One of my favorite movies of all time was "The Predator" staring Arnold Schwarzenegger. I think it was the first time we got to see a non stereotypical alien. But this post is not about an alien in the literal sense but about a dancehall artiste that goes by the name of Predator.
Recently I've been listening to his songs as I saw an interview with him talking about his come up. Predator had his trending season in the early 2000s with his catch phrase "MAD" and NAh Nuh Head, which he created a slew of hits around. The word MAD as a slang is now a staple in the Dancehall culture with even British saying MAD TING
So after taking in half of the interview I jumped on Spotify and found a few of his songs. Trust me, these songs are still bangers up to today. The one below called Mad Mi is on a riddim created by Don Corleon who was The man for Danchall riddims at the time. The riddim just really has a bounce and playful but serious vibe. It is hard to explain but the HIP HOP riddims had nothing on Dancehall riddims from this era. Listen to the track below.
Predator- Mad Mi- 2003 Trifecta Riddim
Born 14.September,1971,Predator, AKA Mark Anthony Henry is Jamaican Dancehall Artist. He entered the music business professionally in 1993 where he got the name Predator from a good friend Mad Cobra. Bounty Killer was his mentor and helped in shaping his carrier. Predator was also one of the first members of the Bounty Killer formed Alliance crew which consisted of the hottest young and upcoming artiste at the time.
Predator ft Kiprich- Head Nuh Good- Gallop Riddim 2002
Hearing the background behind this track featuring Kiprich brought a lot to light that was obvious but still not clear. It was said that Elephant man started to dabble in the Madness and began using the slang "Madd" and talking about "nah nuh head". He even made a song called " Don't have nuh head". He also released a song called Head Gone which brought him great success. Elephant man has always been known for dabbling in other people's melodies and styles but usually it was from international artistes. ELE started using the phrase "Mad, Sick, Head nuh Good" basically following on the same Mad wagon. Predator and Kiprich turned the phrase into a hit song. Believe me when I say this song was the BIG TUNE in the Dancehall at the time.
Predator-Nah Nuh Head-Good to Go Riddim 2003
It was interesting watching the interview Predator did on Teach Dem's YouTube channel as the artiste gave insight into the making of a lot of his hits as well as how Bounty Killer and the Alliance was formed. For "Nah Nuh Head", Predator said Don Corleon called him to voice a song but he had nothing planned. When he went to the studio he went into the booth and started Dee Jaying "
Chorus:
From Grandspen to Jungle (Nah No Head)
From Spanglers to Garden (Nah No Head)
From Town to Spanishtown (Nah No Head)
To see di whole a Jamaica (Nah No Head)
Tax di chi chi bus driver (Nah no head)
Di Taliban suicider (Nah no head)
From Southside to Warica (Nah No Head)
To see di whole universe (Nah No head)
And then he got out the booth and started apologizing to Don saying, " Me soon find a tune for the riddim. But Don said, " Wah you a talk bout, that is the tune, just find some verse". Then Don made bling dawg, Bounty Killer, Baby and others go in the booth and say "Nah Nuh Head" to layer the chorus. Predator then came up with the killer punch line from his real life experience of lighting a spliff near a gas station and being asked to out it.
Nah no head, go pon di gal span fi go light a big head
Di owner seh yuh mad yuh waan everybody dead
Mi seh mi nuh bizniz cau mi nah no head.
The interesting thing about Predator’s lyrics, while they were full of hype, had bars of conscious reality as well.
Everywey mi go a just bare blood a shed
grandma, grandpa, baby a dead
It obvious, di shotta dem nah no head
And also mixed in with humor.
People come inna my house and laugh till dem dead
Bed foot bed side mi nuh have nuh bed head
Which Dancehall artiste/song from back in the days came back into your sphere recently? Post a link below or make an entire post if you'd like.😉
I love reggae and Caribbean Culture.
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