CHUNE

Riddim: The Mission

Producer: Baby G

The moment you first hear Mavado’s¹ voice, you know it’s something special. (So special, even.) Haunting is the word that always comes to mind for me, though that’s also due in large part to the eerie minor-key intervals he chooses. When he stormed into dancehall in the mid-’00s, he became inescapable in the best way: lurking in the shadows on every riddim, ready to unleash his unblinking gun talk and mournful choruses. Even though only three artists voiced on Baby G’s The Mission riddim, its militaristic drums meshed perfectly with Mavado’s lamentation about life on the run. Show me a person who can listen to this song without getting chills, and I’ll show you a person without ears.

Helicopter inna di air, helicopter inna di air
Bright light a shine a ground, bright light a shine a ground
Dem seh nobody move, nobody run
From di river to di bank lock dung,
But dem nuh know which part mi tun…

Not only did the tune ring off, but the title proved irresistible to Mr. Rocafella himself—Jay-Z jumped on the remix.

Additional Listening:

• Damian and Stephen Marley, “The Mission”—the riddim’s other major hit
• While Mavado had an earlier hit, “Weh Dem A Do” is the breakthrough track that really solidified his nihilistic approach: weh dem a do, weh dem a try/marrow will fly into di sky…
• Four years before Kendrick ground Drake into dust (subjective), Mavado went after the Canadian rapper on “Enemy Line”—not only did he feel some kind of way about Drake mentioning his neighborhood (Cassava Piece) on a track, but the 6 God had seemingly sided with his enemies in the long-running “Gully vs. Gaza” beef.

1. Artists’ names get butchered all the time on 45s, but no one as much as poor Mavado. Yes, he named himself after the watch, but that doesn’t mean he spells it that way. ↩︎