Jahdan Blakkamoore: We Are Raiders 12

The Dutty Artz family is VERY pleased to announce that we’ve just finished the first artist release for DA, Jahdan Blakkamoore’s EP entitled “We Are Raiders”. Jahdan is a Brooklyn local hero and has been doing his thing for years. From providing the ragga verse on Smif & Wessun’s hip-hop classic Sound Bwoy Buriel to singing the chorus on my tune Brooklyn Anthem (known in the hood as the Craziest Riddim) Jahdan has done a lot. Now, the next phase. Me, Rupture, Geko and Jah D have been labbed up for the past 6 months in the depths of Brooklyn recording his album for Dutty Artz under the working title Buzzrock Warrior. The album is crazy, it’s JD continuing the grimey direction he and I started in with Brooklyn Anthem and branching out in others as well. Dubstep is present, Cumbia is in the building, mad digital Dancehall is there and a lot of stuff that I don’t even know what to call it. Reggae? Sort of. Hip-hop? mmm, yeah. R+B? Kinda.
We’re calling it New York Tropical, before someone comes up with an even stupider name. When we put some audio online you’ll be the first to know and you can stick your own labels to it. In the mean-time, here’s the 12″ art. The four track 12″ will be out first followed shortly by the CD which adds the instrumentals.

A few days ago I came across the Grime encyclopedia, an excellent resource for anyone interested in the music. You are free to look around and find what you like, but they offer links to the most popular pages, to the leaders in the field. Topnotch Grime DJ Logan Sama, who has a legal grime radio show on Kiss 100, offers free rips of tracks from his show. Hmm.. there’s also a wider array of free downloads here.

Doc1

Doctor – Rise The Temprature (Produced by Cotti) (Logan Sama Grimepedia rip)

I’ve had this tiny tune here on repeat for days.

Martin Clark wrote about Doctor and his yard roots in his montly Grime/Dubstep column for Pitchfork in 2005;

“Take Doctor. for example. Save Skepta, he’s probably the hottest MC on road right now. Accepted by the East MC camp, he’s a talented South London lyricist with a distinctive enough voice to put him in Trim or Kano’s league. The difference between Doctor and those others, however, is that he makes a feature of his yard roots[Flowing like you’re from “yard” usually means you’re black with Jamaican heritage]. He regularly switches from London chat to Jamaican slang and back, most prominently “Gotta Man?”.”

AMBUSH CREW CRAZIEST RIDDIM:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMOr3JbzyfQ[/youtube]

You thought I was joking when I said Brooklyn Anthem will not die. Well, after getting rinsed on the underground throughout the world and going mainstream through placement on Madden ’08 it’s now crossed over to the Brooklyn teen bashment dance scene, which is popping off on Youtube. To be totally honest, I had no idea this was happening. Klash just sent me a mail with about 40 youtube links of kids dancing to my tune. Big up to Island Superia sound for playing it and promoting their edit of the riddim. If you want to hear a clip of it with Cypha Soundz talking over it about their big teen dance on Mar 1st go to their myspace and play “March 1st Sea Breeze Manor” or check DJ Mountain Doo’s myspace.

My original name for it was the “718 Riddim” but everybody always just called it the “Brooklyn Instro”. Now these kids are calling it the “Craziest” and I like that. I figure it’s a good name for a riddim that just will not stop.

Now, the dancers:

{check the Dutty Artz Youtube Channel for many more of these, this is just four of them}
SELL OFF FAMILY:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpkWrls27DI[/youtube]

FORENZICK DANCERS:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJWBMbEm6Lo[/youtube]

GET MADD TV:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLPuFGcBV7o[/youtube]

BUT THIS IS WEB 2.0 — ISNT ADDING A DIFFERENT JPG ENOUGH?

all links via. i’ll rip jumbie-themed JA vinyl another day. until then (spot di 17 yr old genius):

stephenmacgregor

Heatwave – Rowdy 2007 reggae mix

(big mix! one of my 2008 resolutions is to attend a LDN Heatwave dance )

