Loaded. I'd like to think that I've made a reputation for myself around these parts. Even years into our break, we would get messages from people asking for reviews for their projects and they wanted them done in the typical way in which we do them - extremely long-winded and detailed album dives. There are hundreds of them on these pages and, before I'm done, I probably have a few dozen or so left in me. It's just my thing. And just as you expect to get groceries when you go to the grocery store, though you'll settle for certain situations (like them temporarily being out of one thing or another from time to time), when someone or something shows you what they do and what they're capable of, you begin to expect that from them and there's nothing wrong with that. I was just about to go into my standard routine of making a general connection to the specific artist in question but now I think I have a nearly perfect example of what I mean. Have you ever heard someone sing a tune in person that you typically LOVE the studio version of and have it not quite be right. Of course it won't ever sound exactly the same (even if they tried to make it so and voiced it in the same studio under the same circumstances), but maybe when you hear it live, the rendition on that time is disappointing. In my opinion that is because you've come to know that tune and expect it to be done in a certain manner so while someone right next to you may be hearing it for the first time and falling in love (and may be on their way to experiencing the same thing you are, but in reverse (i.e. being less than pleased by the studio version), you're thinking that something is missing. Beyond merely style or the choice to do something differently on that specific day (because we're all people and entitled to change things up every once in a while), where this becomes most obvious, in my opinion, is when the discussion becomes one of QUALITY and CONSISTENCY. In music this is very tricky and confusing because of the incredibly strange frequency of anomalies (that is a very fancy way of saying 'one hit wonders'). Someone can show themselves fully capable of righting their proverbial ship, mustering every scintilla of effort that they can and coming up with a significant hit. When they show that they can do it again and then again - to the point where it begins to seem as if they possess a top level type of talent, we then begin to expect it from them on an at least somewhat consistent basis and, in the rare cases, when they can deliver on THAT level, we as fans find ourselves in the presence of something truly special. And this can get as specific as you can possibly think of. There're individuals who we think of excelling, in one particular area or another, but maybe not on the whole (lyrically but not melodically, for example) and we look at them as being special, continuously, in those aspects.
Today, once again, we are in the presence of someone "truly special" as we find ourselves touching bases with one of our favourites and someone who has shown themselves to be amongst the most frequently SPECTACULAR stars in all of modern Reggae music, the great Pressure Busspipe. When last we took a look at the St. Thomas star we were dealing with his most recent full project, the outstanding "Heights Of Greatness" from last year. That body of work represented both a continuation of outstanding material from the artist, in general, as well as the latest addition, specifically, to a catalogue which has been terribly impressive (biggup Chronixx). In short (haha!) (what the hell is short?), in his career Pressure has shown himself to be someone capable of being not only just reliable, but CONSISTENTLY SPECTACULAR and in this current era is rather easily one of the its most gifted lights. As I've said before (or at least I think I have) I am well anticipating the era of up and coming artist, potentially also from the Virgin Islands who will come up saying that they grew up listening to the likes of Pressure and some of his peers as, given both his gifts and his popularity, I'm imagining that there will be many of them and we should begin to hear them shortly, if we haven't already (Revalation, for example, would be someone who I feel has been definitely influenced by Pressure and he is a peer of his (and a very good friend, as far as I know) (biggup Revalation) (make new music this year!!!). That is going to be very interesting when it happens, until then (and even after then), however, what we're going to do is to continue to LOVE the work Pressure, himself, has put in throughout the years and continues to.
