ShabbaRanksVEVO, Uploaded on Oct 25, 2009
This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of the Jamaican Dancehall song "Ting A Ling".
Information about Shabba Ranks is included in this post along with information about his 1992 song "Ting A Ling" and that song's lyrics.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Shabba Ranks for his musical legacy.
Thanks also to the publisher of this featured video and thanks to all those whose comments are quoted in this post.
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INFORMATION ABOUT SHABBA RANKS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabba_Ranks
"Shabba Ranks (born Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon; 17 January 1966)[2] is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throughout his prominence in his home country as a dancehall artist, he gained popularity in North America with his studio album, Just Reality, in 1990. He released two studio albums, As Raw as Ever and X-tra Naked, which both won a Grammy Award as Best Reggae Album in 1992 and 1993, respectively. He is notoriously popular for "Mr. Loverman" and "Ting-A-Ling", which were globally acclaimed and deemed his signature songs.[3]
Career
He gained his fame mainly by toasting (or rapping) rather
than singing, like some of his dancehall contemporaries in Jamaica. He was a
protégé of deejay Josey Wales. His original stage name was Co-Pilot.[2] His
international career started in the late 1980s, along with a number of fellow
Jamaicans including reggae singers Cocoa Tea and Crystal. Ranks also worked
with Chuck Berry and American rappers KRS-One and Chubb Rock.
He secured a recording contract with Epic Records in 1989.[2]
The stylistic origins of the genre reggaeton can be traced back to the 1990 song "Dem Bow", from Ranks' album Just Reality. Produced by Bobby "Digital" Dixon, the Dem Bow riddim became so popular in Puerto Rican freestyle sessions that early Puerto Rican reggaeton was simply known as "Dembow".[9] The Dem Bow riddim is an integral and inseparable part of reggaeton, so much so that it has become its defining characteristic.[10]
His biggest hit single outside of Jamaica was the reggae
fusion smash "Mr. Loverman". Other big tracks include
"Housecall" with Maxi Priest, "Slow and Sexy" with Johnny
Gill, "Respect", "Pirates Anthem", "Trailer Load A
Girls", "Wicked inna Bed", "Caan Dun", and "Ting
A Ling". He won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1992 for As Raw
as Ever and in 1993 for X-tra Naked.[2]"...
-snip-
Read
https://everything2.com/title/The+Rise+and+Fall+of+Shabba+Ranks The Rise And
Fall Of Shabba Ranks, by Whiskeydaemon, April 27, 2008
That brief article recounts how Shabba Ranks was asked a question in a talk show about (fellow Jamaican Dancehall recording artist) Buju Banton's record "Boom Bye Bye" which called for homosexuals to be shot and killed. Shabba Ranks said that the Bible supports the crucifition of gays.
Here's the end quote from that article.
.... "Ranks was for all intents and purposes never heard from
again. It would be the mid to late 2000s before he would surface again outside
Jamaica, working with Akon. Ranks, Banton, even North American acts like Snow
who modelled themselves on the dancehall style - gone in a flash, back to
Jamaica to pursue more modest careers.
Whether Ranks was speaking from the heart that fateful day,
trying to put a righteous spin on a bad situation, or acting in very real
self-interest (e.g. not getting shot on his return to Jamaica), his actions on
that day effectively killed his dreams and the dreams of others hoping to make
it big outside Jamaica."
****
LYRICS -TING A LING
[Intro]
Ting-a-ting-a-ting-a-l-ting-a-l-ting-a-li-ting-a-li-ting-a-lin-ting-aling-ting-a-ling!
What a dilemma!
It's a Shabba thing, suckling sing (Ting-a-ling-a-ling)
Yard and Foreign kick up, Bruk whine (sing!)
[Chorus]
Ting-a-ling a ling
Dancehall it swing
DJ ears cock up when him hear boom riddim
Ting-a-ling a ling
School bell a ring
Knife and fork ah fight fi dumpling
[Post-Chorus]
Booyaka! Booyaka! call for Shabba Rankin
Shabba Ranks disappear and tear another man chin (true!)
Dem a di don, to di biz we have di key
Put di don to di key and turn him inna donkey - yes
Dem a di don, to di biz we have di key
Put di don to di key and turn him inna donkey
Who dey tink dey are? yes, dey cyan lure me
I am di general in di DJ army
Who dot all di 'I', and cross all di 'T"
And set all di gyal dem fickle fancy
And anywhere we go gyal gone crazy (listen)
[Chorus]
Ting-a-ling a ling
School bell a ring
Knife and fork a fight fi dumplin'
[Post-Chorus]
Booyaka! Booyaka! call for Shabba Rankin'
Shabba Rankin' disappear and tear off another man chin,
true!
Dem a di don, to di biz we have di key
Put di don to di key and turn him inna donkey
Dem a di don, to di biz we have di key
Put di don to di key and turn him inna donkey, yuh see...
[Verse 1]
Reggae dancehall, it comprised a whinery (yuh see)
Cock up yuh foot, gyal wine yuh body (yuh see)
If yuh can wine, yuh hold yuh man and him carry (yuh see)
Pop pure style when yuh see yuh matey (yuh see)
Mate a try dress but yuh mate nuh ready (yuh see)
(yuh mate a look like she a Bugs Bunny, yuh see)
She a cartoon, and she nuh rea-[ready]
Gyal a get di loving, you a get di money (yuh see)
Jump, up up up, cause yuh full a quality, (eeh hee)
Trailer load a girls dem gone cra...[crazy]
[Bridge]
A weh di great body girls dem?...
