Long live the king. Attrition has an effect on us all. While I can honestly say that becoming an old ass man hasn't been as miserable of an experience as I once envisioned it being in some respects (I'm actually healthier at forty than I was at thirty), in others it has definitely been a challenge. As I desperately attempt to refrain from becoming that annoying, arrogant, jaded and judgmental aincent creature who sits around condemning virtually everything done by anyone younger than IT (not "him" or "her". IT!), saying shit like "back in my day..." or "that's what's wrong with young people", in some ways even that hasn't been without difficulty. Okay. REALLY, it's only been hard on one front, that being a musical one: I miss my Dancehall music. The genre has gone through so many transformations throughout the years that we're now, at least somewhat, able to have some type of grander perspective of it as a whole: We can now analyze different generations. Someone from the generation before mine, or the one before that, would have certainly had a similar experience in listening to the music that I would grow to love so much, so I guess it's now my turn. I listen to stuff referred to as 'Dancehall' now (and it's been this way for.... maybe six or seven years now) and I don't know why the label is used. It isn't all terrible mind you (okay, the VAST MAJORITY OF IT IS SHIT, but who's keeping score??) (besides me), but it's something which is foreign to my ears as there seems to have been this unfortunately steady growing Hip-Hop influence on my beloved Dancehall. The result is that a significant and impossible to overlook portion of the genre has become a sound that was once only reserved for stuff that called "experimental" or "crossover". Still, I have to admit that, despite the sound drifting further and further away from what I want, I do take a measure of PRIDE in certain things surrounding Dancehall music. One of those things is that despite the hoards and hoards of up and comers and even bona fide younger superstars, at the head of Dancehall music, if you really think about it, not a lot has changed in a while. The absolute rulers of the genre have remained in place now for decades (in a genre which is very much young at heart. Having a man nearing fifty years of age rhyme about girls and guns does seem quite odd) and are SO entrenched that seemingly only retirement, death or abdication (biggup Lady Saw) will be the methods of complete turnover.
Even slightly away from that highest level we have people who've managed to stick around and either evolve with the times or say 'fuck it', and make the times accept them anyway. These're the Sean Pauls, Spragga Benzs, the Mad Cobras, the Tanya Stephens and the Baby Chams of the world. They've attained a status and solidified and secured it and, to this day, all of their names carry weight in the Dancehall. Even younger names such as Agent Sasco (a personal favourite of mine), Busy Signal, Aidonia (Aidonia is even older than I am and Busy's older than he is) and reigning Queen of Dancehall, Spice have performed similar feats and, collectively, comprise a level of Dancehall royalty (that may be a century and a half of experience between them all), themselves. You would also to wedge in there and find a place for Vybz Kartel, whose story, ultimately (regardless of how it turns out) is 100% guaranteed to be THE strangest case the Dancehall has ever seen (particularly, as he likely would have wholly unseated Bounty and Beenie had his story not gone as it has). However, at the pinnacle of Dancehall music, there is and has been the same pair of names (three, technically) (biggup Buju, when he feels like it). There's Beenie Man and there's Bounty Killer. Having spent well over SEVENTY of their total ninety-eight years on earth making music and.... probably over FORTY of those as the highest ranking Dancehall generals (accumulating probably over an eon of controversies at the same time), the pair has established legacies (together and respectively) which have not been equaled by anyone but one another.
