Bounty Killer ADD

Review

EP Review: Bounty Killer x Baby Cham - Time Bomb EP

09/27/2023

by Steve Topple

What a time to be alive. Not only have we finally got a new Bounty Killer record, as well as a new Baby Cham record – but we’ve got it as a joint project with a legendary producer, too.

Time Bomb, released via MadHouse Records, sees Killer and Cham team up with one of the most prolific names in Dancehall, producer Dave Kelly. The pair have been teasing the EP for many years – and the timing seems apt, given Killer’s long-rumoured album King of Kingston has reportedly been shelved due to label issues.

So, instead we have this seven-track project. It’s clear from a listen that there’s a point, here. Killer, Cham, and Kelly have swept across the decades and genres, delivering a blem of Dancehall-inspired styles of music that capture how the culture’s evolved over the last 25 years that they’ve worked together. There’s also a clear nod to the issues surrounding free speech in Jamaica at present, as well – as Killer and Cham have made a point of making radio-friendly versions of the tracks (after government crackdowns on what lyrics stations can play) – while keeping the originals as fierce as ever.

The evocative Intro, with its drums imitating a ticking clocking along with a brooding synth string section and imposing bass line, is a masterclass in how to open an EP: cinematic, unsettling, and indicative of what’s to come.

The opening track Time Bomb delivers on Intro’s promise, with its snare rim clicks imitating the clock again. However, this is not a concept project and this feature comes back in intermittently. Instead, Killer, Cham, and Kelly have embraced something Trap Dancehall here: the bass is broken, resonant like an 808, and staccato. The drum line is limited, with hi-hats and snares pattering away at points, while the kick hits on occasion. Dampened synth horns run a line just out of earshot, as do electric keys, and a rasping acoustic guitar runs riffs at points. That’s the basic structure. It’s not as heavily leaning into Trap as some artists do – however, the ambient engineering captures the vibes, Killer and Cham show off their rhythmic and lyrical skills well – and overall, it’s a solid opener.

The resurgent Dexta Daps, who’s been leaning heavier into conscious works of late, returns to gyal tings here with the previously released Slow Motion. It swerves Time Bomb back to 90s Dancehall, but with the hard rhythmic clave split across the bass and snare to mix things up. The pace feels slightly slower than expected (although it isn’t) thanks to some clever work with reverb on the engineering across tinny horns that strut in and out. The synth flute echoing Daps’ melody is well-placed – as is his performance, here: delicate, sultry, and expressive. Killer and Cham pair off against him well, and the whole things feels like a glorious tribute to Dancehall some three-decades ago. Oh, and look closely and you’ll see Jada Kingdom in the official video, too.

Badman Ting featuring British actor-turned music producer and artist Idris Elba switches the EP up again. Here, the sound is Dancehall but nearer the gritty, EDM-influenced style of recent years. The track is stark, with the rhythmic clave reduced across the kick and snare rim clicks. A heavily engineering synth flute, with slight pitch bending, is the main feature – while the bass is limited to the start and end of each bar. It’s stripped-back, grimy, and smoky; Elba shows himself to be a competent MC alongside Killer and Cham, and the whole thing is pensive and moody – with equally broody lyrics around those musical mandem who think they’re badmen, but really aren’t (with a smattering of self-awareness thrown in for good measure, too – ‘wi ah live like king, that mean wi ah win’).

Next, and Mad Enuh once again takes Time Bomb’s vibe to something far more modern – but here, across that sound where the traditional rhythmic clave isn’t present, instead being replaced by a syncopated riff – almost with a Reggaeton feeling about it. Again, it’s a stripped-back affair with the kick and bass being dominant – paired with dampened keys. There’s some nice use of synths at points – including choral sounds and samples. Killer and Cham wind down their delivery, here – working around a melodic line with poise and attention to detail, and the whole thing is slick and efficient. Lyrically, it’s an interesting concoction, as they lament some of the trappings of being rich and famous (wi ah live like Messi and Ronaldo’), while discussing the journey to this point (‘mi used to get chase by the po-po, now wi Alicia Keys in ah photo’).  

Vibe is a move forward in terms of sound once again – here, with Killer, Cham, and Kelly turning to Hip Hop for inspiration. Essentially the track is a beat – not quite Hip Hop, as the rhythm is too syncopated and dotted note-heavy – with some additional samples and synths intermittently intertwined. The point being, Vibe is a chance for Killer and Cham to take full centre stage, both vocally and lyrically. Cham is up first – with a delicate singjay with commands attention, sitting nearer something spoken word, but moving up and down a melodic register. Killer then counters this with a full-on, full pelt singjay: forceful, melodically focused, and forthright. Lyrically, it’s also one of the more interesting cuts – as Killer and Cham lament the haters who still bother them, the racist cops who still stop them ‘and nah tek no bribe’, the governments from whom their visas ‘get circumscribed’ – but all the while reminding us that “the father provide”, and they’re still here. It’s strong stuff – and shows both artists have still got it.

The EP closes with Don't Play. It’s AfroDancehall meets Old Skool Reggae, with the former’s recognisable broken clave mixed with smatterings of Reggae influence – like the major key chord progressions, the occasional sound of a beat of a bubble rhythm on an electric organ, and a delicately winding melody in the background across synths. It’s musically inventive and interesting – then Killer and Cham cement this. Again, their differing vocal styles are perfectly matched, and lyrically they’ve concocted a veritable ‘song of praise’ – giving thanks for the lives they’ve had, what it’s provided for them and their families, and looking forward to the future. It’s a fitting closing to Time Bomb and is uplifting and fresh.

Overall, Time Bomb is inventive, evocative, and entertaining. Bounty Killer, Baby Cham, and Dave Kelly show they can turn their hands to any style of Dancehall and make it their own – while staying true to their own artistry, too. There’s no filler on the EP, as all the tracks are solid work – and the record stands as a fitting testament to 25 years of musical partnership.

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