Words by Jesse Serwer—
Red Fox is one of the pillars of dancehall music in New York City. Sure, he originally hails from St. Catherine, Jamaica and came to fame with the classic “Down in Jamaica” (alongside singer Naturalee) but the rough-voiced deejay has called NYC home for decades.
Back in the ’80s, Red was one of the artists who helped make Brooklyn the international hotbed for dancehall, both as a solo act and founder of Ruff Entry Crew, the dancehall supergroup which spawned Shaggy, Screechy Dan, Rayvon and Bajja Jedd, to name a few. His early ’90s collaborations with DJ Premier and Brand Nubian are certified hip-hop dancehall classics, emblematic of the cross-cultural exchange happening between the two genres and cultures in NY at that time.
For the video for his latest single, the conscious tune “Soulja,” Red gives us a Fox-eye view of his home city, taking us through Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan and a train ride in between. The World Trade Center area in particular is the primary setting for the video, which is set to a conscious tune that sees Red sharing food for thought on topics ranging from college tuition to pesticides. Watch the clip below: