DANCEHALL NICE AGAIN

 

 

Tanya has scored international hits in the past with the classics “Goggle” and “You Nuh Ready Yet,”….songs still guaranteed to move the crowd in any setting.  Her last album “Gangsta Blues” yielded the one-drop anthem “It’s A Pity,” on the Doctors Darling riddim (a remix of Gregory Isaac’s smash Night Nurse). The song was clearly one of the biggest tunes of 2004, and arguably Tanya’s career, and introduced the rest of the world to Tanya Stephens, the single found its way onto commercial radio and eventually video outlets like MTV Jams.  The success of that single, followed by the critical acclaim from numerous media outlets (including the NY Times, Village Voice, Source, and Vibe Magazine) helped propel Tanya to the forefront of Jamaican music, and is the reason that nearly 2 years after it’s release, “Gangsta Blues” remains on the Billboard Reggae chart.

On the 1st single “These Streets,” an airy acoustic guitar track, Tanya pleads with her thug-love to realize that “these streets don’t love you like I do.” Paying respect to the masters, Tanya borrows some rhythmic ideas on songs like “Dirty Thoughts,” where listeners will instantly recognize Bob Marley’s “Mr. Brown” riddim, and “To the Limit,” which draws on a classic Burning Spear riddim.  The song currently burning up the radio in Jamaica “Rescue,” produced by Irie FM’s Big A, is a reworking of Bunny Wailer’s “Ballroom Floor” Riddim. On this, her 4th LP, Tanya is poised to reach even greater international acclaim and finally be recognized by the masses as one of the great talents to emerge from Jamaica.  “Rebelution” features the musings of a songbird who is vulnerable enough to feel the pain, but tough enough to live through it.

With a militant swagger, “Rebelution” is an edgy narrative of a street smart guerilla poet who continues to break the stereotype of what a female Jamaican artist should sound like. Smart and sexy, jagged and cunning, the lyrics flow out of the speakers and attack the unfortunate victims of her sharp tongue. This is not a passive listener’s record, nor is it a record for the weak hearted. It screams and bites in the gentlest way possible, with back handed compliments and sometimes less-than-reaffirming opinions. Armed with a fervent voice and classy demeanor Tanya tells her truth the way she sees it, uncompromising and uncensored. The evolution from the love scorned “Gangsta Blues” is apparent, but does not stray from the autobiographical, if anything “Rebelution” is the next chapter in her story. Already a cult hero in her native Jamaica, this album has Tanya Stephens crying from the hills and streets of Kingston… “Viva La Rebelution!”

 

 

Variety is the spice of life- And variety in entertainment is what Reggae Gold 2006 is all about! For the first time in its 14 year history, the world’s best selling reggae compilation is paired with a limited edition bonus DVD containing multiple exclusives and great extras. The CD is packed with 18 of reggae’s biggest hits in dancehall, roots and lover’s rock styles. Making Reggae Gold 2006 an audio visual blast from the cutting edge of reggae! - Reggae Gold features mainstream hits Sean Paul ‘Temperature’ & R Kelly ‘Slow Wine (Remix)’and top Jamaican hits Elephant Man ‘Gangsta Rock’ & Ding Dong ‘Bad Man Forward Bad Man Pull Up’. - DVD includes LIVE performances by T.O.K., Assassin and new comer Ding Dong. - DVD features include live dance segments, behind the scenes footage of RG06 photo shoot and interviews with sexy cover models. - Reggae Gold has got what’s hot in reggae music with top stars and breaking new artists! - Reggae Gold is the jump off to summer fun! Check stock on the entire Reggae Gold series from VP Records

The INSPECTOR rhythm takes its place in the GREENSLEEVES RHYTHM ALBUM series at #85. Produced by “Remix King” DJ Karim, the man behind last year’s summer hits “Born & Grow” - Busy Signal and Elephant Man’s “Wine Up On It”.

