Sha-Tess Records Drops ‘Red Rum’ Riddim With Ten Videos

Dancehall producer Shaheed Muwwakil knows only too well the insidious cost of gang violence. As a resident of Arnett Gardens, he saw first-hand the gang violence that caused many students to miss several weeks of school at Trench Town and Charlie Smith high schools as warring factions faced off in 1991.

“It was really rough, I was one of many young men from Arnett Gardens who couldn’t attend school for months because of the fear that I would be killed in the gang violence because you don’t want to cross border lines…people were being killed. I had to commute, I had to wait till daylight to move, in the nights, I was afraid to come home, my academic future was in jeopardy until I started to attend St. Mary’s College (in St. Catherine),” he said.

He was eventually forced to repeat fourth and fifth forms at St. Mary’s College to properly complete his secondary school education before eventually migrating to the USA.

Jamaica’s gang problem has shown no signs of abating with some 389 criminal organisations operating in the country up to the end of 2019 and presenting a clear and present danger to society, according to statistics revealed by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

Of that number, 250 are still active, according to the Minister of National Security, Horace Chang, who made that disclosure during a presentation at the House of Representatives in 2020.

In the meantime, Muwwakil, whose real name was Phillip Bailey, is quietly revolutionizing the music business with his Red Rum dancehall project as he has focused more on the visual side, bankrolling no fewer than ten videos for singles on the 18 track compilation.

“Juggling rhythms are back! The compilation has been doing well, there are ten videos already out, I am ensuring that young artistes get maximum promotion if they voice for me. The rhythm has an international crossover feel, combining dancehall and hip-hop, and it’s drawing international attention,” Muwwakil, who is the head of US-based label Sha-Tess Records, said.

The project features 18 tracks with heavyweight names like Jahvillani, Gyptian, Jahvinci, Munga Honorebel, Teejay, Wasp, and Bryka. Other artistes include Badbreed, Thurteen13, Prospec, Tygah de Alpha and a female artiste Kizzy Don.

The project also includes songs from Charmello, an R & B singer of Jamaican descent from Atlanta, and Youngluiy, a hip hop artiste based in Antigua. which adds to the international feel of the project.

One of the lead singles of the project is Javillani’s ‘Gun Man Party’ which was released with a video a few days ago, racking up over 800,000 views since its release three months ago.

The project was officially released in February 2022 and is being distributed by ONErpm Music.

The producer, whose name was Philip Bailey before he converted to the Islam religion and officially changed his name, is excited about the future prospects of his first major project. He formed Sha-Tess label alongside his creative partner, Passadon who is the co-producer/engineer behind the Redrum project.

He has full confidence in ‘juggling rhythms” making a comeback for 2022.

“Juggling riddims are coming back and will be dominating the dancehall space for the rest of 2021-2022,” he said.