Longing For
I enjoy listening to a variety of music. One genre that I listen to frequently is reggae music. This sound originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s with elements of rock and soul music performed at moderate tempos with the accent on the offbeat. The subsets of music birthed from reggae music that I enjoy listening to are dancehall and reggaeton.
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Dancehall music is a more carefree and sparce version of reggae with an urban youth feel. Some dancehall artists currently in my playlist are Sean Paul, Shenseea, Popcaan, Mr. Vegas and Beenie Man, however anytime I hear Elephant Man I'm going to turn it up and dance.
Reggaeton is another younger genre that was birthed in the 80s from Panama and popularized in Puerto Rico and is heavily shaped by the African diaspora, dancehall from Jamaica, reggae en Español from Panama, an underground mixture of Puerto Rico hip-hop. Some Reggaeton artist currently in my playlist rotation are Don Omar, Karol G and Bad Bunny.
I love the story telling in reggae music. I remember watching The Kings of Comedy featuring the late Bernie Mac, Steve Harvey, D. L. Hugley and Cedric the Entertainer. During Cedric's set he talked about reggae music and how it can be about the simplest of subjects, but it can be a "bop." He gave an example of a song about peanut butter, no jam. It was hilarious because it was true.
For this countdown Jah Cure's "Longing For" makes the list for its expressions of deep yearning for love and connection. The entire song is a plea for more love. In the song the writers begin by declaring "only you can make me feel like a king..." and the love you give the writer describes as "so real." The only thing he's longing for is to be loved more by the one he loves.
I found it interesting in relistening to this song more closely and not just diving into my own emotions when I hear it that it mentions how his love for this person has gotten deeper since he's reached "prison". And funny story, I had the lyrics to this song wrong the entire time. I believed that what he was saying was that he feels as if he's in prison, but NO he's expressing that his love has gotten deep, and the longing has gotten deeper since he's been in prison.
Jah Cure born Siccature Alcods grew up in Kingston Jamaica and was given his stage name by Capleton. His breakout hit "King of the Jungle" featured Sizzla and was produced by his mentor Beres Hammond.
He recorded the album that the song "Longing For" was released from illegally while in prison. He was later released and is now back in prison for stabbing his promoter over unpaid fees.
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Mallick, D. (2023, February 17). Jah cure releases new album from prison, promises he’ll tell his “side of the story” on the next one. DancehallMag. https://www.dancehallmag.com/2023/02/17/news/jah-cure-releases-new-album-from-prison-promises-hell-tell-his-side-of-the-story-on-the-next-one.html
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