LargeUp Playlist: Listen to ‘Sister Nancy Original Mumma’ on Apple Music
Chart the legacy of dancehall's original female deejay with this mix of early hits + hip-hop tunes sampling her catalog.
Bam Bam!: 12 Times Hip-Hop Sampled, Remixed + Flipped Sister Nancy
Rap's 25-year love affair with a dancehall classic.
Double Barrel: Reggae Samples and Hip Hop Classics with DJ Gravy + Corey Chase (Mixtape)
The history of hip-hop is deep with sounds borrowed from Jamaica.
Toppa Top 13: Nicki Minaj’s Most Caribbean Moments
A brief history of Minaj's homages to Trinidad and Jamaica.
Toppa Top 10: Ten Rap Songs That Shout Out Shabba
Words by Jesse Serwer and Raine Martin—
It seems that Shabba Ranks' name is buzzing in the hip-hop world once again. Kanye West called himself "the new Shabba" on his new, highly dancehall-influenced... Read More...
LargeUp Premiere: Stephen Marley + Busy Signal, “You and Me Attract”
Words by Jesse Serwer—
Ahead of his upcoming third solo album Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life (due out later this year), Stephen Marley recently dropped the single "Bongo Nyah" featuring Damian Mar... Read More...
Toppa Top 10: Kanye West’s Most Jamaican Moments
Words by Richard "Treats" Dryden and Jesse Serwer—
Discussing the musical tone of his new album Yeezus in a rare interview with The New York Times, Kanye West spoke of “trap and drill” and “old Chicago h... Read More...
Heds and Dreds: Pusha T, G.O.O.D. Music’s Top Shotta
Words by Jesse Serwer—
Lately, G.O.O.D. Music rapper Pusha T has been quoting torrents of dancehall lyrics on Twitter (from Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel to Chan Dizzy and Demarco) during what he calls... Read More...
Heds and Dreds: Sterling Simms, Nas, Kanye + ’80s Dancehall Samples
Words by Jesse Serwer—
This week we're reviving our long-dormant hip-hop x reggae column Heds and Dreds to discuss the growing trend of '80s dancehall samples in rap songs.
Remember a few years back w... Read More...
Dust A Video Bwoy: Watch Kanye West’s “Mercy” Visuals
Words by Jesse Serwer—
Yesterday, we brought you the story of Super Beagle, the unsung but greatly talented Jamaican singer known for the '90s dancehall classic, "Dust A Sound Boy," a tune itself known ... Read More...
Now Things: A Q+A with Watch the Throne Producer Sham “Sak Pase” Joseph
Words by Jesse Serwer—
Haitian-American producer Shama (Sham) Joseph first landed on our radar with his production for Rihanna's "Man Down." The reggae-flavored hit (now officially a touchstone) brought ... Read More...
Fashion Fridays: 5 Things Dee Jackson Is Rockin’
Words by DJ Gravy via Complex
If you were out and about in NYC around Summer 07, you probably started seeing these two young fashionistas twins. They had a different look going on and what stood out wer... Read More...