INSPECTOR - it’s a straight up tuff rhythm with synth horn stabs & heavy bass that’s playing hard in the dances of Jamaica and Miami. Key cuts include the huge hit “Uptown Story” by Supahype, he’s the producer of the Smash rhythm. His uptown experience rips up Babycham’s “Ghetto Story” in fine style and Sizzla’s hard as hell “Haffi Get It (Nah Rape)”, and Macka Diamond doesn’t mince her words on “Nah Taste” where she slates every popular DJ in dancehall and Lady Saw on top form with “Champion”. A full dancehall line up is completed by the return to form Elephant Man with “Real Gangsters”, hardcore favourites Vybz Kartel “Nah Switch” and Mad Cobra’s “Sitten Tight”.

Busy Signal on “My Highness”, Movado’s “We Don’t Play” and Dr Evil’s “We A Gangsta” which spotlights the fake bad boy swagger of many of the top US and Jamaican DJ’s represent the new breed of dancehall DJs.

INSPECTOR - one of the true hot rhythms of 2006 is guaranteed to play long into the summer on the radio and in the dance.

PETTY THIEF #83 in the trusted Greensleeves Rhythm Album series is coming to dun the place! Michael “DJ Liquid” Brissett, the influential dancehall DJ at one of Jamaica’s premier radio stations Zip FM has revived the popular “MAN FI DEAD” rhythm originated by Dave Kelly?s Madhouse and it sounds as fresh now as it did then. The line up for PETTY THIEF is a mixture of some of Jamaica’s top DJs as well as up and coming artists who are starting to make in roads in dancehall. With that host of talent this rhythm must BUSS! PETTY THIEF - this old to the new mix is off da hook! Check out dope cuts by BUSY SIGNAL … yow check out the fast chatting and watch this youth! BUJU BANTON back on form, PINCHERS & JAGWA - nice to see Pinchers “Bandelero” man is back in da place! BOUNTY KILLER, MACKA DIAMOND, PERFECT, DELLY RANX, NEW KIDZ, WAYNE MARSHALL and check out the mighty combination “Full Up Of Grass” with BLING DAWG, VBYZ KARTEL & BOUNTY KILLER ? it doesn’t get better than this!

GALORE is the latest rhythm to hit the streets from the oh-so-talented team of LEFTSIDE & ESCO whose previous rhythm THROWBACK GIGGY was a huge success last year. These guys are hot and taking dancehall to a whole new level?watch this space!

GALORE is a catchy up-tempo rhythm that really captures the vibe of the dance right now and features some of the Jamaica’s premier DJs and singers running tings. Super hot cuts that are dunning the place are “More Punanny” by Dr Evil, “Badman Party 2″ by Vybz Kartel, “Chicken Head” by Idonia and “Gone Up” by Elephant Man. ?

Immerse yourself in the abundance of good stuff on the GALORE rhythm.

After shocking out at the Sumfest 2004 stage show where she appeared in a dress made of laminated high denomination dollar bills and with her ?Money O’ catch phrase currently on everyone’s lips the future looks brighter still for Macka Diamond. Her long awaited debut album entitled, naturally enough, ?Money-O’ finally delivers what has long been promised. The set features a priceless collection of brand new tracks such as ?Big Speech’ for hit maker Christopher Birch, ?Horny’ for B-Rich Productions and ?We Nuh Deh’ for Juke Boxx Productions that were recorded exclusively for this release. These are mixed and matched with the hits ?Tek Con’, a regular show stopper when performed live on stage, Macka Diamond’s first Jamaican chart topper ?Done A Ready’ and her current number one ?Bun Him’ (also featuring Black-er) which looks like it’s taken up permanent residence at the top of the charts. Add in the combinations ?Washing Money Machine’ and ?Mi Nuh Dun’ with Mad Cobra and ?Lilly’ with Black-er, which has already been slated as the follow up to ?Bun Him’, and you’re well on the way towards understanding what the fuss is all about.

