Reggae

Stylo G ft. Sister Nancy – Badd

The name of this tune is a very apt description of it.  In fact, I would even support throwing a few more “d”‘s on the end of the title 🙂  Stylo G is a London based deejay that I saw mentioned in an article from The Guardian.  Since I had never heard of him before, I looked him up on YouTube and while there were obviously a few different tracks that came up in the search, I was immediately drawn to this one because I saw it featured Sister Nancy.

Before we get to the track in question, a little history lesson is in order. The name Sister Nancy may not mean much to the casual reggae fan, but she is widely regarded as the first ever female dancehall deejay.  Even if you have never heard of her, I can almost guarantee you have heard her most famous song which is considered a classic reggae anthem (it has also been remixed and sampled countless times).  Female dancehall artists were such a rarity at the time, she had to add lyrics to her song to make sure people were aware of her gender (“I’m a lady, I’m not a man”).

 

Given that “Bam Bam” was released in the early 1980’s, you can hopefully understand the intrigue involved with seeing Sister Nancy featured on a track nearly 30 years later.  With that context, behold this wonderful homage to Sister Nancy and what I consider the golden age of dancehall reggae.

 

This track is pure fire, it’s got great production and a fun video.  The thing I love most about it though is the way it pays its repsects to the giant whose shoulders it stands on.  Having Sister Nancy in the video to bless it with her vocals was a classy move.  Needless to say, I am now officially a fan of Stylo G and will be digging into some of his other tracks.

For those of you who are curious about the article I read in the The Guardian, I’ve posted the link to it below:

Strictly Roots: The Great British Reggae Revival

You will note the title of the article references what they are calling the revival of reggae in Britain.  The term “Reggae Revival” has been used a lot the last few years to describe the rising tide of conscious reggae artistes (such as Protoje and Chronixx) coming to the forefront of the Jamaican music scene.  The article makes note of the fact that this tide has spilled over into the UK, starting a renaissance in their once flourishing reggae scene.  Avid readers of this blog however will take note that TickuTalk has been ahead of the curve in this regard and already identified this trend in many posts over the last year (including these ones about Chainska Brassika and FatLion HiFi).

Another thing that I learned from the article was that Stylo G’s producer, Cadenza, is actually the son of the legendary David Rodigan (who needs no introduction in the reggae world).  I had heard of Cadenza before (whose real name is Oliver Rodigan), but never made the connection.  David Rodigan is a priceless treasure in the reggae world for his wealth of musical knowledge in the genre.  He is a living link to a past that many have forgotten, and I enjoy listening to his BBC radio broadcasts not just for the music he plays, but for the stories and history lessons he imparts to his audience.  I find it comforting to know that the mountains of irreplaceable vinyl (and acetate dubplates for that matter) David Rodigan has accumulated over his life will likely be passed on to his son and not lost to the dustbins of history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *