00:00Hello everybody and welcome back again to the Reggae Appreciation Society.
00:06The 1990s are regarded by many fans as the golden era of dancehall as that was the epoch
00:12that saw that art form reach its creative peak as well as an explosion of super talented
00:16DJs in their absolute prime.
00:19That generation of toasters who would literally explode out of Jamaica and set the world's
00:23airwaves ablaze with anthem after anthem making that subgenre of reggae a truly international
00:29mainstream sound.
00:30And while the island was the epicenter of this sonic revolution, the children of Jamaican
00:36immigrants in the diaspora would also play their part and create classic material for
00:41the culture.
00:42From the likes of Toronto-based Canada powerhouse Louis Rankine to the subject of this video
00:47in the incredible duo of Mr. Notch and Ed Lee Shine, more popularly known as the Born
00:52the Americans.
00:53Straight out of Washington DC, these cats would redefine and popularize the hybrid reggae and
00:59hip-hop crossover sound that became a hallmark of that decade.
01:02They didn't invent it mind you, as likes of Daddy Freddy and Shinehead had already pioneered
01:07the style, but they were the ones to truly embrace it as a niche.
01:12From a stylistic point of view, I personally rate them among the best dancehall duos of the
01:171990s.
01:18A devastating combination of a smooth sweet singer and a brilliant big voice toaster that rocked
01:23dance floors and radio stations from the Caribbean to Asia and all the way to Africa.
01:28Anybody who was around in the 1990s felt the energy of this incredible act.
01:33They had it all from the look, the talent and the enthusiasm to truly dominate the dancehall
01:38scene for years to come.
01:40But as its common knowledge, the music industry is one treacherous and unforgiving space and
01:45when it seemed like they were about to consolidate on their incredible start, these two guys were
01:49torn apart by record label politics and the dark side of the entertainment business.
01:54Let's take a look at what really happened to the Bourned Americans.
01:58Now this tale begins in Washington DC in 1992 with 17-year-old Normal Howell aka Notch.
02:04Fresh out of high school, he was the son of a Jamaican father and a Puerto Rican mother.
02:10His father had been a bassist with a band while still living in Jamaica and he was blessed with
02:15an amazing smooth voice. He modeled his singing and voice style after popular dancehall singers
02:20like pliers and pinches and was then moonlighting at a popular Jamaican nightclub in Washington
02:26called Kilimanjaro where he would at times open for big names like shabaranks and supercats
02:31whenever they were on tour and came to perform at the club. Washington had a strong Jamaican
02:37community as most immigrants who first came to America in the 70s and 80s first settled
02:42in New York before moving there. And out of these immigrants was the Payne family.
02:47The patriarch Mr. Payne owned one of the most popular record stores in DC. The owner's son
02:52named Horace Payne aka Ed Lee Shine was working at his dad's store having also just graduated
02:58from high school. And this kid was a fantastic toaster who was heavily influenced by Boogie Banton.
03:04One day, Notch came to the store to buy some 12-inch records with instrumentals. The two teens
03:10got talking and when Ed Lee Shine asked Notch why he was buying so many records, he told him
03:14that he used them to perform at the Kilimanjaro nightclub twice a week.
03:19Ed Lee Shine was also interested in music and the pair hit it off immediately and began to
03:23meet regularly in Ed Lee Shine's basement where he had his own sound system set up to freestyle
03:28over instrumentals from the record store. And in no time, they began to nurse the idea
03:33of forming a duo. And in that period, they began to write the songs that became their
03:37breakout hits like Seas and Circle and Boom Shark Attack. They chose the stage name of
03:42Born the Americans to symbolize their dual heritage as American kids with Jamaican roots.
03:48And when they began to perform at bars and nightclubs around the city, they caught on like wildfire
03:53with audiences. Notch's infectious, smooth and melodic singing was perfectly complemented
03:59by Ed Lee Shine's powerful toasting and incredible lyricism.
04:02Their fame grew quickly around the city and it wasn't long before they began to get invitations
04:07to tour with visiting Jamaican superstars like Shabarangs whenever they were in America.