Beenie Man, in particular (hopefully I'll get a chance to talk about Bounty Killer later this year), has been the direct heir of recessed Kings Shabba Ranks and King Yellowman. He's always embraced the 'show' aspect of the music, all the while crafting his talents simultaneously. He's a showman and his music, very much comes with the theatrical aspect in many ways. Bounty was always different. He hasn't always come off as very personable (that man will fight with absolutely ANYONE!) (not that I'm complaining, it's been fun at times) and his goals have always seemed to be different. Beenie also had the fortune of beginning his career VERY young (he's forty years in, himself, at this point) so, when anywhere near his best, though it's probably gone overlooked in recent times, Beenie Man's talent can be downright destructive. He is amongst the most naturally gifted deliverers of the spoken word that the genre has ever seen and, again, underappreciated as it may be, he's given us some of the most unforgettably inventive moments in history during his reign (personal favourites being 'Badder Than The Rest' and 'Reverse Di Ting'). That being said, however, in recent years something had been missing. In 2006, the DJ would release the decent "Undisputed" which would conclude his deal with international giant, Virgin Records (it was probably the third best of the Virgin sets, after "Art & Life" and "Back To Basics", but ahead of "Tropical Storm", in retrospect) and we waited to see what would happen for Beenie on the album side. Even during that deal, there remained a relatively consistent stream of other albums put together on various labels (the best of which was probably "Concept Of Life", also from 2006) so, presumably, that would continue while we awaited the next studio release..... until it didn't. Nope. Instead, in a very Bounty Killer-esque move, Beenie Man would go a decade before FINALLY delivering the proper followup to "Undisputed" in 2016, with "Unstoppable". Unsurprisingly, the release would TECHNICALLY see Beenie reuniting with VP Records for whom he had already done several releases (including 1997's Grammy nominated "Many Moods Of Moses", BKA "The Album With 'Who Am I' On It"), as the label's distribution wing, VPAL, would put "Unstoppable" into circulation. The actual release would come via Beenie's own 357 Records and he, along with his manager (and younger brother) Rohan Smith and producer Mario C would take executive producers credits. Looking back, it's been now five years since "Unstoppable" reached which has made it the ONLY Beenie Man studio album in a decade and a half, with another, "Simma", set to come later this year hopefully (by comparison, Vaughn Benjamin, who ascended two years ago, since 2006 (not even counting that year, when he had four) (including "Jah Grid") ["OPEN JAH DOOR AND ENTER!"] (WHAT!) (BOOM!) has had.... around FORTY) and because of that, alone, a really big deal; but was it any good???
Yeah. Sure. It was okay. I can recall being very excited to see "Unstoppable" in the offering. If I can recall correctly, it actually got delayed fairly close to its release date (like a month or so)and I was kind of pissed off because of it. That being said, however, it wasn't as if I was expecting something amazing or anything like that. I was just happy that FINALLY we'd have a new album from, still, my favourite Dancehall artist of all time. In an attempt (I guess) to make up for lost time "Unstoppable" would check in at an OBESE twenty-two tracks, clocking in at an hour and a quarter. It was too damn big to be completely good, but by its end, what you had was a healthy amount of big tunes, some definite filler, but a damn fun project. The fete would get started, most fittingly, with 'Having Fun'. Coming across what may be an R&B-ish styled track I guess (it isn't bad at all, really), 'Having Fun' finds our star in a pretty good mood as he takes a moment to look around and notice that he's living nice these days. You could well take this one in a bigger direction to have some wider significance and typically I would but I have twenty-one more of these things to talk about - a solid start. Far more interesting and fun is the second tune up, 'Yardie', which features some dazzling wordplay at times (particularly during the first verse) ["Billionaire vision, big yacht and helicopter. Mi life is a book weh get better at every chapter. Step inna di club, whole heap a gal ah get capture. High grade mi smoke ah charge mi up like a adapter. Real badman no tek program, 'gangsta fi life' dat a mi slogan. And wi no fraid of triple H or Hulk Hogan"]. A clear highlight from "Unstoppable", 'Yardie' did enjoy a nice surge and that is not surprising. Speaking of clear highlights, next is the LOADED 'Call the Crew' which features Beenie (a favourite of mine) alongside two of my personal favourites, Sizzla Kalonji and Agent Sasco. On paper, maybe no tune in recent memory carried as much ammo as this one and it plays out, basically, how you'd expect it to. Songs like this generally lack a certain direction and can be 'messy' at times and this is no different, but what it still manages to thrill and is PROBABLY the best moment on the whole of the album for me, to no surprise at all (Sasco probably shines the brightest, but all three are in a fine form).
