the artists to come together than to fight guerilla wars with each other, "inspiring" their audience to do the same.

Upfull vibes, seen?

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CHEZIDEK - CALL PON DEM (DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW)

CHEZIDEK - CALL PON DEM
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Also known as the Herbalist, Chezidek calls pon the World Leaders to finally install some justice and equality and he does it in a Roots Rock Reggae style.

Throughout the ages, the Most High Jah has always risen up prophets who called upon the leaders of nations to do what He say, which is to give peace justice and equality to the people of this planet, all of them created by the Most High.

In this time, there are many Reggae artists who have been given this very same function if you will. The prophets of today can not be found on the Christian Television or Terrorist Broadcast Networks, they can be found on Jamaica where the sufferation is literally crying unto High Heaven as the saying goes.

While the political correct "religious" superstar "prophets" keep supporting and maintaining Babylon System and telling people to obey the beast, the voice of Jah keeps speaking in many ways. One of these ways comes on a crucial Roots Rock Reggae riddim.

Let them that have ears, hear!

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BUJU BANTON - LIVE IN JAMAICA (1992) - DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW

BUJU BANTON - LIVE IN JAMAICA (1992)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Before Buju Banton became part of what many call the "Rasta Renaissance" during the early 1990's, he was already part of the top of Dancehall Music. This video captures him before he started growing his dreadlocks.

The music is minimalistic, the band is four members strong, Buju is energetic: Dancehall in 1992 made many people wonder "where Reggae has gone too". They blamed the computer and programming, but they will get the same idea while watching Buju and band perform.

The often chaotically looking concert is in fact an explosion of energy where Reggae, DUB and basic rhythm comes together to serve as foundation for Buju Banton's impressive appearance. An impression that offended more people than just those that did not know how to musically apprecilove Dancehall.

In the second part of the video, he performs one of his major "controversial" tunes that made the homosexual lobby show their cultural ignorance and intolerant behavior once more when they started to call for a ban on Reggae music in the 1990's.

This, and a great duet with a crucial singer, as well as more niceness for the eye and ear can be found in this crucial video from -allready- 16 years ago!

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CULTURE - CHANT DOWN BABYLON (DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW)

CULTURE - CHANT DOWN BABYLON
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Before Joseph Hill unfortunately passed away, he was the lead singer of the vocal harmony group Culture. Their live performances blessed people on a world-wide level and thanks to video's like this, the blessing will continue for a long time to come.

Joseph Hill's voice is very similar to that of Winston "Burning Spear" Rodney, yet it would be a great injustice to not consider either one original and powerful in their own works.

"Chant Down Babylon" is perfectly showing Culture's militancy and heartical vibe, as the group -with band- once again shows what they're capable of.

"The Riddim Is Full Of Culture, Yah"!

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REGGAE FOUR WAY: FREDDY MC GREGOR, DENNIS BROWN, SUGAR MINOTT AND COCO TEA LIVE, JAMAICA, 1996 (DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW)

REGGAE FOUR WAY: FREDDY MC GREGOR, DENNIS BROWN, SUGAR MINOTT AND COCO TEA LIVE, JAMAICA, 1996
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Coco Tea's rendering of Rastaman Chant is right in the middle of this great mini concert featuring no less than four of Jamaica's sweetest singers.

The year is 1996, the place is Jamaica. Sugar Minott, Dennis Brown, Coco Tea and Freddie Mc Gregor enter stage for a crucial performance. The four vocalists need no introduction, and when you see them on stage together you can't do nothing but being amazed over the enormous amount of talent coming from Yard.

Coco Tea performs Bob Marley's Rastaman Chant right in the middle of the video. By then we've already heard all three other singers and are about to hear some more as well.

Crucial!

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DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW: MUTABARUKA - THE SYSTEM (LIVE, NEW YORK, 1984)

MUTABARUKA - THE SYSTEM (LIVE, NEW YORK, 1984)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - "It's the second time we play here in New York, maybe there's a third time", Mutabaruka says just before he starts to recite his poem The System together with a backing band.

