Culture Vulture? Or Respect the Talent?

antoseeg
antoseeg Members Posts: 306 ✭✭✭
edited March 2015 in The Reason
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  • KamPushMe
    KamPushMe Members Posts: 7,690 ✭✭✭✭✭
  • antoseeg
    antoseeg Members Posts: 306 ✭✭✭
    edited March 2015
    KamPushMe wrote: »
    the ? is this

    The new face of reggae.

    Rolling Stone - How Magic!'s Canadian Reggae Won Over Jamaica - http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-magic-s-canadian-reggae-took-over-jamaica-20150318
    For six weeks last summer, the Number One song in America belonged to a group of Canadian reggae fans whose frontman sings plaintively to a girlfriend's particularly impolite father who won't approve his earnest marriage proposal to her. "Rude," Magic!'s debut single, sold 3 million copies in the United States alone, but many objected to its syrupy take on a beloved genre. Time named the tune the worst of the 2014, and publications as diverse as Grantland and Jezebel brought similar ignominy. "America, we need to talk about our taste in reggae music," wrote Slate. They might also want to have a few words with the adoring crowd that earlier this year gathered in the north shore parish of Trelawny to see the band headline the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival.

    Related: Informer: A Brief History of Canadian Reggae

    In Trelawny, Magic!'s two hits – "Rude," which went to Number One in America, and "Let Your Hair Down," a follow-up even softer than its predecessor – were received by an enthusiastic audience that belted out every word. Both tracks are in heavy rotation on just about every FM radio station in the country: DJs enthusiastically introduce the group as "Canadian reggae band, Magic!" and their songs are often "licked back" – rewound to the beginning and played again – three or four times in a row.

    "Jamaica has always been accepting of different genres of music," says DJ Wayne, one of the marquee names at IRIE FM, perhaps the most important all-reggae station in the country. "Back in the Fifties and Sixties we were listening to R&B from the U.S. and it connected with reggae." Wayne has embraced "Rude" in particular. "[Magic!] are good musicians and the music speaks for itself," he continues, referring to the song's rebellious love story. "It's the magic of the topic combined with the smooth reggae flow. It's a timely song that captured everyone's imaginations."

    Although Americas often associate contemporary Jamaican music with the harder dancehall of artists like Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel, the Jamaican listening audience has an under-reported love for melodic pop and smooth flows. Downtown dances play Celine Dion, Kenny Rogers remains popular and local supergroup L.U.S.T. – Lukie D, Trilla U, Singing Melody and Tony Curtis – scored a hit with a cover of Air Supply's "Just As I Am." In Trelawny, Magic! are joined by Peter Cetera, the Chicago bassist whose solo career included a handful of Eighties and Nineties U.S. Adult Contemporary hits.

    In fact, before Magic! even made it to Jamaica, dancehall artist Kiprich, one of the island's toughest lyrical battle champions, rang up guitarist Mark Pelli to ask if they could work on a song together. "That was an organic, seamless thing," says Pelli. "I just did some production and then he asked me to sing on a verse." Their session led to "My Own Holiday," a lumbering reggae tune buoyed by occasional bursts of pop energy, and four new fans: "Kiprich is an amazing artist," Pelli enthuses. "I've introduced him to the rest of the band."

    American reggae producer Zeke Stern, who has worked Beenie Man, Chronixx and Collie Buddz, regularly travels to the island to produce new tracks, but even he didn't expect the Canadian group to cross over. "I was really surprised at how many Jamaican artists love it," he says of "Rude." "I hear a lot mention how catchy the hook was and that the song was well put together."

    "Many reggae artists are great songwriters," says Magic! vocalist Nasri Atweh, attempting to explain both the music's appeal to him and his own appeal to Jamaicans. "Regardless of the genre, they write great songs." Although he grew up idolizing crossover stars like Bob Marley and the Police, his accessible, soft-reggae vocals were partially inspired by an orator with even wider appeal. "I aim for a good placement," he explains. "When you hear Obama talk, his words allow you to digest them. This 'Obama Effect' is what I try to do when I write – it's what we tried to do with 'Rude.' People respect good musicianship and good songs."



    Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-magic-s-canadian-reggae-took-over-jamaica-20150318#ixzz3VuwABMFD

    Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIh2xe4jnpk
  • nujerz84
    nujerz84 Members Posts: 15,418 ✭✭✭✭✭
    culture vultures
  • thephantasm
    thephantasm Members Posts: 565 ✭✭✭
  • LUClEN
    LUClEN Members Posts: 20,559 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It's always a good time
  • RickyRich
    RickyRich Members Posts: 13,062 ✭✭✭✭✭
    ? this ? not no face of reggae . chronixx is
  • antoseeg
    antoseeg Members Posts: 306 ✭✭✭
    SixGwad wrote: »
    ? this ? not no face of reggae . chronixx is

    LMAO! I'm just telling you what Rolling Stone said. Magic! is also selling the most reggae ringtones right now.
  • kingblaze84
    kingblaze84 Members Posts: 14,288 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Is he that good though? I'm looking to download some new reggae
  • antoseeg
    antoseeg Members Posts: 306 ✭✭✭
    Is he that good though? I'm looking to download some new reggae

    I haven't checked out their whole album yet, but I was sitting in Mcdonald's today and the song that I started the thread with came on. I liked it, so I decided to find out who sung it. That's when I found out that it was a white group, and that they were selling more reggae ringtones than anybody else, and that Rolling Stone gave them the reggae crown.

    Here's another song of there's I like.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdobynnfKQE
  • c.h.i.p.
    c.h.i.p. Members Posts: 202 ✭✭
    check Citizen Cope
  • antoseeg
    antoseeg Members Posts: 306 ✭✭✭
    edited March 2015
    c.h.i.p. wrote: »
    check Citizen Cope

    Thanks! I picked something randomly, and it's pretty tight. I'm going to have to explore him more.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIYcpkpCmiE
  • Stew
    Stew Members, Moderators, Writer Posts: 52,234 Regulator
    "Rude" is a pretty good song, not gonna front.
  • SneakDZA
    SneakDZA Members Posts: 11,223 ✭✭✭✭✭
    So basically they're UB40?
  • Idiopathic Joker
    Idiopathic Joker Members, Moderators Posts: 45,691 Regulator
  • SheerExcellence
    SheerExcellence Members Posts: 6,140 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't know much about reggae but I do know that if I want to find out who is hot, I don't check rollingstone magazine.
  • CP203
    CP203 Members Posts: 10,421 ✭✭✭✭✭
    ? outta here, fiya bun pon dis fuckery
  • Kwan Dai
    Kwan Dai Members Posts: 6,929 ✭✭✭✭✭
    14 million views. Damn I wonder why?
  • MECCA1000
    MECCA1000 Members Posts: 2,756 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This is for cacs who like Reggae music but don't understand Patois and want the lyrics translated ......... smh ....... CV
  • kzzl
    kzzl Members Posts: 7,548 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Speaking of which, I've always wondered how the Jamaicans felt bout Polynesian artist that sing it.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Regulator
    edited March 2015
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • The Lonious Monk
    The Lonious Monk Members Posts: 26,258 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2015
    I wouldn't even call that reggae. It sounds like standard Pop ? with reggae inspired instrumentation.

    Whether or not they are culture vultures isn't really solely a matter of the music the make. The question is do they give the respect due to the culture from which they are borrowing or do they allow themselves to be seen as some great innovators and musicians ahead of their time.
  • SneakDZA
    SneakDZA Members Posts: 11,223 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Big Mountain is off somewhere hating these ? for taking their spot.
  • KNiGHTS
    KNiGHTS Members Posts: 4,435 ✭✭✭✭✭
    CracceR wrote: »

    Came to post this. Seriously. Rolling Stone with the ? ? . How is this even Reggae? First song sound like a typical Pop/R&B record to me with an island beat underneath it.