"Unstoppable" had quite a few combinations, as you would expect, with a variety of different guests. With that being said, along with 'Call the Crew', there was one which received the lion's share of attention, 'Blue Lights', which brought in the aforementioned big, bad Bounty Killer (and Tristan Palmer). Aging has certainly put a 'water under the bridge' sentiment between these two who were once 'mortal enemies' (someday, when they're in their seventies, they'll get together and write a book and we will all still care) and anytime you can get them together on a single track (which should happen again on one of (if not both) of their forthcoming albums), you do not have to worry about the results. 'Blue Lights' was thrilling. Reggae heads would also gravitate, on paper at least, towards both 'Dancing Mood' and 'Me and You', which starred Tarrus Riley and Christopher Martin, respectively. Both tunes were harmless and not really amongst the best material here, although the latter did have its moments, while the former was pretty much EXACTLY what you expect with a title like 'Dancing Mood'. And I could say the same of 'Mash It Up', which tapped Rory StoneLove. You know what's going on here, it's fun (at times) and that's pretty much all you would hope for. International star, Akon, makes an appearance on our title track. I don't like the electric sound of 'Unstoppable' and if Akon were not present, I don't think it loses much, but where it glows is lyrically. What Beenie Man puts together here is some of the album's finest.
"Prison never stopped mi
Bullet never slow down di momentum when dem shot mi
And even when di vipers and di pagans coming at mi-
Never have no fear because Selassie I got mi
I & I ah persevere so mek dem seh they chat mi
Put up mi defense and mi si evil try attack mi
Dem betta frown fi si mi face a ever like acne
Pocket full of greens like brocolli
Overlook di city sipping dacharys
Trial come mi way but mi overcome
BEEN THROUGH MANY BATTLES LIKE A SOLDIER GUN
Wicked people waan fi si mi head ah roll a ground
Tell dem fi test mi if dem can, mi have mi owna gun
WI GWAN SI WHO LAUGH LAST WHEN DEM JOKE YAH DONE
TO HOW MI DASH DI FOOL A FAST, DEM THINK A BOLT AH RUN
All dem si a just di smoke, dem think a cold ah bun
ALL WHO BADMIND MI FI THINGS TELL DEM SEH MORE AH COME
Even when you feel like your hope is gone-
And you're stuck at the end of the road
Keep going, you can weather the storm
And don't fold
You're unstoppable
Unstoppable
Unstoppable
Stay strong, stay strong
Mi still put on mi best when there is only one patron
All over di world, mi represent fi all Jamaican
Tired in mi bunk, but still ah take pic and shake hand
Seen some likkle puss keep ah gwan like dem no rate man
APPEAR LIKE DEM AN ANGEL BUT A NUFF A DEM A SATAN
Nah go mek di devil fuss come break mi concentration
WANNA BE CHEF AND MI NAH KNOW DEM AS NO RAEKWON
FUCKERY DEM COOK UP, TELL DEM HANG UP BACK DEM APRON
And whoever rise against mi shall fall
No matta what dem come wit, mi still ah stand tall
Di Most High is here, pon HIM mi can call
These streets firmer than a million wall
Many get driven by hatred and call
FALL PON DEM BELLY LIKE SERPENT AND CRAWL!
STILL MY LEVEL SUPERIOR THAN ALL!
THE UNDISPUTED KING OF THE DANCEHALL!"
I literally began cheering at the end of that second verse. Beenie Man has enjoyed his status over the years and it's something that he's well earned. The title track stands a defiant and declarative moment here and it isn't the only one. There's also the even more aggressive 'I'm The King' with Major Lazer. MJ has done several things throughout the years that I have enjoyed and I'm well familiar with their style, but there was just too much going on with this one. Of course I do love the route here (Im a fan and I agree with the sentiment) but this song was wayyyyy out there for me - an old ass man in the minority (and it's not just the pace, which isn't a problem at all, it's the sound). Dutch production duo, Yellow Claw, joins in on 'Bun It Up' and this wasn't a one-time union. The link also produced a very similar track called 'Dancehall Soldier' around the same time and THAT one is stronger to my opinion. Again, they are very comparable and the quality gap is nominal between the two, but they both come in with a similar very HYPE vibes to them which isn't bad at all. The aforementioned Mario C takes an artist's credit on 'Ready to Party' and provides some vocals to the track which was surprising (I can't say for sure that I've ever heard him do that prior to this one, really). 'Ready to Party' was another one which didn't do anything at all that you didn't expect. It does have an unusual.... maybe Hip-Hoppish sound to it and it just wasn't for me ultimately. I didn't much enjoy the kind of clunky sound of 'Million More' either for the most part, but that song, which featured DeeBuzz and Hard2Def from out of Germany on production, was very clever and eventually won me over as, for seemingly the nine-millionth time, Beenie dissertated on his love of a certain piece of anatomy. I do admit to enjoying the hook on 'Stuck on You', which linked Beenie with behind the scenes veteran, Verse Simmonds but, as a whole, it didn't do much for me. The Chimney Records steered 'We Run Road', on the other hand, was genius in its original form and the remix, on which rapper J. Gunn guests, isn't far enough away from it for me for to dislike it and, really, though Hip-Hop is not and never will be for me, J. Gunn is damn impressive as a lyricist here.
