Selections by Supa Dups, Words by LargeUp
Not long ago, we premiered a pair of new tunes from Black Chiney Orchestra or, as they’re also known, D.A. & the Supa Dups—as in D.A. Wallach of Chester French and Supa Dups of Miami’s famed Black Chiney Sound. It’s an unlikely pairing—the singer of a popular indie pop band and the head DJ/ producer in charge at Miami’s top-ranking Jamaican sound system—but between D.A.’s affinity for reggae and dancehall and Dups’ rising stock as a hitmaker for artists ranging from Bruno Mars to Eminem (you know Bad Meets Evil’s super duper mega-smash “Fast Lane”? That’s his beat) it fits. In honor of this unexpected partnership, we asked Supa Dups for a list of his favorite collaborations between Jamaican and yankee artists. Scroll onward for his selections and stay tuned for another Toppa Top 10 coming right up—from the other half of the Black Chiney Orchestra.
10. Beenie Man and Mya, “Girls Dem Sugar”
The Neptunes teamed Beenie Man with a then red-hot Mya for this sequel to 1997’s “Who Am I (Sim Simma),” one of several tracks they produced on Moses’s 2000 album Art and Life.
9. D.A & the Supa Dups, “Too Cool” feat. Vybz Kartel
What’s wrong with a little self promotion when it involves the highly unlikely tag team of D.A. from Chester French and Vybz Kartel?
8. Bruno Mars, “Liquor Store Blues” feat. Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley
Produced by Dups himself, this pairing of pop heartthrob Bruno Mars and Jr. Gong is the most commercially successful JA-US linkup in recent memory.
7. Cham “Ghetto Story (Remix)” feat. Alicia Keys and Akon
“Ghetto Story Chapter 2” featuring just Alicia Keys is the better known remix of Cham’s 2006 classic but the addition of Akon’s autobiographical ghetto story gave this version some added spice.
6. Kardinal Offishall “BaKardi Slang (Remix)” (AKA “Patois”) feat. Bounty Killer
Kardinal’s original “BaKardi Slang” was already a classic but with the addition of Bounty’s ad libs and responses, it only became that much more offishall.
5. Super Cat “Dolly My Baby” feat. the Notorious B.I.G
Among Super Cat’s many achievements and milestones is helping to unleash the Notorious B.I.G. and his game-changing flow on the world in the 1993 hip-hop remix of “Dolly My Baby,” also featuring Mary J. Blige, 3rd Eye and Diddy (back when he was Puff Daddy and rapping like he was trying out to be the fifth member of Onyx).
4. No Doubt “Hey Baby” feat. Bounty Killer
Check it out—It’s Bounty Killer and No Doubt. ‘Nuff said about this tune, one of the biggest hits of 2001, and certainly the biggest crossover moment of the Five-Star General’s long career.
3. John Legend “Can’t Be My Lover” feat. Buju Banton
One of two Dups-produced tracks on John Legend’s 2008 album Evolver (the other being “No Other Love” featuring Estelle), this CD-only bonus cut gets loads of love in the dancehall thanks to a spirited performance from Buju.
2. DMX, “Top Shotter (Here Comes The Boom)” feat. Sean Paul and Mr. Vegas
As a movie about NYC hustlers (played by DMX and Nas) who get involved with Jamaican drug dealers, Belly had to have a surefire hip-hop x dancehall crossover banger on its soundtrack, and this was it.
1. Shyne “Bad Boyz” feat. Barrington Levy
Of all the rappers and Jamaican singers who have collaborated with one another over the years, few have had the chemistry that Shyne and Barrington achieved on their year 2000 classic “Bad Boys.”
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