February 18, 1999

Da Opera

Competition in Jamaican dancehall reggae is so fierce, only the toughest of DJs makes a breakthrough....

7 / 10 Competition in Jamaican dancehall reggae is so fierce, only the toughest of DJs makes a breakthrough. To stand out from the crowd a good mic-wielder needs that something extra. Buccaneer's gimmick is the strangest yet, even in a genre that's seen Beenie Man record a hillbilly hoedown. He has an operatic style. Truly, life hasn't been lived in full until you've heard a ruffneck chat over prime beats, laced with melodic mock-ups of the music of the old European composers.

Oh, and Enya as well. Both the lilting 'Fade Away' and the more mashed-up 'Bad Man Nuh Stray' (with the very hungry and eager Scare Dem Crew) fuse digital reggae electronics with large slices of her 'Sail Away' hit. And when Buccaneer is not riding a sparse, stripped-down heavy metal rhythm on 'Bruk Out' or collaborating with Cali punks Rancid for a remix of the same, he tries - and fails hilariously - to sing the title track in the style of Pavarotti.

But what's on his mind? Women mostly, even though a hundred different boasts about his seductive prowess should, but never does, get wearying. This loverman gone horribly wrong has a thing about backbiters as well. He hates them. This could be trouble. He'll never make the Royal Opera House.

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