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Segge Dan and Daddy Ash are a couple of East End boys that know a bit of history taking their name from ‘Yaa’ (an African name for woman) and adding the “Brit an”. This year is the 60th Anniversary of the arrival of SS Empire Windrush at East London’s Tilbury Docks. That ship was the first arrival of black emigrants from the West Indies and second/third generation on, Black Britanyaa sees this event as Windrush Volume 1 whilst this CD is the Volume 2 musical update.

Starting with a snippet of Lord Kitchener’s 50’s Trinidadian calypso of ‘London Is The Place For Me’ they travel thorough time paying homage to the Windrush generation.

With suitable influential ‘moments’ (seminal moments like Janet Kay ‘Silly Games’ and Talkin’ Loud’s Young Disciples ‘Absolutely Nothin’), the CD is squeezes in a range of influences that make this more than just another hip-hop collection with help from ‘Loose Lips’ herself, Lyric L and Talkin’ Loud legend Omar.

In fact, the Lyric L track ‘Wha Gwan’ is one of the highlights, not only for her contribution but for the use of the Peruvian pan pipes (and again on ‘My Life’ with Doc4 and Stone). Both sound lots better than it reads. And talking of which, if you’d had said to me the other week that a cover version of Sting’s ‘Englishman In New York’ sounds as good as a new version of ‘True’ Chor Bazaar), to be polite, I wouldn’t have believed you. Like Trickbaby cover version that takes an Asian spin on white British pop-hits, Sting’s ode to illegal aliens in NYC gets a retro rap with lyric change to “I’m illegal alien, I’m black man in Babylon, I’m the next generation”.

Other highlights are ‘Dem Mans Illin’ with production credits for Drew Horley (best known for his work with Ty) with a riddim rip of Stalag and there’s some clever lyrics on ‘Lonely Roads’ and ‘Devil’s Peak’ (the ones with Spanish guitar). ‘Rise’ (with Skamadan) is hard street level and is in stark comparison to ‘Libation’ that features Omar. Libation is the African ritual of spirits honouring their ancestors and this finds the flow at its emotional peak; along with a street gang us/them tour of London town.

There’s nothing wrong with some edutainment when it’s this good but the album does feel somewhere between a stage play and a history project (see the chalk board inspired cover). Not that it’s worse for this musically and as a story with a hip-hop base, that’s what the youth relate to these days so it’s going to get attention.

Reviewed: Black Britanyaa - The Windrush Vol. 2 (Abduction Entertainments) Release date: 1st December, 2008 Buy it at: www.seggedan.com
Tracklisting:
1 Windrush (The Excursion) (2:18)
2 Wha Gwan feat. Lyric L (3:37)
3 Lovers Rock Moment (0:25)
4 Lonely Roads (5:23)
5 Junglist Moment (0:33)
6 Rise (3:26)
7 My Life (4:09)
8 Chat Bout Moment (0:38)
9 Illegal Aliens (3:46)
10 Ragga Moment (0:41)
11 Dem Mans Illin’ (4:09)
12 Devils Peak (4:07)
13 British Soul Moment (0:39)
14 Libation feat. Omar (5:15)
15 Libation II feat. Omar & Tuggsta (8:50)

Links
www.myspace.com/britanyaa
www.lyricl.co.uk
www.omarmusic.net
www.myspace.com/omarlyefook