Complex Blog » reggae

My Style & Design Inspirations: Major Lazer

bfred — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:46:59 +0000

In Complex’s 2009 Style & Design issue (on stands now!), we asked a variety of cultural tastemakers to list their “Inspirations”—things that are affecting their world now, and the things that they feel are going to have an impact moving forward. Representing the “Entertainment” section is none other than Major Lazer, the Jamaican commando and hero of the new Diplo & Switch album Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do (which Complex named The #2 Album of 2009…so far). Read on as the Major reveals his must-haves for an entertaining life…

G.I. JOE MOVIE
Back in ’84, mi fight inna zombie war alongside Sgt. Slaughter and Gen. Hawk. Dem bwoy deh ah mi bredren fi life, and mi glad fi see dem ah tun movie star now.

LIMING
Almost 10 year now me live ah Trinidad, an one ting people love fi do is ‘lime’ or ‘heng out,’ when dem jus cook some food and hol’ some drinks and have a good time.

ATI WEEKEND
Yaad mi born an’ grow, so every Jamaica Independence weekend I MUST BE DERE.

RUSKO ALBUM
Mi rate di yute Rusko. Dubstep ah gwaan big right now, and it ah gwaan bigga fi di summa.

VANS
Me nuh ave nuh sponsor (JAH AH MI SPONSOR!), but inna di summa time mi love wear Vans when me nuh inna mi military boot. Tell dem seh ah size 10 mi wear if dem waan mi feature di ting dem!

GHOSTBUSTA VIDEO GAME
Me nuh too inna di play games ting, but bwoy mek mi tell yu! Any game weh man ah shot ghost and dem ting deh, mi muss have it!

INTANET TV
Me nuh too inna di internet, but mi nah stop watch TV pon mi computa. Mi did ah watch Hulu inna Brooklyn but mi cyaan get it ah Trinidad—chaaaaa!

TERRY LYNN’S KINGSTONLOGIC
Terry di craziest ting outta yaad—after me, Major Lazer.

MAD DECENT SOUND SYSTEM
Diplo an Switch a tour out mi new record. Di vibes a go nice, suh anyweh dem de inna yu city, town, or country, mek sure seh ya check dem out, zeen?

Wake N’ Watch: Major Lazer f/ Vybz Kartel “Pon De Floor”

bfred — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:00:49 +0000

File this one under “collaborations we never thought we’d see”—for “Pon De Floor,” the latest single from Diplo and Switch’s dancehall project Major Lazer, the superproducers recruited Eric Wareheim from Adult Swim’s bizarro lo-fi comedy series Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! to direct the video. Set in a trippy, cartoonish suburbia, “Pon De Floor” features a sampling of Jamaica’s controversial, over-the-top “daggering” dance moves. *Cue America’s inevitable freakout when white children start pile driving each other at middle school dances.*

Tune in to Complex.com every morning at 8 AM for your daily “Wake N’ Watch” video.

Who’s the Hottest Reggae Gold Girl?

prubin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:17:26 +0000

Today marks the release of Reggae Gold 2009, the 17th installment in VP Records’ peerless annual compilation. And sure, there are some of the year’s great tracks on there (Laden’s “Money Over War” is our personal favorite), but for reggae die-hards who already have most of the songs, the real draw is the covers. Not since the Game Recordings singles of the ’90s (shout out to Shecky Green!) has cover art been executed so flawlessly. To that end, we’ve collected our very favorite Reggae Gold (and sister compilation Soca Gold) cover girls, taken a look at some other work they’ve done, and opened it up to you. So take a good hard look and ask yourself: Who’s the dancehall (and one-drop, and lover’s rock) queen?

REGGAE GOLD 2003: NICOLE RICCA

Other Work:

REGGAE GOLD 2004: ESTHER BAXTER

Other Work:

B Is For Bob: How Bob Marley Got Censored For Kids

intern — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:36:17 +0000

A new album called B Is For Bob hits stores today, described as a “collection of original Bob Marley songs re-imagined for kids and fans of all ages!” Re-imagined? To us, the legend’s music is already family-friendly, except for maybe the references to greenery (which really, never hurt anyone).

For the PG-version, executive producer/son Ziggy Marley had to re-record certain tracks for the kiddies. He avoided including any weed-related songs altogether, but there were still a few lines that had to be changed or omitted to be parent-approved. Read on to hear the 5 remixed tracks that stood out the most and read our break down of what was changed…

SONG: “Bend Down Low”
ORIGINAL LYRICS: “Knock on, babe. Just won’t let you in. You been livin’ in sin. Knock on!”
REVISION: Not only does Ziggy bring in the kids to give the record a more wholesome appeal, but he also avoids Bob’s disclosure that loose women can knock on his door all night, but they won’t be let in. That’s right kids, leave the hoes alone. At least during the week.

