We have featured Major Lazer on the blog before, and from the number of comments (a whole two!) it seems the Jamaican commando isn’t exactly popular. Would it help to know that the poor chap lost an arm in the secret Zombie War of 1984?
In any case, Diplo and Switch are back, and have teamed up with Jamaican dancehall rapper Elephant Man to cover Beyonce’s Grammy-winning ballad, Halo. It’s really well done, I like it. Give it a listen below or download it and let us know what you think.
This past Friday Lucy and I were sitting watching the T20 semi-final between Sri Lanka and the West Indies. At the post-match presentation, the losing captain Chris Gayle was having a chat with one of the commentators, and whilst Lucy was able to make it out, I had absolutely no clue what he was saying. I don’t think it’s a fault on my part, more that Jamaicans speak a unique version of English like no one else in the world. For example:
Mi like yuh cris cyar.
Translation: I like your new car.
Yuh tuh fass and facety.
Translation: You are too inquisitive and fresh.
Gyal, yuh roach killa dem a seh one out deh.
Translation: Girl, those shoes are the bomb.
But cooh pan di lickle invalid.
Translation: Oh the poor little boy is handicapped.
Gyal fayva buckteet Ida.
Translation: She has a bit of an overbite.
What a bway dunce sah.
Translation: He has a touch of Dyslexia.
Anyways, that was just a preamble to what I really wanted to show you – it’s pretty old but something I always go to when I need a good laugh. Taken from the 90s tv series “The Real McCoy”, this skit is from a JBC news broadcast where the presenter is giving the lineup of British TV shows that have been dubbed especially for Jamaican audiences. Check it out.
BONUS: Hit the jump for some more Jamaican slang to introduce into your daily conversation.
