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Sister Nancy question
Big Beat put out 12"s for "Bam Bam" and Dawn Penn "No No No" at the same time...1993. The Dawn Penn is from the rocksteady and Sister Nancy from the early 80's...must have been a dancehall revival going on or they were sampled at that time in hip hop tracks? There's a Stretch Armstrong remix of "Bam Bam" on the 12" so maybe that helped it crossover. I'm just guessing here...both tracks rule of course.
I mean, there has always been a dancehall/hip hop crossover out here. Huge island population. Both would play at parties.
I think BDP/Just-Ice we're the first to freak it on record (not Bam-Bam per se, just reggae/hip hop styles), but Bam Bam was a reggae hit from the door I think, so it was just natural considering how closely the two styles were intertwined back then.
I think BDP/Just-Ice we're the first to freak it on record (not Bam-Bam per se, just reggae/hip hop styles), but Bam Bam was a reggae hit from the door I think, so it was just natural considering how closely the two styles were intertwined back then.
This is an interesting can of worms.
In the early 80's where the new Yankee Stadium used to be( there was a running track there that now moved to the old stadium area) the local cats would set up a soundsystem and blast the fuck outta some Reggae.
And it was Classic Bob Marley and them, Hard Dub ,and Dancehall. 81-85 type shit.
The bigger Dancehall hits did get heard in the skreets. By the late 80's Hip Hop dudes who rubbed elbows w/ West Indians or were West Indian themselves used Reggae. Think Run-DMC w/ Yellowman before Scott and them.
But I wouldnt see Rochelle and Charlene w/ Reggae in their rotations until the late 80's or even early 90's when shit really "crossed over" to the larger Black Community and then to other folks.
Bam Bam was a hit but not gettin WBLS love. I think WBAI had the Reggae shit on lock then IIRC.
Theres a deeper story to be told here. We all know the Kool Herc west Indian" they rocked turntables first" story. But the fusion could use a sharper inspection/ analysis. Shit like Kuff was huge. Red Alert would play Dancehall in those days as well during the Hip Hop sets IIRC. But not in 87. There was so much exchange that theres some stories there. Shit...Reggaeton cam outta that 90's shit.
In the early 80's where the new Yankee Stadium used to be( there was a running track there that now moved to the old stadium area) the local cats would set up a soundsystem and blast the fuck outta some Reggae.
And it was Classic Bob Marley and them, Hard Dub ,and Dancehall. 81-85 type shit.
The bigger Dancehall hits did get heard in the skreets. By the late 80's Hip Hop dudes who rubbed elbows w/ West Indians or were West Indian themselves used Reggae. Think Run-DMC w/ Yellowman before Scott and them.
But I wouldnt see Rochelle and Charlene w/ Reggae in their rotations until the late 80's or even early 90's when shit really "crossed over" to the larger Black Community and then to other folks.
Bam Bam was a hit but not gettin WBLS love. I think WBAI had the Reggae shit on lock then IIRC.
Theres a deeper story to be told here. We all know the Kool Herc west Indian" they rocked turntables first" story. But the fusion could use a sharper inspection/ analysis. Shit like Kuff was huge. Red Alert would play Dancehall in those days as well during the Hip Hop sets IIRC. But not in 87. There was so much exchange that theres some stories there. Shit...Reggaeton cam outta that 90's shit.
i could speak to this personally as i was a teenaged intern at Profile records in 1994 and we had a dancehall division and Bam Bam was on several of the compilations which were heavily pushed at the time, alongside cutty ranks, super cat, shabba ranks etc.
also, you have Too Short sampling Bam Bam in prob 1992? and Lauryn Hill basically lifting the the whole melody etc for Lost Ones later in the 90's.
dancehall generally was in heavy rotation at that time, you weren't a dj in ny or philly at least unless you did a dancehall set at some point in the night. there were plenty of records to choose from and Bam Bam was just a riddim that never lost its appeal or seemed irrelevant. it kinda never died.
side note, i opened for sister nancy this summer and she KILLED IT. she was barefoot and wearing a terry cloth jumpsuit and she was serious as hell. her voice was strong and her style was alive!!! no question she still puts on a show.
also, you have Too Short sampling Bam Bam in prob 1992? and Lauryn Hill basically lifting the the whole melody etc for Lost Ones later in the 90's.
dancehall generally was in heavy rotation at that time, you weren't a dj in ny or philly at least unless you did a dancehall set at some point in the night. there were plenty of records to choose from and Bam Bam was just a riddim that never lost its appeal or seemed irrelevant. it kinda never died.
side note, i opened for sister nancy this summer and she KILLED IT. she was barefoot and wearing a terry cloth jumpsuit and she was serious as hell. her voice was strong and her style was alive!!! no question she still puts on a show.