And while we were away, the work continued in a significant way. Way back in 2014, Pressure would release an album, his fourth (originally I had written "his fourth at the time".... it's still his fourth), by the name of "The Sound". Even prior to its release, "The Sound" was well noted as it marked the very first time that the Virgin Islands artist -- already a star by that point, having dropped the massive shot that was 'Love & Affection' a few years earlier -- had linked with the VI's biggest label, I Grade Records, as well as the Zion I Kings collective, alongside the Lustre Kings Productions and Zion High Productions. "The Sound" was.... "The Sound" was pretty much a perfect set. It would go on to be our choice as THE single best album of that year and, although I've yet to write it up as so, I can tell you right now that it is a Modern Classic and when I get the courage to rebirth that series, it will definitely be amongst the first few new entries. Both artist and label would continue along with their typical brilliance as you would expect, with Pressure going on to release projects alongside the Baby G ["African Redemption"] and himself and I Grade motoring along with Akae Beka/Midnite, Danny I and even mixing in the great Lutan Fyah; but given not only the general prolificacy of both, but their clear fondness of working with each other (by my surely incorrect count, it's a relationship dating back to at least 2003, when Pressure appeared on 'Jah In Dem', a tune from "Geoman" from Midnite's Branch I) (the following year he would also join Yahadanai on 'Best Thing' from the classic "One Atonement") ["Black woman is the best thing, Jah ever structure upon this earth! Who fight dat tell dem a lightning!"] ["Skin smooth cause no man never beat yah and if him ever try dat, Selassie I will bruk him finga!"], it seemed only a matter of time before Pressure and IGR would get to work on a sequel "The Sound". It would take five years to materialize (a nice amount of time, in retrospect) and late 2019 would bring forth "Rebel With A Cause", Pressure's seventh full album release and the second full pairing between the chanter and IGR (and in association with his very own Buss Pipe Records as well). I always try to make a concerted effort to give credit to labels, producers, artists and whoever-elses when it comes to publicity as, apart from making music, it's probably the next most important element in their business and it, still, is often lacking when it comes to Reggae music, but it has been a very long time since I Grade Records has had a problem in that regard, if they ever have. "Rebel With A Cause" was absolutely no exception as it was definitely one of their highest profiled releases to date and, given the quality of "The Sound" and.... pretty much everything else they've done together and apart, expectations were predictably and deservedly extremely high (as they were for "Heights Of Greatness" and as they will be for whatever comes next) for "Rebel With A Cause". It might make for an interesting review if I could somehow find a way to sit here (actually standing at this very moment) (but why am I standing up???? Hmmmm) and talk about how things changed on this one and maybe it represented some type of 'experimental' phase or just an uncharacteristic outing for everyone involved.
But I can't do that. Nope. Instead, what I am going to do is exactly what you knew I was going to do when you started reading this review and talk about just how DAMN STRONG "Rebel With A Cause" proved to be. If we go back to "The Sound", one of its many qualities and the one which most immediately lept out at you was the fact that it contained a number of big combinations. "The Sound" featured contributions from Volcano, Vaughn Benjamin (more on him later), Lutan Fyah and then there was a single selection, 'Cry For Humanity' which had Ras Batch and fellow Star Lion Family alum Niyorah alongside Pressure (now that I'm saying it specifically, I'm noticing that they were all VI artists with the exception of Lutan Fyah) ["Cause mi dun loosen mi seatbelt, stand pon mi feet. Tell di ticket officer, mi have someone fi meet. Tell di train operator mi nah waan nothing fi eat, whether bitter or sweet"]. Fittingly and not at all surprisingly, "Rebel With A Cause" would follow suit (it would also contain fourteen tunes in total, and is rougly one hour in length), as it features Pressure Busspipe alongside a downright staggering roster of vocal talents on eight of its fourteen offerings. For example??? The very first combination from Pressure's "Rebel With A Cause" for I Grade Records featured a name which most certainly isn't a regular one on these pages, R City. The accomplished duo of brothers, also from out of St. Thomas, have previously collaborated with Pressure, on 'Slow Motion' from "The Artist", his EP from earlier in 2019. That is quickly apparent on the fine 'Streets Keep Calling' with amount of chemistry present here. This song is an excellent one, not only bringing in a proper message dealing with the nature of life on the streets ["Dem yah ghetto youth a no remote fi control. Baby mother ah tell mi seh mi ah deal wid her cold. Seh mi love di street life more than her - whole heap a youth dead for sure dem no cherish dem soul. Neva know seh gangsta life a no acting role. I COME DEFEND DI RED, DI GREEN AND DI GOLD. DISRSPECT DI RASTA IF YUH BOLD"] but it is damn near THRILLING to listen to as well, making for a literal action movie of a song and one of the genuine highlights, in maybe an unusual way, for the entire project. Another somewhat unconventional combination is the title track which features US Hip-Hop veteran Redman. No stranger at all to the genre, Reggae fans may recall Redman's appearance alongside Wyclef Jean and Beenie Man on considerable hit 'Love Me Now', I'm not surprised to see him appearing on such an production, but I was pleasantly stunned to see his name attached to this project. I've never been one for Hip-hop and this tune is more on that side, but, somewhere beneath it is a GRUMBLING Reggae song and we get more than enough flashes of it to make this one a winner for me. I also really enjoyed the FREE-FLOWING nature of 'Rebel With A Cause'. It has a set destination but how the two choose to get their at any particular time delightfully varies throughout.
