The similarities between Dancehall and Hip-Hop are quite endless and while I tend to have a fairly neutral opinion about most of these qualities, one of them in particular is and has always been very interesting and compelling for me. The connections between the music styles in terms of it, at the absolute PUREST of the form kind of maintains a ‘hidden’ style to most but the hardest of hardcore fans. Throughout the years I’ve probably received the most emails from Hip-Hop fans and Dancehall heads who enjoy it also, about artists such as Rakim (usually him) and others like Nas (especially now with his forthcoming collaboration with Damian Marley) who, for me, as a DEFINITE novice to Hip-Hop music, exemplify what it is to be a Hip-Hop artist and to live in that lifestyle as well. Now, Rakim and Nas and others may not be the most commercially viable artists on the scene as consistently as others who maintain higher profiles and do more and more things in the limelight and even some of them being outside of the music. However, to my experience, most people whose opinions I respect in terms of Hip-Hop would maintain that the two artists’ talents level are amongst the very best and definitely better than some who are more well known by the masses and there is a WONDERFUL tangent and comparison to be drawn here with my beloved Dancehall. There are quite a few names in the game (quite a few of whom I don’t even rate too highly) who just as closely EXEMPLIFY what it means to be a Dancehall artist or just a Reggae artist in general. Of course, in Reggae things are on a far smaller scale (which would make someone like Rakim or Nas a ‘threat’ to possibly sale a few million albums as they have) which means that you can have such an artist and virtually NO ONE outside of Reggae heads have ever heard of them (see Roundhead) and a few of them haven’t even had the opportunity to display their talents to the masses on an album or just a grand international stage (see Roundhead) so nearly 100% of their fan bases are strictly Reggae fans. For example (besides Roundhead), names like General Degree (one of my favourite), Ninja Man, right now someone like Assassin, although he hasn’t reached his full potential or popularity in my opinion, as well as someone like Bramma who I feel is coming up now and perhaps DESTINED to be kings in the game but haven’t yet and may never get to the point where that skill is as wholeheartedly appreciable outside of hardcore Dancehall head. These are artists who may not get to that next level in terms of popularity outside of the Dancehall and Reggae crowds but within that same community are arguably just as respectable as some of their far more popular peers.
But sometimes they get respect EVERYWHERE. I may be one of the only people who will make this connection but I also feel like, to a degree, artists like Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel (and, by extension, Aidonia) fall into this category. This is because, in the ‘face’ of names like Elephant Man, Sean Paul, [Baby] Cham and especially Beenie Man who have shown that you can take a variant of the music which doesn’t (for the most part) alter the music in its purest form (just as someone like Jay-Z would stand in comparison to the Rakims and Nases of the world). And while these artists definitely don’t fall into the categories of the aforementioned as they are afforded more things and definitely have wider reaching groups of fans, some of who may come from other genres of music and semi-routinely have opportunities to perform all over the world and release albums somewhat consistently also. Another artist who may fall into a similar (or just the same) category as Kartel and the Killer is on that same level as unarguably one of the most talented artists the Dancehall has ever seen, Spragga Benz. Its interesting now that his career has changed for the most part and he is the very definition of Dancehall/Reggae VETERAN, how Spragga’s fans revere him so much and even fans of other artists as one of the greatest. A few years ago when Vybz Kartel, seemingly at the peak of his powers, decided to do a song, Mi Nuh Care Weh You Bad From, which seemed to be in direction reaction to Spragga’s protégé Assassin’s earlier hit, Wi Ah Bad From, Spragga declared full on war on Kartel and the two traded lyrical barbs for quite awhile with the winner, even now, still in doubt. No other artist at that time, with the exception of Kartel’s own mentor, Bounty Killer (who stayed out of the matter, as did Assassin himself) could have probably received such respect in contrast to the then white hot Kartel at the time, even amongst Kartel’s own fans. So where did such an unusual level of devotion come from? Well, aside from seemingly being around FOREVER Spragga Benz had PROVEN himself to be one of the most talented artists in the game, ranking alongside Beenie Man, Killer, Buju and Cobra as some of that eras most talented names to emerge after Ninja Man, Shabba and Super Cat. From a tangible aspect, one could just as easily dig up and look at one of the finest forgotten gems of an album of that early to mid 1990’s Dancehall albums, Spragga Benz’ debut album, Jack It Up from 1994, so named after one of his largest early hits. The albums featured almost NOTHING but the tunes which originally established his name and just in looking at it with any type of scrutiny it takes me back to the point where VP Records was simply taking chances on artists like Spragga and seeing what they could come up with and in the case of the lanky Kingston native, they struck absolute GOLD. In addition to the album itself another reason (which is reflected in the music here) that I think Spragga’s fan base has always been SO supportive is because his vibes CLEARLY were on the same level as some of his more well regarded peers and when he did get that shot (on the HORRIBLE Uncommonly Smooth album), it didn’t reflect what he had been doing up until that point. The Jack It Up album, however, did and was a young Spragga absolutely DOMINATING straight Dancehall DJ style throughout.
