The Rebirth of
Rude
By
Lotek
The Rebirth of Rude is the eagerly anticipated new
album from the multi-talented London based artist Lotek. Now, for those of you
who may not be familiar with Lotek then let me give you a bit of background:
It was thanks in part to his brothers copy of RUN DMC’s
Tougher Than Leather that drew Lotek to the Hip-Hop scene. He explored
rapping but, found that it was the production side of things that really spoke
to him. He rose through the ranks at Rollover Studios in London’s West End to
become an engineer working with the likes of Seal and Leftfield. After this he
would go on the manage a studio for Sound of Money Records, an independent
label which was home to Roots Manuva, Blak Twang and Fallacy at the time. It
was Roots Manuva who would give Lotek his first notable production credits. He
produced and co-wrote two tracks on the highly acclaimed Brand New Second
Hand. Lotek would continue to work with Roots Manuva on four more projects
including Run Come Save Me and Awfully Deep. Some further notable
credits include working with Diplo, Hilltop Hoods and also production and
co-writing for Speech Debelle’s award winning album, Speech Therapy.
Lotek also works with his own multi-genre group Lotek Hi-Fi who released two
albums on the Big Dada label and in 2011 he released his solo project,
International Rudeboy which would see Lotek on full writing, production, and
recoding duties. He describes his style as “Hip-Hop made by a reggae fan, or
reggae made by a Hip-Hop fan.”
Lotek handles vocals, production, programming, and some
keyboards on The Rebirth of Rude. However, he has also brought in a
wealth of guest vocalists and live musicians to give this album that vibrant live music feel.
Without further ado, it’s time for me to take you through my
experience of The Rebirth of Rude:
The album is like a reggae sound system and kick’s off with This
is… (The Rebirth of Rude) which features UK Artist Daddy Speedo on the
chorus and is based on the song This is Reggae Music from 1978 by Zap
Pow. The music is replayed and given a Hip-Hop twist. The track is basically a
summary of the history of Reggae music and picks out some pivotal moments that
are a part of reggae’s DNA. From the Bullet in Bob’s Arm and Tenor Saw’s, Ring
The Alarm to the Soul Rebels, Bass, Chase The Devil and The Outlaw Josey Wales,
I can’t summarise everything here but, Lotek has produced a series of video’s
which I will link below and I highly recommend you watch them. This one has you
listening to every lyric as much as it has you up and dancing to every beat,
it’s just infectious. Rude and Deadly features RayJah45 from Melbourne,
it keeps the energy high with its mix of keyboards, Guitar, and drums. This
really took me to the music and how you conduct yourself and deliver something
that will speak to both the mind and body of the listener. It has to be both
cool and so deadly that it literally takes over the listener regardless of whether
they hear it live or recorded.
The Return of the General hits you with a vibe that
is heavier on the drums with some electronic notes giving this that multi-genre
feel. Spikey Tee of legendary UK Hop-Hop group The Sindecut and a Drum n Bass
pioneer features. It brought to mind the live aspect of reggae with the sound
systems, from setting up the stage to standing tall and putting your heart and
soul into the performance for the crowd, giving them what they want and
producing a collectively uplifting experience. Not just that but, it also shows
the influence of reggae on other musical genres. Viola (See It There)
features Bristol’s Zed Regal and shows the global effect and infusion of
reggae. There is a Parisienne vibe to this one as Lotek takes us on trip to
France for different cultural experience. This in turn reminds us of how music,
in this case reggae/Hip-Hop, is such a universal language.
Run Rudeboy Run is an upbeat vibe which is heavy on
the horns. It looks at the roll of money in our society and what some people do
to get it. There is that reference to the rudeboy, the often-violent subculture
in Kingston, Jamaica. The term rudeboy was later adopted by Ska and 2 Tone. Although
there is that criminal element who use violence to get money, here the song is
seemingly reflecting the current state of our society where corrupt governments
leave too many in poverty or sitting on a knife edge where they do what they
have to do to survive. Thru Another Day features Trevor Roots and is the perfect track to follow
on. This one is upbeat and perfectly feel good with all the elements of that
sound with the bass, horns, drums, and keyboard. It reflects how all the
aspects of reggae culture (from the dress, the sound, the attitude, and the
spirit) all come together to uplift you, feel you with a positive outlook and
help get through another day.
