News : Who have di original version?

[Roots Archives]

"This station rules the nation with version!" declared **Ewart 'U Roy' Beckford**, OD on his way-back-in-the-day tune (somewhere between 1969 and 1970.) That original declaration has been copied and sampled a number of times in various versions, the most popular of which was by the short-lived group **Musical Youth** in 'Pass the Dutchie' - their version of the **Mighty Diamonds'** 'Pass the Cutchie'.

Still, when it comes to version, we run things. We can cut a version of a version from any version and make it more original than the original. Yeah man, but as those English youths proved, the version thing works both ways. So while we are busy making versions of other people's things, is same way other people busy making versions of our things.

The weird thing though, is that sometimes the people who copy our things end up making more money and fame off the version than we could ever make from the original. You want example? Check UB40's version of Lord Creator's Kingston Town or Bony M's version of The Melodians' Rivers of Babylon or Mick Jagger's versions of Half Pint's Winsome and Eric Donaldson's Cherry oh Baby.

And hear the next thing 'bout versions now: some recorded versions or performed renditions actually end up being so popular, that people forget to give credit to the original. Of course, there are times when credit is given to a version at the expense of the original and it has less to do with the quality of the rendition and more to do with plain old ignorance. Like the time I overheard this man declaring "a so mi know say Noddy Virtue is a big star, mi just hear di famous Jimmy Cliff a sing over Noddy tune weh name the rebel in me." Poor him and Noddy! Actually, Noddy does a passionate and exciting version, but I personally prefer Mr. Cliff's original.

Totally eclipse original

There are a few reggae versions though, that in my humble opinion totally eclipse the overseas originals in terms of appeal. These include Benji Myaz version of I love you higher, Frankie Paul's version of Sarah and Dennis Brown's version of Silhouettes. Ah bwoy, Silhouettes bring back memories! I remember an era when our music, whether version or original, had more substance and soul and guttural truth. And I sense contemporary versions of that in the music of people like Junior Kelly, Chuck Fender, Tarrus Riley and quite a few others.

Sadly, they are not the majority. Nah sah! We still have nuff man a yard who are delinquents posing as musicians; and some of them busy trying to massacre reggae music with their bling, misogyny and violence. At the same time there are artistes from outside Jamaica who, strongly influenced by our music, are creating works that have genuine echoes of the real old time thing: the original version. You should check out an Ethiopian reggae singer called Johnny Ragga, or a Rasta Band from the Virgin Islands called Midnite.

And you have people like Gentleman from Germany and Alberosie from Italy who go way beyond version or imitation; they've completely assimilated Jamaican music, language and culture. Some wise or otherwise quotable person once said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. What says you?

Blakka

*source : [jamaica-star.com](http://www.jamaica-star.com)*

[kenny dust]

I am most definitely in agreeance with this sentiment. It's full time for Jamaica to adopt a Sankofa mentality. We keep going forward and making strides technologically and financially but at the expense of the music quality. The best foreign reggae is usually by artists who study the greats, the legendary foundation artists and build off of that, some even directly sampling the old hits. There hasn't been a great movement in reggae history sine the arrival of digital age in the mid-eighties.

Now we have dancehall artists aping hip-hop, things have really come full circle. Only problem is we're aping hip-hop now that it's been squeezed of it's vitality, we're cloning GM hip-hop, so the music lacks any real substance, literally here today, gone tomorrow.

This puts the music in a very vulnerable place where any and anybody can come along and make it, this trend will eventually become detrimental to Jamaican artists and the industry in general.

Wake up my people.

[Stix]

Finally someone who REALLY said it!! Reggae music is life, struggle, peace, harmony, love, unity, ect. and the celebration of it all. True Reggae is pure, honest, grounded by it's roots & spirituality but those very things are lost any time an artist tries to make the music something that it's not. Why would anyone want to lose that? The Soul of Reggae music can never be bought because it is priceless. Those who let themself fall into that snake pit, no longer create real Reggae music!

"Stix"