Check It Deeply: Will 2013 Be Busy Signal’s Year?

Words by Jesse Serwer—

The biggest complaint we’ve heard about dancehall in recent years is that there’s no substance to back up all of the hype. Finally, the hype in dancehall seems to be coalescing around some real substance: the talents of Busy Signal. Busy has been our consensus choice for Jamaica’s most consistent and talented deejay essentially since he first bruk out in 2005 but, unlike Vybz Kartel, Mavado and even Popcaan and Tommy Lee, he’s never had that moment that truly belonged to him alone. As we start off 2013, it’s starting to look like that moment might be now, though. Though it’s a shame what it took to put this ascension in motion, we’re glad to see it finally happening.

After releasing a torrent of excellent tunes immediately following his return to Jamaica in November, Busy closed out 2012 with a triumphant performance at Sting on Boxing Day. Among the highlights of his performance was the debut of a new tune called “Mystery History,” a blow-by-blow account of his turbulent 2012, as well as a celebration of his current freedom.

Christmas week also saw the release of a provocative video from Busy, combining the tunes “Defense,” and “Bout It.” The clip begins with Busy raising his arms in victory as he departs an airplane, only to be led into a police car, before the video’s co-star, Josef Bogdanovich of Downsound Records, orchestrates his escape. While the storyline is nothing too crazy, the outlaw stance is definitely notable given Busy’s recent legal history.

Stream “Mystery History,” and watch “Defense/Bout It” below:

[audio:http://largeup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Busy-Signal-Mystery-History.mp3|titles=Busy Signal “Mystery History”]
Busy Signal – “Mystery History”