SONG: “Could You Be Loved”
ORIGINAL LYRICS: “So go to hell if what you’re thinking is not right!”
REVISION: As expected, “hell” gets awkwardly blanked out from this line. Come on Ziggy. They say “bitch” on network TV now. Do you really want our youth to be future kufi-category members who can’t respond to taunts with a good swear word or two?

SONG: “Satisfy My Soul”
ORIGINAL LYRICS: “When I meet you around the corner you make me feel like a sweepstake winner.”
REVISION: Like many great artists, Marley sometimes contradicted himself. After dissing promiscuous women, he would sing about the joys of prostitutes. Ziggy wasn’t having it though and omits the lyrics completely.

SONG: “Small Axe”
ORIGINAL LYRICS: “If you are the big tree, we are the small axe, ready to cut you down.”
REVISION: Bob made these lyrics sound seriously gully on the original version. Well, not exactly, but he definitely didn’t have annoying child laughter in the background to tone down the seemingly violent themes. The kids are going to see tons of shit getting blown up when they see Transformers this weekend, anyway. Let the track breathe.

SONG: “Stir It Up”
ORIGINAL LYRICS: “I’ll push the wood, then I’ll blaze your fire; then I’ll satisfy your heart’s desire. I stir it every every minute. All you got to do, baby, is keep it in, eh!”
REVISION: Whoa Marley! Are we the only ones that never noticed how dirty this song is? Naturally, the entire verse was omitted. We don’t need anymore kids getting pregnant, didn’t you see what happened to Bristol and Levi?

DJ Treats’ Weekly Treats: Busta, Annie, Kaiser Chiefs

treats — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:34:08 +0000

Each week, Complex's resident music expert DJ Treats will be bringing you key tracks from a variety of genres. Click below to see this week’s choices !

RAP: Busta Rhymes f/ Ron Browz “Arab Money”

DANCE/ELECTRONICA: Annie “Two Of Hearts”

REGGAE/DANCEHALL: 77Klash f/ Johnny Osbourne “Mad Again”

R&B: Avant f/ Alfamega “Perfect Gentleman”

ROCK: Kaiser Chiefs “Never Miss A Beat”

Music Icon Lee “Scratch” Perry Preps New Album With Andrew W.K.

treats — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:55:00 +0000

It’s no secret that Jamaica’s influence on other genres of music goes beyond hip-hop. In the ’80s, punk rock bands like the Clash, the Police, and Bad Brains were all rooted in the drum and bass-driven sound of dub reggae. At the forefront of this fusion was one of dub’s originators Lee “Scratch” Perry, who produced “Complete Control” for the Clash in the ’70s.

Throughout Perry’s career, he’s released a whopping 53 albums, with his latest due August 19th co-produced by party-rocker Andrew W.K. Other genre-spanning collaborators on Repentence are Chris Stein from Blondie, Moby, and porn goddess Sasha Grey'an eclectic mix to say the least. Listen to the first single, “Pum Pum” after the jump.

Lee “Scratch” Perry “Pum Pum” (2008)

[Pitchfork]

K-Salaam & Beatnick Create Reggae/Rap Fusion

treats — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:10:02 +0000

Ever since Run-DMC’s “Roots, Rap, Reggae” established the genre in 1985, the fusion of hip-hop and reggae has produced some truly classic records. So it’s only right that dancehall powerhouse VP Records is giving light to the winning combination with the upcoming release of Whose World Is This?, a collaborative album helmed by producers K-Salaam and Beatnick.

To help illustrate their vision, the producers recruited some of the biggest names from both sides of the musical spectrum. On the lead single “Street Life,” dancehall legend Buju Banton and singer Trey Songz get together and harmonize about the hard knock life. The album, which drops on July 29, will also feature appearances from folks like Kardinal Offishall, Young Buck, Sizzla, Dead Prez, Capleton, Papoose, Luciano and Talib Kweli. After the jump, watch a hilarious clip of K-Salaam in the studio with Buju Banton and listen to the album’s lead single.

K-Salaam & Beatnick “Street Life” f/ Buju Banton and Trey Songz

Vote For The Sexiest Reggae Gold Cover Girl

treats — Thu, 29 May 2008 21:49:42 +0000

One thing reggae fans can look forward to every summer is VP Records‘ annual release of their Reggae Gold series. The compilation, which has gathered the past year’s top hits since 1992, never disappoints (it helps that virtually every major reggae artist is already affiliated with the label).

