Legendary reggae and dancehall producer King Jammy dug into his recording archive to unlock songs for his latest project Rebirth of the Cool Ruler.
With the help of Sean Paul, Shaggy, Bounty Killer, Jesse Royal, and nearly a dozen other artists, the trailblazing producer dug into his recording archive and unearthed gems from Gregory Isaacs’ late 1980s/1990s digital catalog for a reworked edition of the album.
“When they were released, these tunes weren’t heard about too much,” King Jammy said in an interview with CNW News. “So I decided to work with some of these new age artists to put a spin on these tunes.”
This is the third release in a series started by King Jammy in 2017. That year, he worked with contemporary artists to reimagine Black Uhuru’s master recordings on New Sounds of Freedom, then gave a similar treatment to Dennis Brown’s on Tracks of Life in 2018.
Now, he updates Gregory Isaacs’ material on tracks such as “Another Try,” where Sean Paul rides the popular “China Town Riddim,” to give a new take on the original “Let’s Give It Ah Try.” Alborosie also joins the mix, jumping on “Dreadlocks Bridge,” a modern twist on the Isaacs’ deep cut “Over The Bridge.”
Other artists featured on the 15-track album are veterans Junior Reid, Chaka Demus, Bunny General, and Ras Shiloh.
“I worked with almost every [veteran] artist in the business so it wasn’t a problem to just call up an artist and say ‘I want you to be on this riddim with Gregory.’ I have a good working relationship with these artists,” he said.
King Jammy classifies the veteran musicians as “the real artists in the business,” but says he has no qualms about working with younger, talented artists.
“I work with the young artists because they’re talented. I choose the people who are talented. The lyrical content of the songs they did match up with what Gregory would do back in the day,” the producer said of now-generation artists like Aza Lineage, Ras Demo, Brandon The Messenjah, Claire Angel, and Flinix, who are all featured on the project.
Also featured is dancehall/reggae artist Projexx, King Jammy’s grandson. “Naturally he has to be involved in anything that I’m doing,” he said.
Reggae Sumfest honor
Since the late 1970s, King Jammy has been one of the most well-known and influential producers of dancehall music. His biggest hit was 1985’s “Under Me Sleng Teng” by Wayne Smith, with an entirely digital rhythm hook. Many credit this song as being the first “digital riddim” in reggae, leading to the modern dancehall era.
In the 1980s, King Jammy began working with top artists in Jamaica. Jammy’s productions and sound system dominated reggae music for the remainder of the 1980s and into the 1990s.
For his work in dancehall, King Jammy was honored at Reggae Sumfest 2023 in Montego Bay, Jamaica — his hometown — where he led a set that featured his many past collaborators, including Admiral Bailey, Lt. Stitchie, Johnny Osbourne, Pinchers, and more.
“I’ve been honored lots of times around the world but this one was very special to my heart because it was in my hometown. It was great,” King Jammy said.
More albums to come
Last year, King Jammy released King Jammy Destroys the Virus With Dub on VP/ Greensleeves Records. He followed that LP up this year with a series of reissues, including Wailing Souls’ Stormy Night and Cultural Roots’ Running Back To Me, and then Cries From The Youth, a compilation of ‘80s digital scorchers.
And his work is not finished yet. He plans to continue his series of reworked albums with a few big names in reggae.
“It’s a whole series that I’m doing. I have a lot of albums with big artists. The series not going to end for now,” he said.
He remained tight-lipped about the future projects but confirmed that fans can look forward to a new album in 2024.
In the meantime, Rebirth of the Cool Ruler is available on CD and vinyl, and was released digitally on October 6th via VP/Greensleeves Records.