While you, heavy Reggae fan may or may not be familiar with the work of R. City and/or Redman, the balance of the names that accompany Pressure throughout "Rebel With A Cause" should have brought a giant smile to your face and kept it there. Let's go to the somewhat Jazzy 'JAH Is Real' which featured the ever-present Protoje.
"Talk mi mind, mek it spill up pon di beat
Mek dem still ahgo repeat every syllabel mi speak
Haffi grill up in di evening
Still up when yuh sleeping
FOOD FOR THOUGHT, GO FILL UP WHEN YOU EAT IT
They knowing not di truth, they could not speak it
BREAK A PIECE OF BREAD, BRING SOME PEACE WID IT
MI SIGHT IT PON ORION'S BELT, I BELTING 'OH ZION' WHERE THE LION KNELT
I felt HIM hold my hand, Rome rioted
Those who overstanding what I have said-
Don't you know di plan The Most High has set?
Would you go di distance required-ed?
Again, I go rock back a Bess, or Oracabaessa
The Origin that coulda neva buckle under pressure
But as Jah is my altar
Everything come after
I ah dweet with laughter, gone past yah
One thing that I know -
Jah is real
All the children shall follow -
His lead
And to those who think Jah love will lead into mystery
WHEN THE CONQUERING LION ROAR: VICTORY!
Rastaman I beg yuh keep yah heads up
Never you go astray
Dem seh a revolution and man no sleep fi days, no
Time fi go liberate
Crab inna barrel dem alone ahgo elevate
Unity strengthen di whole a wi, no separate
Emperor Selassie I is ever-great
Emperor Selassie I - never late
THANKS FOR THE BLESSING, I STILL NO LOSE FAITH
Rastaman ah trod up pon Mount Zion Gate
Wicked man could never destroy what Jah create
MI AND DEM COULD NEVER BE FRIENDS LIKE LOVE & HATE
Listen up closely - I tell yuh straight
Wi are di chosen, look in our face
It's in the open
It's sitting all over the place"
BOOM! DAMN! BREAK SOMETHING, FIX IT AND BREAK IT AGAIN! This is NEARLY as exquisite of a lyrical display that "Rebel With A Cause" has to offer (and it should tell you that something special awaits that I'm not saying it takes the crown) as these two link up to produce a piece of wordy dynamite in praise of His Imperial Majesty. The song also did quite a bit of damage in its day and you take a listen to it and you will see why clearly. The legendary Anthony B (I think he's earned the "legendary" tag by now) also joins Pressure on the all kinds of GORGEOUS 'Peace and Love'. Firmly set in the category of one of the easiest listens here, 'Peace and Love', for all of its straight-forwardness (and it has it in abundance. It is very much a case of 'what you see [hear] is what you get'), is such a powerful vibe! It just makes you feel good to listen to as the big artists do their best to lift up morality to a higher level and they do succeed to my opinion. Three years ahead of the release of "Rebel With A Cause", Pressure dropped what is amongst his popular singles to date, 'Lion Is A Lion' and, though it didn't make it to this album in its original form, it is giving a remix and refreshing courtesy of two ridiculously talented artists, Kabaka Pyramid and Jah9. So just so you're still with me: That is Pressure Busspipe, Kabaka Pyramid and Jah9 on the same damn tune! WHAT! Is it my birthday??? Has it been my birthday everyday since the