Customer Reviews

Buzz Riddim

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While the old dancehall heads and some of the `in-betweens' (such as myself even) may maintain that what you here in the dancehall, in terms of production in the last decade or so is completely less than what we heard in the previous two, even the most hardened of them (us) will have to admit there have been some SERIOUS riddims to catch on in the modern era. For whichever of a whole heap of reasons there are dancehall riddims which, born in today's day and age, will make an IMMEDIATE impact when spun in almost any dance or club, locally and internationally across the dancehall and pop-loving world. For example, after all the DAMAGE it caused internationally on the strength of two international dancehall hits and one pop/R&B hit, it is all but certain that the Diwali riddim is unlikely to ever be forgotten. The same digitalized hype chutney/dancehall composition from Buju Banton's longtime (recently returned) keyboardist Stephen 'Lenky' Marsden's 40/40 Productions literally TOOK OVER when it reached in 2002 and beyond on the backing both Sean Paul's (more on him in a bit) HUGE hit, Get Busy and Wayne Wonder's equally sized piece No Letting Go. It also went stateside for young Lumidee's breakout hit, Uh Oh. The riddim's shelf life has also proven to be quite well, musically speaking, as just last year, ANOTHER big hit was spawned from Kingston sisters and duo Brick & Lace, Love Is Wicked, which was also the name of their much anticipated album (and STILL anticipated if you live in certain countries as it apparently won't be reaching worldwide until next year). Also, while FAR less known than the almighty Diwali altogether, a more recent riddim, the Smash, also has to be considered such a riddim on the strength of one crazily infectious tune which left women dancers (and UNFORTUNATELY quite a few men) all over the world with dizzy headaches as over it Tony `Mentally Ill' Matterhorn delivered what was perhaps the biggest international dance craze since the Macarena with his Dutty Wine. Most people will NEVER know the name of the riddim which it flows over (and fewer even will know that it was built by Supahype Davis and Serani) but to this very day, you're sure to get a HUGE response by spinning in Jamaica or off! You also have riddims such as The Playground riddim (which you'll know of simply by me mentioning the phrase `sim simma!'), the World Jam riddim (which backed Damian Marley's MAMMOTH Welcome to Jamrock) and the re-energized Last War riddim which was brought back servicing Collie Buddz' hit Come Around. All of these Jamaican born riddims within the last few years (with respect to the original version of the Last War riddim) to a decade have touched the international community to the point where almost immediately when they drop, they can be instantly recognized by music fans worldwide.

In this particular case here we DEFINITELY have yet another riddim to add to that list, speaking about Troyton Rami's now unforgettable and soon to be CLASSIC Buzz Riddim. The riddim will forever be linked to the label VP Records' decision to suddenly pump some new life into its long running series of the biggest reggae compilation in the world, Reggae Gold, by recording a video for the album's lead single and distributing it internationally, Sean Paul's Gimmi Di Light. The tune was also to be the lead single from Paul's upcoming sophomore album at the time. The tune went on to be the BIGGEST dancehall tune in quite some time and has since served as the basis for Sean Paul's dancehall superstardom and becoming literally the international modern face of dancehall music, despite probably not being amongst the top ten or so regarded acts in Jamaica at the time (although he was and arguably remains one of my favourites despite the backlash of him `crossing over`, due to the fact that at his best the man can just FLOW). While I don't know if it did exactly what it was intended to do (in terms of selling the album, Reggae Gold 2002 which was released around six months before Sean Paul's own album with the tune, Dutty Rock), it certainly took dancehall on an international stage to the next level. The Buzz Riddim, itself, from the aforementioned `Black Shadow' Troyton Rami was actually pretty good as well, at least to my ears. What it was (as are ALL of Rami's productions) was top notch craftsmanship and production. It was POLISHED: The riddim's real strength is definitely in its very defined and detailed vibes which, at times and in the `right' hands can make it downright addictive. Rami's history as a producer, at that time (and certainly now), was pretty good as well; he had been producing on his own for his own Black Shadow for over five years and he had scored a few big riddims and a few big hits with his pieces. Most notably, to my ears was his KNOCKING Mad Sex riddim (no pun intended) which backed one of my favourite Sean Paul tunes from longtime, S-E-X. And since the Buzz, he probably has scored the biggest with his Surprise riddim which you know from having backed Buju's big hit, Paid Not Played and the Ching Chong riddim as well which did quite of bit of work for Black Shadow locally. The Buzz riddim would actually reach album almost a year prior to Dutty Rock and a half-year even before Reggae Gold 2002 because obviously Rami knew just what he had on his hands and put it out on his own dollar through his Black Shadow label and he has certainly reaped the rewards ever since (he also did the same with his last release, the hypnotic Bad Dog riddim and the Blink riddim and maybe even the Surprise if I recall correctly) having definitely given his Florida based label a `centerpiece' for a very long time to come. The Buzz Riddim album somewhat unearths a well known `secret' as it reveals the other STRONG pieces which went far more under the radar internationally while becoming pretty big hits locally: Bigger even than the uptown superstars effort itself.

