Page 9 - BOX SET BOOKLET _ Down In Jamaica _ 40 Years Of Vp Records

demonstrating reggae’s evolving identity in the late 80s. The quintessential
production from this timeframe is “Rumours” from the ‘cool ruler’ Gregory
Isaacs. Isaacs shared the glory of the Gussie Clarke produced backing track
with J.C. Lodge, whose “Telephone Love” is every bit as essential in any
DJ’s selection from that period, as is Lady G’s “Nuff Respect.” VP licensed,
manufactured and distributed thousands of titles from an array of emerging
and established producers in the late 80s, including Gussie Clarke, Steely &
Clevie, Fatis Burrell (Vena and Xterminator), and Maurice Johnson, better
known as Black Scorpio. These releases can almost always be identified by a
VPRD catalog number on singles, a VPRL catalog number on LPs, as well as
VP’s Queens address and contact information on the label.

Once Jamaican music’s identity had hardened, post “Sleng Teng,” the new
term of art by the late 80s was ‘dancehall.’ This was, quite simply, the
contemporary music played by sound-systems in Jamaican dancehalls.
The new sound had a rhythmic pattern that was born out of reggae, but
emphasized when studio engineers pushed the fader in a familiar rhythmic
pattern, actually related to the Cuban son clave. The first studio recording Down In Jamaica: 40 Years Of VP Records
to demonstrate this pattern was Barrington Levy’s “On The Telephone.” More
than anything, the term ‘dancehall’ was used to distinguish new Jamaican
music from classic reggae, which seemed to rest on the other side of this new
creative divide. As VP Records grew, dancehall was the term associated with
the generation of deejays/emcees who had been on the rise for nearly two
decades but who were now on top. The term reggae was never abandoned
but would be used, sometimes misleadingly, as a catchall for all Jamaican
music.

By the end of the 80s, deejays were the dominant griots of Jamaican
culture, emphasizing rhythmic delivery and rhyme, sometimes gimmickry
and ‘slackness,’ to capture the fleeting adoration, whimsy and impatience
of dancehall congregants. The deejays who could hold the microphone for
hours and entertain a crowd at a dance would be those whose work was in
demand on recordings, often bringing lyrics from the dance to the recording
studio, a hallmark of the new art form.

A new wave of pure dancehall stars emerged in the wake of early 80s reggae
deejays Yellowman, Nicodemus, Michigan & Smiley, Charlie Chaplin, and
Little John. These included Admiral Bailey, Major Worries, Chaka Demus,
Super Cat, Shabba Ranks, Capleton, Ninja Man, Buju Banton, Beenie Man,
Cutty Ranks, and Bounty Killer. VP Records released seminal, breakthrough,
and hit songs by this new generation of stars on its Gold Disc label, starting
in 1990, underscoring the company’s sustained relevance in the reggae
industry. The company licensed hit songs for a compilation series called
Strictly The Best, under the supervision of staff member Karl Miller. The
series started in 1990 and reached volumes 58 and 59 in 2019. The Reggae
Gold series, started in 1992 and encompassing 25 volumes through 2018,
has been similarly successful. These highly anticipated compilations have
included a lion’s share of the relevant hit songs and artists to come out of
Jamaica over 25 years. Strictly The Best, Volume 1 led off with Foxy Brown’s

Opposite page, King Jammy’s Super Power setting up, late 80s. This page, top left, Ninja Man and Shabba Ranks in session. Top right, Bounty Killer. Bottom, Toyan, Gregory Isaacs, and Dillinger.
9