Yes we wicked, we wicked...
The early 1990s saw the rise of a number of trends in hip hop. One of horrorcore's distant cousins is the island influence of Reggae-styled rap music.
While Expedia and travel commercials on television will lead one to believe that Caribbean hot-spots are little mountains of heaven rising triumphantly from the clear waters of the Atlantic, the image could not be further from the truth. Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica and a number of other islands were at one point hostile lands of rampant murder and violent confrontation. The compulsive "death culture" that this way of life birthed can be unearthed in the music of its sons and daughters. While the Bob Marleys of the world tried to move in a positive direction and call for peace, the next generation called for attention and cast light onto the problem itself by manifesting the horrors of their realities in their era's music. As gangsta rap rose to imminence in America, so to did violently-themed reggae and dance hall in the islands.
In 1992 the world first heard the remarkably distinct voice of Don Jagwarr on Ice Cube's single "Wicked" from his Predator LP. The ferocity of his voice, high pitched and fast moving over a chaotic track, was reminiscent of a pack of cunning jackals. The LA Riots-themed beat was a freshly-killed animal that was now being feasted on. Indeed, a handsome meal had been provided to our ears.
Two years later Don Jagwarr was set to put out his first and only album on Priority Records. Ice Cube was the Executive Producer. I am not sure if it was ever commercially released, as every copy I've ever seen has been a promo, but there was a video for the terrific single "Who Do U Fear." While the album stayed contemporary with tales of LA gang life, the production is indeed hit or miss. Regardless, this is a rare album with quite a few gems on it that shouldn't be overlooked. If you are a fan of the Boot Camp Clik and the Jamaican styling they employed early in their career, look no further. This album will surly cure whatever ails you.
One small bit of irony can be found on this album. In 1994 the friction between the right and left coasts had not yet escalated to full-scale beef but the seeds were clearly being sown. This was the year that Bad Boy Records would splash on the scene and make a lot of noise and idle chatter quickly turned into loud proclamations that the East was taking its crown back courtesy of Biggie and his crew at Bad Boy Records. Track two of this album, titled "Bad Boy," may or may not be a subliminal shot at the camp. The tone is set early by Ice Cube, who states "I don't give a FUCK about no mother fuckin'... BAD BOY. This is Bad Bay K-O all muthafuckin' day. You know what I'm sayin'... we comin' from the West Side with this." While Don Jagwaar's lyrics concentrate on an enemy who tries to kill him, Cube's words can clearly be taken to mean a number of things. I can't recall Cube ever calling stick-up kids and gang bangers "bad boys" on any of his previous material. Cube would later go on to set beef with an irrational interpretation of a Common Sense line and fire ill-conceived warning shots at Common and the East on tracks like "Westside Slaughter House." Let's face it, he hasn't been the same since.
In the end I can't tell you what ever became of Don Jagwarr, but we know what happened to Ice Cube. He melted under the heat of cooking beef and all that was left was a watery mess, perfect for wishy-washy Diseny movies and half-assed Aftermath releases. Jagwarr's album was solid. There is a lot of good writing on this album and some classic West Coast production as well. It's short and sweet. While some tracks are hit or miss the album as a whole is cohesive and enjoyable.
Don Jagwarr- Faded LP (1994)
The early 1990s saw the rise of a number of trends in hip hop. One of horrorcore's distant cousins is the island influence of Reggae-styled rap music.
While Expedia and travel commercials on television will lead one to believe that Caribbean hot-spots are little mountains of heaven rising triumphantly from the clear waters of the Atlantic, the image could not be further from the truth. Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica and a number of other islands were at one point hostile lands of rampant murder and violent confrontation. The compulsive "death culture" that this way of life birthed can be unearthed in the music of its sons and daughters. While the Bob Marleys of the world tried to move in a positive direction and call for peace, the next generation called for attention and cast light onto the problem itself by manifesting the horrors of their realities in their era's music. As gangsta rap rose to imminence in America, so to did violently-themed reggae and dance hall in the islands.
In 1992 the world first heard the remarkably distinct voice of Don Jagwarr on Ice Cube's single "Wicked" from his Predator LP. The ferocity of his voice, high pitched and fast moving over a chaotic track, was reminiscent of a pack of cunning jackals. The LA Riots-themed beat was a freshly-killed animal that was now being feasted on. Indeed, a handsome meal had been provided to our ears.
Two years later Don Jagwarr was set to put out his first and only album on Priority Records. Ice Cube was the Executive Producer. I am not sure if it was ever commercially released, as every copy I've ever seen has been a promo, but there was a video for the terrific single "Who Do U Fear." While the album stayed contemporary with tales of LA gang life, the production is indeed hit or miss. Regardless, this is a rare album with quite a few gems on it that shouldn't be overlooked. If you are a fan of the Boot Camp Clik and the Jamaican styling they employed early in their career, look no further. This album will surly cure whatever ails you.
One small bit of irony can be found on this album. In 1994 the friction between the right and left coasts had not yet escalated to full-scale beef but the seeds were clearly being sown. This was the year that Bad Boy Records would splash on the scene and make a lot of noise and idle chatter quickly turned into loud proclamations that the East was taking its crown back courtesy of Biggie and his crew at Bad Boy Records. Track two of this album, titled "Bad Boy," may or may not be a subliminal shot at the camp. The tone is set early by Ice Cube, who states "I don't give a FUCK about no mother fuckin'... BAD BOY. This is Bad Bay K-O all muthafuckin' day. You know what I'm sayin'... we comin' from the West Side with this." While Don Jagwaar's lyrics concentrate on an enemy who tries to kill him, Cube's words can clearly be taken to mean a number of things. I can't recall Cube ever calling stick-up kids and gang bangers "bad boys" on any of his previous material. Cube would later go on to set beef with an irrational interpretation of a Common Sense line and fire ill-conceived warning shots at Common and the East on tracks like "Westside Slaughter House." Let's face it, he hasn't been the same since.
In the end I can't tell you what ever became of Don Jagwarr, but we know what happened to Ice Cube. He melted under the heat of cooking beef and all that was left was a watery mess, perfect for wishy-washy Diseny movies and half-assed Aftermath releases. Jagwarr's album was solid. There is a lot of good writing on this album and some classic West Coast production as well. It's short and sweet. While some tracks are hit or miss the album as a whole is cohesive and enjoyable.
Don Jagwarr- Faded LP (1994)
4 Comments:
Don't know if you're up on this but Kevin Beacham did a massive series on reggae in hip-hop on his radio show in January and February.
You can catch him blogging about it here
and his radio station has an archive of his old shows here.
Peace
Thanks, duke.
I'll be checking that out over an ounce of weed.
Be easy,
Mustafa
yo man, please post here password for phd - without warning, please, thx
Don Jagwarrs LP did offically coem out, i got a vinyl copy of it, the track he did with Pac is aight.
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