You may or not have heard of Reddman UK. That’s Reddman with two d’s and an added UK on the end, not to be confused with the other one who hangs about with Method Man. And you may or may not have heard Popcaan’s ‘Everything Nice’.
The former I actually know little about. What I do know is that he is a North Londoner and spends a lot of time with Gappy Ranks whose label, Hot Coffee Music, he is also signed to. I have heard bits and pieces from Reddman over the years and I have to say I have liked it all. The guy has a pretty unique voice, an almost crossover, deep falsetto style that wouldn’t be out of place on a hip-hop hook.
The title of this Mixpak produced riddim, ‘Everything Nice’, is a track from Popcaan’s LP, ‘Where We Come From’. The tune is a banger in its own right, as well as the entire album.
I was lucky enough to have popped in a little early to Base FM on a Friday afternoon to hear Piet of Sandy Bay Social Club fame drop the Reddman version on the same riddim. I had to ask Piet (as I often do) what this tune was and who was on the vocal. It’s a catchy, slow riddim that doesn’t take long to get your head nodding.
Reddman’s take on the vocal is somewhat smoother that Poppy’s, heavy on the auto tune, but when it comes to dancehall, vocoder is just fine. The lyrical content is similar from what I can tell, an ode to fallen loved ones, as well was enjoying life. Not a floor filler by any means, but a tune you will play over and over again, a great match to the original Popcaan effort.
I know Reddman UK has been around for a while and I hope he continues to make music, as I am a fan. He has nicely released this tune as a free download on his SoundCloud page. Grab it and while you’re there stick around and listen to his amazing vocal range. Fingers crossed he makes his way over here with Gappy some time soon.
I’m going to give this one 5/5 for the simple fact I have listened to it every day for the last six weeks.
Bless Up!
Danny Two Chains