Although it wasn't Mutabaruka who started the discipline of DUB Poetry, he is definitely one of the strongest in the genre. With his poetry based on Rastafari consciousness, and a solid band to lay a musical foundation, there's much more than just a positive musical experience that you can receive when listening to the words.

In the year of George Orwell, Mutabaruka visits New York city and chants down Babylon with the truth once again, just like he keeps doing until this very day in 2008.

Check it!


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DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW: TURBULENCE - 4000 YEARS (2007)

TURBULENCE - 4000 YEARS (2007)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Babylon is not a new thing, that started a few centuries ago. Turbulence contemplates on the historical roots of the shitstem that took his foreparents out of Africa.

In this powerful track, Turbulence chants down Babylon one more time as he speaks about history and presence of the shitstem. We see what he talks about, and who.

Don't expect a hard hitting Dancehall rhythm, though. This is very much a contemplative work of art, if only to show the power of the words.

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DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW: GENTLEMAN - SERENITY

GENTLEMAN - SERENITY
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Gentleman is a very remarkable Reggae Vocalist whose many travels to Jamaica have not only blessed him with creative goodness, but made him become a popular artist in Yard as well.

He's the son of a German Lutheran preacher, and he has a deep belief in the Creator as well. However, Gentleman doesn't adhere to any specific religion and after discovering the spiritual nature of Reggae he was led to trod on this musical path himself, too.

He started his musical career as a member of the conscious Hip Hop group FK All Stars. But when the group split up in 2001, he formed the Far East Band and moved forward with a very interesting style of Reggae music, wherein he used Hip Hop elements without leaving the essentials that make Reggae Music.

You could say, that he took Hip Hop back to it's roots...

Ever since his first tour in 2002, musically backed by his Far East Band, Tilman Otto has been inspiring, blessing and surprising a worldwide Reggae audience. He recorded material with Sizzla at Judgement Yard in Jamaica, worked with well known producers like Bobbie Digital and singers such as Tanya Stephens.

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DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW: CUTTY RANKS WITH STEREOMARS SOUND - SLENG-TENG PNP (1986)

CUTTY RANKS WITH STEREOMARS SOUND - SLENG-TENG PNP (1986)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Even though Reggae Music isn't quite your average political propaganda mechanism, Jamaican politicians will always try and get some Reggae artist to back them up. Twenty-two years ago, DJ Cutty Ranks tried to raise votes for the Jamaican PNP.

Jamaica -and especially Kingston- has the highest murder rate of the world, or close to that. In other words: in Jamaica you have a bigger chance to get killed than in let's say New York City.

When it's election time in Jamaica, violence increases significantly. Gangs of "gun men" killing each other with guns provided to them by...

When it's election time in Jamaica, the politicians all of a sudden begin to show some interest in Reggae Music. They hire artists and thing to help them in their propaganda.

The video reviewed on this page is a 1986 recording of such an event.

As he rides on the Sleng-Teng riddim, brand new and kind of revolutionary in those days, Cutty Ranks bigs up the PNP. The selector doesn't take his hand of the mixing board and the people love it too.

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DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW: MACKA B - ALLEZ LES REGGAE BOYS

MACKA B - ALLEZ LES REGGAE BOYS
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Macka B loves football, or soccer as they say in the America's. In this video, we see him performing live for the French based One TV as he gives a big up to Jamaica's football team The Reggae Boys.

Jamaica is a remarkable place on the planet. The relatively small island, just under the smoke of Castro's cigar republic, has witnessed the birth of Reggae Music, the Movement of Rastafari, and many more things that have their world wide influence.

Allez Les Reggae Boys is Macka B's tribute to the Island's national football team, but the UK based toaster points out that the team is symbolical for the strength of the people of Jamaica as a whole, too.

