Producers Emch of Subatomic Soundsystem and Benny Beats of Nomadic Wax put their heads together (in association with People’s Records in Kingston, Jamaica) to give the five tracks on the NYC-2-Africa EP to the world — and possibly to set it on fire.
This is a project so explosive it needed three record labels in three different parts of the world to handle it. The heavy, heavy riddim EP starts with “Dem Can’t Stop We From Talk,” an incendiary track from Anthony B of Jamaica.
It boils with rage and faith and the liner notes to the EP explain why:
Anthony B’s politically charged anthem is particularly riveting because it called out JA’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding at the time he was struggling with civil war surrounding the United States-requested extradition of “Dudus,” a don from the Tivoli Gardens garrison district of Kingston and a leader of the Prime Ministers main constituency—an obvious point of hypocrisy.
When Anthony first heard the African drums, his eyes lit up and he and his crew began a classic African call and response chant to the beat. After listening to the riddim over and over on repeat, he demanded to go straight into the studio and, without a word written, delivered a blistering performance, waiving his lighter and literally jumping off the walls of the vocal booth while singing like a man possessed by inspiration.
Watch Anthony B recording “Dem Can’t Stop We From Talk” live in the studio. If the defiant fire of his words doesn’t make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, then you have been on the Internet too long. Go outside.
But first, check out the rest of NYC-2-Africa, because it also contains an aching and urgent plea for environmental conservation from Sierra Leone’s Bajah of Bajah and the Dry Eye Crew (“Too Much Destruction of the Earth”) and “Real Authentic Vibes” from NYC based emcee Jahdan Blakkamoore.
Listen to Bajah here before going over to Subatomic Sound System and checking out the rest:
Bajah w/ Subatomic Sound System & Nomadic Wax – Too Much Destruction of the Earth by SubatomicSound
Related
Bajah and The Dry Eye Crew Cover Paul Simon and Vampire Weekend. Really?!
Photo Credit: subatomicsound.com