Cobra Galore Digital Reggae is a must-subscribe-to blog for anyone loving Reggae and Dancehall. They keep posting gem for gem day for day. And a couple of days ago, they excelled themselves with a maddd, 19-albums-heavy, Cobra special. Get »Cobra Galore« here.
Eddie Stats’ Shabba Ranks Blend
The Fader featured Shabba on the cover of their recent icon issue. Eddie »Ghetto Palms« Stats took the opportunity to put together a blend of strictly Shabba tunes which he describes as »a good cross-section of his work with different producers from different eras«. Nice One!
Shabba Ranks »Pretty Please« (LOY)
Shabba Ranks »Peenie Peenie« (Jammys)
Shabba Ranks »Roots and Culture« (Digital B)
Shabba Ranks »Wicked in Bed« (Digital B)
Sugar Minott »Real Ragamuffin« (Digital B)
Rama f. Cheshire Cat »Mera Laung Gawacha« (Bally Sagoo/Star)
Shabba Ranks f. Deborahe Glasgow »Champion Lover« (Gussie Clarke)
Shabba Ranks f. Deborahe Glasgow »Don’t Test Me« (Gussie Clarke)
Shabba Ranks f. Cocoa Tea & Home T »Pirate’s Anthem« (Gussie Clarke)
Shabba Ranks »Young Gals Wine« (Jammys)
La Atrevida »Que Lo Que Es Reggaespanol« (Columbia)
Thriller U »I’m All Out of Love« (Cosmic Force)
El General »Teves Buena« (Gold Disc)
Shabba Ranks »Trailor Load A Girls« (Epic)
Shabba Ranks »Dem Bow« (Digital B)
Shabba Ranks f. Krystal »Twice My Age« (Gussie Clarke)
Shabba Ranks »Original Woman« (Salaam Remi/Epic Street)
Shabba Ranks »Respect« (Shang)
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With 268 armed gangs or neighbourhood ‘corner crews’ locked in deadly turf wars, Jamaica is one of the most violent societies on earth.
With a population of less than three million people, police kill hundreds of people every year in what they claim are crime-related shootouts, making Jamaica’s police force among the deadliest in the world.
Rights groups say that these shootings add up to a campaign of extra-judicial executions carried out by police who have taken the law into their own hands.
The official police response to these allegations cannot be recorded – the commissioner has issued standing orders which ban all officers from speaking to foreign journalists.
But, as reporter Simon Ostrovsky discovered, many others in Jamaica are prepared to speak out. One of them, Robert Hill, an entertainer, actually warned of his own impending death.
01. Coco Fingers »Emikono Wagulu«
02. Omulangila Suuna »Gambler«
03. Jose Chameleon »Basiima Ogenze«
04. Bobi Wine, Ragga Dee »In the Dancehall«
05. Ragga feat Mega Dee »Mr. Deejay«
06. Ronnie Banton »Bam Bam«
07. Rhena feat. Dizzy Nuts »Some Good Loving«
08. O.S. feat Tonik »From January to December«
09. Gen. Ozy feat Radio & Weasel »I Need a Girl«
10. Bebe Cool »Lwaki Seyagala«
11. GoodLyfe »Camilla«
12. Mose Kinti »Sweet Lady«
13. Iryn Narubiro feat. Rachel K »Omuyaye«
14. Goodlyfe feat. Toniks »Rescue Me«
15. Dr. Hilderman »Campus Gal«
16. Bebe Cool feat. Jose Chameleon »Boom Back«
17. Bobi Wine feat Navio »Badman from Kamokya«
18. Gracy »Nvawo Nawe«
19. Tshila »Kilira«
20. Rabadaba »Silubala«
21. Red San »Leo ni Leo«
22. Cesar, Navio, Rabadaba, KS Alpha, Viboyo, Moses & Radio »Mr DJ«
23. GNL & LP »Game Over«
24. Blaq Race G’s »Bonga Nange«
25. Xension »Muwe Blow«
26. Navio, Peter Miles & 2Face »Rukus«
27. Radio & Weasel feat. Rabadaba »Ability«
28. Ay »Leo«
29. Eddy Kenzo »Kiwoko«
30. Jose Chameleon »Vumilia«
31. Shazia »Ghetto Love«
32. Kid Fox »Fed Up«
33. Ogopa DJs feat. Collo »Girl Like You«
34. Viboyo »Keep Striving«
35. Goodlyfe »Kyatelekela«
36. Clever J »Mbongo«
37. Kid Fox »Warning«
38. Dr. Claud »Contre Success«
39. Bella »Faas«
40. Bobi Wine feat. Nubian Lee »Ghetto«
41. Amani feat. Nyashinski »Badboy«
42. Rabadaba »Searching«
43. Ngoni »Bigula«
44. Radio & Weasel »Number One«
45. Wafagiyo feat Coco Fingers »Mukodongo«
46. Gen Ozy feat. Weasel »Take My Heart«
47. Nnonini »It’s OK (Furahiday)«
48. Elly Wamalla »Omotu«
49. Bobi Wine »Carolyn«
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Above you can watch the video for Gappy Ranks‘ »Longtime« – taken from his »Rising out of the Ghetto« EP. Anthem!
Next is »Dub college volume 1«, a Ricky Ranking mix tape:
A collection of Ricky Ranking songs past , present and future. An introduction journey into the repertoire of Banana Klan’s first general. With collaborations too many to mention: Roots Manuva, Nightmare on wax, The Bug, etc.
»The Creature From Jekyll Island« [...]. The album features Jamaican artist such as Lutan Fyah, Spectacular, Sizzla, Voltage and Swedish sensation Joey Fever plus a lot of instrumental madness.
So much drama in the industry today it just feels like never ending waves of negative energy seems poised to destroy what so many worked so hard to built. The thing about energy is you get back what you give. That much one would think is common knowledge.
Therefore it would be irresponsible for anyone to pretend that the present miasma of bad news that hovers so thick over the landscape on the verge of suffocating the economic livelihood of those directly and indirectly involved in the industry has nothing to do with the actions of its actors.
For instance Ricky Trooper should be happy that the only visa that got revoked was the one from America. For some reason Jamaicans seem to think that a U. S. visa is a right. We forget that the only country obligated to put up with our nasty behavior no matter what is the one we spit on constantly i.e. Jamaica. Everyday the world gets smaller and markets more competitive. Therefore no matter how drunk Trooper was, waving a gun and demonstrating how bad the affliction of verbal diarrhea affects him on camera would be the definition of career suicide. Recently Trooper was On Stage with Winford Williams saying that’s just another gimmick and the gun was fake or not loaded, whatever. Stating him good wid everybody and everybody good wid him.