Ire!

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DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW: JOE HIGGS - THERE IS A REWARD FOR ME

JOE HIGGS - THERE IS A REWARD FOR ME
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - "It doesn't sound like Reggae, but it is", says the man who is called "Father of Reggae" just before he starts singing with his acoustic guitar to accompany him.

Joe Higgs unfortunately passed away in 1999. However, in a way, that makes this particular video and song kind of having an impact. As the brother has been teaching too many vocalists to mention just how to sing and thing, he is definitely responsible for the world-wide positive influence of Reggae and Rasta lyrics.

Is there a reward for him?

Of course there is.

And he is probably enjoying it to the fullness at the time we are watching and listening to this heart-felt document of hope in Jah and His Righteousness.

Seen?

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DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW: NACHILUS KEZUCK - WAR (2007)

NACHILUS KEZUCK - WAR (2007)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - In this impressive video, Nachilus Kezuck fights the good fight as he chants down foolish wars and fighting, both on the street and in the political field.

Combining the arts of toasting and singing, Nachilus Kezuck uses his Jah-given talents to spread consciousness and upfull vibes. He knows how much this is needed, for example in big cities where young children walk with guns and get killed.

Traditional, contemporary Roots with a message and vibe that is traditional for the better works of art in the field of Reggae. In other words: check this one out right now, get yourself familiar with yet another freedom fighter who chants down wickedness and will make himself be heard time and time again for years to come.


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DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW: QUEEN IFRICA - DADDY

QUEEN IFRICA - DADDY
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Although Queen Ifrica is the daughter of Ska legend Derrick Morgan, she didn't dedicate this track to him. She wrote it after hearing about the abuse one of her friends had to go through.

Bizarre aspect: there were several demands to have the track banned from Jamaican Radio when the track took the waves by storm during the last part of 2007. In a musical landscape where slackness (that is: more or less pornographic lyrics) is accepted, a call against one of the most evil things one human can do to another is apparently disturbing...

Queen Ifrica is actually one of the few female Reggae singers who keeps the conscious fire burning. A thing which is definitely not so easy. An article by the Canadian Toronto Star recorded her as saying (about conscious Reggae):

"From a young teenager I saw that this side of the music was dying. Judy Mowatt, Chevelle and a lot of the other sisters were just going into the church (and singing gospel). I'm not knocking them for that; it's just the pressure of what the industry gives. If you're not willing to hold on, then you might find yourself going to other places."

Fortunately, Ventrice Morgan isn't giving up and continues to chant down Babylon and wickedness. This track is one of her latest attacks on wickedness.

Check out the video as well as a 7 minute video report providing more background on the track, and read some media articles too!

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DUBROOM VIDEO/MP3 REVIEW: KALI BLAXX - ONE SMOKE

KALI BLAXX - ONE SMOKE
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Jamaican vocalist Kali Blaxx grew up listening to Reggae's stars on the radio, and now he is here to forward the music into this next century.

Watch "One Smoke" and download the MP3 for free, too!

Even though we read in the Bible that "Herb is made for the service of man", Babylon doesn't want man to be served in man's development and thing. And so, there's places on the planet where even one smoke can take you into big problems.

Kali Blaxx knows just how much Babylon's repression on (especially) the youths keeps people down, and decided to do something about it.

In "One Smoke", he defends the freedom given by the Creator to use herb for the service of man. Riding on a contemporary Roots Reggae riddim, the vocalist explains just why the repression on herb should stop.

The video that comes with the tune is directed by Wayne Benjamin, himself a Jamaican too. A well worked out piece of work, providing the right sights with the music and lyrics.

Babylon, you better leave, yah!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH AND GET THE FREE MP3

NINJAMAN LIVE AT ISLAND EXPLOSION (2005)

NINJAMAN LIVE AT ISLAND EXPLOSION (2005)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Ninjaman, also known as "Brother Desmond" during his short career as a "Gospel Dancehall DJ", is one of Jamaica's most notorious DJ's.

