Words by Jesse Serwer
Photos by John Roderick/Bulby York
Colin “Bulby” York is one of Jamaica’s national treasures, the engineer everyone wants in on their session. He’s also made his mark as a producer, crafting highly innovative riddims under the Fat Eyes banner with fellow engineer Fatta Marshall. Last year, Bulby branched out on his own with Epic and Ting, his first release under his own name, featuring collaborations with icons like Sizzla, Beres Hammond and Bounty Killer (the latter two together on this track), along with some impressive new names from around the Caribbean, over a range of diverse reggae, dancehall and electronic riddims.
Lead single “Moola” features reggae-soul queen Cherine Anderson, effortlessly distilling the sort of heartical rude-gyal swag that international artists like M.I.A. and Gwen Stefani strive for when they come to Jamaica to record. Despite the title (and the sounds of bill counters sprinkled into the beat), this song is more about economic reparations then getting rich quick: Weh di money deh, Anderson asks, addressing the World Bank.
More than a year after its release as a single, “Moola” gets a stylish video, shot in Kingston’s Constant Spring Arcade (among other locales) by U.S. director John Roderick. The clip features Cherine and a small army of street dancers, plus a few cameos from Bulby himself — keep a look out for the engineer busting a move in the climactic street dance scene!
Watch the video for “Moola” here:
