Maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong direction. I’m still kind of grieving over the lost of my beloved multiple releases from a whole heap of different artist (particularly one named Sizzla), which marked the rather recent ‘golden years’ of Reggae, to my opinion. They weren’t always great (they usually weren’t) and when I was completely broke, it was definitely a problem, but I miss those days, I really do. Of course, I still have Lutan Fyah and Midnite. It is relatively close to the beginning of October and one, if not both, may actually have further projects in the calendar year of 2009 and perhaps the same could be said for Jah Mason or Natural Black. We can only hope. However, as I said, maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong areas for a revival of the ‘good ole days’ as, it wasn’t very long ago (it was actually the same few years ago when the artists were doing their multiple releases), when Top Notch Producer X, would almost have a running schedule in terms of when their riddims would make it to albums for the various labels. For example, looking back at Greensleeves’ Rhythm Album series, it almost seemed to go in order of ‘preferred’ producers; meaning that, early in their days, you could expect rather heavy output from the likes of Ward 21. Later on, you’d see pieces from producers such as Scatta and Byron Murray. Then, there were the Don Corleon years and Lenky and Stephen McGregor, all of whom built that now virtually absent series to what it is/was today. Riddim Driven, VP’s riddim series, also kept producers very busy on albums and even Jet Star’s all but forgotten Riddim Rider which kept a steady stream of producers like Harvel ‘Gaddafi’ Hart on the release schedules (biggup Merciless). Well maybe I haven’t been paying proper attention (and I have), but that’s coming back around now actually, although with a few less names at the top. Don Corleon is still there, but he tends to release his material for almost anyone (and I just noticed he’s redoing his entire catalogue also), as is Stephen McGregor, who basically does the same. There’s Shane Brown’s Juke Boxx Productions, who has a deal with VP/Greensleeves and is the only producer to release a riddim album on Greensleeves in nearly two years. . . And then there’s Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor. Flava has released riddim albums through VP’s Riddim Driven (including two, The Sweet and The Rock Steady, this year). He has, also, the crazy distinction of being the ONLY pure Roots Reggae producer to have an album mixed in on Greensleeves’ notoriously Dancehall heavy riddim releases AND HE HAS TWO OF THEM, the Triumphant and 83 riddims, respectively. And he’s also worked through Tad’s (Riddim Ruler) and Cousins Records (Ride The Riddim). The man EVERYWHERE.
So he’s been lucky, right? WRONG (as hell!). The labels have been lucky to have him. Kemar McGregor is the best damn Roots Reggae producer on the planet. Period. He’s not far and away the best, I’m not calling the man this unstoppable, preternatural and extraterrestrial force because he’s not. But he is the best. And in that particular category, there doesn’t exist that two (or three, or four) headed monster that you’ll find in Dancehall with Corleon an Di Genius, so, essentially, Flava is in the process (at an age of less than thirty, I believe) of establishing himself as THE face of this era of Roots Reggae Production as, if you are such an artist in this day and age it should be an absolute PRIVILEGE for you to voice for the man who is making hits in the arena left and right. And when you’re doing good things, good things generally find their ways to your doorstep, one way or another. After working his way through pretty much anyone who has had to offer him ANYTHING in terms of releases, McGregor has now taken matters into his own hands and is apparently releasing his matters (new and old) through his own No Doubt Records imprint which, of course, will get to you digitally via the fine people at Zojak World Wide. The distributor is reportedly handling a great deal of McGregor’s back catalogue (some of which is potentially downright CRUCIAL material) and, wonderfully, his new pieces as well as, after years and years of seeing the name of others attached to his material, we now finally get the one labeled correctly, ‘No Doubt Records’. That initial new piece from No Doubt/Zojak World Wide, is fittingly, Flava’s latest riddim creation, The Ghetto Riddim. Since the last time we ‘checked in’ on McGregor, he’s been busy establishing things for a few others. Having lined up long players for the likes of Chuck Fenda, the SENSATIONAL Ginjah and Glen Washington (whose new album, Vibes, is to be released by the same No Doubt/Zojak brand, I believe), Flava now returns to sure up his own situation and does so with the (for him) VERY different sounding Ghetto Riddim. If you’ve been listening to No Doubt’s output over the years, you’ve (at least you should have) come to recognize the kind of signature sound they have. Not that all of their riddims sound the same, á la early Stephen McGregor, but there is definitely a certain vibes which come through on their riddims and that, at least initially, is NOWHERE to be found on the Ghetto. Instead, this piece has a very old school and pulsing type of feeling to it, I hear so much different things in it that I hesitate to flat out say that it is a remake of ______ (and I don’t think that it is anyway really) (although I do keep singing ‘Rudeboy Shuffling’ when I hear it for some reason or another), but it is definitely different. The artist selection on the piece, however, is fairly typical for McGregor and company as it is OUTSTANDING. There are some names here which are quite familiar, but not in the sense of recording for No Doubt (at least not to my knowledge) and there are some up and comers and bonafide stars alike. The results of which prove to be slow in catching your attention, but when they finally do, downright IMPOSSIBLE to shake off.
