Chant Down Babylon

Performer: Bob Marley
Artist: Erykah Badu; Guru; Rakim; Busta Rhymes; Lauryn Hill; MC Lyte; Steven Tyler; Joe Perry; Chuck D; The Roots
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Bob Marley, Erykah Badu, Guru, Rakim, Krayzie Bone, Busta Rhymes, Flipmode Squad, Lauryn Hill, Lost Boyz, Mr. Cheeks, MC Lyte, The Marley Brothers, The Ghetto Youths Crew, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Chuck D, The Roots, Black Thought. Producers: The Marley Boyz, Stephen Marley, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry. Engineers include: Bomzai Caruso, Error Brown, Comissioner Gordon. Includes liner notes by Harry Allen. CHANT DOWN BABYLON, which pairs Bob Marley's music with performances from a select group of urban pop stars, is strong enough to quell even the most skeptic Marley aficionado. Stephen Marley brought heavyweights from the worlds of hip-hop and R&B for this project, all of whom seem very familiar with Marley's work and bring a level of earnestness to the proceedings that demonstrate their reverence for the reggae great. Krayzie Bone offers a rendition of "Rebel Music" that is one of the album's high points, while Erykah Badu oozes fiery soul over "No More Trouble" as through she were standing right next to Bob in the studio. Other standouts include Aeorsmith's appearance on "Roots Rock Reggae" and Rakim's addition to "Concrete Jungle." The excellent CHANT DOWN BABYLON functions like a rare glimpse of what Marley's music may have been like if he were recording today.

Rolling Stone (12/9/99, p.76) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...a giant piety party with reggae's most hallowed saint as the guest of honor....It introduces a young audience to a deserving icon and makes a pointed political connection between present-day America and Marley's Jamaican slums..." Entertainment Weekly (11/26/99, p.99) - "...There's a reggae tradition of rapping over remixes of others' records, so this actually makes sense..." - Rating: B+ Q (1/00, p.116) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...when it works, it's startling. Lauryn Hill is stunning on 'Turn Your Light Down Low'....Busta Rhymes & Flipmode Squad are scarily effective on 'Rastaman Chant' and Erykah Badu takes 'No More Trouble' to all sorts of places....a fine record..." CMJ (12/13/99, p.29) - "...posthumously fulfills Marley's longtime wish to reach out to African-American audiences..." The Source (11/99, p.236) - "...Respecting the integrity of Bob Marley's legacy, while making his music available to a contemporary audience, CHANT DOWN is truly a dream come true."

Jamaican legend Bob Marley began recording in the mid-1960s when R&B-influenced vocal harmony was the order of the day in Jamaican pop. With the Wailers, he presaged every major development from rock steady to roots reggae. By combining the tension of political issues with the expansiveness of Rastafarian spirituality and some of the deepest grooves in reggae, he earned a worldwide audience. Though Marley died young, he remains an icon comparable to John Lennon, a musical and social visionary.

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