Words by Jesse Serwer—
It’s been a week for new and unexpected destinations here on LargeUp. First we had our own Blacka Di Danca bringing dancehall to Siberia. Now we’ve got a fresh-sounding merger of hip-hop and dancehall from New Zealand. Produced by veteran NZ DJ/beatmaker P Money, “Baddest” features London singjay Gappy Ranks—a man we dubbed “Rookie of the Year” back in 2010—sounding off over a bass-heavy 808 beat. Adding to the flavor is a sample of “Come Baby Come,” the 1993 hip-house anthem from Puerto Rican MC and one-time Latin freestyle star K7. It’s an interesting mix, but it works. DJs, this is a high-energy, club-ready track you’re going to want to download for your hip-hop-into-dancehall (or dancehall-into-hip-hop) segment, if that’s your thing. Get it below, and click here for more Gappy Ranks.