Like Jamaican girls dem?...
An' di American girls dem?..
An' di English girls dem?...
What about Canadian girls dem?...
All di Japanese girls dem?...
Di Caribbean girls dem?...
You should hear likkle children sing, (weh dem sing?
[Chorus]
Ting-a-ling a ling
Dancehall it swing
DJ ears cock up when dem hear boom riddim
Ting-a-ling a ling
School bell, it ring
Knife and fork a fight fi dumplin'
[Post-Chorus]
Booyaka! Booyaka! call fi Shabba Rankin
Shabba Ranks step aside and tear off DJ chin through
Dem a di don, to di biz we have di key
Put di don to di key and turn him inna donkey (yes)
Dem a di don, to di biz we have di key
Put di don to di key and turn him inna donkey
[Verse 2]
Yuh cyan mix quantity, with quality
A man of quality yes him have ability
Wid mi strong mind, and a dat a carry mi
I get di will power from, God Almighty
Many are call, but di chosen is me
What is for Caesar, could never be for me
Dey can't harm me, nor dey can't lure me
I am di general in di DJ army
Who dot all di "I", and cross all di "T"
Cash register ring, and dem make nuff money
[Chorus]
Ting-a-ling a ling
Dancehall it swing
DJ ears stand up when dem hear boom riddim
Ting-a-ling a ling
School bell ring
Knife and fork a fight fi dumplin'
[Post-Chorus]
Booyaka! Booyaka! call for Shabba Rankin'
Shabba Ranks step aside and tear off DJ chin through
Dem a di don, to di biz we have di key
Put di don to di key and turn him inna donkey (yes)
Dem a di don, to di biz we have di key
Put di don to di key and turn him inna don- (you see)
[Verse 3]
Reggae Dancehall it comprised a whine- (you see)
Cock up yuh foot, and whine yuh body-ee-ee
Jump up-up-up and shake your body-ee-ee
Model pon yuh mate, cau' yuh mate nuh ready-ee-ee
Mate look skinny, like macaroni-ee-ee
From yuh mate skinny, just call her thready-ee-ee
If a gyal nuh ready, den a gyal nuh ready-ee-ee
Don't want no gyal wid no balloon belly-ee-ee
Belly affi flat like a Willie penny
Hear di likkle children sing wid quality
Dem say!
[Chorus]
Ting-a-ling a ling
Dancehall it swing
DJ ears stand up when dem hear boom riddim
Ting-a-ling a ling
School bell it ring
Knife and fork a fight fi dumplin'
Booyaka! Booyaka! call for Shabba...
Source:
-snip-
According to several comments in the discussion thread for this embedded YouTube video, this verse of "Ting A Ling" is a diss on Shabba Rank's rival Ninjaman, who was also known as Don Gorgon:
"Booyaka! Booyaka! call for Shabba Rankin'
Shabba Ranks step aside and tear off DJ chin through
Dem a di don, to di biz we have di key
Put di don to di key and turn him inna donkey (yes)
Dem a di don, to di biz we have di key
Put di don to di key and turn him inna don- (you see)"
-snip-
Read this information about the Jamaican Patois meaning of "Booyaka":
Excerpt #1:
From https://jamaicans.com/booyaka/#:~:text=booyaka%20(Phrase),used%20in%20a%20celebratory%20tone.
"booyaka (Phrase)
Meaning/Description: A term used to emulate the sound of a
gun shot salute. It is used in a celebratory tone."
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Excerpt #2:
From https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/Booyaka/1904#.YeHXRv7MK1s
"Booyaka
English Translation - Bang!
Definition - An onomatopoeic expression used to imitate the sound of a
gunshot"
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Here's the words to a foot stomping cheer that my daughter collected in the early 1990s from African American girls (ages 10-12 years) attending Lillian Taylor [summer] Camp. These girls were from various Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteTINGALING A LING
Entire Group -Tingaling A Ling
School bells ring
Boolicka, Boolicka
1st Soloist - And (soloist's name or nickname) sings.
(The soloist does a brief step move or dance move while everyone else watches).
The cheer then immediately repeats from the beginning with the next pre-selected soloist who says her name/nickname and does a different step or dance move in the same brief length of time. This continues until every member of the group has had one turn as the soloist.
- African American girls at Lillian Taylor Camp (around 10-13 years old) , taped by camp counselor Tazi M. Powell in the early 1990s , transcribed by Azizi Powell from cassette tape in 1996
This cheer is based on Jamaican Dancehall artist Shabba Ranks' 1992 hit song "Tinga-ling".
Notice that the actual word that Shabba Ranks' sung in the 1992 Dancehall song was "boolacka".
DeleteThe change to "boolicka" is what is called "folk processing". "Folk processing" is when people change a word or make up a word because of mishearing, misremembering, or when they substitute a somewhat familiar word for a word that they don't know.
In this cheer the girls rhyme the ord "sing" rhymes with the word "ring". However, none of the girls who are doing this cheer actually sing. Instead, they do the same brief stepping motion. Saying their name or nickname and doing that brief step provides them with the opportunity to have them time in the spotlight.