Music Legend Ricky Grant Weighs in on The Reggae Hip-Hop Trend
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As former member of the Afrotones and “The Gaylads,” (who recorded a number of hit songs which included “My Jamaican Girl”- “Soul Sister”- and “Fire and Rain;”) Ricky Grant has a musical career that has spanned the globe for the past 5 decades. He has worn many different hats in the industry as well, from artist to producer. Ricky has certainly watched and has been a part of the evolutions that the music industry experienced for quite some time. This includes the evolving collaboration and union between Reggae and Hip-Hop. Now there are very vocal enthusiasts sitting on both sides of the pro and con fence and we were curious as to exactly how this singing legend who is best identified with Root Reggae weighs in on the subject. His response is very refreshing:
“I am not a turncoat by collaborating with different genres, you have to understand, I am one of Reggae’s foundations,” explains Ricky Grant
Mr. Grant is very quick to point out that he not only grew up listening to many genres (R&B, Soul, .Calypso, Merrengue, The Waltz(Slowmusic), Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Classical, Country & Western...) but has over the years collaborated with many different artists spanning across many different flavors throughout his entire career, including Jazz. It certainly hasn’t polluted or diluted his effectiveness in crafting “Roots Rocking Reggae” which he has established a long term and very loyal fan base. “I'm just flexing my versatility,” explains Ricky Grant. To him, his music was always about passing on a positive vibe to reinforce global concepts such as: unity, peace and compassion. The world is a big place we all have different preferences in which we absorb and assimilate information and music is no exception. In order to touch a wider audience with his message of humanity, Ricky Grant is willing to extend his hand over the threshold of many different musical genres.
The audio clip below is one such extension that indeed entered into Hip-Hop circles. It is a collaboration with Roni Oslip entitled “Live and Love.” In addition there is also a collaborative effort with POW’s from Long Island New York: “Come Party” and “Let’s Get it On.”
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