Almost ten minutes of explosive material, recorded in 2005 and with links to back ground information.

If you don't like Dancehall, chances are big that you will see exactly why when you watch Ninjaman's performance at Island Explosion 2005.

Although the video reviewed on this page is almost ten minutes long, there are no more than 20, 30 seconds of music without a break. In the same time, Ninjaman talks about his gun and how he likes to have it back, after it was taken from him by the police.

He's had the machete in his body, went to prison, even became a "born again Christian" for a while in an attempt to cash in on the "Gospel Reggae" scam organized by a close-to-Hollywood business named after Christopher Columbus.

Truly a remarkable personality, able to surprise friend and foe with every new move he makes.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH AND GET MORE INFORMATION

LIVE FROM JAMROCK (VIDEO REVIEW)

LIVE FROM JAMROCK
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - Most historical Reggae documentaries seem to think that there's nothing interesting going on after 1979. This video is a welcome exception as we explore the early 1980's, when Rub a Dub was the thing!

The video opens up with Josey Wales chanting into Channel One's microphones, with Scientist at the Control Tower. This sets the right tone for this documentary, of which the video quality unfortunately isn't what we would love it to be.

The 25 minutes that follow the nice introduction give us an insight into the Jamaican dancehall during the Rub a Dub era. We see all the major DJ's from Yellowman to Toyan and everyone in between, live and direct.

Niceness!

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GRAVINCHI - CRY FOR ME (VIDEO REVIEW)

GRAVINCHI - CRY FOR ME
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - In his own particular mix of chanting and singing, Jamaican vocalist Gravinchi speaks his heart while riding a contemporary relaxed riddim.

Jamaica has more talented artists per square meter than any other place on the earth, at least so it seems. Especially for us, who love Reggae Music!

Of course, the attention of the mainstream music media and thing do their best to ignore Jamaica and Jamaican Music, at least so it seems. Especially for us, who love Reggae Music!

Take Gravinchi's "Cry for Me". A professional video by Jamaican producer Wayne Benjamin adds the right sight to the crucial sounds!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE - LIVE DUBBING (1991) - DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW

AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE - LIVE DUBBING (1991)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, May 2008 - One of the most difficult things to perform while doing a live Reggae concert is to Dub It Up live and direct. Adrian Sherwood's On-U sound is one of the few to do it, for example with African Head Charge.

A hard, militant Steppers drums combined with a pumping bassline form the foundation of what seems to be a majestic improvisation by one of the leading names in the UK DUB business.

Echo's, reverbs. Vocals and instruments dropping in and out.

The band and the engineer behind the mixing board interact kind of smooth as the music takes us to dimensions that usually a concert will not really take you.

Feel!


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RAS MESSENGERS - "EGYPT LAND" (1982) (DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW)

RAS MESSENGERS - "EGYPT LAND" (1982)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, April 2008 - Admitted: the title of this incomplete, three-minute Nyabinghy session by the UK based Ras Messengers recorded in 1982 is a guess of yours truly.

Actually, the session is taken from the movie "Race, Rhetoric, Rastafari" by Jamaican film maker Barbara Blake-Hanna which you can check out on www.reggaefilms.co.uk. The video deals with racism in the UK during the early 1980's and has -next to Ras Messengers- music by I Jah Man Levi and others.

"Egypt Land" is an up-tempo Nyabinghy track. Nyabinghy means "Death To Black And White Downpressors" and is a rhythm distinct from Reggae.

Actually, Nyabinghy is true Rasta Music where Reggae is not necessarily played by Rasta-only artists. Actually, there are Rastas who would argue that Rastas should not play Reggae but stick to the natural sound of the hand drums playing Nyabinghy while chanting to Jah.

See, hear and feel three minutes of pure Nyabinghy drumming and Rastaman chanting: blessed!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH