Video: Wyclef Jean f. Mavado, “Hold On”

It’s been a rough 2010 for Wyclef so far: first and most obvious, he’s had to deal with the actual tragedy of his home country’s devastation, and then, he’s had to defend against accusations that his non-profit organization to aid said home country is not on the up and up. We don’t know enough about Yéle to tell you what to do or not do, but we can tell you to keep giving to whatever organization you trust to spend your donations to Haiti properly. Most of the world will inevitably move on to some other priority, but the need will remain. It would be good to see more collaborations like this one to keep the light on conditions not just in Haiti right now but everywhere at all times. Natural disasters should not be the only time we pay attention. So yeah, give to Haiti, but don’t let that be the end of your engagement.

Busy Signal, “Pon Me (Pon de Floor Riddim)” MP3

It came out so long ago we can’t remember if we heard anyone chat over Major Lazer’s indefatigable “Pon de Floor,” but chances are whoever did sucked yakballz compared to Busy Signal’s ferocious take. We didn’t think it could get any spazzier but Busy’s frenetic, wine-instructive cadence chops it up like a top chef and gives a song that ran our summer a brand new life. If “Pon de Floor” was the audio embodiment of Skerrit Bwoy daggering a lady off a ladder, this would be his Evel Kneivel/Man on Wire feat, a wild skydive of a thing.



Download: Busy Signal, “Pon Me” (via Imagelala)

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Video: Vybz Kartel, “Unfaithful”

Here’s what you gotta love about Vybz: at no time is he not willing to be an a-hole. With most male R&B—which this song can clearly be compared to—the singer plays the role of the scorned, winning the hearts and minds of lady listeners by playing the sympathy card. The women listen and say, “I would never do that to Ne-Yo” and the end result is Ne-Yo (or whoever) bones. Vybz on the other hand is like, “So I was boning this chick and you’re not gonna believe this BUT SHE WAS MARRIED and husband dude walked in on us and oh man was it funny.” And the women listen and say, “I would cheat on my crappy BF with Vybz” and the end result is Vybz bones. Only the difference is Vybz isn’t manipulating his female listeners’s minds to bone, he’s just putting his willingness to bone out there, which in the end is much more respectful. (via Riddim Mafia)

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Los Rakas, “No Dicen Na” MP3

Los Rakas first came to our attention via Stereotyp’s skullcrushing remix of their “Cuanado Hay Guerrapella.” We spent the ensuing hours after hearing that scouring the internet for Los Rakas dancehall/rap en Español jams, found some and then promptly forgot how awesome they are (internet dementia). Thankfully, our bro Boima reminded us of said awesomeness and pointed to this song from their new album Panabay Twist 2: La Tanda Del Bus, available for pennies on the jam on Bandcamp.



Download: Los Rakas, “No Dicen Na”

Download: Los Rakas, Panabay Twist 2: La Tanda Del Bus

The Gaza-Gully Peace Treaty of 2009

Vybz and Mavado coming together in a government building to declare their long feud over for the sake of actual peace in the streets of Kingston is by no means insignificant, but people on both sides are understandably skeptical of any lasting detente. However, watching them clown around in this press conference video reminds us of the time we got called into the principal’s office for slapfighting with a friend. The principal was all like “You two must shake hands and make amends, this is a civilized place of study not a boxing ring.” And we were like “You know what man he’s right. We should stop not being best friends and be best friends as of this very moment. Violence is not the answer. Thank you, Mr Principal.” Then we went outside and kicked each other in the balls. What can you do? Point being, this news story is awesome and hilarious and we hope that Vybz and Mavado’s honest truce does inspire their fans to chill out, while at the same time we hope the two continue to challenge each other as frequently as possible. Because in the end, what’s more entertaining to watch, real peace or fake war? (via Riddim Mafia)

Video: Major Lazer, “Keep It Goin’ Louder” (Eric Wareheim Version)

It appears the original video for this song from our Summer Music cover stars just wasn’t weird enough, what with all the animated zombies and whatnot. So for round two, Eric Wareheim, who also directed “Pon De Floor”, puts a bunch of voluptuous ladies’ faces through the WTF Machine. (via GvsB)

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Mavado, “War is in the Air (Israel Riddim)” MP3

If you don’t know dancehall, naming a riddim “Israel” to spite your arch nemesis and his “Gaza” empire might be so politically mind-boggling that you disregard it as a minor slap on the wrist. For those in the crossfire of the Gaza vs. Gully feud, the Alliance’s Israel Riddim is symptomatic of something much bigger bubbling underneath the dancehall scene’s surface and it’s emphasized best in Mavado’s track, which he earnestly calls “War is in the Air.” Despite this riddim’s dark forecast, it features a more than a few artists who’ve been making waves in the dancehall world, most outstandingly Fagan Fraternity’s Flexx, who popped up on the periphery with his heavy tone and a knack for clever tongue lashings that we can only hope keeps him heavy in the dancehall boxing ring. (via Dancehallzone)



Download: Mavado, “War is in the Air”

Vybz Kartel, “Yeah Though I Walk” MP3

Vybz is looking deep into his interior life to describe his day-to-day on this compelling track, reciting the 23rd Psalm and sounding as mournful as he ever has. “Yeah Though I Walk” comes from his 22-track album Pon di Gaza, which he wrote last summer during a particularly down time in his life. And now that it’s out, Hot97 playing “Ramping Shop” on heavy rotation nine months after the fact finally begins to make sense!



Download: Vybz Kartel, “Yeah Though I Walk” (via Triniposse)

Jahdan Blakkamoore, Bazooka Shot Mixtape

We’d like to think that if this was 2004, people would be going nuts and spending actual dollars on this mix like it was Piracy Funds Terrorism (did people spend money on that?). It doesn’t have the same balls to the wall range, but it does have balls to the wall bass and dancehall experimenters taking the Busy Signal route and voicing over just about anything the Dutty Artz crew can think of. Jahdan Blakkamoore doesn’t get quite as weird as Busy on any of these tracks, but he does get on a couple well known instrumentals (and Joker’s “Digidesign”) as well as a bunch of songs with laser noises. Less heavy than his upcoming Buzzrock Warior, but the perfect way to ride out the rest of your Summer.

Download: Jahdan Blakkamoore Bazooka Shot Mixtape

Freeload: Terry Lynn, “Jamaican Girls” (prod Johan of Radioclit) MP3

Terry Lynn, responsible for one of the grimiest videos of 2008, has joined up with Johan Hugo of Radioclit/The Very Best to make this new track from the forthcoming free digital EP called It Was Written. The five songs on the EP, presented by Red Stripe Beer, “celebrate the worldwide influence of Jamaican music,” something we have been celebrating at FADER for over 10 years now. You’ll be able to get the full EP on Monday, June 15th, at www.thefader.com/redstripe, but enough with the formalities! This song is way more fun than one might expect from Lynn, who last we saw her, if our memory serves correct, was pointing a giant gun at us in a video. Here’s to finding time in your busy schedule to appreciate your womanhood!



Download: Terry Lynn, “Jamaican Girls” (prod Johan of Radioclit)

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