Sidewalk University

1. Try My Love

2. Jamaican in New York

3. Rainbow

4. Peace and Love

5. Sidewalk University

6. Should I?

7. I Can Make It Right

8. Let 'Em In

9. Start an Avalanche

10. Pen

11. I Just Called to Say I Love You

12. Race of Life

13. Trouble

14. Friendly Advice

Sidewalk University,Shinehead,Elektra / Wea,Dancehall,East Coast Rap,Pop,Ragga,Rap,Rap & Hip-Hop,Reggae,Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues

Riddim Driven: Sidewalk University
Average customer rating:

EXCELLENT!. . . But Something's Missing. . .

Riddim Driven: Sidewalk University
Various Artists
Manufacturer: VIP
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Reggae | International | Styles | Music
General | Reggae | Compilations | International | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000JCEU0U
Release Date: 2006-11-20

Tracks:

Man From Mars
Beyonce Wine
Solid
To The Top
Tek Wine
Shotta
Junjo Clatt
Gully Gun
Suddenly
Dem CanT Mek Me
Bully
Wine Up
Bad Man From When
Ghetto Youths
Sidewalk University Version

Album Details

Jam2 Presents the Sidewalk University Riddim featuring the Current Tony Matterhorn Hit 'man from Mars'. Built on a Vintage '90s Drum Pattern, Digital Bass Pulse, Syncopated Electro Keyboard Line and 'hey! Hey!' Party Chant Sidewalk University Gets the Dance Started. Producers Jammy 'jam2' James and Colin 'demarco' Edwards have Created the Perfect Backdrop for the Lyrical Badness of Deejays Vybz Kartel, Delly Ranx, Lady Saw and Up and Comer Mr. Peppa Among Others. This Riddim Bangs Like Concrete - Don't Sleep on the Sidewalk University.

Customer Reviews:

EXCELLENT!. . . But Something's Missing. . ........2006-11-27

The Sidewalk University is the latest in a long line of excellent riddims from the King Jammy's camp. This time it comes from Jammy's son Jam2 who has in the past dropped some excellent material, including the Cookie Monster, the Beat Box, the resurrection of the Duck riddims and the gorgeous Amharic. He also did much of the production work for Vybz Kartel's underground hit album, Timeless in 2004. The Sidewalk University is his latest project and he may have outdone each and everyone of his previous efforts with this MASSIVE riddim. One of the finest and most powerful of all 2006!

This Sidewalk University has an old school appeal to it. You listen to it and get vibes circa 1993 and I start looking around for names like Papa San and Zebra. But it is created for today's era of dancehall and the end result is somewhat of a Ward 21-ish sounding riddim which seeks to hit you as hard as it possibly can. And although it never changes, not once in the duration of its 15 tracks (something I look for in riddim albums), if you are truly a fan of dancehall music, I doubt you'll mind very much.

And some OUTSTANDING artists and vibes are lined up for the riddim with a nice wide variety of artists who put some of their best material forth for the Sidewalk University riddim. Check Assassin's Move & Gweh, as he makes some of the best usage of the SU which was absolutely built for an artist like himself with such outstanding and straight forward flows. You also have to make note that Baby Cham's MASSIVE Rudebwoy Pledge was originally built over the SU riddim before Dave Kelly built the Stage Show riddim; You also have a nice combination between Sean Paul and Wyclef Jean on Nah Watch as well Ele's hit, the hilarious Broke Back Mountain and of course Natural Black also voices on the riddim as well on his solid effort, Never. . .

Of course you wouldn't know any of that looking at the lineup on this album, because none of those tracks are on here.

In one of the oddest case of "what happened to?" I've ever seen in reggae nearly a quarter and most of the big tunes voiced on the Sidewalk University, for whatever reason, are not on the album for the riddim. In some cases I imagine it was because of time reasons (which could have easily been solved, would it kill dancehall fans to delay this one a few weeks?) or maybe even licensing issues (Ele, Natural Black and Baby Cham all have deals with labels that are not VP and either have recent projects out or are working on projects in Ele's case). Whatever the reason VP has done a bit of a disservice by not, in some way getting these tunes on the album.

But that's to no fault of the producer and the tunes available on the album, although limited still provide a healthy dosage of vibes for those picking this one up. The best, and perhaps biggest, tune on the album is without a doubt Vybz Kartel's somewhat corny and comical Beyonce Wine, but I DARE YOU to listen to the track without moving a muscle. Beyonce Wine was created for the dancefloor without a doubt and it does more than its job! The tune is massive!

You also need check the Empress' Suddenly on which Lady Saw probably goes full singing for the first time in my memory (other than that country song which she loves to do every once in a while), very nice track on her man's riddim. Up and coming Perfect on his Junjo Claat. Perfect has an unusual style which allows him to make hits out of songs like Handcart Bwoy, yet at the same time his style is probably even more suited to the hard hard dancehall riddims like the Sidewalk University (but dont tell him I said that, I like the one-drop stuff better); and of course look up Mr Peppa continuing his rise to power on his badman anthem Bully. Peppa is getting to the point of being so consistent now that you almost know that his tune on any riddim will be amongst the finest on the riddim altogether. And I'll mention that Jam2 even tapped his younger brother (and co-producer) who voice together on Dem Can't Mek Me, Baby G is really developing into a fine dj, even after becoming an already established producer.

The 2 other really big tunes on the album come from veterans. Jammy's 'unofficial' children Ward 21 go about redeeming themselves for their recent HORRIBLE album King of the World on their excellent Gully Gun which sounds like good Ward 21, from the days of Mentally Disturbed. A little loony, dark and murky describes that almost classic sound. Then you check Sizzla Kalonji's Ghetto Youths. Ghetto Youths is the second to last track here and the last tune voiced and it puts an excellent ribbon the album and the tune is so big I'm actually calling it the 2nd best on the album (3rd best on the entire riddim after Kartel and 'Sassin). And the end is a clean version of the SU riddim which is always nice to see.

Overall, I don't know if I'm able to recommend this one because of what's missing. Make it no fault at all to the producer Jam2 who has built an EXCELLENT riddim which is virtually flawless (besides there being not enough singers). VP should have found a way to include the missing songs on the album, or save it for another day. If they would've done that, well this one might be pushing 5stars. Because they didn't, you might wan to trod the mixtape circuit for all the tunes instead.