laid-back drum patterns. Baby
Rasta’s sensual, yearning “De Ti Me Enamore” deftly moves between tender bolero, with lazy strings and sparse bongo drums, and hip-
LUNY TUNES MAS FLOW: LOS & TAINY BENJAMINS shaking reggaetón- bachata. Even when
MAS FLOW/MACHE TE they shy away from
fusion-heavy material,
Since moving to Flow series, recon- Luny Tunes and their Puerto Rico from firms the duo’s repu- 17-year-old protégé, Boston in 2001, pro- tation for consistent Tainy, confidently ducers Francisco sonic innovation, craft crisp, infectious, “Luny” Saldaña taking inspiration from out-the-box tracks and Victor “Tunes” unexpected musical like Arcángel y De La Cabrera have laid the genres. The festive Ghetto’s pop-friendly sonic blueprint for “Noche de Entierro “Mi Fanatica,” all lay-reggaetón’s explo- (Nuestro Amor),” ered, New Wave–style sion, experimenting featuring Daddy synths and snap-with everything Yankee, Wisin & heavy intervals. At from adrenaline- Yandel, Hector El a time when skeptics pumping hip hop Father, Zion, and dismiss reggaetón (Daddy Yankee’s Tonny Tun Tun, fuses as a passing fad, “Gasolina”) to plead- the playful gaita flutes Luny Tunes & Tainy ing bachata guitars and rousing accor- prove that the genre (Don Omar’s “Dile”). dions of vallenato may have a second Los Benjamins, the (Colombian folk trick up its sleeve, or third installment of music) with a hard- even more. their popular Mas hitting bass line and Celia San Miguel
LUNY TUNES: SOFIA ALAYON; KIDZ IN THE HALL: OLUWASEYE; BAN TON: MARLON “AJAMU” MYRIE
class / Son of two physicians / Still hung with niggas heavy in the D / Like they was playing for the Pistons.”
That’s part of what makes this South Side
NALEDGE + DOUBLE O SCHOOL WAS ARE KIDZ IN THE HALL MY HUSTLE scribe so relatable; he’s as quick to cry for
MAJOR LEAGUE/RA WKUS revolution, as he does over the empowering
“I rock for the thugs, soul, that they’re the horns of “Move on Up,” rock for the hipsters, closest thing going to as he is to holler at a rock for the backpack the sound of the indie chick with a hint of niggas holding their fists boutique’s bounteous Vicky’s Secret thong up,” Naledge demo- early days. Like showing on “Ms. cratically declares on Chicago brethren Juanita.” What pushes the brassy “Wassup Kanye West and Lupe School Was My Hustle Jo’.” As part of Rawkus Fiasco, Naledge above B-grade revival Records’ attempted doesn’t just assume the is the chemistry renaissance, the Kidz— role of the everyman— between MC and DJ-Naledge, along with he epitomizes it. On producer. If Rawkus producer Double O— “Cruise Control,” he has any hopes of prove, with a debut full explains: “College grad rejuvenation, it lies of conscious but rap star, walking within the notebooks of unpreachy lyrics and contradiction / Juxta- these well-teamed grubby, atmospheric position black middle scholars. Damien Scott
BOOMSHOTS Reggae Riddims & Reality by Rob Kenner
BUJU BANTON’S latest album, dancehall, Buju’s lyrics—
Too Bad (Gargamel), is one of especially when “translated”
his best—a throwback to the into proper English—sounded
raw dancehall attack of 1993’s monstrous. He soon appeared
Mr. Mention (Penthouse) after on the New York Post’s front
years of rootsier fare in the ’Til page, grinning beside the
Shiloh vein (Loose Cannon, headline “HATE MUSIC.”
1995). Instead of crooning tunes Now 33, Buju remains the
for Jah, Buju’s voice has protesters’ preferred piñata. And
returned to that old familiar while their outrage is under-
sound of gravel poured into a standable, it’s also become
Waring blender. On the cine- counterproductive. The ongoing
matic hustling saga “Driver A.,” protests have inspired dozens of
he rides Sly & Robbie’s “Taxi” equally lurid “batty boy tunes,”
riddim like a champion jockey. many specifically declaring
But as he set out on a solidarity with Buju though,
promotional tour of the United ironically, Buju is one of the few
States this summer, many of his dancehall artists who hasn’t
performances were protested, recorded any new records on
relocated, and even canceled the subject in the past fourteen
due to a well-organized cam- years. (And how quickly Buju’s
paign by gay-rights activists. finest moments—songs like
At issue, of course, is his con- “Murderer” and “Untold Sto-
troversial antigay single “Boom ries”—are forgotten.) Also, raw
Bye Bye,” a song he released as it may be, his new album
back in 1992, when he was 19, bears no trace of “hate music.”
that has haunted him ever since. Buju still performs “Boom
“I never argue with the gay Bye Bye” at some concerts, but
organizations,” Buju said wearily how could he not? The relent-
during a recent Connecticut tour less protests have elevated an
stop. “But they always try to obscure musical footnote to an
suppress I.” unworthy anthem—not just for
Buju was hardly the first Buju, but for the entire genre.
reggae artist to express his
disapproval of homosexuality,
nor the first to evoke gunshots
to drive his point home. Ballistic
hyperbole pervades the vocabu-
lary of Jamaican dancehall.
“Boom Bye Bye” was, though, one of the first “batty boy tunes”
(as the sad subgenre is known) to cross over to American radio stations. When the song was heard outside the context of the
HEAVY ROTATION
ROGER ROBIN Take It Slow (VP)
VARIOUS ARTISTS The Biggest
One-Drop Anthems 2006
(Greensleeves)
HORACE ANDY Natty Dread
a Weh She Want (Trojan)
ROB SYMEONN The Chosen
One (RedBud)
TONY TUFF SAY SOMETHING
(Minor 7 Flat 5)
References:
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