Music
How a Kingston record store powered the Jamaican dancehall culture of today
Meet Miss Pat Chin, the woman who helped pioneer the sound of dancehall and artists like King Jammy and Spragga Benz with her revered label VP Records.
“Oh my god, it was so exciting, and so different.” Patricia Chin, aka Miss Pat, is recalling the first time she heard dancehall in the late '70s when she was still living in Jamaica. "Dancehall was just coming in – people like Yellowman, Cutty Ranks. Those were the first, original dances. And where I was situated on 17 North Parade, at Randy's, we could see all the people dancing on the street.”
Randy’s started life as a secondhand record shop in an ice cream parlour at 36 East Street, Kingston, founded by Miss Pat and her late husband Vincent 'Randy' Chin. It then became a small label and producer of original recordings at its now iconic North Parade location and eventually went on to become the world’s largest independent reggae label – VP Records.
The label is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with the sprawling Down In Jamaica: 40 Years Of VP Records compilation, having expanded far from its Kingston birthplace. After a brief stint in Brooklyn in 1977, when Vincent and Miss Pat moved to New York, VP Records settled (aptly) in Jamaica, Queens. It was from there that this family-run label and distributor played a major role in the globalisation of reggae and dancehall – a genre that is now such a core part of contemporary pop music.
The Chin family may have moved to the US, but they also never really left Jamaica. Miss Pat was raised in Kingston, by her Chinese mother and Indian father and even now, in her 80s, her love for the music of her home island is as strong as it was when she first discovered it.
Miss Pat Chin at VP Records in the mid '80s
© Beth Lesser
“You could feel the energy of the people, you know? It was a new beat and new times, and there was a lot of energy – people dancing on the street getting all the new, different moves. Because, for each genre of music, there's a different way of dancing with the music.”
This “new beat” was a sparser reimagining of the roots reggae sound that had dominated Jamaica for most of the '70s and it brought with it different themes, too. Yellowman, for example, epitomised dancehall’s inclination towards explicit, 'slack' lyrics touching on sexuality and casual violence. He was also one of the most verbally nimble toasters of his time, with a loose, easy flow and a knack for witty improvisation.
Miss Pat knew this new sound wasn’t just a flash in the pan. “You know at VP and Randy’s, we always had our ear to the street, “ she explains. “When people used to come into the store and ask me for all these dancehall records, that's why I knew it was going to last. Not just the music, but the dancing that goes with it. It was faster, it had a different type of higher energy, where people could express how they feel. It was music that inspired people to get up and move. And it still is. At parties, whenever you hear dancehall music come on, you see people start to rock and move and feel good.”
The label quickly began working with artists – the singers, toasters and producers – that would sew the seeds for the dancehall culture of today. Henry 'Junjo' Lawes, for example, was the dominant producer in the pre-digital era (before 1985) and helped define what is now referred to as 'early dancehall'. In 1979, he put out work with the likes of Barrington Levy and Ranking Joe via VP.
Ranking Toyan outside Randy's
© Roy Sweetland / VP Records
In the ’80s and ‘90s, the label started putting out artists like Wayne Wonder, Lady Saw (dubbed the Queen of Dancehall), Shabba Ranks and Beenie Man. "That was a time of really, really good dancehall – singers, as well as the movement that was there," says Chin.
“When I came up here [to the US] dancehall was taking over so much. It was like hip-hop – they were blowing up at the same time. It was infectious. It was about supporting people and the road – they wanted something lively, so it came in at the right time. VP was always seeking new artists, new beats, new everything."
Why does she think the genre has proved so popular? “It's the voice of the ghetto people and the streets of Jamaica. We [VP] were always at the forefront of the music. It's had a long life because we have new singers come on, new dance moves come around."
Adaptability is key, too. Chin talks about how VP artists like dub mixer and producer King Jammy kept dancehall contemporary by using digital production methods. Similarly, VP put out the 2000 debut album by Sean Paul – arguably dancehall's biggest crossover star – pushing dancehall towards the mainstream. And over the past few years it’s been clear to see the impact of artists like Paul: in 2015, Justin Bieber’s Sorry, for example, or the slew of dancehall-dipped records that followed, from Drake’s Controlla to Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You and Rihanna’s Work, all drew heavily from a sound born on the streets of Kingston.
Ninja and Shabba Ranks
© VP Records
"I think we've had a role,” says Chin. “VP always had a culture of developing artists, so we continue with the trend of what's going on and (I hope!) we're still part of it, because when I hear the music from cars passing by, or even on the radio, it gives me great pride.”
Dancehall icon Spragga Benz, who is appearing at Red Bull Culture Clash Kingston alongside Salaam Remi in Do It For The Culture crew, started putting out tunes on VP in the early ‘90s. It's a sound he grew up with at home and which he's helped spread across the world. Buju Banton was an influence on Benz, and with Banton’s help he made tunes like Jack It Up, which was also the title of his first album, released via VP. It was an instant underground classic. “Reggae dancehall is my country’s national music,” Benz says now. “All my childhood friends and I loved going to stage shows. The energy and skill of the elder, veteran artists was magnetic.”
He says there are layers to the culture that explain dancehall’s enduring popularity. “There’s an ability and willingness of artists to address social issues – national and international – that down press the masses,” explains Benz. ”As well as the ‘danceability’ of the groove that moves the world. My new album Chiliagon blends a lot of genres that spawned from reggae and dancehall that are mostly popular in the UK, where I recorded the album. Like jungle, drum 'n' bass, grime. It tightens the link between them all.”
Benz is now on the world stage, but he believes VP Records was pivotal for both his own career and the growth of dancehall. “It was and still is, very important to be assisted and supported by VP,” he says. “They’re still the leading distributors of the genre – miles ahead in reggae – even decades later.”
Spragga Benz
© Fanatic / Red Bull Content Pool
Christopher Martin, who has worked at Shaggy's Big Yard studios and with musicians like grime MC Chip, is part of a new generation of Jamaican dancehall artists. For him, dancehall still runs deep.
“Dancehall is still popular because it’s an entire culture, it’s an identity,” he explains. “It identifies itself with Jamaica, so as the culture diversifies, dancehall evolves as well. When the dressing changes, the vibe we sing about in dancehall changes as well. Every evolution the identity of the people is reflected in the music. So it’s not like people can change and leave this music behind or that the music can change and leave the people behind.”
For Martin, VP is a key part of this: “From the ‘70s till now, their role in it is they have always been at the forefront of the music and ensuring that it is distributed and marketed for those people who didn’t know about it. I feel like they're instrumental in getting the music to those people. Getting it to hearts, minds and ears."
Reflecting on her label turning 40, Chin is grateful for the support she's received over the years, from her late husband and the producers she's worked with to people like David Rodigan, who's been playing reggae and dancehall to international audiences for decades and her children and grandchildren, who work in the business today. "I've never forgotten how we're all working towards the same aim,” she says. “I'm so happy that I'm a pioneer and that I've been here [in music] for 60 years, doing what I love: spreading music and the culture."