04:12They were fantastic acts but had difficulties getting a record deal from all the big labels
04:17like Epic or MCA despite good reviews from the touring circuit. These labels were skeptical
04:24of signing on American kids to do reggae whether or not they had Jamaican roots as they felt
04:29audiences wouldn't take them seriously. But eventually, they began to discuss with an
04:34independent label called Delicious Vinyl that offered them a one-song deal. And the arrangement
04:39is that the label would finance the production of one song and a music video. And if it sold
04:44up to 100,000 copies in 60 days, they would be signed up on a full album deal. And of course
04:50the pair grabbed it in a heartbeat. The song they chose was Boomshack Attack and upon release
04:56became a breakout hit that sold more than 100,000 copies in 28 days. The label immediately put
05:02them in the studio to recall the 11 songs that made up their debut album Kids from Foreign.
05:07The album would spawn smash hits like its lead single Boomshack Attack which reached
05:12number 15 on the billboard rap charts. As well as certified club and party anthems like
05:17Season Seko that took the album to number 2 on the billboard reggae charts in July 1994.
05:23Only narrowly beaten to the top spot by Patra's monster hit album in Queen of the Pack. An incredible
05:29feat for the then newcomers in what was a period of huge mega stars like Bujubanton, Shabarangs,
05:36and Supercat who were all then rocking the global charts. Their impact was phenomenal to say the
05:41least. They were simply awesome, charming, talented, and fresh and were in crazy demand for shows
05:47everywhere. They began to tour non-stop playing shows all across America, Europe, and Asia as opening
05:54acts for huge stars like Bojubanton, Gregory Isaacs, and other reggae royalty over the next two years.
06:00They became global superstars and were amazed while on tour of Japan when tens of thousands of fans
06:06sang along to their music word for word. They were immensely popular worldwide including all over
06:12the Caribbean. But incredibly they weren't very popular in Jamaica as their instrumentals were based
06:18on classic Studio One rhythms with a Rocksteady or Rootsy feel as opposed to the then more popular
06:23hard-driving dancehall rhythms being crafted by producers like Bobby Digital and Steely & Cleavy.
06:29By late 1996, they went to work on the second album Yardcore that came out in early 1997 to critical
06:37acclaim and great reviews. This album had wonderful tracks like my personal favorite entitled track
06:42Yardcore and the irresistible Send My Love. In summary, a slick infectious compilation that once again
06:49showcased the sublime talents of Notch and Idly Shine. The album was a decent commercial hit but failed
06:56to really take off as it ran into roadblocks set up by industry gatekeepers who began to demand payments
07:02for their music to get airplay on radio and television. Their label and Delicious Vinyl being
07:08a small outfit with a small budget wasn't prepared to do all that and that lack of promotion kept the
07:13album from truly taking off. This proved to be a big disappointment to the guys and over time began to
07:19strain their relationship and it soon got worse as that label found Notch's good looks and smooth
07:25singing potentially more marketable as the sound and trends were changing and they felt very soon
07:30there'd be less demand for Idly Shine's more rough-edged rugged persona. They began to put ideas
07:36in Notch's head telling him he would do better on his own as a solo act and in no time cracks in their
07:42relationship would soon appear. Despite the album not selling so well, they were still in heavy demand for
07:47shows around the globe and would play major concerts practically everywhere. But by 1998 their label
07:53decided Notch to renew their contract and after more friction in their relationship Notch would quit
07:58the duo to pursue his solo career. He would go on to do his own thing and scored one of the biggest
08:03songs of 2001 in the fabulous Notin I Go On So. I rocked that song for years and had no idea it was him.
08:11I can't play a sample of this song due to copyright restrictions but I left a link to it in this video
08:16description section below. Notch also explored his Puerto Rican heritage and was part of the massive
08:21reggaeton wave of the early 2000s and even put out a reggaeton album in 2007. Idly Shine on the other
08:28hand would lean more toward the behind the scenes role. After the breakup he would tour with rapper
08:33Madlion for a while and became a songwriter for Warner Records. All in all, the breakup of the borned
08:40Americans was a sad thing as that pair had been such a delightful duo. However, the massive nostalgia
08:46from their fans have seen them do several reunion shows over the years and you can never tell what
08:51could happen and if these two guys may go into the studio to record some new music for the fans.
08:57They were in my opinion among the most outstanding acts of the 90s and it's really a crying shame that
09:02they became yet another statistic in the long list of marvelous groups torn apart by music industry
09:08politics and intrigues. But such they say is life. So there you have it.
09:13Thank you for watching this video today. Please leave a like, subscribe and until next time, ciao, bless.
