DJ King Pop – Flatbush Island Vol.1
One of the defining musical investments in my career as a listener was the period just before and just after 9/11, when Dancehall Reggae came to my sheltered, affluent neighborhood. As much as Sizzla’s album Praise Ye Jah was just another excuse to “bun challice” (see track entitled “Bun Challice” ), Sizzla’s seminal Black Woman & Child was an access point to spirituality, however novel, and a meaningful departure from pop-music’s allergy to themes of spirituality and high morals.
While Google would quickly dispense with any notion of Rastafarianism’s validity, and from closer listens emerged the meaning of “batty” (derogatory Jamaican slang for “homosexual”), still Dancehall pervaded my liberal community with potent themes of unity, peace, education, and the freedom to meditate using marijuana. To this day friends pursue careers in Dancehall production, some even moving to Miami where regional proximity and participation in the genre’s increasing propensity for adopting Rap and R&B rituals, that is, among many things, the mixtape game.
So with out further ado, I bring you, a Dancehall mixtape, as well as a reminder of Reggae’s essential place in the increasingly nebulous world of electronic music often showcased here on Trash Menagerie. This particular mixtape comes courtesy of DJ King Pop, from the tropical island of Flatbush, showcasing the pastiche of undeniable, purely irie-eyes inducing sounds of Reggae music.
This is also a mix that smartly distances itself from the near frentic pace of most Dancehall mixtapes, infusing it instead with moments of irony amidst a genuine love for the craft of the mixtape itself. Pieced together with sharp attention to detail, as well as a thread of comic relief in the case of some R&B refixes, this one is meant hang out to dry on your apartment stoop, inviting the coming change in seasons and inviting neighbors to celebrate 4/20 a day late; sorry, I forgot. An additional bonus nug will also be found courtesy of King Pop. Roll it up.
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DJ King Pop – Flatbush Island, Vol. 1
Tracklist HERE.
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Lil’ Wayne – Mrs. Officer (K!NG POP Refix)
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Fist post.
Endorsement to this, seen?
Comment by middle age — April 23, 2009 @ 10:51 am