Just one week after Christopher Ellis’ extraordinary Damian Marley produced Better Than Love EP, Ghetto Youths International is back with a second Junior Gong supervised taster for another of their stable. Tru Colors is a five track showcase for the singer-deejay Wayne Marshall – in preparation for a 2014 album (officially only his second despite the first dropping in ’03).
Unlike the Christopher EP, where all songs are new, this is a stylistically varied grab bag of rap, reggae and dancehall – comprising fresh tracks, remixes and known hits.
The stand-out is the virulently infectious Stupid Money which has been getting pre-release airplay on Irie FM. On paper a dancehall artist recording an ode to abundant wealth on a hip hop rhythm with singing children sounds disasterous. Instead it’s an instant classic – coming on like Jay-Z’s Hardknock Life put to the tempo of Still Dre; and featuring sprightly synth strings, a honking bass sax, rockstone bars from Agent Sasco and a stupidly catchy hook sung by Marshall’s son Giomar.
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