French Reggae Sucks Big Time (most of it)
guillaume Bougard
express my point.
I'm sick and tired of how French Reggae artists are idolized here in France.
They have a fraction of the talent of Jamaican heavy weights. They are just
promoted to death by majors. And when one reads articles in Telerama about
some French speaking Reggae artist, makes me want to puke.
No singer here can equal the vocal prowesses of a Dennis, Horace, Luciano,
Abijah.
DJ's here pale in comparison to Capleton, Buju, Beenie.
It seems what we get here in the French Reggae scene is what happened 40
years ago with imitiators such as Johnny Halliday or more recently for Rap.
The French rap scene is ridiculous: we've got a French equivalent of Busta,
etc...
For Dancehall, same thing, a Capleton copy cat was signed to Sony France,
who had signed Djamatik, a Buju copy cat a few years ago. Universal is
obsessed with the Clive Hunt / Tuff Gong sound: PierPolJak, Tiken, himself
an Alpha Blondy copy cat. Nuttea's big hit was just a translation of an old
jamaican tune. Manu Chao's live performances are filled with Studio 1 bass
lines. The riddim for Neg Marrons's big hit a couple of years ago was stolen
from Jackie Mittoo. The list goes on sickeningly...
When one hears those guys claim to be original this, original that, one
would think they'd have the courtesy of crediting the original composers...
No way.
What's even more pathetic is that they all say they want to develop a French
way of doing Reggae and they all go to Kingston or London to get their
albums done with the big name producers! Clive Hunt, Handel Tucker, Sly &
Robbie are at least taking some funds from these.
French reggae artists imitate Jamaican singers, stop rob bass lines without
crediting the original writers with the complicity of publishing and record
companies.
I'm preparing a list of the riddims used (no: stolen, as original composers
are not credited) by French Reggae singers for the World to see what a fraud
they are and how they're preventing Jamaican artists from emerging here.
Just because they sell 500,000 copies does not make them better than Sugar
Minott or Gregory Isaacs. They are nothing in the history of Reggae,
NOTHING.
I'm also tired of French Reggae artists contacting me to get them a bargain
price with so and so in JA. Just because I'm good friends with some people
in JA does not mean I'm going to make them accept substandard price
conditions. Fuck that: you want so and so on your album, you pay the right
price.
When you read interviews of some French groups who've recorded their stuff
in JA, they all say the same: I was treated as one of them, because
Jamaicains recognized my authenticity. They then go on saying that Jamaicans
liked their music so much that they never played as well before they worked
on their albums. They feel entitled to award good points to legends like
Flabba, Sly, etc... Who the fuck are they to think they can be on the same
level as the Dennisses, the Gregories, the Bounties..... I can name more
than 25 Jamaican DJs in 1 minute who are better than the top DJ here. Same
with singers. They forget that, despite the fact they are slavishly copying
their style. Bunch of bums with inflated ego.
Some French people are saying that the popularity of French Reggae acts
leads many to discover Jamaican reggae artists. Bullshit: sales of Jamaican
artists here have been the same for years, once the French Reggae Wave will
be extinct, sales of Jamaican Reggae artsits will be the same. It's a
perenial niche.
PS: Some will probably point to the fact I've used French Reggae artists in
several occasions (on U Roy's SERIOUS MATTER). PierPolJak seems to me the
least worst of them and it is true it helped me break into a larger public
here. I'll probably do this again, for commercial purposes, because I'm sick
and tired of seeing Jamaican legends sell less than 1,000 on many occasions.
After all, the end justifies the means.
____________________________________________________________________________
______
Guillaume Bougard
bj...@club-internet.fr
MELODYMAKERS.de
interesting posting!
What about Daddy Mory? I was at the Bercy Paris festival last year and
entered the venue, when he was already on stage.
I really liked his vibe! Anyway, if I remember correct, he sings in french
only! i was not able to understand the words, but I dig his performance.
BTW, when reggae record sales are concerned is France still the No1 in the
world?
Good Vibes
Julian
http://www.REGGAEPHOTOS.de
"guillaume Bougard" <bj...@club-internet.fr> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:3c8a41a0$0$27040$7a62...@news.club-internet.fr...
