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Words by The Large—
DJ/writer/publisher/visual culture expert The Large is truly a “jill” of all trades. Her latest score is co-curating (along with Al Fingers) the super hype “Art in the Dancehall” exhibit currently on display in Birmingham, England, featuring the works of people like Limonious, Jamaal Peete, Tony McDermott, Sassafras, Robin Clare, Ellen G and more. Here she shares her thoughts on one of her aesthetic (and audio) inspirations, in Beenie Man’s “World Dance.”
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Words by Jesse Serwer, Photo by DJ Gravy—
Last week, we brought you a taste of our recent reasoning session with dancehall legend Nardo Ranks. In round two of our interview, Na-na-na-na-na-Nardo reflects on his apprenticeship on Jamaica’s Caveman Hi Power sound, his early sparring sessions with Wayne Wonder, and why New York City embraced his music before Jamaicans did. And we had to ask him for the stories behind the favorites for which he is best known: “Rikers Island” (with Cocoa Tea), “Burrup” and “Them a Bleach.” True to form, the self-described “different kind of actor, natural kind of character and human factor” delivers each tale in colorful fashion.
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Words by Jesse Serwer—
Nardo Ranks’ “Burrup” is one of those underground street classics that hit in NYC and other major U.S. cities right as dancehall was first starting to be embraced by hip-hop and the broader market. It’s seminal status remained in evidence when rapper Pusha T quoted the song’s lyrics (and sang its hook) in “Mr. Me Too” by the Clipse a decade and a half later. Though “Burrup” was not a major hit in his native Jamaica, with a catalog that also includes still-relevant tunes like “Them a Bleach” (the first song to directly address the topic of skin lightening treatments in Jamaica) and “New Jersey Drive” (a combination with Jr. Demus that tackled police harassment of Jamaicans), Nardo is truly “one of dem originals” and a legend in the dancehall.
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Words by Eddie STATS Houghton:::Photos by Martei Korley:::Artwork by Greg Burke—
Jamaica-born, Long Island-raised Greg Burke has designed covers for some of the most notable albums of the last two decades, from Missy Elliott’s Supa Dupa Fly to Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3—and a whole slew of ’90s underground rap classics, too, like Group Home’s Livin’ Proof. Currently, Burke is the VP creative director at Atlantic Records, where he oversees design packages for LPs by everyone from T.I. to Jason Mraz. In this sitdown interview at Atlantic’s Manhattan office, he shares stories from his days designing for Island, Elektra and Tommy Boy Records in the ’90s (including the particularly amusing tales of his hiring by the latter’s Tom Silverman, and a never-released design for Buju Banton), the dying art of CD booklet illustration and collaborating creatively with T.I. and Jay-Z.