i could speak to this personally as i was a teenaged intern at Profile records in 1994 and we had a dancehall division and Bam Bam was on several of the compilations which were heavily pushed at the time, alongside cutty ranks, super cat, shabba ranks etc.
also, you have Too Short sampling Bam Bam in prob 1992? and Lauryn Hill basically lifting the the whole melody etc for Lost Ones later in the 90's.
dancehall generally was in heavy rotation at that time, you weren't a dj in ny or philly at least unless you did a dancehall set at some point in the night. there were plenty of records to choose from and Bam Bam was just a riddim that never lost its appeal or seemed irrelevant. it kinda never died.
side note, i opened for sister nancy this summer and she KILLED IT. she was barefoot and wearing a terry cloth jumpsuit and she was serious as hell. her voice was strong and her style was alive!!! no question she still puts on a show.
Fascinating. Thank you for sharing this.
I'm also wondering if Sister Nancy was part of a "ladies first"-kind of moment in dancehall in the early '80s? In particular, I'm not only struck by her line on "Bam Bam" - "I'm a lady and not a man" – but more so by the LP's other song, "Only Woman DJ With Degree" which is a really fascinating boast since it seems to wrap up both gender and class.
on a sound
Dancehall and hip hop sat side by side in London since the mid eighties. As far as I can recall, Asher D & Daddy Freddy got the ball rolling on wax with Raggamuffin Hip Hop in 87, but first time I heard Bam Bam was on Sindecut's 'Can't Get Enough (Of Who?)' in 88. I remember there was a lot of talk of how ragga hip hop (as we called it) was the authentic London sound, even though most London hip hop fans had no Jamaican heritage whatsoever!
Interesting historical topic.
Tracing the roots of reggae soul hiphop leads to Johnny Nash in 65-66 an the LP "I Can See Clearly Now" on ABC (if I remember correctly). There was a crossover there. Then reggae/ska/soul/blues mingled, like in Texas on the label Federal, until 82 when pop artist Diana Ross released the crossover "I Am Me" single on RCA. By this time, hiphop an dancehall were co-evolving. Then stress caused another crossover in '92.
Tracing the roots of reggae soul hiphop leads to Johnny Nash in 65-66 an the LP "I Can See Clearly Now" on ABC (if I remember correctly). There was a crossover there. Then reggae/ska/soul/blues mingled, like in Texas on the label Federal, until 82 when pop artist Diana Ross released the crossover "I Am Me" single on RCA. By this time, hiphop an dancehall were co-evolving. Then stress caused another crossover in '92.
Interesting historical topic.
Tracing the roots of reggae soul hiphop leads to Johnny Nash in 65-66 an the LP "I Can See Clearly Now" on ABC (if I remember correctly). There was a crossover there. Then reggae/ska/soul/blues mingled, like in Texas on the label Federal, until 82 when pop artist Diana Ross released the crossover "I Am Me" single on RCA. By this time, hiphop an dancehall were co-evolving. Then stress caused another crossover in '92.
Wait, so Diana Ross (the pop artist) was the first to crossover between hiphop and dancehall?
Johnny Nash started this whole reggae-ska-soul-blues crossover?
I can see clearly now.
Did Sister Nancy ever have any other ambitions after becoming an emcee?
I believe she also stated an ambition for transport connection.
Back in college I was trying to talk to this girl at this thing where "Bam Bam" was playing, and just as our conversation was taking a turn towards the grown, the dj mixed into JC Lodge's "Telephone Love." I felt like I was in a movie.
Interesting historical topic.
Tracing the roots of reggae soul hiphop leads to Johnny Nash in 65-66 an the LP "I Can See Clearly Now" on ABC (if I remember correctly). There was a crossover there. Then reggae/ska/soul/blues mingled, like in Texas on the label Federal, until 82 when pop artist Diana Ross released the crossover "I Am Me" single on RCA. By this time, hiphop an dancehall were co-evolving. Then stress caused another crossover in '92.
Wait, so Diana Ross (the pop artist) was the first to crossover between hiphop and dancehall?
Johnny Nash started this whole reggae-ska-soul-blues crossover?
I can see clearly now.
Meet Gatortoof.
Interesting historical topic.
Tracing the roots of reggae soul hiphop leads to Johnny Nash in 65-66 an the LP "I Can See Clearly Now" on ABC (if I remember correctly). There was a crossover there. Then reggae/ska/soul/blues mingled, like in Texas on the label Federal, until 82 when pop artist Diana Ross released the crossover "I Am Me" single on RCA. By this time, hiphop an dancehall were co-evolving. Then stress caused another crossover in '92.
Wait, so Diana Ross (the pop artist) was the first to crossover between hiphop and dancehall?
Johnny Nash started this whole reggae-ska-soul-blues crossover?
I can see clearly now.
Meet Gatortoof.
Yeah, can't believe i actually took the bait.
Continue.
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