THIS PODCAST CONTAINS LANGUAGE AND CONTENT SOME PEOPLE MAY FIND OFFENSIVE. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS EPISODE ARE THE OPINIONS OF THE HOST AND GUESTS.
Welcome to #ToppleUncaged!
Every week, The Canary will be bringing you an innovative podcast for the media landscape; hosted by me, Steve Topple.
In a special episode, I met one of the pioneers of UK reggae and a legend within the movement: Solo Banton.
Mr Topple x Solo Banton
Solo’s first steps into music were aged just 11, when he began MC’ing. He has since had a broad career, proving a versatile producer, selector and artist. His influences range from roots reggae to soul via hip hop and rap. Now, this diverse mix of genres shines through on his new album. Called Old Raggamuffin, it’s Solo’s first full project in seven years. And the wait was certainly worth it. Old Raggamuffin is a heady mix of roots, soul and dub – with elements of calypso and hip hop thrown in for extremely good measure. The production, co-worked with Kris Kemist from Reality Shock Records, is of exceptional quality. But it’s Solo’s lyrics and delivery which really impress.
His performance skills have become noticeably more honed since his last album, Higher Levels. Cleverly mixing razor-sharp humour with damning indictments of the system, Solo doesn’t hold back with Old Raggamuffin‘s subject matter. From institutionalised racism to classism, via social media, political corruption and state-sanctioned propaganda, Solo has created a searing narrative of the world in 2019. Old Raggamuffin must surely stand as his seminal work.
So, I caught up with Solo for the #ToppleUncaged podcast. We discussed Old Raggamuffin, his journey to this point, Brexit, classism, the corporatism within the music industry and more.
Enjoy!
CanaryPod: #ToppleUncaged meets… Solo Banton show notes:
Presented, produced and edited by Steve Topple.
Sound engineering by Gav Pauze.
Old Raggamuffin (title track) by Solo Banton via Reality Shock Records.
Buy the full album Old Raggamuffin on CD.
Find out more about Solo, read more about the album and shop his back catalogue on Pauze Radio.
Follow him on Facebook and Insta.
Follow on Twitter:
Steve Topple @MrTopple; The Canary @TheCanaryUK; Solo Banton @SoloBanton; Nicola Jeffery @NicolaCJeffery; Gav Pauze @PauzeRadio; Rai Star Music @rai_star113
Use the hashtags #ToppleUncaged #CanaryPod
Find out more about Gav Pauze and browse his vinyl store.
Topple Uncaged Theme Music: Lost Souls by Lee Wrizzle.
Edutainment by Solo Banton featuring Macka B via Reality Shock Records:
Take Aim by Solo Banton via Reality Shock Records.
Featured image via Steve Topple, Maurice – Wikimedia and Reality Shock Records