Johan Lindgren
you write about is probably universal or at least prominent in
continental Europe. Big oligopol record companies, MTV etc. I'm from
Sweden and the only stuff that get promoted is Shaggy and reissues of
Bob Marley compilations and just before summer the big companies try
to sell "summer" reggae compilations featuring 10CC and Men at Work!
Pretty sad actually! The domestic swedish scene has some reggae/ragga
acts but they are in the underground.
Johan Lindgren
jah bill
news:3c8a41a0$0$27040$7a62...@news.club-internet.fr...
> When one hears those guys claim to be original this, original that, one
> would think they'd have the courtesy of crediting the original
composers...
> No way.
heh...kind of like the original ja artists!
but i hear you and i agree with you, though im not real familiar with any of
the french artists you mention, the originals are the originals and the rest
are second. so getting a big old head over themselves (the french people you
mention) is just lame. seems like that happens a lot: others derive from
reggae but dont credit the source.
its actually pretty refreshing hearing that tirade from you!
one love
jah bill
Drummie
a fact you have English and Jamaican musicians on the French reggae circuit
it still doesn't make sense comparing them in my view. It's a totally
different vibes, concept etc.
As a musician myself in the UK I have come across some of these French
groups and I have to say that some of them are damn good.
I don't think it sucks at all!!
Sista Irie
happened to Kreyol Syndikat? they came here for the SXSW music conference about
five years ago and I was very impressed...I believe at the time they were on
Tuff Gong...thanks for any information~sis irie
guillaume Bougard
marleys?) and have been trying to get a deal for a while. I suspect the
steam is a little gone from them unfortunately.
GB
"Sista Irie" <sis...@io.com> a écrit dans le message news:
3C8B7D90...@io.com...
guillaume Bougard
> BTW, when reggae record sales are concerned is France still the No1 in the
> world?
I would say France is behind the US big time. But in terms of impact on the
whole musical scene, it's much bigger and widely accepted than in the US.
One can't forget about the UK, where the scene is far more underground than
in France, but where sales are a reality. Lovers rock sales seem to keep
going strong in teh UK, for instance.
GB
Sista Irie
who heard them in Texas was really charmed by their French/Jamaican
integration...I truly hope they can come forward once again..sis irie
dadawah
I agree with you when you say that Jamaican artists are far better
than
french ones, and that it is a shame when original writers are not
credited
for they work.
But don't you think that French artists are more popular in France
than
Jamaican ones also because a lot of people in France simply don't
speak
english ?? If they are two artists singing on the same riddim, one in
french and the other in english, using jamaican patois words, it is
logical to me that French people will listen to the french song (even
if it is just a copy of the original one).
Also, I think that the french people feel more concerned by lyrics
from french
artists (i don't think a lot of people here in France feel concerned
by Jamaican
ghettos).
I am sad that Jamaican artists are not well known in France, but I
hope that
the kind of record like "serious matter" will help french people to
discover them.
regards
"guillaume Bougard" <bj...@club-internet.fr> wrote in message news:<3c8a41a0$0$27040$7a62...@news.club-internet.fr>...
Ras Mikael Enoch
>
>I'm going to get even more popular with what follows, but I feel I've GOT to
>express my point.
>
>I'm sick and tired of how French Reggae artists are idolized here in France.
French Reggae ?
I have to admit, to those who don't know, that I
never got too excited about Alpha Blondy either,
even though he's from the Ivory Coast [French].
Imagine for a moment, being from a Spanish speaking
country, with only 'El General' reggae to listen to.
That's how it is in Mexico and South America.
I whole-heartedly agree with you Guillaume -
Personally, I've never been to France, except for
Polynesie Francais and Nouve Calendonie, and even
after reading your argument against French Reggae,
I'd still love to visit France and hear some reggae
in the French language.
In America it's like that band: Big Mountain,
all the hype you could imagine, yet without the
full compliment of Jamaican talent to match the hype.
Peace Guillaume !
______________________
Ras Mikael Enoch
http://www.exorcist.ws [updated]