South Rakkas Crew
South Rakkas Crew is credited as the originators of Electro-Dancehall music; a sub-genre fusing Jamaican reggae and dancehall with different forms of electro. They are a Florida based record label/production house founded by Dennis 'D-Rakkas' Shaw in 2002.
D-Rakkas was born in Kingston, Jamaica raised in Ontario Canada then relocated to Orlando in 2001 to manage the pop production company Riprock n Alex G Entertainment Inc. 1 year after moving to Florida, D-Rakkas conceptualized and created South Rakkas Crew enlisting pop producers Brad Daymond and Alex Greggs.
Their debut Riddim album Clappas Rhythm featured top Jamaican artists of the time including: Vybz Kartel, Beenie Man, T.O.K., Mad Cobra, Elephant Man, Capleton, Mr. Vegas, Sizzla, Tanya Stephens, Ce'Cile, etc. It was released in 2003 by UK label Greensleeves Records and quickly became one of the most successful or Riddim releases of all time. Deejays from all over Europe started using the term Electro-Dancehall to describe SRC’s unique blend music genres.
In 2004 Greensleeves Records released SRC’s sophomore album Red Alert Rhythm. It was favored by UK artist M.I.A. and she contact them to remix her single Galang. The following year she introduced D-Rakkas and Alex G to Diplo during a trip to Miami. Diplo, a professed fan, asked if his label Mad Decent could release an SRC record and in 2007 they released the critically acclaimed South Rakkas Mix Up EP.
It was around this time Dennis Shaw previously known as Dow Jones ventured out into the Deejay world adopting the moniker D-Rakkas and taking South Rakkas Crew live. It wasn’t something new to him but he hadn’t Deejayed since his teenage years in Canada so it was a daunting undertaking particularly because his first gig was Fabric in London; considered one of the top club venues in the world. His idea was a Jamaican soundsystem style, deejay, emcee, interactive performance while mixing and mashing up a variety of musical genres reflecting the influences that made their production unique. D-Rakkas inaugural performance with emcee Trixx had him play alongside producer / deejay Switch who later partnered with Diplo to create Major Lazer. South Rakkas Crew has been touring all over the world ever since.
SRC remixed Council Estate by UK artist Tricky in 2008. The label was excited about the project and extended the contract from one to ten remixes. These songs came from Tricky’s newley released Knowle West Boy album which Domino Recording Company released in 2009.
The group's 2009 album The Stimulus Package was a longlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize.
SRC is currently solely run by D-Rakkas and he works with a variety of featured artists on his continued releases. Touring emcees include Canadian emcee and comic Trixx, Florida deejay and emcee Mr. Agony, and UK artist, emcee and radio personality Serocee.
The name RAKKAS
Rakkas is the Jamaican patois pronunciation for the word rockers. This is another term for Reggae music.
Discography
- 2003 "Clappas Rhythm" (Greensleeves)
- 2004 "Red Alert Rhythm" (Greensleeves)
- 2005 "Bionic Ras Riddim" (South Rakkas Ent)
- 2006 "Chinkuzi Riddim" (South Rakkas Ent)
- 2006 "Remakes" (P-Vine/Blues Interactions)
- 2006 "World Riddim Cup" (Tatsuya)
- 2007 "Remakes Come Again (Greetings to All Raggamuffin)" (P-vine/Blues Interactions)
- 2007 "South Rakkas Mix Up EP" (Mad Decent)
- 2008 "Sandy Smith Nuh Ordinary" (P-Vine/Blues Interactions)
- 2009 "Stimulus Package" (Mad Decent)
- 2011 "Nuff Remixes Vol. 1" (South Rakkas)
- 2011 "Gangsta Revival" (Mad Decent)
- 2012 "Chachi Riddim" (Germaica Digital)
- 2012 "New York!" (South Rakkas)
- 2012 "46 / Forty Six" (South Rakkas)
- 2012 "Soundboy Dead" (South Rakkas)
- 2012 "REFILL" (South Rakkas)
- 2012 "Go Hard or Go Home" (South Rakkas)
- 2012 "Foot Meets Face" (South Rakkas)
- 2012 "Kingston Jamaica" (South Rakkas)
- 2012 "Jump Up Xtra" (South Rakkas)
- 2013 "Pumpin Music" (South Rakkas)
- 2013 "Bouncy Bouncy" (Adapted Records)
- 2013 "She Drippin"(South Rakkas)
- 2013 "Winding Rave" (South Rakkas)
REMIXES by South Rakkas Crew
- 2005 "Galang" - M.I.A
- 2007 "LDN (Crack Whore Riddim)" - Lily Allen]
- 2008 "Council Estate" - Tricky feat Kid Foreigner
- 2009 "Numb" - Tricky
- 2009 "Bacative" - Tricky
- 2009 "Crosses to Bear" - Tricky feat Mr. Dockery
- 2009 "Joseph" - Tricky
- 2009 "Baligaga" - Tricky
- 2009 "Coalition" - Tricky
- 2009 "C'mon Baby" - Tricky
- 2009 "America's Suitehearts" - Fall Out Boy
- 2008 "Poison Dark" - The Bug feat. Warrior Queen
- 2010 "U Don't Like me" - Diplo (Mad Decent)
- 2010 "Frisky (Frisky F*&k Me Remix)" - Tinie Tempah feat Serocee
- 2010 "Hands Up Brazi" - MC Gi and Mr. Dockery
- 2010 "Bitches" - Killa Queenz