General Degree ADD

Review

EP Review: General Degree - Feeling Irie Reggae EP

02/08/2015

by Dan Dabber

A reggae vibe with a fun dancehall edge

In 2012, Busy Signal made the world fall in love with Reggae Music Again. Shortly thereafter, Chronixx became a bonafide global sensation and the “roots revival” became a full-fledged global reggae movement with an uncharacteristically long reach into mainstream markets across the globe. Chronixx has even popped up on the American late night talk show circuit, performing on NBC’s Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon in July of 2014. The roots revival is undoubtedly the most broadly popular trend in the genre right now and General Degree, more commonly known as a dancehall artiste, is wise to ride that wave by putting out a one-drop focused release entitled Feeling Irie - Reggae EP. Degree’s fans are likely not surprised by the move however, as the deejay has shown throughout his more than twenty year career an uncanny ability to stay on top of the trends in a way that is consistently genuine, lyrically potent, and musically cutting edge.

Despite Feeling Irie’s strong focus on reggae, General Degree didn’t abandon his dancehall roots entirely on this project. The cut Muck Off, produced by Delroy "Phatta" Pottinger and Leon Smillie, is voiced over a Sleng Teng-inspired riddim that instantly transports the listener back to the early days of digital dancehall. Phatta and Smillie actually produced the majority of the tracks on this release, and Degree’s strongest collaboration with the duo is probably Koozie, a romantic tune with a nostalgic reggae feel.

Although he covers some essential reggae subject matter with a few lovers tunes and the rasta-forward Over and Over, the General shines the most on this EP when he is spitting party lyrics, a theme usually associated with dancehall. Massive, which is produced by the legendary Cleveland "Clevie" Browne of Steely & Clevie fame, is a good example of Degree using the lyrical skills he honed in the dancehall to create the feeling of unity that reggae has come to represent in the world. He takes a similar approach to Feeling Irie and the particularly strong Dapa, which was produced by Steven "Lenky" Marsden, the man behind the Diwali Riddim. More than a decade ago, the Diwali became an international pop phenomenon with everybody from Buju Banton to Ol’ Dirty Bastard contributing versions, the most popular of which was Sean Paul’s Get Busy. The Degree-Lenky link goes back to those days as well, as true aficionados will recall that Degree’s version, Inna, was one of the hottest tracks on the Diwali.

For over two decades, General Degree has maintained his relevance with dancehall audiences due to his talent and his ability to adapt, but Feeling Irie - Reggae EP is his first attempt to apply his versatility to a long-form, reggae-centric format. The result is a reggae vibe with a fun dancehall edge that succeeds in matching the general tone of the current roots revival movement. Degree’s new Reggae EP probably will not produce a huge hit, but it is likely to have reggae fans Feeling Irie well into the summer.

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