Entertainment

Shaggy a bridge between generations

Shaggy - file

AS GENERATIONS OF Jamaican music unfolds before us, there are combinations of various sorts between the older (and that does not mean any less current) singers and the more recent persons to add to the big sound from the little island.

In the early 1990s the Penthouse recording label was at the forefront of this development, pairing Beres Hammond, who had been a 70s standout with the R&B of the Harold Butler produced 'One Step Ahead' and 80s lovers rock favourite with 'One Dance', with Buju Banton, who was red hot in the dancehall with 'Browning', 'Black Woman', 'Man Fi Dead' and others.

The result was Buju Banton following up Beres Hammond's "how could I ever doubt that you were my friend" with the classic question, "who sey dat big man don't cry?". The combination has become a feature of Jamaican music.

Penthouse also teamed up Marcia Griffiths, who now celebrates 40 years in music, with Tony Rebel and Cutty Ranks, on the remake of Bob Andy's 'Fire Burning'. Marcia Griffiths had had a stellar solo career, with 'Dreamland' among the songs in her catalogue, as well as being a part of Bob Marley's backing trio, the I-Threes. Tony Rebel had burst on the scene with 'Fresh Vegetable', at the forefront of a more melodic deejay style than the hardcore Cutty Ranks, who was the 'Bomber', 'Stopper' and more.

So, a decade later, we have Jimmy Cliff combining with Bounty Killer on a track from his Grammy nominated 'Black Magic' album, as 'Many Rivers To Cross' meets 'Cyaan Believe Mi Eye'. And Capleton is a guest on the also Grammy nominated 'African Holocaust' by Steel Pulse.

However, on the 2004 Grammy winning album 'True Love', Toots Hibbert remakes 'Bam Bam' with Shaggy, the video getting decent rotation on the Jamaican music television channels. It is a landmark point in the fusion of the older artistes and the younger generation, as '54-46' meets 'Boombastic'.

It is not an unusual role for Shaggy, as he has already remade 'Train Is Coming' with Ken Boothe. And, even earlier, I first became aware of Shaggy when he did over the Foulkes Brothers' 'Oh Carolina', the original starting off the very important collection 'The Story of Jamaican Music' and Shaggy's version ending it.

Shaggy has been a musical bridge between generations of Jamaican music, even as he spread his wings far and wide across the world. And he is the perfect person to do so. He does not encumber himself with the trappings of badness and hype that so many of the deejays who could be really big do. He is personable and I will always remember something that he said at the press conference to launch his 'Hot Shots' album in Montego Bay some years ago.

Shaggy said "look at every album cover I am on. I am smiling. Music has been good to me".

And in fusing musical generations, Shaggy has been very good for the history of Jamaican music. It is a role that goes far deeper than his 'Mr. Lover Lover' persona and it should be recognised.