Caught myself watching MTV and stumbled upon Katy B. Gosh we're so late this side of the world, I swear London I miss you. Dubstep to rhatid! I dig how the culture just evolves as it leaves Jamaica. Beautiful timing too as I test songs like ME DAT with an album soundscape in mind I feel Dubstep as a beautiful transition. So I'm watching this fiery redhead tell the world shes on a mission, love dat Katy... me too.
love this interpretation of Broken Record even without the drums the raw songs and some elements put you right into the song
Right now, I'm feeling like some more intimate settings just like this, are needed to really bring you into my world of music - hmm and me out of my shell for that matter. This year was nothing like last years 'Crackers and Jam', far more relaxed. Could still get more comfortable though. I realized long ago that singing some of the favourites that we grew up on and our parents grew up on is a great way to get everyone familiar and involved - shaking my head to flashback of everyone singing John Legends Ordinary People.
I could definitely see a setup like this; living room or garden, hot chocolate and brownies, soup and fruits, chips and dip, pizza and beer, maybe wine, cheese, crackers and 'jam'. You could bring a few friends, play an instrument, read some poetry and enjoy. I'd just make sure record it nice and clean for those that cant make it. I'm actually working on covering some songs with 'Emz' the cellist/hostess with the most-est right now.
I'm talking some John legend and Music Soulchild, Nat King Cole and Bill Withers, Stevie and Michael, some Bob and D Brown, Donny Hathaway and Luther, etc etc ...So yeah send me your requests, tell me you'd come... and if I put that together as a DVD would you want one?
So! For all the artists out there... I want to know everyone's recording stylo.
For me ... I prefer the room to be dark, absolutely NO ONE in the booth with me, shoes off, one headphone on the other off, a little reverb, but absolutely no echo and an engineer as anal as I am :-D And, I always do my little dancing/jumping routine b4 to get in the zone.
Hehehe. Hit me up and share your secrets! :) As always ...
No lights or low lights is my preference too cos I like to clown around to loosen up. Also because I like to get lost in the song without feeling too self conscious. I want to feel like I'm giving an amped performance to a crowd of at least 70,000 so I have a tendency to jump around on the spot for a few minutes too to get my heart pumping. I visualize a huge stage and roaring people out there, big walls of speakers, bright lights, smoke machines the works. Then I quiet it all right down to near silence. Just the sound in my head as I hum keeping my voice warm (as I should have been throughout, since at least like 20 min before). Now I imagine I'm completely alone. One headphone on to hear the music and it has to be loud with my vocals underneath, one off to hear myself. Please no effects I want my voice sounding as dry as possible. I'm ready...
Who is Kabaka Pyramid? I feel like you need to catch up and go cop The Transition Vol 2 if you don't know. This is one of my favourite partners in rhyme. Introduced to me by, now the 'Angel MC', Rap Brown years ago, when the landscape was lonely for an MC. I still got a CD from him with 'Ronny P. Clarkes, Sea full of madness promo' on my desk right now. I remember listening to it and feeling that 'in too deep bewilderment' like when I first listened to Wu Tang and had to put it down for a while. "I never ready for that!"... neither the rest of the world.
Officially reintroduced years later by TSD & Inztinkz The Beatscientist as Ronny P, he explained to me with Rza and Gza clarity what Bebble Team was all about. I remember that, 'I wan hear everything!' feeling I got like when I was ready for '36 Chambers' and was studying how a crew could be rolling 8 members deep over beats so sick. Blew my mind. He gave me a bunch of Myspace profiles to check including one for Ronny P and one for Kabaka, and thats the joke we always muse over.
Studying the lyricism, the beat construction and choices and then image, I never realised this 'bald head' New York/Kingston streets walking sounding Ronny P was the same consciously chanting/Sing-jay'ing Kabaka Pyramid with him short dreads. It sounded like two different people.
Thats the Unique Selling Point of the emerging Jamaican MC; being Multi Cultural. I realised we are on a similar journey. Having the ability to lean on extremely rich and at times contrasting cultures presents the question and the answer...
'Which sound I goin give yuh?'
Well 'The sound' is exactly what kabaka finds. He explains to The Jamaica Star how the Rebel Music EP has a new feel based on fusing his different musical influences. The sound is effectively fresh and yet very familiar all at once. That ol' time rubadub grandad shakes his foot to, and that bounce that every hip hop head needs, while being presented in a way that catches the ears of everyone between. Something for all.
Pyramid continues his transition, and emerges Kabaka with that Rebel Music bridging the gaps between the cultures that dominate the Jamaican experience. He keeps your third eye open and your head bouncing to include production from King Biggz, Zinc Fence, and vocals from Protoje, Koro-Fyah and yours truly.
Now press play let it beat out you speakers!
Also checkout these other tracks I've featured on with Kabaka Pyramid
“To me....Reggae and Hip Hop go hand in hand....when they procreate, Rebel Music is born! Some believe that each art form must remain pure....I’m not here to oppose. But fusion is the foodstuff of evolution, and evolution is constant - both physically and spiritually” Kabaka Pyramid
Yeah it kinda just hit me and I'm just having an Amy moment. I've never seen so much raw emotion just pour out of someone this way. Certainly not in this generation. Amy could get free bwoy, and she had the brass ovaries enough to let you see absolutely everything she had to go through to get that free.
Last weekend I found myself around a piano with a few of my favourite people and some hot chocolate. I'm thinking its been a year since our last 'Crackers and Jam'...
Last year went something like this:
Somewhere between the valley of Kingston and the peaks of The Blue Mountains sits Craig Hill. In a living room where a cloud rolling through your window is normal and cell phone reception isn’t, my friend 'Emz' hosts a final jam session before heading off the island.
...Cellos, violins, the company of music professors… I was feeling a bit out of my depth. With so much talent in one room it was much more a mini concert than a jam, but after so much more wine than crackers I worked something out with Djenee at the piano, Kamardo on Bass, and Songo on drums. My time now... At one point I made the mistake of saying "play anything lemme sing". When they put together Isley Brothers - Between the sheets I got help fumbling over some lyrics for a while before remixing it into Big Poppa and everyone joined in. Classic!
Was a great night. Biggup to Emz, friends and fam, lets do that again soon.
