Back 2 Da Future – Pele, Obama and the World Cup (Sound Clash)

Revered by many as the best footballer in the game’s history, Pele pointed all eyes eastward when in 1977 he predicted that an African nation would win the World Cup before the new millennium. By this time he’d been a good-will ambassador for some time and had travelled the world playing exhibition matches. Something he saw in Africa’s then fledgling world game, prompted him to make this then
monumental prediction. Unfortunately, Pele’s Nostradamus moment didn’t quite come to fruition even though Cameroun, Senegal, Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria and Ghana all acquitted themselves impressively well around about that deadline. He then moved said deadline forward to 2010, so that means we should be seeing something big next year right? Well, while we wait, a son of Africa has won the Presidential elections in the United States of America. And against all the odds a sound system from Obama’s paternal homeland, Kenya, has just lifted the World Sound Clash Cup at the 02 Academy in Brixton. So Pele’s projection has sort of come to pass.

In a competition that saw favourites Bass Odyssey and Birmingham’s Luv Injection unceremoniously dumped in the very first round, the sound from East Africa has rocked the dancehall establishment at their very first entry into the World Cup Clash arena. Formed in 1984 in Nairobi, Kenya, by Papa Bingi with three of his brothers and three friends, the collective now boasts three sets in their hometown, Nairobi, Denmark and New York. Before the event, Shashamane International were predicted to come out in the first round with Italian sound, One Love, with whom they eventually fought out final.

“All the websites predicted Blunt Posse and Bodyguard would fight out the one-fi-one!” Recalls Papa Bingy, “Being the underdog was good for us because people don’t really expect a lot from the underdog. There’s no pressure on you, so you can just play as you like.

“We don’t play the hard dancehall that is played in Jamaica right now, we play music with meaning to educate not just to entertain, that is the type of music that got me into the music in 1980. Our style is clean, but don’t take our ‘cleanness’ for weakness, because when it comes to war - we will murder you!!!!”

Although theirs is a new name to many in the UK, they cut their teeth over the years clashing heavyweight sounds like King Addies, Killermanjaro and Blunt Posse. Even with all the experience gained over the years, they also found the going initially hard in Brixton informs the night’s compere, BBC 1xtra’s dancehall supremo, Robbo Ranx.

“They started off a bit ropey, the Italian sound, One Love, played some strong dubs and Japan’s Barrier Free, had some real strong forwards. Shashamane didn’t have much ‘new tunes’, but the Kenyan sound hurt them when it mattered in the later rounds. When they dropped their ‘Steel Plate’ Shabba dubs, everyone had to sit back!!!! These were definitely not carbon copies but real authentic Rexton Gordon!!!!

“We didn’t actually play the way we normally would”, reveals Papa Bingy, “When the promoter came to pick us up from the hotel, I picked up the wrong bag and left my CD pouch!”

So the team had to make do with whatever they could find on their external hard drive only knowing what was playing when it was playing. Luck and mayhaps the general standard of the Dubs that they possess was therefore telling as Robbo Ranx reveals.

“They dropped a heavy Freddie Mcgregor and one crazy Eek-A-Mouse that sounded like it was built on safari or something, that jus’ dun the place!!!!”

“Aah that’s ‘Terrorist in your City’ Confirms Bingy, - “We were the first to voice Eek-A-Mouse on special in a clash – no one can tell us about him – that is our artist!!!!”

So how does it feel to be a history maker Papa Bingy?

“I feel great man – We came here to take the cup, not just to make up numbers. And we don’t really defend jus’ Kenya but the whole of ‘Mama’ Africa, so this is a victory for Reggae lovers all over the continent.”


The world has a new World Champion, and as they say in Yard, come May, when Shashamane get back for their official home-coming, “Nairobi nuh good again!!!!!!” They jus’ can’t stop celebrating in Kenya at the moment can they? It’s a pity their football isn’t as good as their political sons or their sound systems though innit?


