Chant Down Babylon

Performer: Various Artists/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. Audio Mixer: Comissioner Gordon. Recording information: Quad Recording Studio, NY. Photographers: Lynn Goldsmith; Adrian Boot. Sometime during the '90s, overdubbing classic recordings with new instruments and vocals became an accepted practice, since the intent was to introduce legendary artists to a contemporary audience. Evidently, these good intentions made these albums better than, say, overdubbing strings on Hank Williams' spare recordings after his death, since that was just crass commercial pandering and this was noble missionary work. Chant Down Babylon -- an attempt to refashion Bob Marley recordings as urban and hip-hop (and, in the case of "Roots, Rock, Reggae" with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, rock) for a new generation, based on the presumption that, since Marley never reached the broad African-American audience he desired during his lifetime, there was no time like 1999 to try it again -- is arguably the most extreme reworking to date. Unlike many of these sort of recordings, the original musical base is not completely discarded, as the resulting vocal and instrumental overdubs are meshed with the originals. There are a few tracks, such as the Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill contributions, that work particularly well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Sometime during the '90s, overdubbing classic recordings with new instruments and vocals became an accepted practice, since the intent was to introduce legendary artists to a contemporary audience. Evidently, these good intentions made these albums better than, say, overdubbing strings on Hank Williams' spare recordings after his death, since that was just crass commercial pandering and this was noble missionary work. It doesn't play that way, however, and Chant Down Babylon -- an attempt to refashion Bob Marley recordings as urban and hip-hop (and, in the case of "Roots, Rock, Reggae" with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, rock) for a new generation, based on the presumption that, since Marley never reached the broad African-American audience he desired during his lifetime, there's no time like 1999 to try it again -- is arguably the most extreme reworking to date. Unlike many of these recordings, the original musical base is not completely discarded, but that turns out to be more problematic, since the resulting vocal and instrumental overdubs are awkwardly meshed with the originals. There are a few tracks that work -- such as the Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill contributions -- but overall, this is a misguided and embarrassing effort that winds up undercutting Marley's very virtues. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine 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."

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