Busy Signal
Government Name: Reanno Gordon
Born: St. Ann, Jamaica
Age: 26
Genre: Dancehall
Dark Alliance: Bounty Killer protege Busy Signal makes dancehall safe for badmen again.
In the ‘90s Bounty Killer championed a particularly ruthless style of reality lyrics that’s been scarcely heard in the last few years of reggae music. Instead a surge of dance tunes and one drop protest songs helped Kingstonians cope with an ultra-violent period of Jamaica’s history. Gun lyrics hit a nerve that was just too raw and even the Warlord himself switched to crooning ballads like “Gangster Love” over one drop riddims. But now a group of Bounty Killer protégés called the Alliance--comprising singer Mavado, production trio Daseca and the luminary deejay called Busy Signal--have been making dancehall safe for badmen again with a string of hit 45s. Busy was the first to connect with a dancehall anthem in the form of this spring’s “Step Out” which even became an unlikely rallying cry for PM Portia Simpson’s successful election campaign. Likewise he is first up to bat with an LP of the same title. Although some essential 45s (like “2 Much Gun”) are missing, the LP shows off Busy’s unbeatable flow on a surprising range of riddims, from the club-ready “Not Goin Down” to the UK grime of “Bare Tings.” It’s also an Alliance production from top to bottom, featuring two Mavado collabos, Daseca production on the appropriately named “Anger Management” riddim and even a Bounty Killer cameo on “Do the Maths.” Concerned mostly with the numerology of 45s, nine millimeters etc., “Maths” still finds room for Busy to drop couplets like: “Ready fi war like a Al Qa’ida/ Me nuh care who dem stand up side-a,” showcasing the connection of his fast & choppy new school lyrical style to the tried and true Bounty Killer blueprint.
