Shinehead rewinds riddims for Atlanta's Reggae Legends Week

It might seem inconceivable now, but once upon a time anti-drug songs were the rule in rap. It was as if you couldn't get a record deal in 1988 without comin' correct — word to Shy-D [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB0PuhipQKI|"Paula's on Crack"]]. But when it comes to some of the top "Just Say No" joints of the era, there was the bombastic Chuck D and Public Enemy with "Night of the Living Bassheads" (still the most iconic rap video of all-time), Run-DMC's New Jack Swing-assisted, pop-tart PSA "Pause," and the Brand Nubian's Edie Brickell-sampled burner "Slow Down."

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But the most bizarre crack-is-wack anthem of the late-’80s by far was the raggamuffin gem "Gimme No Crack" by MC/dancehall artist Shinehead. Whether it was the sing-songy hook ("I'm real cool/I chill ’cause I max/I might act crazy but I don't smoke crack"), or the amped-up tongue-twista flow he followed it up with ("Don't gimme dat/me don't want dat/don't gimme no/me don't want dat CRACK! CRACK!"), the shit was hilariously addictive.

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Shinehead headlines Atlanta's annual Reggae Legends Week with a Saturday night performance at 595 North, hosted by Erica Newell of the Stephen Marley Band, Atlanta-based MC Ekundayo. With Alive 'N' Well (Mike Flo & Ekundayo), Stahhr, Jemere Morgan, Marian Mereba, Lotus Love, Jazmatic, Ahzjah, Adams Morgan. Selectors: DJs Mafioso, Lion of Judah, Jah Prince, Abashaka. $15 door. 9 p.m.-Until. Sat., Feb. 11. 595 North, 595 North Ave. www.reggaelegendsweek.com.

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Nowadays it's commonplace for rap, dancehall, and reggae to mix in ways that make it hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. But the fusion is one Shinehead helped pioneer, emerging from New York's dancehall sound system scene in the early ’80s, with a signature look — oversized Cazals hanging off the tip of his nose — as quirky as his musical blend.