And aside from the music, it’s always exciting to see the fly female that they choose to grace the cover. As we near the release of Reggae Gold 2008 on June 17th, we decided to compile all the covers from the last 10 years and let you decide which model looks the best. See them all after the jump and vote for the one you think is the baddest.

Reggae Gold: 1998

Reggae Gold: 1999

Reggae Gold: 2000

Reggae Gold: 2001

Reggae Gold: 2002

Reggae Gold: 2003

Reggae Gold: 2004

Reggae Gold: 2005

Reggae Gold: 2006

Reggae Gold: 2007

Reggae Gold: 2008

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Santogold Drops An Unreleased Track

treats — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:19:45 +0000

After celebrating over a year’s worth of run-away success on the internet, Santogold finally released her self-titled album last week. But recently the Brooklyn native, Santi White threw herself back into the blogosphere releasing “Your Voice” her second dub-reggae-fused track, which follows the sound of the album’s Spankrock collab, “Shove It”. Listen to the full song, then watch the video for Santogold’s current single, “LES Artists” after the jump.

Santogold “Your Voice” Santogold (Downtown Records)

[RCRD LBL]

Related:

- Zune Arts Throws A “Tickle Party” With ‘Friends’ And Santogold

Mavado’s New Video

treats — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:26:06 +0000

With a new song featuring Jay-Z burning up radio, the dancehall superstar doubles up this week releasing “Last Night,” the latest video from “Gangsta For Life: Mavado The Symphony of David Brooks.”

Go behind the scenes of the video shoot here.

Mavado’s “Last Night” Video Shoot

treats — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:09:14 +0000

Dancehall’s gangsta for life gets gully in the Little X directed video for “Last Night.” Blink and you’ll miss Bounty Killer’s cameo appearance in this behind-the-scenes-look from his self-titled debut, set in his dreary hometown of Cassava Piece Gully Side, Jamaica. Rumor has it, the Alliance (Bounty Killer, Mavado, Elephant Man, Aidonia) are prepping their super-group album due this year. Lick a shot.

[Hype TV > Dancehallreggae.com]

Always Bouncing Back

treats — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:42:51 +0000

If the slogan “Shit Happens” had a spokesperson it could be dancehall superstar Beenie Man. His 2004 smash Back To Basics should have been a joyful exclamation point on a rich, varied, and controversial career. But the album was crafted in the months following a car accident in which Beenie sustained serious injuries; while he recovered, his longtime road manager and business partner was killed in a drive-by shooting. His new album, Undisputed, didn't find him in a more peaceful frame of mind. He recorded it following the losses of both his older brother and younger sister to what he calls “freak accidents,” and yet another senseless murder claiming friend and dancehall personality Bogle. But don't expect melancholy odes about those living in the sky. “You have to think about the people you love in a joyful way, not a sad or mournful way,” says Beenie.

For “The King Of Dancehall,” joyful equals doing what has always come naturally and celebrating life's more explicit ["illicit"?] pleasures. Building on Basics, blatant cross-genre-hopping is kept to a minimum with Brooke Valentine (”Dutty Wine”), Akon (”Girls”), and Scott Storch (”Jamaican Ting”) blending in with the slick, electronic rhythms from heavyweights like Don Corleon and Tony Kelly. Beenie lays his game down quite flat all over “Hmm Hmm” and “Dreaming of You,” and playfully brags, “International models me dating,” on “Girls.” “My World” adds to the surprisingly ecstatic mood, with Beenie and Lady Saw running tings over Jon Jon's sliding synths and staccato claps. “I've never been down or out or flopped,” Beenie says confidently. “For 13 years I'm standing firm.” Even when shit happens.

By Toshitaka Kondo
Photo by Steve Carty/Contour Photos

Sight For Sore Eyes

treats — Fri, 05 May 2006 23:21:25 +0000

Though the weather in New York has been sporadically wet, we’ve been experiencing a major drought in the dating department. Today the floodgates opened, when up and coming dancehall superstar Tami Chynn strolled through our offices. The formal meet and greet with the Universal Records signee randomly lead to lunch at NYC's Jamaican eatery Negril, where we were left smitten by Tami's sweetness. Groupie love? Yeah, so what? But peep game'we didn't get the number, but with some photos of Tami and a link to her Myspace page, we’ve only just begun.

We’re sure she gets tons of requests a day, but what’s one more?

Smiles, from ear to ear.

Yep, she’s on Myspace too.