Artist Sunday: Cobra, Shabba & Agent Sasco

posted on May 2nd, 2010 by in Audio

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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Assassin is Agent Sasco – The Mixtape
Shadyville Caribbean released a brand new Assassin mixtape created by DJ Waxfiend and DJ Genie. Check the stream and find the download link over at their site.


Al Jazeera: Jamaica – »Island of music and murder«

posted on May 1st, 2010 by in Article, Video


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.

Read the whole article over at the Al Jazeera website (via DHM forum).


seen. presents: King Kong Disko »Emikono Wagulu«

posted on April 29th, 2010 by in Audio, Tropical Heat

This week’s Tropical Heat podcast is a brand new 2 hour mix of East African styles juggled by King Kong Disko:

Most of the Stuff is from Uganda, but we also included some tunes from Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Check the tracklist and the mix below, subscribe to the Tropical Heat podcast here, and switch over to the Tropical Heat blog for the complete archive of the legendary radio show.

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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Download King Kong Disko »Emikono Wagulu«


Who save the music: Gappy Ranks, Ricky Ranking (Banana Klan) & Jamtech Foundation

posted on April 28th, 2010 by in Audio, Video


After Eve came around with her quite pessimistic summary of the status quo of Reggae and Dancehall music in Jamaica yesterday, I’d like to counteract with some recent European releases which I like a lot.

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.

01 Dub college volume 1: Ricky Ranking Mix Tape by Banana Klan

And finally, there’s the new longplayer from Jamtech Foundation:

»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.

Cop it for free over at Discobelle. (via Tropical Bass)


Who Murder the Music

posted on April 27th, 2010 by in Article, Mann´s World

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.

Read the rest of "Who Murder the Music" →