The Ghetto Riddim doesn’t come accompanied by that Nyah drum which typically finds its way into No Doubt’s riddims and the vibe in general, as I mentioned, is a bit different, so I think it took a week or so to REALLY grow on me. So, going in, know that this isn’t the type of flash in the pan type of material, you REALLY have to listen to this one to get it. Just as she did on the Rock Steady riddim album, opening matters for No Doubt Records’ latest creation, the fantastic Ghetto Riddim is Roots songstress, the increasingly delectable Etana whose ‘Mocking Bird’ predictably strolls right near the top of the bunch on the Ghetto riddim. Etana is beginning to add more and more facets to her game and here, you’ll experience quite a few of them, as she sings (BIG), singjays and flat out deejays at times also on the tune chanting down poverty and doing so in a most impressive fashion from an artist whose NAME alone is beginning to guarantee her quality. Big big tune. Up next, the boys from the aforementioned Juke Boxx Productions, Peetah Morgan and Busy Signal come through on the MASSIVE combination ‘Unfair’, which, to my ears is BARELY the biggest (but the BIGGEST nonetheless) tune you’ll hear on the Ghetto riddim as the two deliver the DAMAGING tune. Busy is proving to be quite the developer, having started out with such a large reputation, but later plateauing, his stock (and skill) is on the rise again and the vibes he and Morgan create is RIDICULOUS (check Busy offering the line of the riddim: “Its easier to get robbed than get a job. Easy fi grab a bag than turn your own doorknob”). Lastly on the opening bit is the first of two European surprises, Alborosie, who pushes the tune ‘Garrison’. I’ve said several times that Albo isn’t my favourite of artists, but Garrison is a pretty nice tune and surely the fact the he’s here will help push it as well as he is HONESTLY a big deal and a big artist at this point (and so are the Tamlins who apparently sing backing for him on the tune).
