Entertainment

'Coolie dance' for ASCAP

By GERMAINE SMITH, Staff Reporter

Cordel 'Scatta' Burrell, engineer/musician and producer of the Coolie Dance Rhythm. The rhythm is up for an 'ASCAP' award. - CARLINGTON WILMOT

PRODUCER CORDEL 'SCATTA' Burrell is still smiling with the impact his 'Coolie Dance' rhythm has made on the world.

For the rhythm, on which some leading United States artistes recorded tunes, the producer was invited to the prestigious 22nd annual (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Pop Music Awards, to be held in Los Angeles California on May 16.

ASCAP, has a memebership of over 200,000 U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists, and music publishers of every kind of music.

Scatta was placed on the invitation-only awards dinner to celebrate with other singwriters and publishers under the ASCAP Publishing umbrella.

In a statement, Pauline Stack, a representative of the giant Publishing company, stated that the event is to honour the songwriters and publishers of the most performed songs of 2004.

Among the categories to be granted awards are 'Songwriter of the Year,' 'Song of the Year,' and 'Publisher of the Year'. Scatta could be awarded in any one of these groups, as he scored big with multiple tracks on the Billboard charts all at once last year.

There was Culo by rappers Pitbull and Lil John, Move Your Body by Nina Sky and Jabba, Jook Gal by Elephant Man with rapper Twista, and Pull Up by Mr Vegas.

Also to be honoured at the ceremony are Jermaine 'JD' Dupri, and Neil Young. Dupri will be given the ASCAP Golden Note Award, while Young will receive the ASCAP Founders Award.

Scatta created the rhythm in 2003, but was originally snubbed by foreign producers for the effort. After some perseverance, the producer stuck with it to reap tremendous fruit with the rhythm both here and overseas. Along with the multiple Billboard chart hits, he received several interviews with leading Pop culture magazines and Televsion stations.

Trivial thing

"It's a surprise thing, cause this Coolie Dance thing seems to be going on and on and won't stop," Scatta stated about the recent developments.

Commenting on the recognition for his rhythm, Scatta says, "I can't look at it as a trivial thing anymore cause it is a big thing. Mi feel good to get the good treatment outside of Jamaica, at least we know they recognise the work."

Scatta noted that with his recognition, it means that dancehall must not be taken lightly, as the world is interested.

"People used to think dancehall music is just one particular type of beat with the bup bup bup, but we show dem seh it can sound another way...mi hear some different versions of it and is really nutten fi quarrel bout, if me can influence somebody dem way deh, no quarrelling bout that."