Words by Jesse Serwer—
Busy Signal’s arrest, and subsequent extradition to the U.S., earlier this year couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time. The deejay, long one of Jamaica’s top (and best) dancehall stars but with zero crossover hits to his name (a fact that’s much more understandable now that we know why he’s never toured or promoted his records in the US), was finally set to get some mainstream/pop exposure via his inclusion on “Push and Shove,” the ska-hall title track from No Doubt’s then-upcoming comeback album.
The news that Busy will serve a much shorter sentence than expected—he’ll be home in time for Christmas—couldn’t come at a sweeter time, though. The Major Lazer-produced “Push and Shove” has just been released as the album’s second single and today, just days after Busy’s abbreviated sentence was announced, the video for the tune has also arrived. Today is also the release date for Push and Shove, the LP. Busy’s absence is certainly felt in the clip, with Gwen and co. forced to ham it up during his frenetic, song-stealing vocal part, but having a song played on MTV and pop radio can only help his future prospects, especially now that he has some again. Watch the clip below, and look out for a big post on Busy in this space tomorrow.