first time I heard it??! Yes! Yes it has been! The original version of 'Lion Is A Lion' is a wonderful song and I rarely think this: The remixed version is even better! Kabaka Pyramid is a torrential lyricist, the man is unrelenting and JAH9 (who we need to crack open the vault for because she was active while we were out) always infuses whatever she touches with a whole heap of COMMON SENSE, her effort here is no different ["Cause she no tolerate no stress - deserving of di best. REAL LION NAH PUT NO CATTY BEFORE DI LIONESS. Yes, she humble like Menen but di youths dem she defend. Dem freaky little predator, she slew di whole a dem"]. This tune is just about carrying and presenting yourself in a certain manner befitting of who you are (or who you should be) - with respect and decency. It's such a simple idea when you put it like that, but the message is the only thing simple about this epic track. The aforementioned Vaughn Benjamin, Akae Beka, also appears with Pressure on the all-encompassing social commentary, 'The System', just as he did on 'Nothing No Wrong' from "The Sound" ["Nothing no wrong fi plant no corn. Nothing no wrong fi chant no psalm!"]. These two loooooong collaborators (and presumably, good friends) have demonstrated several times throughout the years that anytime they directly crossed paths, what resulted was to be something surely worth your time. If you don't have time for 'The System' it is TIME to make it. It was genius.
"T-I-M-E say time
E-M-I-T emit
T-I-D-E say time
E-D-I-T edit
When it was World War II it was the Axis
Upon the other side standing firm it was the Allies
A-L-L-I-E-S SAY SELAH
Word code spy
Dem pon an optimal, minimal scale of realizement"
While 'Nothing No Wrong' took awhile to grow on me, if I recall correctly, 'The System' had no such time-delayed effect. I have thoroughly enjoyed it from the first time I heard it and it's probably the second best tune that I've heard these two do together (which is saying virtually everything consider the best, 'Same I Ah One', is probably one of the best fifty-ish songs I have EVER heard, period). If that weren't enough for you (then your standards are just too damn high), then there's also 'War Is Ugly' which just so happens to feature my favourite artist of all time, Sizzla Kalonji. This one has a different type of vibes to my ears (the best term is probably 'funky', but I kind of hate that word) from the other songs here, but it works for it. On paper, a combination of Pressure is Sizzla is appetizing for me and the two that I recall hearing (the other being 'Blaze It', a ganja tune from a few years back) have no been disappointments. 'War Is Ugly', particularly, is an anti-violence set which kind of reminds me of 'JAH Is Real' in the sense of they both give this very FREE type of vibes. It sounds like a pair or peers/friends went into the studio and decided to just vibe together and see what emerged. What did come out of this union was HUGE and a personal highlight on this project for me. NOW, with all of that being said, the finest combination on the whole of "Rebel With A Cause" is called 'Burn Down' and it is Pressure Busspipe with the wholly incomparable Reemah who is in her typically DEVASTATING form.
