Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner: Reggae’s Toppa Top Food Tunes

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December 9, 2014


7. General Trees – “Eye No See”

general-trees-eye-no-see

Not knowing where meat is sourced is an ongoing problem in Jamaica. There’s been cases where horse, or donkey is passed off as beef; sometimes, even dog meat sneaks through! General Trees raised awareness about this epidemic back in the late ’80s with “Eye No See,” as did Major Mackerel on 1988’s Steely & Clevie-produced “Donkey Meat.” The difference is General Trees’ full-investigative approach to how people could be swindled either in a store or through buying street meat. The track also has a classic video, in which dramatized inspection ensures beef quality over equine, as Trees spies on a butcher to show the extent of his suspicion.

The lo-fi video, featuring red pants, red shoes, and slick dance moves from Trees, might look like an eyesore to some, but turning a blind eye to the underhanded meat smuggling would leave a far bigger scar in Jamaica, where the term farm-to-table doesn’t have the same connotations as it does in luxury markets like New York. – Richard “Treats” Dryden