The brainchild of production duo Mark Rae and Rhys Adams, Yes King fuse a melée of styles from hip hop, dancehall, ragga and ska into their own unique brand...
Mark Rae has long been a figurehead of the UK music scene following the success of his first production outfit Rae & Christian, the establishment of the former Grand Central Records and Manchester’s Fat City record shop. Rhys Adams remixed Mark Rae’s ‘Candystripe’ under the name of Frankie Valley subsequently lent his production and writing skills to Mark’s follow-up LP ‘Into The Depths’ and a natural collaborative partnership was cemented.
Rhys and Mark later joined forces while producing the album ‘Two Culture Clash’ for Wall of Sound in 2004 and the pair went to Jamaica to record in situ with local vocalists - the level of activity that followed resulted in a hard-drive full of half-finished rhythms which inspired them to create an album project.
The name Yes King originates from a Jamaican greeting which was bestowed by the Jamaican artists they worked with over the course of making the album - the term was used so often that it captured the essence of the project. The title of the album came from reggae legend Dawn Penn’s track ‘Rock This World’ which sets the tone for the album.
Although conceived in Jamaica Yes King has a strong London feel. There is a rich history of Jamaican music in Ladbroke Grove, the bulk of the album was recorded close by, many London based artists make guest appearances on the album and collaborators Mystro and Sweetie Irie were raised in the area. Ladbroke Grove’s Trellick Tower was chosen for the artwork as it captures the spirit of Yes King and is the most prominent landmark in the area.
The album production consists of a blend of the old and new, bringing the best of both worlds together through live instrumentation with the crunchy beats associated with hip hop and R&B, and also by authenticity to its reggae roots through the instrumentation and melody epitomised by the brass. Such diversity has created a truly unique album offering something to young hip hop fans right through to old school reggae lovers.
The album features guest vocalists as eclectic as the production styles and includes performances from Ayak - a 22 year old female singer/rapper who won 2004’s Prince’s Trust Urban Music Awards; Dawn Penn - immortalised by her dancehall classic ‘No, No, No’; Veba - one of the UK’s finest female vocalists who appeared on both Rae & Christian albums; Tor - an East London based female rapper described by Ras Kwame as "One of the sickest lyricists the UK has to offer"; Mystro - arguably the UK’s finest lyricist with a critically acclaimed debut album under his belt; Kenny Knots - a UK based dancehall artist with a string of top ten hits to his name; Sweetie Irie - who has been at the forefront of the UK Ragga scene since the eighties collaborating with artists such as Ian Brown and Gorillaz; Baby Chann - the only female member of legendary UK bashment crew Suncycle; Prezident Brown - original Jamaican reggae deejay of Hi Power Soundsystem and Pete Simpson - a vocalist from Sheffield who has worked with artists such as Joey Negro and Jon Cutler.
Our remix is featured on the new Mr Confuse album titled "Feel The Fire: The Remixes" available digitally! Remix artists include Smoove, Lack Of Afro, Una Mas Trio, The Uptown Felaz etc..
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“This CD just shows how much Chris Read knows about historic Hip Hop production techniques - Its just a shame he wasn't creating this stuff during the eras he's covering as we would probably rate the man as being up there with Paul C, Pete Rock, Premier and all! - I can't think of another Hip Hop CD I've played so much in years” (ANDY SMITH - PORTISHEAD)
"Chris continues the rap anthology concept of his super-dope 'The Diary' megamix in the shape of a remix project, re-lacing acapellas from 89-2009 with historically accurate beats. 'The Diary 1.5' serves as a great platform for Chris to showcase his ample beat-making skills whilst referencing those who've inspired him." (DJ WOODY - FORMER WORLD ITF CHAMPION)
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"Crazy! This is Rap History in the making. Chris proves his production skills on this one to the fullest. A wonderful and refreshing journey through all eras of hip hop. Double thumbs up!" (MARC HYPE - FORMER ITF CHAMPION)
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