Right now, nothing fills a British dance floor faster than a dirty dancehall tune, BBC proclaims. In 2003, one sound is livening up the dancefloors of the UK and across the US of A. The sound of now is Dancehall.
“You can hear it in hip hop, UK garage records, it’s all gravy and it’s even got shiny pop acts like No Doubt sampling the Kingston style.
Dancehall music or, as some people call it, Bashment or Ragga takes the vibes of traditional reggae and mashes it up with the beats and booty of American hip hop and R ‘n’ B - you can hear it in clubs all over the country.”
To get a feel Protein recommends Greensleeves Ragga2003 with bombs from Elephant Man, Beenie Man, and Sean Paul - and then get your ass down to Notting Hill Carnival in August.
The Future?
Martin Clark reports in Vice Magazine: The Streets’ Mike Skinner was recently asked: “what’s the future?” He simply replied: “Dizzee Rascal.” Now 18, mc Dizzee Rascal of the Roll Deep crew stormed London’s garage rap scene in 2002 with ‘I Love You’, a bruising east end ‘lovers tiff’ noise assault which leaves US R&B in the land of Barbie and Ken. If the uk is spawning it’s own grimey, accelerated, sub-low version of hip hop culture, then below is the first in depth interview published with the scene’s most exciting vocalist and producer.
For more info on Dizzie see Ammocity’s interview.
