Den Ojo - In 't Zwart (Self-published)

Until further notice Johnny den Artiest remains the king of the Flemish reggae, but a possible heir to the throne is already chasing his crown in Mechelen. In this context you should certainly check the intro of 'In 't Zwart' ("in black"), in which Den Ojo (pronounced "den odjo") addresses his subject to the tones of the 'Brabançonne'. Where Johnny den Artiest musically opts for roots, rocksteady and ska, Den Ojo rather seems to favor dancehall ('Wij Zijn Daar' over the Rodeo Zone riddim, 'Ni Ready' featuring Pol Pandoer over the Fren Dem riddim and the self-produced 'Pumpumpum'), new roots (check out the excellent 'Lyricale Dood' over the Reggae Root riddim) and even soca ('Lekker Ontspannen', the infectious 'Geraakt' and the funny 'Cents Zijn Op' again with Pol Pandoer). Yours truly isn't really all that dancehall-minded, so you'll understand that our preference on 'In 't Zwart' rather went out to lovers tune 'Beetje Meer' (over the Soulful Spirit riddim) and the eighties vibes of 'Ni Voor Niks' over the classic M16 riddim.