 |
| "Taking Over" by Sizzla [VP Records - 2001] |
It's just been too damn long. It's been nearly ELEVEN YEARS since the last time we did a Modern Classics feature (it is the morning of the 25th of August as I start to write this, HOPEFULLY I can finish this in the next two and half months, otherwise I'll have to remove the word "nearly"). Originally (and still) designed to celebrate albums, specifically, of the modern era (I defined the modern era as everything after the year 2000) which I felt were just of a supreme quality; the series ran all the way to #42 in in nearly six years and, FINALLY, we're bringing it back to take a look at a release which, shockingly, has gone somewhat forgotten in recent times.
In 2002, Sizzla Kalonji released "Da Real Thing". That album (also a Modern Classic) was and remains universally revered. It would be hailed as a return to the vintage form he had displayed on undeniable greats such as "Praise Ye Jah" and "Black Woman & Child" (the latter produced by the great Bobby Digital, just like "Da Real Thing"). Perhaps it is due to that epic set that we forget that, just the year prior, Sizzla would also produce a magical display in the form of the Xterminator helmed "Taking Over". Marked by a very cool explosiveness, "Taking Over" carried a pair of Sizzla's most well known songs to date but it was also CONSISTENTLY EXCELLENT, a quality which maybe we haven't done the best job of observing in the near quarter-century since its launch....
Let's do something about that. Today we give our greatest honour to yet another album from an artist who, when at his absolute best, may've been without an equal: "Taking Over" by Sizzla Kalonji.
1. 'Thought For Today'
One perfect love. Though the case could successfully be made that it was done in a very broad way, 'Thought For Today' was kinda brilliant, if you really think about it (let's think about it!). Blessed with a most curious BOUNCE behind him, Kalonji turned in a social commentary of an unusual type (and class), aimed at the youths, specifically.
"Before you trod di badness, hail The King first"
'Thought For Today' was an adventure. It was an action movie. It was two hours long and it was as exhausting as exciting. What stand out these days is how we take the punchline/title of the tune, address it is LOVE and then spread it around in a way.... damn near vicious! You will act appropriately. You will love yourself and others. You will do several things to improve yourself tangibly and spiritually and it will be "perfect". It was.
2. 'Brand New'
Trample everything. Hip-Hop has never and will never be 'my thing' but I had less of a problem with 'Brand New' than I typically do with such tunes ("problem" is probably too strong of a term, I usually just don't pay them much attention) because of what it eventually turns into. While the vibe is there, it doesn't go anywhere, and it is respected; 'Brand New' goes on to, like many of the songs on "Taking Over" to enter a place where Kalonji locks in and what we get is this kind of heavily stylized track not entirely bereft of typical genre ideology. Yes it's fractured (which is one reason Hip-Hop doesn't appeal to me much) but 'Brand New' was all sorts of interesting as well.
3. 'Somewhere Oh Oh'
Most delighted. Despite its rather odd title, 'Somewhere Oh Oh' is and has always been an undeniably FANTASTIC song (and you could even go as far as to call it this album's third best altogether, in my opinion). It's also a very fun one to analyze. What I take from it these days is that 'SOMEWHERE Oh Oh' is about finding your 'happy place'. It is about find places and things and PEOPLE who make you happy and surrounding yourself with them as much as you possibly can. Something that REALLY stand out, lyrically, is how there doesn't really appear to be any strife or opposition in 'Somewhere Oh Oh'. Where in Sizzla's music (or in Roots, in general) there is this oppressor somewhere out there - IT DOES NOT EXIST HERE. You'll find it back on the next track but 'Somewhere Oh Oh' not only made a plea for us to find things that brought us joy, completely absent of conflict, it also presented itself as such an item. You find somewhere you want to be, find something you want to do when you get there, someone who you want to do it with and play this song while you're doing it.
4. 'Taking Over'
NOTHING TO FEAR! 'Taking Over' belongs to a very select group of songs that Sizzla has done in my opinion. It takes a seat at the table of any conversation regarding his absolute single best work and... if you wanted to call it his best, that case could be made. Why, exactly? I noted the "cool explosiveness" of the album named after it and that is a quality best demonstrated here. While 'Taking Over' never settles down fully, it does display increasing and decreasing levels of intensity where, at its heights, it reaches downright euphoric levels (he's agitated, clearly, but Sizzla was in a great mood when he voiced this song, I'm convinced).
On top of that, the riddim behind it was gorgeous, made perfect for it and 'Taking Over' does not a put a lyrical foot wrong, it is absolute genius and one of the single greatest musical revolutions that a genre, known for revolution, has ever produced.
