TROJAN JAMAICA/BMG SHARE
NEW U-ROY GROOVE ARMADA REMIX – LISTEN
NEW VIDEO PRODUCED BY
JAMAICA SOUNDSYSTEM & GABRIEL JAGGER/WHYNOW
U-ROY & SHAGGY’S “RULE THE NATION” RECEIVES DISTINCTIVE NEW SPIN
FROM LEGENDARY UK DANCE MUSIC DUO
SOLID GOLD U-ROY OUT NOW
“Daddy U-Roy was cutting edge when he came out.
It was a unique sound and everybody draw fi it.”
– Shaggy
“Rule The Nation (Groove Armada Remix)” sees the 3x GRAMMY® Award-nominated UK dance music duo – Tom Findlay and Andy Cato – recasting the already powerful track with a distinctive and uncompromising new energy.
“We wanted to keep Shaggy and U-Roy’s carnival spirit and re-tweak it for that 3 am slot near the subwoofer,” says Groove Armada. “Right to the last minute there was loads more stuff going on. But in the end, as always, less was more. Kick, hat, clap, bass, 2 MCs, and some live-to-tape action on the console. To quote Pete Tong, ‘turn it up.’”
“We have loved bringing this track to life,” said Jagger. “We hope we will all continue to celebrate the great works of U-Roy.”U-Roy and Shaggy’s original rendition of “Rule The Nation” can be found on U-Roy’s critically acclaimed 2021 album, SOLID GOLD U-ROY, available now digitally and on standard 2LP Black Vinyl HERE; Trojan Jamaica/BMG’s Limited Edition 2LP Gold Vinyl is exclusively available at VP Records retail outlets in Queens, NY and Miramar, FL, and via VP Reggae HERE.
SOLID GOLD U-ROY – which also features appearances from such icons as Ziggy Marley, Shaggy, Mick Jones of The Clash, Santigold, Sly & Robbie, David Hinds of Steel Pulse, Big Youth, Jesse Royal, Tarrus Riley, Rygin King, Richie Spice, and Scientist – proved one of last year’s most acclaimed releases. Produced by the Grammy-winning Trojan Jamaica co-chiefs Zak Starkey and Sharna “Sshh” Liguz with Martin “Youth” Glover (of Killing Joke), and mixed by David Sardy (Toots & The Maytals, Oasis, The Who), SOLID GOLD U-ROY further boasts a stellar band of superstar personnel comprised of Zak Starkey on guitar, as well as reggae royalty including the fallen comrade Robbie Shakespeare on bass and backing vocals, Sly Dunbar on drums, Tony Chin on guitar and backing vocals, Robbie Lyn on keyboards, Stingwray on trumpet, and the maestro Dean Fraser on saxophone and backing vocals.
Originally scheduled for release in 2020, SOLID GOLD U-ROY now serves as a musical memorial to the one and only U-Roy, who sadly passed away on February 17, 2021. One of the most profoundly influential reggae stars of his generation, U-Roy left behind an unmatched legacy as an originator of the chatty rhythmic vocal style known as toasting – a key foundational element in the development of rap and hip hop in the 1970s. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, drummer and joint frontman of The Roots, paid tribute to U-Roy as “the god of toasting,” adding that “without him we wouldn’t have the concept of hip-hop.”
Tracklist:
Trenchtown Rock – performed by U-Roy and Ziggy Marley
Man Next Door – performed by U-Roy and Santigold
Rule the Nation – performed by U-Roy and Shaggy
Tom Drunk – performed by U-Roy and Tarrus Riley
Wake the Town – performed by U-Roy
Stop That Train – performed by U-Roy and Rygin King
Soul Rebel – performed by U-Roy and David Hinds
Queen Majesty/Chalice in the Palace – performed by U-Roy and Robbie Shakespeare
Small Axe – performed by U-Roy and Jesse Royal
Wear You to the Ball – performed by U-Roy and Richie Spice
Every Knee Shall – performed by U-Roy and Big Youth with Mick Jones
Every Knee Shall Bow (Scientist Dub)
