Ari Up - True Warrior - Punky Reggae Queen (1962-2010)

I first met Ari Up in the studio with 77Klash and right away I knew she wasn't your typical artist. Her energy was crazy, she and Klash would go back and forth and he kept saying "this is a baptism, you baptize me into punk royalty." I kinda felt that way too, she loved Caribbean culture & had a deep respect for the music of Jamaica. She was wearing this over the top, like a Zany Dancehall Queen meets gothic cheerleader at an 80's workout studio. We talked about her style in between takes, and when I told her she had a flow and style that reminded me of some old school Lady Saw she was so humbled, like she always wanted to hear someone say that. She was hysterical, like a hot mess, but not really, she knew exactly what she was doing, how she was dressing, and how others might see her, and she could care less what anyone thought. She was creating a punky reggae reality that she knew existed although still in its infancy. I knew we would have to work together again. So when DubShot had its first ever CMJ Showcase at Santos Party House, I asked her to headline it. Once again she was humbled, she would say some people try to fight the thing down, but we get it chris we know what it is...the marriage between punk rock and reggae has taken several turns over the years. Two very unlikely genres of music that seem like they should never have been mashed together, until you notice that it has created some of the best music. Thanks to Joe Strummer and Ari Up we have a new direction to discover, she held the very best from both worlds. She was an inspiration for me and this label. She had one foot on the street and one foot in this other place she created in her mind that didn't quite exist yet.



New Prince Polo's
dub for ari
http://www.thekennelstudio.com/audio/billy/Dub_for_Ari.mp3