After Deborahe Glasgow’s beautiful album “Deborahe Glasgow”, and the two Gussie Clarke produced J C Lodge albums, this is only the fourth long player from a woman to ever be released on Greensleeves Records. Already hugely popular in Jamaica, Macka Diamond is now set to take on the rest of the world? and if she can put the men of Jamaica in their place then she should have no problem at all in doing the same everywhere else!

 

 

2006 has hardly started and fresh dancehall beats are already making heads nod. The fantastic REDBULL & GUINNESS comes from Delroy Foster, better known as the DJ Delly Ranx, who along with the late Bogle and vocalists Voicemail gave us the dancehall anthem WEDDY TIME. REDBULL & GUINNESS is #81 in the superb GREENSLEEVES RHYTHM ALBUM series. ?

Delly has put his mike to one side to put his production skills to the test. He has created one of the year’s first hype rhythms. REDBULL & GUINNESS is revitalising and energising dances wherever it’s dropped. Hardly surprising, when you feast at the line up.

Check cuts by DELLY RANX & CHINO, the anthemic “Killer Walk, Prezzi Bounce” by SOLTEX 3000 - the new dance is madding the place. MOVADO, two phat cuts by VYBZ KARTEL, NORRISMAN, SIZZLA, MR VEGAS & MEGA BANTON, TURBULENCE and WAYNE MARSHALL. Every track is off da dial! ?Also included is a bonus 20 minute jugglin’ mix by ex Stone Love selector DJ Nico Bam Bam. His hype mix CDs have got it going on to those in the know.

REDBULL & GUINNESS - an explosive new rhythm by DI Ranx Productions & Greensleeves Records - the home of real dancehall

 

“Right now dancehall reggae music wants some more talented people weh know how fi build melody and lyrics and stop pirate from the rapper them. Cah them a tek from the rap music too much and when the rapper them hear that it comin’ like them a laugh and seh ‘A wha dat?’”

His second album, ‘JMT’, follows the runaway success of ‘Up 2 Di Time’ and undoubtedly consolidates his position as the performer for the noughties as it pulls together many of the various different strands of his multifaceted output so far. The pace never lets up throughout as a whole host of Kingston’s current top producers work their magic; each one bringing something a little way different to the proceedings to form a unified whole that defies easy categorisation. From the combination of the old meeting the new with a novel twist as an almost unrecognisable Barrington Levy sample serenades Vybz Kartel on ‘Vybsy Versa Love’ to the rise of the cell phone in Jamaica with the H20 produced ‘U Nuh Have A Phone (hello Moto)’ through to two combinations with his long time sparring partner Wayne Marshall on ‘Late Night’ and ‘Need U Girl’ the music of Vybz Kartel is always “up to the time, down to the hour?”

WOY!! Old time something come back again! Yes yes yaw the RETURN OF MUDD UP is #79 in the explosive must-have GREENSLEEVES RHYTHM ALBUM SERIES. MUDD UP is back with full effect and it’s the first rhythm to drop in 2006. It’s the same tuff rhythm packed full with new artists.

Revived by original producer Murray of Street Music RETURN OF MUDD UP sounds as sweet as ever. Already it’s all over - RETURN OF MUDD UP is currently playing strongly in the dance and madding up the place.

RETURN OF MUDD UP - a strong line up of some of Jamaica’s biggest DJs. This classic rhythm has some strong cuts. Check out BEENIE MAN’s “MAN NUH LEAVE U” and TURBULENCE’s “DI TING” - both these cuts are running the place. More hot cuts come courtesy of VYBZ KARTEL, BUJU BANTON, WARD 21, MACKA DIAMOND, IDONIA, BLACKER, MR VEGAS, SIZZLA & MR EASY. Strictly killer cuts, no fillers in sight.

RETURN OF MUDD UP & GREENSLEEVES RHYTHM ALBUM SERIES - always supporting dancehall.