The Buzz Riddim, as if often the case of riddims which feature a breakout international hit had a situation where by far its most popular tune wasn't its most played or respected locally or even it's best (of course, that's objective). I can recall living in the States at the time of Gimmi Di Light's breaking out and traveling back home CERTAIN I would be overwhelmed by the tune playing only to be turned on to quite a few stronger and locally more popular selections from the riddim. After a mix/medley style brief opening of several of the tunes on the riddim, getting things started on The buzz Riddim album is one of those aforementioned more popular tunes (albeit not stronger), Capleton's I Love To See. The tune actually is one of my least favourites on the buzz altogether for some reason. It just never really struck a vibes with me; Capleton's real strength is rarely appreciated on such a dance heavy type of vibes and he kind of delivers a so-so effort on I Love To See. Next up is a stronger tune than the main attraction here and DEFINITELY the Buzz riddim's most controversial tune altogether, Sizzla Kalonji's now infamous Pump Up. The tune was marked by MANY detractors of the roots legend as the definitive sign that he had indeed lost his righteous ways and turned to the slack style of many of his far more internationally known dancehall peers. Me personally (and I am as PARTIAL as can be towards the artist who is my absolute favourite ever) don't feel that way about the tune. While it isn't my favourite of his catalogue, it has grown and grown on me over the years and if you REALLY listen to the lyrics he really remains true to his righteous, fire-breathing ways and technically speaking, of course he does an excellent job riding the Buzz itself, one of the best actually. And no one ever said that sex couldn't be righteous either. Closing the opening of the Buzz Riddim album is one of the more popular tunes on the riddim and one of the real highlights here because, although it was a hit, I don't know of any other official album which contained the tune, Beenie Man's hit Toy Friend. If you've ever had the opportunity to see the Doctor live (since the tune has reached, that is) you'll know its definitely one of his favourite tunes to sing as well. The tune is so nice because of the unique melody approach Beenie utilizes: As the Buzz hardly ever changes (I don't notice any actually) in its fourteen tracks, it sounds like it does with Beenie singing the addictive chorus on one of his more underrated hits of all time completing the opening for the Buzz riddim very nicely.