5. 'Fare'
Wear a crown.
"Never belittle her strength
Or else you'll be missing her strength"
I've never been the biggest fan of Sizzla's love songs but "Taking Over" featured a few of them which would rank very highly in the category in my opinion. The first of them was somewhat unusual and I actually hesitate to call 'Fare' a "love song" (even though it clearly is) (I have issues) because it gets more into areas such as empowering love and women, in particular (using the reference to MAKEDA), and relationships, in general.
"Remember: Your friends and foe may talk
No evil force can tear us apart"
The song also has an infectious and interesting almost Jazzy sound to it and Sizzla made the most of it with an offering fitting snugly into this album.
6. 'Higher Heights'
Be able and be willing. For WHERE it is situated on this album, you can look at 'Higher Heights' as warming the vibes up for what is to come after what it follows but it is SO MUCH more than an 'undercard'.
"How about caring and giving?
People working hard these days just to make a little living
Prophecy fulfilling
Righteousness, just be able and be willing
Getting nowhere with this ruthless killing
Hot like a fire when some a dem chilling
BABYLON A DESTROY, CONGOMAN KEEP BUILDING"
'Higher Heights' is HUGE! Like several of the efforts on 'Taking Over', it heads in many different directions but as its core was a wide-reaching spiritually braced statement that brought the HEAT that would fully ignite on the next track.
7. 'To The Point'
START A FIRE! Along with the title track here, 'To The Point' is what I was referring to when I said that this album contained a pair of Sizzla's most popular songs. Where 'Taking Over' is this soaringly brilliant and brooding trip, 'To The Point' is The Matrix. Shit explodes, there is controversy and there are casualties and no one is safe. In the midst of the madness, 'To The Point' was a dazzling statement of several ideas, so there was SUBSTANCE to be found here and such material would be best highlighted in-person as, if you've ever been so fortunate to actually see Kalonji perform 'To The Point' then you may share my opinion that it may be his single best song EVER in that format. CJ handed him his Tixx Riddim and Sizzla returned a shredded... mess.
{Note: Apparently this tune is no longer included on the digital version of "Taking Over", however, the disc remains readily available.... and it's all over YouTube as well}
8. 'Reach'
Must reign. Despite the fact that it takes several different routes to show it, what is at the heart of 'Reach' is quite clear. This tune is an inspirational one. It's about giving people that bit of POP they need to push further to go after the things that're important to them and, in that alone (and everything else it tries to do), it is well successful. With that being said, however, 'Reach' is also a praise. It's a social commentary. It's a celebration of music. It is solidly all of these things and you can pick either one out (and probably a few others) and it thrives, again, on that specific front.
There's also the issue of the music on this one which is somewhat complex and damn near melancholy but, ultimately, LOVELY! Fully, it makes for one of the single greatest experiences on "Taking Over", whether we realize it or not.
9. 'Whirlwind'
Keep the fire burning. Sizzla channels the great Marcus Garvey via 'Whirlwind' and pays him tremendous homage in the process. This tune has always had an almost primal vibes to it to my opinion. What I mean is that, as you progess through it, 'Whirlwind' becomes CLEARLY less situated and rehearsed and what we hear are flames from the core of Kalonji. The pattern is disrupted (though never quite grounded in the first place) and what we get is straight-forward, grimey, toiling Sizzla Kalonji and with a purpose and intent. One of the best songs on this album whether we realized it or not.
10. 'Profile'
Immaculate. Unlike 'Fare', the next track and that monster four songs on, 'Profile' isn't a love song at all, really. This is the woman-buttressing piece which exists only to uplift women of African descent. What really strikes me about 'Profile' is that it doesn't play things entirely safe. Things get a little edgy at times but such things happen in everyday conversation and approaches. You talk to people like they're people; so, to that extent, the song comes well rooted in reality. Furthermore, the song also takes the next step of speaking to men (and other women, and whoever is listening) about the importance of treating women right and showing respect where it is due.
"Yow she want one of Jah Rastaman fi keep her up
No teach her no fuckery and later on, you beat her up"
11. 'Kebra Negas'
Alpha & Omega. Extending on 'Profile' from right before it, 'Kebra Negas' also sets a course and drops anchor on uplifting women and the relationships we ("we" being WHOEVER and "relationships" being of all types) have with them. The change here, however, is that 'Kebra Negas' is FAR more broad than what comes just ahead of it. This one has a much more general take and, delightfully, attempts to construct a NATURAL bridge that in supporting women is also supporting positivity and good works - as His Majesty intends.
