Entertainment

DANCEHALL ERUPTS ON NEW VIDEO GAME

By GERMAINE SMITH

Staff Reporter

THE MUSIC OF Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, Barrington Levy, Black Uhuru, Reggie Stepper and other dancehall acts is tipped to crack into a multi-million dollar market in the United States with the recent release of a new video game.

The game, 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas', was released in the United States two weeks ago with a smashing soundtrack that features the previously mentioned artistes, plus Toots and The Maytals along with others.

The soundtrack has been welcomed with just as much anticipation as the game itself, which analysts project will yield $5 million in sales by next month.

The soundtrack to the game features a double disc, plus an eight disc box set.

On the double disc, Toots is lined up alongside some of the United States' pop culture giants of the 1990s. Among these are Tupac Shakur, James Brown, Cypress Hill, Eric B and Rakim, and Public Enemy.

The game is about a gangster during the 1990s who returns to his hometown in fictional San Andreas, to find that his mother has been murdered and the police have blamed him for another killing. This gives the game up to 150 hours of story-driven 'gameplay' in which users can steal vehicles, drive out-of-control cars, and shoot at opponents.

Since it is set in the 1990s, the game's soundtrack reflects the artistes who ruled the radio during the period. Inside the game is a radio station called K-Jah West Radio which is dedicated exclusively to Reggae and dancehall. This is where the music of Buju, Shabba and others is featured.

The tracks featured are memorable gems of the '90s which ruled the dancehalls. Among them are Wicked Inna Bed by Shabba Ranks, Batty Rider by Buju, Revolution by Dennis Brown, Bam Bam by Pliers, and Drum Pan Sound by Reggie Stepper.