- At this time we must remember the families of the people who died in Abidjan, the capital of Cote D’Ivoire, who were waiting to watch Cote D’Ivoire beat Malawi 5-0 in a World Cup qualifying match when a wall collapsed and killed 23 and injured 132.

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On This Day.......

1990 – The recently departed Scoobie Santino’s collaboration with Sweetie Irie, ‘Money Honey’ was a bubbler on the charts. It would take another month to scale to the apex of the chart, but as it was climbing the number 1 track was Major Danger’s ‘Know How Fi Move Your Waist’.



This week’s number one’s around the Reggae world.

‘Bad Man Don’t Cry’ – Shaggy – New Style, Birmingham, UK/France/New York, USA
‘Can’t Be My Lover’ Buju Banton & John Legend - Germany
‘Can’t Sleep’ – Romain Virgo – Jamaica Music Count Down (Reggae)
‘Cold Kisses’ – Tarrus Riley – Virgin Islands
‘Come Over’ – Estelle & Sean Paul - RETV (Reggae), JA
‘Last Man Standing’ – Vybz Kartel - Jamaica Music Count Down (Dancehall)
‘Love Is Automatic’ – Marcia Griffiths Ft: Busy Signal - BBC 1xtra
‘No Games’ – Serani - Choice FM, London/South Florida, USA
‘Really Like You’ - Laden - Outaroad.com, JA
‘So Blessed’ – Mavado – RETV Danchall, JA







In De Charts

‘Flying Dagger (100 Stab)’ – Aidonia – Jamaica Music Count Down (Dancehall)/RETV (Dancehall), JA
‘Know Yourself’ Lloyd Brown & Peter Spence – New York
‘Pull Up Your Trousers’ Vivian Jones & Nereus Joseph – New Style, Birmingham


On Air:

Fridays – 10pm -12 Midnight – Aston FM 89.1/www.astonfm.com with Chicken George
Saturdays – 7pm – 9pm – www.playvybz.com
Sundays – 10pm -12 Midnight – The Archive Selection on Choice FM as part of Natty B’s Reggae Top 20 Countdown
Mondays – 6pm – 9pm – Elayne Smith’s Music Industry Show on www.colourfulradio.com (Monthly)

Live:


April

2nd Prezedent & DJ Ice @ Funky, @ The Prince Albert, Wolverhampton, England
– Chi Ching Ching @ Irie FM Roadshow, Black River/Santa Cruz, JA
4th – Bongo Chilli @ The Sands with Underground Roots, Grange Over Sands, UK
9th – Nereus Joseph @ Dennis Brown Tribute, The Globe, Cardiff, Wales
10th – Prezedent & Chicken George @ Memories By The Score @ Heartlands Club, Birmingham, UK
11th – Chi Ching Ching @ Stratford Rex, London, England
12th – Chi Ching @ Brigstock Rooms
- Prezedent @ The Studio Club, Bedford, England
15th - Chi Ching Ching @ Uptown Splurt, Cameos, London, UK
16th – Nereus Joseph @ Nounte, France
23rd - Chi Ching Ching @ Irie FM Roadshow, Falmouth
29th – Chevelle Franklyn @ Eagles Christian Convention 2009, Johannesburg, South Africa

May
1st – Prezedent @ Reminisce @ Gold Coast, Brixton, London, UK
2nd – Lloyd Brown @ Deighton Centre, Huddersfield with Mike Anthony & Kofi
- Nereus Joseph & Prezedent @ African Language Fundraiser, Spotty Dog Football Club, Forest Gate, Upton Lane, London, England
4th – Chevelle Franlyn @ Oraclez Gospel Festival & Awards, Wembley Arena, London, UK
8th – Chevelle Franklyn @ Jesus House, Baltimore, USA

July
25th – Lloyd Brown @ Lovers Rock Gala, Brixton Academy

August

2nd – Lloyd Brown @ Reggae Rising Festival, California, US

September
19th – Lloyd Brown, Dennis ‘Matumbi’ Bovell, Sylvia Tella & Prezedent @ The Giants Of
Lovers Rock @ The O2 Indigo2, London, England