From the Coduroy to next generation - Louie Culture, Beenie Man share music experience

With a number of current songs and riddims going back to the 1990s, deejays Beenie Man and Louie Culture are among those who have been honoured with covers of their songs by the next generation of performers.

For Louie Culture, it is Nesbeth who has done a remake of his Gangalee, Nesbeth directly comparing himself to the Gangalee character as he deejays "man a ol Gangalee like Louie." And Chi Ching Ching borrows Beenie Man's opening lines of World Dance as he says "a one new dance whe Chi Ching find again."

That now new dance is Way Up, Beenie Man featured in the video for the song.

There is a common factor in the songs that Nesbeth and Chi Ching Ching have referenced. They were both released 21 years ago, in 1994, on the same riddim, the Corduroy produced by Stone Love. Before it was released commercially the riddim was played on the sound system, in the long-standing tradition of a connection between record production and sound system.

Stone Love played Capleton's Tour on the Corduroy, although the hit song was not eventually released on the riddim.

Beenie Man did two songs on the Corduroy. World Dance was a straight out dance song:

 

"Honourable, it's just dancing, God knows

Yuh got di move pon di riddim, hear how it go nuh

A one new dance weh Beenie fin' again"

The song spoke about members of the Black Roses Crew, Willie Haggart and Bogle, finding the moves in disparate places and putting them together in Jamaica. The video featured the Black Roses extensively.

His other song on the Corduroy was Blessed, a song of praise:

"Blessed be thy name

For certain wrongs are done who is to take the blame

And it's a shame"

He asks a number of questions in the song, including who introduced the youths to crack and cocaine, as well as made deals with guns grought in my plane.

Louie Culture's Gangalee is a statemnt of personal freedom:

"No man can decide my destiny!

Only I can decide my own fi me!

Why? 'Cause I'm a ol' Gangalee."

I waan be free from all chains, and all bondages and ropes,

Free from all bars, and all borders and dope

Free to praise the Lord, because\use mi nah praise di Pope.

So min' how yu a wash yu face wid Babylon soap

Mi have whole heap a faith,

That mean mi have whole heap a hope.

Life ruff and hard, but wid it mi haffi cope.

Some tek it 'pon di level an' some slide down the slug.

Silent river run deep, but Gangalee have to float.

I was born to be free..

Cause me a ol' Gangalee, Gangalee.

Then, after releasing standout songs in 1994, Beenie Man and Louie Culture have had their material covered by the next generation of performers.