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Song of the moment: Demarco - True Friend

As the year draws to a close, it's always a time when life reviews take place. Have I done what I wanted? How can I fix what I did wrong this year in order to improve for next? What's the motive for next year etc. Another prominent question in my head is who really deserves my time next year. Nuff suckers, leeches, users, whatever about amongst the people I can depend on for a good conversation, creating memories, chucklin etc.

This song is another one of those dancehall songs which ring off because it talk a real topic everyone can relate to in a simplistic, easily digestible way. Singer/DJ (rapper)/producer DeMarco sings about frenemies.

Riddim up my seleckta



Initially, I was going to blog about why I love dancehall, but I think it's more a recurring theme as apposed to something I can do in one post - 4th dancehall post in-a-row. Whether it be social-commentary, struggles ghetto youths face, poltical, inspirational, death, religion (conscious tunes), straight up thriller/action movie types or braggadocio (gun/badman tunes), romance or man-to-woman interactions/"transgressions" as ol' Cheetah Woods put it (gyal/whinin/daggerin tunes), dancing, or songs like the above, there's usually an emotion evoked - usually signifyed by people bussin gunfinger accompanied by sounds like "pie pie pie" (in high pitch), "pam pam", "boowup", "ky ky ky" (high pitch) etc. *exhales*

I love the outspoken, political incorrect nature of it. Last one left that isn't regulated or dictated to by buyers/labels a.k.a. those who aren't real fans, but ride the wave while it's hot, rinsing it for all it's worth. I always enjoy my interviews with them. Always fun as they are very grounded; in touch with the grim realities of where they are from, and also majority of the fans of the music face - unlike their hip-hop counterparts.

Even when the beats sound under the influence of hip-hop (as above) it sounds better than a lot hip-hop beats produced at this moment. No other genre can lay claim to using a bass line as effectively and predominantly as reggae/dancehall before rocksteady/reggae did it.

If you don't like dancehall and reggae, you are most probably hearing the wrong stuff (check Sean Paul post where I pointed out waste waggonist DJs) and ultimately I do feel you are missing out.

That is all

p.s. I guess that did turn out to be a "Why I love dancehall" post didn't it? D'ah well

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