Forgaks – Unknown Number reggae mix

(not really mixed, burdened by weird volume drops and some glitches, but killer commentary and broken-out, labeled mp3s)

+ plus +

great Stelfox piece on the changing economy of Jamaica’s music industry:

“When voicing a riddim, artists are usually paid a flat fee by producers, not royalties, regardless of how well their song sells. Instead they make their fortunes from live performances and the recording of dubplates – custom versions of big hits calling out the name of a specific selector or sound system that are then played at dances or competitive sound clashes. The more in demand the artist or song, the more these dubplates cost, and with professional DJ teams around the world hungry for exclusive tracks, it’s a lucrative trade for top-tier performers. It is, in fact, the producers who are finding themselves cut out of reggae’s economic loop.”

– excerpt, Vinyl Has Been Eliminated, Dave Stelfox

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyQe-hdFUD4[/youtube]

With a more quiet, acoustic, sensitive bang, DATV#002 lands.

Dutty Artz family member Jahdan Blakkamoore and Fuego Campo are 2/3 of Noble Society along with Delie. Catch them here doing a special live acoustic set at Salon Lucero at the Bowery Poetry Club. Salon Lucero is a poetry and music event put on by Funkworthy crew member and DA family friend Elliel Lucero.

Jahdan and Fuego performed some new and old Noble Society material including tracks from their mixtape with DJ Child of Project Groundation Massive “Live From The Front Line” and tracks from “Take Charge” the debut Noble Society album which is in its final stages and soon to be unleashed on the world. I opened the video with a clip of one of my favorite tracks of theirs “She Told Me” a heartfelt and emotional song about Jahdan’s divorce from his wife of seven years over Fuego’s excellent not quite grime or dubstep riddim. They performed the song acoustic, which is in the video, along with their beautiful “Mama So Divine” a track which actually is acoustic on the record, inspired by Jahdan’s trip to Africa last year.

We’re speeding up, so watch out for our coverage of Trouble and Bass at love with Dexplicit and an exclusive interview we did the day after with Rupture asking the questions.

And yes, I know we promised cooking and street fashion, trust me, they’re coming.

Somehow despite our “organic” (chaotic) promotional style, people are buzzing about Dutty Artz and the pre-orders for the Dutty Remix Zero 12″ are coming in hot and heavy. It’s getting fattened up and groomed for cutting at Transition in London right now, so I swear it will actually come out, very very soon.

UK low-end bredren Sinden started off his (highly influential & generally awesome) Kiss FM radio show last night with the Cauto stormer from Dutty Remix Zero, Bona Vida! Tracklist. Seems like you can stream it back here for a week, although are my computer & I am not smart enough to make it work for us.

cauto

[Cauto]

Across the Atlantic, on my radio show last nite we aired an exclusive set by another Londoner, bassline/grime producer Dexplicit. Listen back. This will be available as a podcast soon.

Real badman ting. The dancehall arena is a harsh place, and the stakes are high. Some artists can make great records. And some can stand up in the arena and kill. Some can do both. There’s been a big resurgence in interest in Ninjaman lately, with a lot of LDN artists bigging him up and shouting him out. As Skepta, who’s Nigerian, said: “I think a lot of my caribbean friends didn’t want me to know about Ninjaman.”

Not gonna do a lot of long talking, for those who don’t understand patois just watch who gets a forward and during who’s song the bottles start flying. Peep Ninja throwing Supercats style back in his face at 1:20. Big clash.

NINJAMAN VS. SUPERCAT AT STING 1991:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0t-ANfbVyg[/youtube]

And Ninja was still a threat twelve years later in 2003, to such an extent that one of dancehall’s contemporary warlords felt the need to go beyond lyrics to lock off what he clearly saw as a serious lyrical threat to his then-new status.

NINJAMAN VS VYBZ KARTEL AT STING 2003: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP-6uTtm00g&feature=related[/youtube]

To my mind as soon as someone has to pick up a bottle in a lyrical war, they’ve lost the clash.

