Riddim Magazine #5 is out now

Reggae * Dancehall * Tunes * Culture

Coverstory

Beenie Man – Trickster Of The Dancehall

He has been repeatedly written off by his opponents. Haters have tried to pin a murder charge on him, gunned down his only real friend, attempted to smear the name of his fiancée, withheld songs from him and cancelled his shows, but he is too clever, too cunning and too resourceful to let anyone or anything stop him. Regardless of the personal and professional maelstroms he has faced, this dancehall trickster manages to magically reinvent himself and use the situations to propel his career forward as he proves in an interview with Ellen Koehlings & Pete Lilly. While his throne is much coveted, Beenie Man’s title as King of the Dancehall remains undisputed, even after 28 years in the music business.

Baby Cham – True Ghetto Stories

Yup, the kid’s back: the “Wow-Wow” roarin’ hyper-energy performer from Duhaney Park who once prowled in Bounty Killer’s shadow and who’s still the main mouthpiece of dancehall super-producer Dave Kelly. Baby Cham, sorry, Cham, as he will henceforth be known, has Jamaica and the whole reggae diaspora ‘pon lock in the 2K6. Hell, he even got Jamaica’s new PM Portia Simpson singin’: “We got the t’ing deh / dem outta luck now…” Ulli Gueldner catches up with Cham and tries to work out the real ghetto story. Wow-Wow!

The Family Man Case – A Wicked Act

Renowned bass player Aston “Family Man” Barrett along with his brother Carlton on drums comprised, arguably, the most important rhythm section in the history of Jamaican music. As the Wailers musical director Family Man toiled tirelessly alongside Bob Marley writing, playing, producing, arranging and touring in their mission to take the Wailers and reggae music to international prominence. 25 years after Marley’s passing Family Man sued members of the Marley clan as well as two record companies and three music publishers in an attempt to secure a share of what is his. He lost on all points due to testaments delivered by Rita Marley and Chris Blackwell which were at best inaccurate revisions of one of the most important entries in the reggae archives and at worst avarice driven distortions that have left Family Man destitute and nearly homeless. John Masouri was present when the judgement was pronounced.

Soul Syndicate – The Essence Of Roots

The Skatalites were the definitive ska group, as were The Supersonics during the subsequent rock steady era. The Revolutionaries practically defined the militant rockers sound of the late 70s and by the early 80s the signature playing of the The Roots Radics contributed to the music’s subsequent seismic shift towards dancehall. Although a number of groups made an impact during the early 1970s, the era’s most in demand backing band was Soul Syndicate whose distinctive, superbly crafted rhythms added another dimension to the roots reggae sound of the time. By David Katz

Reggae * Dancehall * Tunes * Culture

Beenie Man – Trickster Of The Dancehall

Baby Cham – True Ghetto Stories

Other stories in Riddim Magazine #5