Like most of his top flight contemporaries, Spragga Benz was afforded some of the best in production talents at the time (and at this time), thus, appropriately his HIGH level of skills are accompanied by some just as skillful compositions. Its also worth mentioning that, although he matured through the years, Spragga, at his core, was one of the SLACKEST DJ’s ever to hold a Dancehall mic and it is WELL reflected on this album. Getting the madness started on Spragga Benz’ debut album Jack It Up, is a piece from Winston Riley supplying the BOUNCING background for Spragga on the WICKED Could Ah Deal, one of Spragga’s forgotten earlier hits and by far one of the best tunes on Jack It Up. I always likened this tune as kind of a ‘poor man’s version’ of the title tune and it shows just as much skill as Spragga goes off on his favourite topic (DUH!) absolutely gripping into Riley’s addictive riddim. Big start. Next is another of the highlights and definite signature tunes from Jack It Up as Spragga calls out to one of the popular Dancehall singers from the era (the other one would have been Sanchez), Wayne Wonder to join him on a cut of King Jammy’s immortal Punanny Riddim for You Go Girl (aka Dedicated). This one is just CLASSIC old school and even though Spragga doesn’t lock up the fly as tight as he might, he is aided by Wonder who (ALWAYS) does and sounds spotless! And Spragga and Wayne Wonder on the Punanny just can’t flop and the tune was quite the attraction in it’s day and sounds just as good about a decade and a half later. And closing out the opening of Spragga’s Jack It Up is Spragga’s Jack It Up, the album’s title track and main attraction. The tune was just as MASTERFUL lyrically as it was MERCILESS for the ladies, “Mi nah ease up! Nah show no mercy!”. And yet Spragga remained one of the most popular artists amongst the ladies and still does to this day. Even though I don’t have the same attention for him, the tune was MASSIVE and it it’s the biggest and best tune you’ll find on the album named after it and one of the biggest he has ever voiced. Big start.
As to the point I tried to stress before, you need not even ‘apply’ to this one if you don’t LOVE Dancehall. Later, Spragga would go on to make some (slightly) more transferable material, particularly to fans of Hip-Hop, but Jack It Up simply wasn’t some of that. Dancehall heads, however, lets continue. The Steely & Clevie produced Girls Hooray was another of the Benz’ early hits and it (unlike on You Go Girl) featured a PRECISION pointed Spragga on the flow. The exact same thing could be said about the very BIG things tune Things A Gwaan for the incomparable Dave Kelly. Things A Gwaan is probably one of the biggest hits of Spragga’s entire career but I GUARANTEE you is probably 99% of the people who really know the tune are Dancehall heads and its probably not even on the tip of the tongues of Hip-Hop heads (unlike the title track which probably quite a few know despite probably being on the same level in terms of appreciation in the Dancehall). The KNOCKING Stone Love production Jump Up & Swear may just have been the Benz’ very first hit and I can’t say that I’ve heard it in quite awhile but listening to it for the sake of this review just brings back so many memories as it was a BIG tune and, of course, one which go to not only establish the talent level of the artist but establish his ‘intent’ as well (which you should know by now, more on that in a second). Spragga again goes after (a better mix) the Punanny (riddim that is) on the BIG Warning. This one kind of has a different focus than most of the other gal tunes on Jack It Up as Spragga finds himself seemingly to try to convince a woman in particular to leave the bad situation she’s in with a man who apparently has no idea how to satisfy her. But it fades in quite nicely and that damn riddim. . .! Show Off & Model has to be the most stereotypical tune name for a song of that time and I LOVE this song! One of the best on the album definitely and if that doesn’t get you shaking something then you probably don’t have anything to shake. Now, besides declaring his stake and intended state amongst the ladies, like most Dancehall artists of that time (and this) time, Spragga Benz’ time was also spent declaring his stake amongst his peers as one of the baddest on the scene and that too comes through a bit on Jack It Up. Do check Mark Death which, although not the best such tune on the album) is a big (that comes next) tune which definitely comes in that same wonderful old school hardcore vibes as much of the material here. The SCATHING Who Next doesn’t quite do that the same way (it pretty much does though) but it is easily the best non gal tune you’ll find on Jack It Up and having already gone after the Punanny riddim, with the tune Spragga turned his sites at the Sleng Teng and at his competition and there’s not much of either left after he runs in with one what is, in my opinion, one of the biggest tunes the Benz has ever done (“Wi ah big cold heart criminal. Wi lef wi marcy a Jubilee Hospital!). No Fun Thing definitely keeps that vibes high before handing off the baton to close Jack It Up with another BIG and ANGRY tune Dem Flop for Bobby Digital. Although it’s a surprising tune to end things on, Dem Flop was SERIOUS! And it showed, right then and there that, although he may have never had to seriously been drawn into war at that point, anyone trying to go after Spragga was in serious ‘danger’ of being harmed themselves and it says a great deal that with all these years gone since then the only one to take a real shot was Kartel to my knowledge (and if I recall correctly Bounty Killer was reported to have actually said that he wanted no part of Spragga Benz in a clash) and don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
Overall, like I said, Spragga Benz and especially Spragga Benz circa 1994 was one artist who SPECIFICALLY appealed to Reggae and more particularly Dancehall fans. That should be even more true with Jack It Up in the time since its release as I would imagine people who don’t inherently like the vibes would see this as outdated material and just old because it doesn’t sound like the almost naturally more accessible vibes you hear in today’s version of Dancehall. Therefore, whatever form you can find Jack It Up in today it should be merely looked at as either completing one’s collection or if you find yourself just now becoming a Dancehall head (have to start somewhere). In either situation this one is almost mandatory. No, it isn’t Spragga at his absolute best (see the Fully Loaded album) but what Jack It Up was and what it has become is an album that most of the world has shut out but like the GENIUS who birthed it, Dancehall fans worldwide will continue to cheer for it eternally.
Rated 4.5/5 stars
VP Records
1994
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