Finally, Ninja discusses the contemporary dancehall scene, and says some very pointed things. He’s cut his dreads, and looks like he’s been through a lot, and has a lot to say.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PmIPcxnWmI&feature=related[/youtube]

At night, when the big advertisers go away, NYC-area radio gets really good.

The stations that are satured with depressing, attention-grabbing ads for the army, “debt relief” usury, and McDonalds during the daytime… well, at night those ads dont go away, they widen to include Viagra-type ads. But they happen less frequently.

And between them unfolds incredible, alive radio. Some moments are great because of the music they play and others are great because of how live they make it all. The best combine both of these with technically virtuoso hiphop DJing. I’m convinced they edit it in advance because i’ve never once heard a mistake or an off-beat blend, it’s that good. We didn’t get any of that perfectionist Manhattan turntablism tonite, but it was bumpin nonetheless. Here’s what i heard:

radio 05aradio 05aradio 05aradio 05aradio 05a

nYc aIrwAves – dUTtY rAdIo RiP (30 min., 28 MB)

This is EXACTLY what New York City sounds like right now. Midnite to 3AMish? I’m skipping around stations, but La Kalle and Hot 97 are well-represented, and the weird stuff at the end is WFMU. Recorded onto a flagging harddrive from one of those cd-cassette units that resemble the head of a praying mantis or ant.

clean music rubs right off – the dutty stuff stains

Dutty Artz –> Dutty Wine, bassline time, seen?

DJ Q – Dutty Wine

big up Q & his large version of Tony Matterhorn’s avalanche of a riddim. buy it here. this riddim wont be up here for long, WE ALL GOTTA EAT.

Dutty Wine also happens to be one of our fav youtube searches. for example this brave Colombian boy!?!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtIiA6rMMFo&feature=related[/youtube]

77klash
A big shout out to Diplo for showing my riddim “Mad Again” a lot of love on his Mad Decent blog. The tune is with 77Klash spitting and dancehall legend Johnny Osbourne on the chorus. For those of you who’ve heard it on myspace now’s your chance to grab it on an exclusive preview download.

Move quickly because I’m not sure how long it’ll be up there for DL. Wierdly he’s got a different tune called Mad Again coming out on his label with among others a remix from my boy Drop The Lime, great minds think alike I guess.

Watch out for the tune coming soon on the Iron Shirt mixtape as well as on 77Klash’s Code Fi Di Streets EP.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrVmEQIsWmw[/youtube]Boom! The first episode of Dutty Artz Television (aka DATV#001) lands with a bang and crash.

Check out the DA family repping at NYC’s original and best dubstep night Dub War. DJ /Rupture, Geko Jones and Jahdan pon mic. It was a wicked night, the sound was booming, the vibes were strong and Rupture dropped a whole bunch of exxxclusive Dutty material including a bunch of tunes by myself. Check the video and watch my Can’t Breathe Remix fuck up the place when it drops. Starting the episode is new producer Cauto from Barcelona’s Bona Vida another BIG tune that will be out very soon, along with the Can’t Breathe Remix on our first release DA00 DUTTY REMIX ZERO 12″.

Shout out to Dave Q from Dub War, we did a great interview but the sound didn’t come thru, we’ll get you next time fam. Shouts to everyone who was in the building: Elliel and 3rd Rayl from Funkworthy Sound, Human, DJ Child from PGM, Twin Sounds, Star Eyes from T&B, Secret Agent Gel, NRON, Lamin, First City Crew and all the ravers raving!

Watch this space and our new YouTube channel for further episodes and updates, upcoming features include our own NYC Street Fashion coverage and Cooking with the Family, a segment where we watch our musician friends cook their favorite dishes.

Available in both downloadable Podcast and YouTube formats. iTunes compatibility coming soon (fuck apple).

Podcast:

[display_podcast]

Big tings a gwan in Klash City. 77Klash has been hard at work on his riddim The Swarm and now it’s time to show the world. With the Aidonia version “Ah You” aka “Hot Fuck” already blown up Klash is turning his attention to promoting some of the other artists on the riddim, including local BK hero Jahdan.

