Papa Touwtjie - Gangster En Andere Poku's (Top-Notch Music/Universal)

In his short career Touwtjie mostly wrote songs about the harsh reality in which he grew up; songs about poverty, but also about gangsters ('Gangster Master', 'Gangster (Soor Mie Oenoe Hand)'), because even though he was a smart boy with a phenomenal photographic memory (something he could later rely on when having to improvise his lyrics), he would often hang around on the streets struggling to resist the lures of rudeboy life. When one night his friends once again take him on a midnight stroll to "grab some easy money", things take a wrong turn: the owner of the store they're breaking into, greats them armed with a shotgun and hits Touwtjie in the lower leg. Because his friends flee and leave him behind, he's only found the next morning. Rushed to hospital he's then also refused help because he's regarded as a criminal, causing his wound to get infected and eventually resulting in an amputation. Having become less mobile, Touwtjie starts focusing all of his time and energy on his music, drawing inspiration from Jamaican reggae and dancehall.

Papa Touwtjie raps and toasts in Sranan Tongo, before him only ever tried by kawina-musician Sam Breeveld. Touwtjie's music catches on tough and pretty soon he also starts making a name for himself in The Netherlands. In 1992 he heads over there for a first tour and uses the opportunity to record 'Gangster (Soor Mie Oenoe Hand)', more than a cover version, Touwtjie's interpretation of Terror Fabulous' smash over the Full Up riddim 'Gangsta' and still his biggest hit. Touwtjie continues to have hits with songs like 'Commander', 'Blakka Man Tori' and 'Sontin' and records album upon album. Then in 2005 things go dramatically wrong when he intervenes in a feud two of his brothers also are involved in. Once again a bullet hits Touwtjie in the leg and once more he doesn't make it to hospital fast enough. Because the wound isn't ligated properly, the poisonous hydrocyanic acid from the bullet gets a chance to spread into his bloodstream.

After his death, Papa Touwtjie still scores a posthumous hit with 'Sontin', a song in which he ironically sings about himself in the past tense: "My time has come!". For 'Gangster En Andere Poku's' Top-Notch collected thirteen songs by this Surinamese reggae legend, songs that stylistically fit the dancehall style of the late nineteen eighties and early nineties and in which Touwtjie's superb vocal skills are the main attraction. Absolute discovery for those who still have to get to know this Surinamese reggae artist and a nice retrospective for those who are already fans.