"None a dem, they can't escape
Fyah just ah wait
JUDGMENT TIME BABYLON DISINTEGRATE
Why inna di streets, violence it saturate
Neva tek dem billion, they get those fi generate
INSTEAD DEM INVEST INNA SPACE
WHILE DI PEOPLE DEM AH BEG AND LIVE INNA DISGRACE
Well what a waste
It just a race and di rod dem man ah chase
DI WICKED ON DI RISE, BUT A DI YOUTHS DEM ON DI CASE
Babylon city ahgo bun down
The walls of inequity ahgo bun down
Wicked man yah nah go mek this fyah tun down
Policeman no gimme no talk, too much black people ya gun down
Babylon city ahgo bun down
All ya laws and legislation ahgo bun down
Wicked man yah couldn't mek this fyah tun down
Not even di mongrel weh a piss can escape before sun down
All di riches weh ya wrapped up in di east
You no tek no penny fi promote world peace [neva!]
Babylon a tun inna more lies, haffi si it
RASTAMAN SIT PON DI THRONE AND CAAN IMPEACH
Dem kill di Indians before Thanksgiving feast
Mi slew dem by di millions and destroy dem fleet
Mi dash dem on di fyah from di mountain
Cut off babylon heart beat!"
Things need to change on a grand scale and in a hurry is the sentiment behind 'Burn Down' and it is on full and vibrant display in the hands of these two. Let me tell you something: REEMAH IS BRILLIANT. She is a damn genius. Years from now people will be dissecting her lyrics down to a fine dust-like detail and hopefully she spends out her years either continuing to make music or teaching the masses in some sort of other way. As I've said in the past, the way this woman structures her ideas is one of a kind and of the greatest joys I have in music today. 'Burn Down' is MAMMOTH. So let's briefly recap: That's R City, Redman, Protoje, Anthony B, Kabaka Pyramid & Jah9 (on the same song), Sizzla, Akae Beka and Reemah. "Rebel With A Cause" is not a riddim album. It isn't some other sort of compilation or a mixtape at all. It is a single, solo artist's album. I'm sure there must have been one and I'm not as sharp as I used to be now that I am old as hell, but I am struggling MIGHTILY to come up with such a release featuring SO MUCH in the way of vocal talent as "Rebel With A Cause" and a major credit goes to Laurent 'Tippy I' Alfred and company behind the scenes who provide them with consistently TOP NOTCH musical compositions on which to display their monstrous gifts.
NOW! With allllllllll of that being said, the greatest piece I find on the entirety of "Rebel With A Cause" isn't actually a combination at all. Our opener, 'King Selassie First' is MAJESTIC in every way possible! TEARS! Common sense won out in this case as the tune would receive a very nice push and I'm imagining the first time it was completed fully; when they heard it they must have known that what they had on their hands was something else "truly special". I have to give a credit to the players of instrument as well on this one as the riddim, fittingly, is flawless and perfect for what comes out on top of it. What that is, precisely, is the class on this release and probably one of the best songs of its kind that I have ever heard (and I (just like You), have probably heard thousands of praising songs at this point. This is one of the best of them all. On the completely opposite end is another big winner, the closer and similarly vibed 'Seek JAH First'. After I got ALL of my attention off of the hypnotic drum underpinning it, 'Seek JAH First' began to blossom. The last verse has to be somewhere in the discussion for the single finest on "Rebel With A Cause". Not only is it strong and poignant, but it's just EXCITING. It starts to pull all type of emotions from you and, as I tried to outline this review, it something that you expect from such a towering talent like Pressure's because he makes it seem effortless.
"We should be grateful for life, although-
The times rough and the boat nah go
Not knowing what comes tomorrow
Put Jah first before all your problems
I know that's where I have strength!
MOST HIGH JAH, YAH NEVER ABSENT!
I AH PRAISE JAH WITH EVERY ACCENT!
Humiliation is embarrassment!
I still ever forget the past tense!
Mi seh no bad apple in di basket!
Mi seh no bad apple to my basket!
BEFORE SOMETHING DO, YOU DO SOMETHIN
You know you win and you lose some
BUT RASTAFARI NEVER LOSE NOTHIN!
Mi beg yuh keep yah two eye open!
