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Lifeline UK for Sheldon “$hel $hok” Benjamin |
Location : United Kingdom
Posted : Jun 1, 2009 : 6:51:52 AM |
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Musicians, performers and DJs in Trinidad and London are joining forces to raise funds for top producer Sheldon ‘Shel Shok’ Benjamin who has recently been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer.
On Sunday 7 June, the UK’s top soca DJs will be hosting Lifeline UK, at the Ruby Grand in Hammersmith, London and this party will coincide with Lifeline, a concert in Port of Spain where Machel Montano, Alison Hinds and Destra Garcia are the headline acts.
Benjamin’s career took off in the early 1990s in Trinidad when he produced several artists in ‘The Kiskidee Caravan’. The Kiskidee Caravan was made up of young, untested urban artists who were signed by Amar Records. Many look at the Kiskidee Caravan as a watershed in Trinidad music, because of the diversity of the music from the young performers. Virtually none of them did the country’s indigenous soca, but performed hybrids of ragga, hip hop, rapso and pop.
Some of the hits included General Grant’s dancehall-inspired Shot Call, Dis Trini Could Flow by rapso group Kindred and the house music-flavoured Rhythm’s Got Me Going Crazy by Step 2.
Benjamin’s work was recognised by Billboard magazine which called his remix of Shot Call, “very innovative and noteworthy”.
Benjamin has collaborated with top soca star Machel Montano to produce hits like Big Truck, What Dey Say (Dey Say), We Like It, Outa Space (with dancehall star Beenie Man) and Dance With You. He also produced songs for dancehall icon Mr Vegas and Rapso band 3canal as well as Antigua’s El-A Kru and Motown soul singer Taral Hicks.
His biggest achievement thus far has been the 2005 soca hit Roll It, which he co-wrote and produced for Barbadian singer Alison Hinds. Roll It was not just popular among in the Caribbean and throughout the disapora, but also on urban music stations in the North America and the UK.
The song was covered by the band J Status featuring Rihanna and Shontelle, and received heavy airplay on stations like MTV Base, Choice FM and BBC 1Xtra in the UK.
Lifeline UK takes place on Sunday 7 June at Ruby Grand 227 King Street Hammersmith London W6 – admission is £5.00 from 4pm to 11pm and food will be available.
For more information log on to:
www.splashsummerseries.com/lifelineuk
www.socanews.com
www.socaprince.com
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