Here’s Jahdan’s version of The Swarm, recorded with Noble Society partner Delie and providing the title cut for the riddim. I just saw them do this live last night in NYC and they FUCKED UP THE PLACE. Big tune, serious. The song received Download of the week on iTunes last week and garnered thirty thousand downloads in a very short time. The entire riddim segment (including a very surprising version by singing white girl Allison Faith) is available for sale on iTunes. All money garnered from sales will go to making more hot music, so make sure you go and vote with your dollars for our movement. This, along with a riddim medley of The Swarm will be featured on the forthcoming Iron Shirt street album which is in the mixing stages. This will be the debut release on me (Matt Shadetek) and DJ /Rupture’s new Dutty Artz label.

You heard it here first. Dutty Artz is the new movement, a label and family of like minded individuals living in Brooklyn. Rupture and I have gotten sick of putting up with people not understanding how to move with our music or second guessing us and have decided to take our business fully into our own hands. Already the initial line up of releases and projects is looking very powerful indeed. After a few years of running Shadetek Records independently I had gotten sick of doing business and wanted to just focus on music, but the result was a loss of creative control as I started dealing with P+D deals, labels, etc, all with their own opinions about how and what I should put out. Now, taking the power and stress and responsibility into my own hands I feel more focused and motivated than ever. There’s no risk without reward so we’ve decided to put our money where our mouth is and go hard. Watch this space.

And, for those of you who may have missed it, 77Klash’s excellent vocal of his own Scallawah riddim (popularized by Turbulence with his number one smash hit “Notorious”) now has a youtube video. I actually really like the still photo aesthetic they’ve utilized here and long wanted to do something similar after seeing Chris Marker’s excellent experimental film La Jetee, which 12 Monkeys was based on. Here you have a Jamaican version, with running title commentary, 77Klash featuring Tonto Marijuana “Ratings”. I’m still learning to use this new blog so this video was fucking up my formatting, it’s at the bottom.

Thanks to Sam and the good people over at The Fader blog for linking this up as well. Also thanks to Yardflex.com for this article on Klash with a mention of our project, along with the fact that we got included on EA Sports Madden ’08 soundtrack, the Madden franchise is one of the biggest selling video games in the world. Our distorted ass fucked up BK grime tune is sharing space with Justin Timberlake, Swizz Beats and a bunch of famous rock bands. If you had told me this would have happened a few years ago I would have called you a liar, but there you go.

Journalists, bloggers, this is the text of the press release, copy and paste it into your articles: In 2007, 77Klash has been busy concocting his latest riddim opus, The Swarm. Influenced by electro-rock and old school reggae, The Swarm features several notable artists including Luthan Fyah, up and coming superstar Idonia, Brooklyn Anthem singer Jahdan, the international dancehall phenom Vybez Kartel and a host of Jamaican voices new and old. The riddim is smashing up dances from Kingston to Brooklyn. The Swarm Riddim, now available for sale on iTunes is also available on Klash City Records with distribution through Bob Marley’s legendary Tuff Gong label on 7″ 45. With this and his future project 77Klash is set to usher in the new generation of reggae vibes. 77Klash and Jahdan along with Matt Shadetek are responsible for last years underground smash Brooklyn Anthem, currently featured on EA’s Madden ’08 soundtrack. The Swarm riddim medley will be featured on Iron Shirt’s forthcoming street album, the debut CD release on Matt Shadetek and DJ /Rupture’s Dutty Artz label. Also check out the Youtube vids for the tunes on the Swarm, and if you’ve been living under a rock, Brooklyn Anthem.

THE SWARM WHISKEY BAGGIO & LUTAN FIYAH:

THE SWARM AIDONIA “AH YOU”:

BROOKLYN ANTHEM:

plus, 77KLASH feat. TONTO MARIJUANA “RATINGS” (on Klash’s Scallawa riddim):