Words by Jesse Serwer
Pressure Busspipe has much to be thankful for. The singjay from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, released two of this year’s most praised reggae albums in The Sound (I-Grade Records) and Africa Redemption (Yard Vybz Ent.), records you heard first here. And no reggae act has brought forth a more stimulating and provocative array of visuals over the last 12 months: From his tourism-boosting “Virgin Islands Nice” to last month’s period piece mini-movie “Stand Firm,” (based on the 1878 St. Croix workers rebellion, known as “Fireburn”,) Pressure is responsible for some of the best music videos to come out of the Caribbean this year.
It’s fitting then that he’s taken to the Internet today, on Thanksgiving, to deliver his latest video. for the Africa Redemption track “I’m Grateful.” The self-explanatory track, which brings an R&B/soul vibe into Pressure’s typically roots-y sound, is a solid addition to reggae’s canon of “thanks and praise” tunes—see here for 10 of our favorites, from Bob Marley to Sizzla. Watch the NYC-set video, directed by LargeUp collaborator Birhan Tonge, below, and look out for more from Pressure Busspipe on LargeUp in December.