Bassajam is a collective centered around Santo, hailing from Lorient in Brittany, France. Having made a name for himself in the French sound system circuit since 2004, Santo successfully shifted to livestreams during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. In 2021, he founded his own label, Bassajam Records, and, alongside guitarist Edwin Cardot (Vanzo, Lidiop…) and keyboardist Bastien 'Fayce' Belmokadem (Pierpoljak, Meta Dia, Mo'Kalamity…), ventured into the studio for a full album project, resulting in seven infectious riddims, with two versions of each track featured on 'Real Step'.
For the vocals, Santo enlisted a host of well-known names from France and beyond, including Pierpoljak, Skarra Mucci, La Dame Blanche, Marcus Gad, Uman, and Tomawok.
'Real Step' is an absolute party starter of an album, with not a single weak track to be found. As personal favorites, we'd like to highlight a few standout bangers.
Opener 'Mashing Up The World', featuring a Skarra Mucci in top-form, is a track built on a riddim inspired by the classic 'None Shall Escape The Judgement'. The track is also accompanied by an excellent music video shot in Morocco, India, Ethiopia, and Kenya! Equally striking is 'Bandolos', a contribution over the same riddim by Pierpoljak and the lesser known Soljah Light.
Don't miss 'Muy Loca,' where La Dame Blanche brings some Cuban hip-hop vibes to the table. In stark contrast is the more meditative 'Appreciation', with Marcus Gad on vocals (though 'Wake Up', Lidiop's version in Wolof and English over the same riddim, holds its own just as well).
Elsewhere, Bassajam opted for a revamp of the Israel Vibration riddim from 'Rudeboy Shufflin''. Vanzo's 'Rudeboy Story' is essentially an update of that same track, but Brahim's 'Tu N'emmèneras Rien' hits the mark! A lyrical clash to the death unfolds in 'A La Vie A La Mort' with Uman and Tomawok: Brussels versus Paris in fine style. Meanwhile, Twan Tee rides that same riddim with 'No Bad Vibes'.
More of this, please!
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