Heavy Heart is a more soulful vibe with a slightly
heavier beat. The soul is reflected in the vocals of Sistah Joyce which bring a
calming element. Overall, the track is positive, and uplifting as it looks at
how we walk forward in life. There is no need to look back at what has gone
before with a heavy heart, keep the sun shining inside to light your path and
this music can help you do that. No Fussin’ sees the return of Daddy
Speedo and here it really reflects the upbeat nature of reggae music and that
it is infused with peace and love whilst looking at the harsh reality of life.
Here there is a vison of crime and violence on the streets but, reggae counters
that in reaching those on both sides with the message that peace and love will
win through.
Daddy Speedo stays with us for Destabilization (Put Down
That Cowboy Hat). This bass, keyboard and drum infused rhythm takes a look
at the campaign of destabilisation the C.I.A used in Jamaica during the late
1970’s. Fearful that Jamaica would become the new Cuba, they went to extreme
lengths and covert operations in infiltrate the political parties and to
recruit the youths. This brings that whole situation bear for a new audience.
The final track of the album is This Is… Too Dub. Bringing that true
reggae dub element to the albums opening track by stripping back the vocals and
enhancing the rhythm element. Showing that, at times, less truly is more as it
expands the track in the mind of the listener.
First thing that struck about The Rebirth of Rude was
just how much feel good that seemed to ooze from every line of every track on
the album. Yeah, I have heard Ragga Rap before from the likes of Asher D and
Daddy Freddy or The London Posse but, there was something about this album that
took the roots of reggae and laid them open for all to see and feel.
Having not immersed myself in reggae culture or really
experienced much of its music it was like a culture shock to me, what have I
been missing all these years. Lotek has taken his knowledge and experience of
reggae and urban underground music and produced not just an admirable reggae
rap album but, an album that opens you up the depth of reggae and its influence
on modern music. It does that in such a way as to leave you wanting to explore
more of the music. To be honest, that urge to explore more of the reggae sound
will deepen when you watch the videos that are linked to This Is… (The Rebirth
of Rude).
If you are new to reggae in any form this album will allow
you to feel that Sound System energy. The Selecta playing the music, the DJ who
is the one on the mic riding the rhythm and the crowd who are feeling that
positive energy and dancing. The music lifts you and keeps you there throughout
its ten tracks. There is no ebb and flow here, it’s all about taking you up to
an ecstatic level and keeping you there. This is… both an introduction and a
masterclass.
There is no doubt that Lotek has this deep love of both Hip-Hop
and Reggae music, and you can feel that love saturate every second of this
album, allowing you to feel it on every level. He brings all his years of
working alongside accomplished artists to bear here as well as his own skill as
an artist in his own right creating an album that is polished and accomplished
on every level. There are aspects here that cover a historical perspective,
modern day life and the straight up enjoyment of the music. There are times you
have to feel between the lines, go that bit deeper to truly appreciate
everything that is being given. This album would have a cracking piece of
musical gold, in its own right, with Lotek delivering on a solo level But, it
is plainly obvious that by bringing in a wealth of guest vocalists and instrumentalists
it expertly encapsulates the reggae sound and raises it to platinum status. It
all comes together perfectly, and you can feel it just as if you were standing
in the middle of a crowd at a live sound system in Jamaica itself.
There is honestly not much more a can tell you about this
album except to say that the best thing you can do is to experience it for
yourself. Yes, I think it is that good and is in my top ten of the year so far
and that’s no mean feat. Alongside the usual streaming and digital releases,
it’s also going to be getting a vinyl release too with a limited coloured
edition, what more do you want… You will want this one on your shelves for sure
because this is true music for the soul.
The Rebirth of Rude is due for release in September through Traxploitation Ltd/Rebel Elements,
so keep watch for the links to this and jump on it.
I’d just like to finish up by thanking Lotek for sending
this to me and huge additional thanks to one Big Smoking Joe for putting me in touch with
Lotek and recommending my services.
On that note,
It's time for Reggae to get me through another day,
Peace,
Steve.
LINKS
Pre-Order The Rebirth of Rude from Bandcamp:
https://lotek.bandcamp.com/album/the-rebirth-of-rude
LOTEK Website (you pre-order here too):
LOTEK Productions (for Mixing, Mastering and Production):
Traxploitation YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/traxploitation
LOTEK on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChejgOMXDeRpTHmvhjb0UMg
VIDEOS
The following link will take you to the playlist The Birth of Rude, which I highly recommend. This is LOTEK's video series that looks at the birth of reggae and links to the albums opening track This is... (The Rebirth of Rude):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC1vkzjpdPybLlFIlDZ5UYKgz4vnlJ-Za
This is... (The Rebirth of Rude)
Run Rudeboy Run
Rude and Deadly
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