Frustratingly, "Unstoppable" never quite delivers that one stunning Dancehall moment. It comes close on 'Call the Crew' and 'Blue Lights' (and one on more I'll tell you about briefly) but it goes on to seem as if Beenie Man and company very much had the idea to maintain and please the potential international audience accrued from the days with Virgin Records. If that's you, then maybe a tune like 'Love University' did something more for you than it did for me. I don't even know how to describe the sound of this one... maybe R&B.... ish..... esque??? Whatever you want to call it, I can't call it TERRIBLE, it isn't at all. In fact, lyrically 'Love University' had its moments, but it's just kind of an average selection. 'Come to Me' was more of the same. It wasn't a bad one, really, but you don't come away from it with much of anything at all. Listening back to it now for the sake of this review and I'm wondering if I've EVER heard 'Come to Me' at all. It sounds like the very first time because I didn't retain anything from it. I do remember 'Hold Me in Your Arms', but it wasn't anything special either, although that one does have a very nice sound to it.
As "Ustoppable" reaches its conclusion, the vibes change. After 'Ready to Party', things get more conscious and aware (you'll find the title track in this portion) and that was a good change for the vibes and an expected one. The first song, 'People All Around the World', was pretty solid. The sonics on this one were pretty different from anything else on the release and Beenie utilized it well, in delivering a message that we all just need to focus on treating one another better ["Come mek wi bun segregation, racial war. The White and the Black man fi par. Yuh skin colour no define who you are. EVERYONE NO FAMOUS, BUT EVERYONE A STAR"]. There was also 'Real Youth' which finds our star just given a vibe to where he grew up and how crucial it is to him to never forget those things because they helped to shape him into who has become and he's also sure to admonish those who have come from similar situations but have been bitten by arrogance along their way. And the final song on "Unstoppable" kind of (it did) changed course from the few just before it: 'Love Story', was a fairly basic love song. I didn't particularly like this one (there was nothing much to it, really) but that riddim was lovely. It was a beautiful track and, looking at the superstar production credits for this project, I think I can guess who constructed it. I did want to end things on a high note, so I intentionally left a very nice pair of tunes for the ending, 'Play' and 'All Eyes'. The former is kind of Hip-Hoppy but it works for me. It has kind of a 'looser' feel to it, in my opinion. The reason I don't enjoy much Hip-Hop is, at least for me, it often sounds too rigid and 'harsh'. I didn't grow up listening to it much and when you (or when I) compare it to Dancehall, Dancehall has a 'freer' and more organic sound to it... it's hard to explain, but 'Play' does a nice job in bordering both genres. 'All Eyes' is just EXCELLENT and it threatens to be that one knocking Dancehall moment on "Unstoppable" that I was looking for (I'd have a pretty good guess on who produced this one as well). There're a few selections present here that I just kind of glanced over, but they FULLY didn't accomplish much. They were just kind of..... songs. They were 'pedestrian' and 'formulaic', but 'All Eyes' is FUN!
"Gal bend over, like in yoga
Gal wine up yah body pon mi
Bubble up like soda, pon di pole yah
Gal wine up yah body pon mi"
And I really wanted to highlight it, to show that difference because you can have so many similar songs (and "Unstoppable has too many of them), but you'll have moments like these which're made special largely due to one of the genre's most special talents showing precisely what makes him so damn special. You could take 'All Eyes' and give it to another name, even similar and very gifted, and it would be one of the others which weren't very good, but Beenie Man takes this one somewhere higher, wonderfully.
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