(04.07.07) I first heard Rankin’ Scroo at a party in Oakland. Bear with me; this detail is important for two reasons. Godfada was playing through somebody’s laptop speakers, and without strong bass, the sound was colorless. Even worse, Rankin’ Scroo’s lyrics, already a game to decipher, were impenetrable. The music seemed as remarkable as the wallpaper. Lesson number one: this CD needs to be heard at full volume, through speakers that are–what’s the term?–big-boned. Godfada would sound best in a car, driving aimlessly through city streets at night. This is why Oakland is important. Although Rankin’ Scroo has traveled a circuitous route from Jamaica to New York to Hawaii to Oakland, his take on reggae has a particularly urban, West Coast flavor. And he won’t let you forget it. Two of his strongest tracks, “Riding West” and “California Gangster,” boast a mix of strength and sensitivity that evokes West Coast R&B thuggery. And the endorsements from E-40 and Keak Da Sneak draw Rankin’ Scroo into the ranks of the recent Bay Area hip-hop renaissance.
Rankin’ Scroo is a man of many hats, literally (check out his website www.rankinscroo.com) and figuratively, and not all of them fit the same. His self-consciously sexy songs, “Wyle Syde” and “Love No Other,” don’t have the charismatic rhythms and memorable wordplay of the other tracks. And the less said about the palm-muted rock guitar on “Vengeance,” the better. Ultimately, though, these two sides of Rankin’ Scroo (the lover, the fighter) work best in combination, like in the kiss-and-tell swagger of “Girl Talk” or the broken-hearted “Bad Treatment.”
If you’re not already a fan of reggae, this album is not going to convert you. Once more, let’s go back to that party in Oakland. I was talking to a fellow Igloo reviewer about Godfada, and he wanted to find irony in its songs. But although Rankin’ Scroo is playful, he is far from ironic. And thank Jah. This music is earnest, at times clever, at times plaintive, but always soulful and direct, which is why it gets under my skin. This leads me to lesson number two: don’t underestimate Rankin’ Scroo. He might just surprise you.
Godfada is out now on Crucial Youth. Buy it at Amazon.com.
