I take you to another FIFA World Cup year for this week’s throwback. 2002 was the year in which the tournament was jointly hosted for the first time by South Korea and Japan. Brazilian Ronaldo was the star of the finals helping his country clinch the tournament for a record 5 times against Germany in Yokohama.
2002 was the year German reggae artist made his mark in the industry on Dem Gone Riddim. Tilman Otto commonly known as Gentleman was born and raised in Cologne Germany. Before the huge success of ‘Dem Gone’, he had been in the music business since 1999. His first work was on a collaboration with a band called Freundeskreis, on a song called ‘Tabula Rasa’. Trodin On was his first studio album of eleven which was released in 1999. He had mild success with it, with tracks like ‘Fade Away’ and ‘Heat of The Night’ featuring Richie Stephens.
In 2002 Gentleman had the maiden title track on Dem Gone Riddim. The track was the opener on his second studio album Journey to Jah. Gentleman sings in English and Jamaican patois which made his music a hit in the Windies. Otto was able to pick up the patois from his many visits to Jamaica from the age of 18.
Dem Gone Riddim produced by Digital B Music, also features Morgan Heritage, Ras Shiloh, Sizzla and Jamelody. The reggae rhythm is not over subscribed but the few tracks on it still make it memorable.
Sizzla’s ‘Woman I Need You’ has been used by many men in expressing their love for a woman. It is the perfect dedication song if you are struggling to let your lady know how you feel. It’s a one size fits all and Sizzla demonstrates just how much he understands the female psyche.
‘Give Thanks’ from Jamelody is also one to write home about. It is another classic uplifting song which makes it very difficult to single out a top pick in the pack. Morgan Heritage and Ras Shiloh also give a good account of themselves on the riddim, with ‘Works To Do’ and ‘Don’t Take Your Love Away’ respectively.
Gentleman went further with the riddim having an unplugged session with the track giving fans something else to commend the artist on. This is the same with Morgan Heritage who continually kill it with live Rockers’ moments.
I will give this one to the German probably because he was the first one to it. A pure classic that is definitely worth your time.