I was VERY surprised to see three artists in particular on the Ghetto riddim and, thankfully, all three offer very BIG tunes. The first of the bunch is DEFINITELY Louie Culture whose tune ‘Sentence’ is EPIC and gives not only Unfair, but any of the top tunes on the riddim a run for their money as one of the most talented individuals EVER in Reggae once again begins his rise. Next is the strongest Ducthie Reggae artist on earth, Ziggi, who make (HOPEFULLY) the first of several flights on Flava’s riddims (he should literally start voicing some of the older ones also) with the very solid ‘Back Biters’. It isn’t his finest tune (it isn’t BAD either, Ziggi‘s name, like Etana‘s, is quickly becoming one which promises his quality), but the very fact that this link has been made is HUGE news for me and hopefully for you as well. And then there’s former Scare Dem vocalist who comes through sounding like the world’s grownest ass man, on his very impressive ‘Welcome’ (“ah welcome to di land of the hard knock life”). I’m not the biggest fan of Nitty’s, but Welcome is one of the strongest tunes on the Ghetto altogether, NO QUESTIONS. Of course, wonderfully, there are other heavy hitters on the Ghetto Riddim, of the far more expected variety. Check Chuck Fenda, who chimes in with ‘I Am For The Poor’, a song that you’re likely to hear quite a bit of in the coming months as it is also the opening tune for his forthcoming album Fulfillment. This type of tune is a specialty for the ‘Poor People’s Defender’ and it’s BIG, just as you might expect. Following Fenda is his former 5Th Element label mate, Richie Spice, who sounds VERY different on his offering to the Ghetto, ‘Who Dat’. The song definitely has a heavy message (more on that in a minute) and the delivery Spice has is quite unusual (it sounds like he’s annoyed that he has tell you this again), to say the least on the very interesting (AND GOOD) tune. Big man veteran Anthony B comes through with ‘Cold Blooded Murderer’, and he arguably outdoes most of his peers, because the tune is HUGE to my ears (“you say fi murder people mek yuh happy life, because killing is apart of your appetite“). LUTAN FYAH wonderfully comes in with the second best tune I hear on the Ghetto riddim, ‘Gangsta Living’. Fyah is HEAVY on the social commentary and always has been and you can take the tune and hold it against most of the others and just be in awe at the level of DEPTH the man goes to with his lyrics (a Lutan Fyah - No Doubt album would make me a very happy man). Former Flava ‘disciple’, Gyptian, also impresses with his vibes on ‘Revelations’ as does Ginjah with ‘Solidarity’ (Ginjah’s tune is HUGE and you’re about to get to know that artist very well because I think the man is headed to the heights, SERIOUSLY), which is one of the best tunes on the riddim. There are also three potentially big up and comers later on the Ghetto Riddim album in Prophecy, ‘Mr. Caan Cool’ Khago and Christopher Martin. There efforts, Peace & Unity, Friend Enemy and Country Boy, respectively, are very well. Of the three, I’d probably say I prefer Peace & Unity (fittingly as Prophecy has developed the most of the three in my opinion), although Christopher Martin is and has always been impressive in his young career and for his part, Khago may just have the most potential of the bunch, in my opinion. The boys set the stage for the girl as young veteran Kris Kelli finishes the vocal portion of the Ghetto Riddim album with ‘Big Woman Thing’. It’s not my favourite piece here, but again, I just appreciate different artists getting the opportunity to voice the biggest Roots riddims in the world. And speaking of said riddim, the album ends completely with a clean version of the riddim. I say it all the time, if you’re going to make a riddim album, you should ALWAYS include the riddim itself apart from a vocalist and this one in particular actually helped the thing grow on me truly altogether and it’s a very nice way to end things.
I have to say something about the general direction of this album. The Ghetto Riddim seems to kind of have been orchestrated as MOST of the tunes here well focus on social situations like poverty, corruption and crime (all except Kris Kelli’s and Christopher Martin’s tunes by my count) and I think that’s a very nice touch. I’m not at all saying that you have to do that all of the time, but every once in awhile, all artists on one vibe, can be a wonderful thing, let the Ghetto riddim stand as Exhibit A.
Overall, I didn’t when I started listening to it, but now I LOVE the Ghetto riddim. As a further testament to the fact that he’s obviously trying to broaden his horizons, Kemar McGregor actually covers the project himself and while I have, personally, more affections for some of his other riddims (the Triumphant and Rub-A-Dub in particular) and he has worked for some of the biggest labels and artists in the world, I think that the Ghetto Riddim just may be a bit of a revelation for the world who doesn’t know the producer. When you do something like this and prove you can do such a thing over and over again, almost at will, you get to a point where, amongst people who like the music but don’t know you, it REALLY becomes strange (meaning DUMB) for them to not be paying attention. In my opinion, for McGregor and No Doubt, the Ghetto riddim is that point. So if you don’t want random people making fun of you, you’ll pick it up: The latest masterpiece from the best Roots Reggae producer in the world. Period.
Rated 4.25/5
No Doubt Records/Zojak Worldwide
2009
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