By Jesse Serwer
With Nas and Damian Marley’s Distant Relatives set to drop on Tuesday, it only seems right at this moment to look back at all of the important reggae artist/rapper summits that have come before it. Here’s our picks for the cream of the cross-cultural crop.
10. Mavado feat. Jay-Z “On The Rock”
Before Drake, Hov was the first rap star to recognize the value in an alliance with the “Gully God.” “On the Rock” still feels a bit underwhelming considering the magnitude of the personalities involved but it warrants inclusion on the strength of being a) Jay-Z’s first and only overture to the reggae market and b) Mavado’s first major collaboration with an American MC.
See also: Mavado feat. Busta Rhymes, “I’m So Blessed (Remix)”
9. Damian Marley feat. Nas “Road to Zion”
Off of 2005’s Welcome to Jamrock, this is the seed that sprouted into Distant Relatives. On a side note, my favorite moment in “Road to Zion” is Damian’s shoutout of Bam Bam Bigelow. Reggae artists just don’t make enough references to ’80s WWF wrestlers.
See also: Nas and Damian Marley, “Land of Promise” (a.k.a. “The Promised Land”)
8. Doug E. Fresh feat. Beenie Man-“Hands In The Air”
Doug E.’s now slept-on ’95 comeback LP, Play, was thick with yard vibes. “Freaks,” the showcase for BK-based, pre-teen mini-badman Lil’ Vicious was of course the hit and the most memorable of the bunch but it doesn’t necessarily fit the bill here, seeing as Doug E. only played the role of the beatbox. “Hands in the Air” meanwhile helped loosen the ground for Beenie’s eventual crossover success a few years down the road.
See also: T.I. feat. Beenie Man, “I’m Serious”
7. Patra feat. Yo-Yo “Romantic Call”
Produced by Hitman Howie Tee of Special Ed/Chubb Rock fame, this one is fairly unique among tracks on this list in that it may actually have hit bigger among the yard crowd than on the hip-hop side of tings—despite the fonky-ass “Bitches Brew” sample.
See also: Jazzmatazz feat. Patra, Kool Keith and Big Shug, “Young Ladies.” R.I.P. Guru.
6. Shabba Ranks feat. KRS-One “The Jam”
KRS-One was always ahead of the curve when it came to blending dancehall and hip-hop; fittingly, he was the first MC of note to team up with Shabba, the ultimate hip-hop/reggae crossover artist. Released in the midst of Shabba’s high-profile “Trailer Load A Girls/”Mr. Loverman” period, “The Jam” was one of the first (if not the very first) videos by a dancehall artist to garner regular play on MTV.
See also: Shabba Ranks feat. Queen Latifah, “What’Cha Gonna Do” and Mad Lion feat. KRS-One, “Double Trouble”
5. Capleton feat. Method Man “Wings Of the Morning (Remix)”
Before he was a Chappelle’s Show skit and a Chris Rock monologue, Lil’ Jon was an ATL dancehall DJ who got his first break in the production game doing Capleton remixes.
See also: Capleton feat. Q-Tip, “Original Man”
4. Bounty Killer feat. Busta Rhymes (and Junior Reid), “Change Like the Weather”
Released at what was arguably the height of rap/reggae fusion in 1995, Bounty’s classic My Xperience LP was literally loaded with choice rapper duets. “Suicide Or Murder,” which featured Bounty going in over the Blahzay Blahzay “Danger” and Raekwon “Ice Cream” beats with some help from Jeru tha Damaja, is a personal favorite, but the single “Change Like the Weather” teamed the 5-Star General with yardie Busta Rhymes and hip-hop/dancehall collab king Junior Reid, not to mention Erick Sermon on the boards.
See also: the Rza-produced, Raekwon feature “War Face (Ask Fi War)” and the groundbreaking “Hip-Hopera” (this was quite a few years before MTV’s Carmen, or even Prince Paul’s Prince Among Thieves!), with the Fugees.
3. Foxy Brown feat. Spragga Benz, “Oh Yeah”
Yet another one we’ve talked up over and over (Last time, pinky swear), Foxy and Spragga’s “Oh Yeah” is the undisputed heavyweight champ when it comes to dropping a little hip-hop in a Caribbean party.
See also: Foxy Brown feat. Sizzla “Come Fly With Me”
2. Shyne feat. Barrington Levy, “Bad Boyz”
We’ve already included “Bad Boyz” in not one but two previous “Toppa Top 10” lists but, at the risk of sounding repetitive, a list of top ranking rapper/deejay collabs is just not complete without this Brooklyn-to-Kingston connection.
See also: Shyne feat. Barrington Levy, “Bonnie and Shyne”
1. Supercat feat. The Notorious B.I.G. (and Puff Daddy and Third Eye), “Dolly My Baby (Remix)”
With all due respect to Big Daddy Kane, before Christopher Wallace dancehall was the dominant sound in Brooklyn, with hip-hop a pretty distant second. Though not quite a hit—blame Diddy and 3rd Eye’s Onyx-lite impression—”Dolly My Baby” is a passing-of-the-torch type moment (Not to mention the original source of Biggie’s “Big Poppa” moniker). Just as Biggie’s appearance on Mary J’s “Real Love” remix helped primed the clubs for his imminent takeover, the co-sign from the BK-residing Don Dada helped solidify the newcomer’s street appeal.
See also: Supercat feat. Heavy D (a.k.a. the “Big Belly Gorgon”) “Dem No Worry We”
HONOREBEL MENTION:
Run-DMC feat. Yellowman-“Roots, Rap, Reggae”
From 1984’s King of Rock, the one that started it all.
Mims feat. Junior Reid and Cham “This Is Why I’m Hot (Blackout Remix)”and The Game feat. Junior Reid, “One Blood”
From Poor Righteous Teachers to Bun B, Junior Reid has probably recorded with more rappers than any other reggae artist, not to mention Coldcut, the Soup Dragons and Alicia Keys. In 2007, he solidified his status as king of di style by spicing up Mims’s ringtone rap, and the Game’s career. (Though we’re still unclear whether or not J.R. recorded new vocals for “One Blood,” or just got his credit on the strength of the sample.)
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