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 The
collaboration of hip-hop and reggae in the Bay Area brings together a
mix of two genres of music and artists. Rankin Scroo and E-40 have nailed
together sounds that are bass heavy with a catchy and fun beat in which
to act a fool. "Act an Ass" is their current release and is
in radio rotation.
R&B and reggae, along with rap and reggae are not new musical mixes,
yet they do make it possible for reggae artists to build stronger connections
with mainstream audiences. Collaborations abound like Busta Rhymes and
Elephant Man, Shaggy and Janet Jackson, Beenie Man and Mya, and of course
Sean Paul and Beyonce are heating up dancehalls nationwide.
While speaking about merging
traditional reggae with rap, Rankin Scroo breaks out crooning "Elephantitus"
by Elephant Man who he opened for in San Francisco late last year. Rankin
is a spontaneous man, always singing.
He chats about how the project
with E-40 was initally conceived. "I met him (E-40), on the road
coming back from a gig in Seattle. I saw him at the airport, walked up
to him and said, 'Yo 40, what's poppin'?'" They started chatting
and exchanged numbers and contact information. "I gave him my snippet
CD 'GodFada.' He called me up, asked me to do something with his brother
and his cousin."
 Collaborations
like this can become musical history. "Then, after that he called
me," says Rankin, "and he was like 'this is the bomb' [in reference
to Rankin's CD]. We chatted in our slang way like we do, about his little
sum sum I did in the studio with him." Rankin says that E-40 heaped
praises about his work and they developed a patois that is their way of
communicating and deepening their ties. "When an artist like E-40
says to me, 'you are hella stupid,' this is a compliment, ya know?"
Rankin says they were both feeling each other musically.
They would meet again and what transpired is their recording "Act
A
Ass." He also is featured on "Breaking News," E-40's current
album
release. He is on tracks 1 and 8, "It's played on KMEL, 94.9 [in
the Bay Area] and Hot 106 in L.A. All the DJ's have been picking up on
that song mon--it's starting to get national airplay, and it's in the
clubs too," says Rankin.
"Our getting together," claims Rankin, "went from just
a regular reggae thing to E-40 bringing me into the hip-hop world, which
will give me a firmer stance in the field since he's one of the biggest
artists in the hip-hop life."
 "I
call my music urban reggae," says Rankin Scroo, "which is hip-hop,
R&B and rap. What I did with E-40 was the intention with my Godfada
album which was to get into that market, and it's happening now thanks
to E."
With twenty plus years as an entertainer, Rankin started as a musician
back in Kingston, Jamaica, "but I went all over the island performing."
With a strong fan base in the Bay Area who know him as the duo Rankin
Scroo and Ginger, he makes it clear that she is still an integral part
of his music, "Ginger sings back-up for me and produces her own work
too and we still do gigs as Rankin and Ginger. None of this," he
waves his hands to encompass his studio, "would be possible without
her--she is the business mind behind the talent."
Rankin has rooted himself firmly in his music, for love. "I'm working
on serious material mon, I love reggae mon, I'm dropping a new album soon,
not sure what it will be called and I let the music move me first. I'm
in the studio now, coming up with like 40 songs, not ready to pick which
ones will be on the album yet." Rankin says all the songs he's making
are hits, "They can all be singles and stand in their own right as
hitters, there are no fillers on this one mon."
Rankin is a producer as well as singer/performer and has created a studio
out of his home that allows him to work at his own pace and time. "My
reggae audience knows that I haven't forgotten them," he says, and
as he shakes his natty dreads he talks about the different ways he will
appeal to all people on this new album. "I love Jamaica and I will
do love and reality songs that mean something, that reach people."
Using his hands to illustrate his feelings, "I like a lot of healing
songs, myd ancehall folks will be pleased too," smiling mischievously,
"I also have my little, uh, my gangster songs, my thug songs. I want
to have all that--ain't no punks livin' in Oakland so I better be coming
hard, you feel me?"
Playing a cut called "Wait" that has a smooth, reggae beat,
Rankin said, "I have lovers' rock. I have to have my God songs,"
raising his hands in supplication he sings aloud, "God is in everything."
This new album by Rankin Scroo will include party tunes, "my club
folks need love too." "When you messed up with your girl you
can listen to my cut," he says, "after you say all that and
apologize you make her feel sweet--tell her she's your sweetness,"
then when you go out together you can listen to straight dancehall. I
got joints about stopping war, no fussin' and fightin', then survival
type songs that feed the thirst for freedom."
Rankin's work in progress will
appeal to a wider audience. He says, "I don't want to give too much
or too little, but enough to fill you up." All the beats and production
are done by Crucial Youth Production.
For more information, visit
www.rankinscroo.com and www.crucialyouth.com.
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