BOOMSHOTS Heavy Rotation: Lady Saw, Khago, Buju Banton
Once again we're locked and fully loaded with musical ammunition, so let's get right to the reggaematical selections for your weekend listening pleasure. It ain't hard to tell that "Hold Yuh" has had the radio waves on lock for most of 2010, with producer/singer Ricky Blaze riding the wave and even Young Money's own Nicki Minaj surfing on a Brooklyn-built groove that sounds almost as raw as a Don One dubplate. Gyptian's original had radio censors caught up in spelling debates—did the singer say "tightest H-O-L-D" or something else entirely? Is he talking about a warm embrace or Kegel exercises?
But as usual, Lady Saw erases all ambiguity. The Dancehall Queen's xtra-raw version gets right to heart of the matter, leaving nothing to the imagination. (Patois check: When Saw says a boy gave her "the biggest hood me ever get inna my life" that means exactly what you think it does.) Would all these Barbz and RiRis on your radio dial even be possible without Muma Saw? "You know what?" she told Boomshots, "I love them. I love Nicki. I love Rihanna... Maybe if we lucky, i hear they reached out to my people and they want me to do a collab with her for her next album... And you know Foxy was my girl for a long time but then we had some disagreement. You know, cause I don't believe in people being rude." Seckle Muma Saw! When it comes to rudeness, nobody does it better. Run the track...
Next up is a conscious youth named Khago (short for Chicago) who made big noise this year with a Certified Boomshot called "Nah Sell Out Me Friend Dem." His heartfelt song about loyalty on red-hot producer Seanizzle's fresh-and-flossy "One Day" riddim soon became a street anthem. When Khago dropped the tune at this year's Reggae Sumfest, it looked like the whole place was gonna burn down. Blaze it up...
Finally, a special request to all those who are still awaiting their day of redemption. From Buju Banton's remarkable new album Before The Dawn—ten blistering tracks of roots rock reggae that were recorded before his incarceration, but which speak to his current plight with eerie specificity, particularly tracks like “Bondage” and “Innocent.” But right now, in comes a musical prayer called, simply, "Do Good." Let it go...
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