Jun 20, 2013
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS


Posts tagged: Verse Simmonds

Lovin the Crew: Kardinal Offishall Introduces Island Boy Cartel

Words by Jesse Serwer—

Kardinal Offishall's Island Boy Cartel

When we spoke with Kardinal Offishall last summer, we noted the quantity of fellow West Indian folks in the Jamaican-Canadian MC’s circle, from rapper The Kid Daytona (an Antiguan) to DJ Benny Demus (a Virgin Islander) and Prince and Omar from clothing brand RepJAl—all of whom appeared in his video for “The Invention of Truth”—and inquired as to whether he’d ever entertained a project organizing that talent pool. While Kardinal said he liked the idea, he noted the timing had to be right. “I think it would be good for everybody to come together but we also have to be able to read the times: The Caribbean influence in music comes in waves,” he said. “You have to be sure that if you’re gonna do it, it’s at a time when people are open to it.”

Tags:, , , , , , , , , ,


Now Things: A Q+A with Watch the Throne Producer Sham “Sak Pase” Joseph

Words by Jesse Serwer—

Haitian-American producer Shama (Sham) Joseph first landed on our radar with his production for Rihanna’s “Man Down.” The reggae-flavored hit (now officially a touchstone) brought RiRi back to her Caribbean roots but also grabbed our attention with the opening tag, “Sak Pase!”— “What’s happening” in Kreyòl. Building on the momentum of “Man Down,” Sham placed “Who Gon Stop Me” and “Made it in America,” two of the best tracks on Kanye West and Jay-Z’s blockbuster Watch the Throne album. Apparently, he was just getting warmed up, though, as a partial list of the artists he’s working with currently reads like a list of hip-hop, R&B and dancehall’s biggest hitmakers of the last 10 years: Sean Paul, T.I., Keyshia Cole, Usher, Ciara, Busta Rhymes, Chris Brown, Mavado. So whether you’ve got Haitian friends or not, get used to hearing “Sak Pase!” a whole hell of a lot. We recently spoke with the Fort Lauderdale, Florida native over the phone from his current homebase in Atlanta.

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , ,


-->