Seek JAH first, everything else will come
Speak of love in live in Thy kingdom
Rise this morning with the rising sun
Songs of praises with the strings and drum"
Following that master class in lyrics, the composition of 'Seek JAH First' is given its time to shine and it does glow, again, making for one of the most remarkable stretches present here. Check the very colourful and infectious 'Wake Up Stay Up', which almost brings in an R&B-ish type of vibes (not totally, but it definitely has leanings in that direction), that Pressure uses to call everyone to paying a little more attention and having more awareness of self and surroundings. This one didn't get as much notice as I suspected that it might or SHOULD (in my opinion) and I think that's probably because it is so easy to listen to that it can kind of 'come and go', but if you're inclined to do it and you dig beneath the surface just slightly, what you find is amongst the very best written pieces on "Rebel With A Cause". I'm tempted to write out the entire first verse because it is spectacular and had I not just done it for the previous... what do I care??? Check this:
"No time fi go slumber, no
Wicked man is going under, yow
Keep yah head above di water
Sweet victory as di battle gets hotter
Education is imperative, oh
Know your culture and yuh heritage, yow
Cuz Jah see and knoweth everything
MOST HIGH IS THE WIND BENEATH EVERY WING
Betta you use your brain as an instrument
Everything is for a reason, no come incident
GONNA BE AN INSPIRATION OR AN INFLUENCE
GONNA LIBERATE MY PEOPLE IN INCREMENTS"
I mean... he just zeroed in on that SO finely. He probably wrote that entire verse on head of a needle! The sublime 'It Red' was Pressure's take on the Perfect Storm Riddim (which we, basically, get to enjoy more than a minute and a half of following Pressure's vocals) (he does chime in from time to time, but it PLAYS!) ["Perfect storm. Selassie bring a perfect storm"] (biggup Lutan Fyah) and IGR made a good move in including it here, giving a sort of 'second-wind' to a tune which well deserved it. The message was an interesting one - that change was brewing and what was to come was DIFFERENT (not necessarily worse, not necessarily better) and what I would ultimately take away from it was the idea that comfort was not something that we should be expecting anytime soon as it was Pressure's thinking that we're all existing in a transitional period. The way he chose to convey that feeling was through this sensational effort which is not to be missed. Lastly, "Rebel With A Cause" would offer 'Can You Feel Love' and 'Forever'. You'll make a mistake if you pass on the former, presuming that its title is saying one thing and leaving it for some sappy love song, it most certainly is not. It is far more encompassing than that, almost bordering on being kind of an inspirational song.... oh and it sounds excellent, especially with those horns. 'Forever', on the other hand, is the album's definitive love song and I don't refer to it as such in passing or in any flimsy way. Pressure has demonstrated on the highest possible level that love songs are well within his capabilities (as is everything else) so you can't pass on it either. 'Forever' is lovely. It is melodic and a joy to listen to - everything you want from a love song.
Overall, I was attempting to make it as obvious as I possibly could at the beginning of the review: "REBEL WITH A CAUSE" IS FANTASTIC! It is one of the best releases that popped up during our break (and if you wanted to call it THEE best, that's fine as well) and all it did, really, was to fulfill on expectations. This talent is one of the greatest we've ever seen in Reggae music, from any era, and expecting Pressure, under the right set of circumstances, isn't too much... because he consistently shows us what he is capable of. Making an album alongside I Grade Records is clearly part of those "circumstances". Following a pair of outstanding full collaborations now, I think that goes without saying (though I would have likely said that even before "The Sound" reached) and I also think it doesn't need to be said that wrapping up this trilogy is inevitable at some point in the future. There is absolutely no reason at all that it should not happen and I am assuming that it will, eventually. Until then, we will continue to enjoy "The Sound" and "Rebel With A Cause". The second time around was just as powerful as the first as Pressure Busspipe, once again, proves himself to be amongst the greatest stars that all of Reggae music has to offer.... but you knew all of that already. FLAWELESS.
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