12. 'Naw Shield Corruption'
Open up your eyes! Somewhat reminiscent of 'Higher Heights' in terms of its pacing (and only in its pacing) and WHOLLY emblematic of Sizzla's more Dancehall centered style around the turn of the century, for me at least, 'Naw Shield Corruption' may just be the most overlooked and underrated song on the whole of "Taking Over". It wouldn't do much outside of its presence here but.... DAMN! If you were living a positive and productive life and doing what you were supposed to do - you were just fine. If not - 'Naw Shield Corruption' was damn near lethal as Sizzla turned up every stone in every corner of the planet to look for corruption and those who aided in it going forward. BOOM!
13. 'King Taco'
Incient king.
"Yuh seh you a di nail
Seh you a di sledge
Seh you a di hammer
Seh you a di wedge
Seh you tough like seal when you did melt like lead"
'King Taco' was lyrically PERFECT. I hadn't heard this tune in quite some time but when I started putting this together, I remembered the melody in my head and started singing a b i of what I remembered of the words and it started to come back to me. When you dig into the body of the actual song... I don't want to overrate it but, strictly as a praise, 'King Taco' has to sit amongst the best put together of them all. It also comes off SO DAMN EFFORTLESSLY (more on that in closing) and, as the joint second longest tune on "Taking Over", 'King Taco' is nearly as EXHAUSTIVE (and I mean that in a great way) as it is brilliant as Kalonji puts forth an effort fit for The King.
14. 'Hold Her In My Arms'
Precious jewel. Don't take this literally but 'Hold Her In My Arms' is kinda filthy. There is something almost guiltily intoxicating about this song and there always has been. It is the definitive love-ish song on "Taking Over" and, without question, one of the finest of Sizzla's entire career. It is surprisingly DARK and HEAVY as well - vibes you just do not encounter on or associate with love songs ever. Melodic, lyrically top tier (if you REALLY pay attention) and just a stunning track, 'Hold Her In My Arms' was and remains IMMACULATE.... in a grungy kind of way.
15. 'Streetside Knowledge'
GROW! On one hand is the knowledge you gain out of studying and going to school, being educated and then there's what you gain from a more general life-experience. Though I'm certain Kalonji is a supporter of the greater importance of both, it is the latter that is focused upon on the scathing 'Streetside Knowledge'. One of the most interesting aspects of this tune is the fact that it sits as one of the most tangible on the album and, perhaps, one of the most tangible that he's done to date. There isn't a ton of spirituality involved with the building of 'Streetside Knowledge' which is what you would hope and expect to be the case. Such a background makes it entirely more transferable and relatable to by the masses as Professor Collins delivers a lesson on everyday for You, Me, Him and Her.
Synopsis
I want to take a quick look at the 'state of the times' around "Taking Over", at least in the form of some of its immediate 'siblings'. If you go a year or two in either direction, you'll run into other similarly vibed Xterminator produced sets such as 'Words Of Truth", "Royal Son Of Ethiopia", "Bobo Ashanti" and a personal favourite of mine, "Rastafari Teach I Everything" (which was also released in 2001). While you could well make the case that none of them rise to the level of "Praise Ye Jah" (and they don't. That's fair) -- generally regarded as THE best album produced by the duo and no worst than Sizzla's second best album overall --given the sheer amount of work done and its quality, you could also point to that stretch being the PRIME of Sizzla's work alongside Fatis and Xterminator. It was heavier on the Dancehall side, it was decidedly modern and, for the most part, it was absolutely gorgeous. The level of writing and the delivery of the material was SO high and I'm not going to name any names, but if you listen to what SOME of Sizzla's peers were doing at the same time in terms of combining Roots messaging with Dancehall sound.... there is no comparison. At that point, Sizzla was miles ahead of them.
In terms of "Taking Over" specifically, while you could rank it in any place you like in terms of the aforementioned other albums of its day, for me "Taking Over" was spectacular and has aged incredibly well. From its packaged presentation (courtesy of Chris Chin and VP Records. In my opinion it is very subtly one of the best album displays they've ever created (various spellings of Fatis notwithstanding)) being this ultra-cool and understated cover, ahead of the explosions that the listener was in store for - "Taking Over" hit all of the notes that it needed to in order to cross the bridge from being just a GOOD album, to being a GREAT one. Again, I'd like to pay respect to the general quality of Sizzla's work at the time and just how damn fortunate we are that he was as [overly] prolific as he was because we have such powerful examples of, in my opinion, THE single most talented voice Reggae music has ever produced when at his best. "Taking Over" was both a thundering and downright FROSTY example of this. It was also a BONA FIDE, MODERN REGGAE CLASSIC!
No comments:
Post a Comment