I don't particularly know why Gimmi Di Light caught on so much as it did (the reason I think is that the world was just SO THIRSTY for some real dancehall), but that's not to deny the strength of the tune at all. Gimmi Di Light isn't one of Sean Paul's best or even better tunes (PROBABLY top fifteen or twenty) but it does show a bit of his very nice skill of delivery and pacing. Definitely it's the tune here which will get the most attention and I don't hate it at all. The tune here which probably DESERVED the most attention, however, is when longtime dancehall bad boy Mad Cobra chimes in with his AIMED gun tune, the WICKED Press Trigger. The Mad Snake put the Buzz through its paces coming as hard as he had done at any point in the surrounding time on a tune which was definitely on his usual more aggressive vibes and a throw back to one of dancehall's real classic artists. If there ever were a clash of ALL dancehall artist and one man was left `standing', I'd put my money on Mad Cobra to be that man and it would be on the strength of tunes like Press Trigger. HUGE TUNE! The big names continue to roll in on the Buzz riddim. Elephant Man checks in (unfortunately) on his Haters Wanna War. I don't like this song very much at all and I never have, its just a song which sounds so freestyled and very far from his best. Longtime former Sean Paul spar Mr. Vegas also checks in with his DECENT effort, A Nuh Di Same (aka Think It Over). The tune (along with several on the Buzz) probably didn't make the Kingston singjay any fans at Outrage, but it was still a pretty solid track at a time when Vegas definitely was making some of the stronger vibes of his career and while it didn't do much damage, I still catch a nice vibes from the tune. And Beenie Man comes back with his second effort on the riddim Gal Dem We Love. This tune isn't on the same level of Toy Friend (and Outrage won't like it either), but it still is SO skillful. Longtime you have to appreciate Beenie as one of the most talented youths Jamaica has EVER produced, take a deep listen to Gal Dem We Love; he won't say anything PROFOUND in nature at all, but the tune is put together so nicely, have to give credit where its due. A few of the lesser known names here, however, actually outshone their more popular counterparts later on the Buzz Riddim album. Check Mr. Easy's ULTRA SMOOTH Don't Test Me. The tune probably ranks as one of the underrated Kingston singer's more popular tunes of his entire career and definitely one of my personal favourites from the artist. Definitely check Don't Test Me out (and still waiting on that album Mr. Easy). The final two vocal tunes on the Buzz Riddim album are actually two of my absolute favourites on the riddim by two of the lesser known names as well. First is the curiously voiced Rekha's BIG Too Close. This tune was a REAL hit for the young Miami based singer and definitely suggested that big things were to come from the wonderful talented. HOWEVER, since then she has actually NEVER RECORDED FOR ANYONE BESIDES BLACK SHADOW (at least not to my knowledge), but has ran a release on nearly each and every one of the label's riddims (she may actually be married or related to Rami). Whichever the case, Too Close is by far the crowning jewel of her teeny tiny string of tracks (and I've never heard a bad tune from Rekha); I just wish she would record more, definitely. And closing things is one of the CRAZIEST roots artists to come across in a LONG time, the hype Jah Thunder with the crazy and at times hilarious Name. Thunder is a long time member of his cousin Capleton's David House camp (along with the continual everyday names such as singer Moses I and the RIDICULOUSLY talented Military Man) who has been behind the scenes for FAR too long actually. Name is a tune breaking down the names of some of the most popular Jamaican artists (and later some of the more popular American artists as well) and exactly what they should do with their famous monikers (LITERALLY). The tune is definitely in jest, however, for some reason Thunder reserves his `harshest' booms for Ninja Man (who didn't give Capleton exactly an easy welcome into the game when he began). Ending the Buzz Riddim album nicely is Jah Thunder who DEFINITELY outdoes his far more well known cousin, King Shango. And there is the obligatory (thankfully) clean version of the Buzz so you can try it at home, the clean riddim is always a nice touch on riddim albums.

Overall, while the Buzz is destined to be and to remain one of the most popular riddims of all time, largely based on Sean Paul's and Gimmi Di Light's success, its definitely so much more than just that. While Paul certainly does offer one of the highlights here, for me personally, some of the other songs eclipse Mr. Dutty Rock and really had the `unfortunate' cases of being almost swept under the rug, internationally speaking, because of his success (DEFINITELY not due to Sean Paul himself). But, for that fan who just fell in love with the vibes of Gimmi Di Light and all these years later is STILL in those vibes, the Buzz Riddim album is exactly something you'll love. Older fans, you probably know all of these tunes already and probably own all of them. The dancehall and its fan will never forget Troyton Rami and Black Shadow if they do nothing else for the one big shot spawned by his Buzz riddim; but for those who choose to dig just a little deeper, there remain just as big of gems waiting to be discovered.