Comin' 4 You! (Greensleeves, 2000)

A former member of the Scare Dem Crew (along with Boom Dandimite, Harry Toddler, and Nitty Kutchie), Elephant Man has broken out on his own -- luckily, for dancehall fans.  Although it doesn't contain many unequivocal boom shots, Comin' 4 You! is one of the most consistent pure dancehall albums I've heard in a long time.  And with 24 tracks -- well, 23 and an intro -- this is truly a feat (It doesn't feel like that many tracks, though, partly because they're only about 3 minutes apiece.).  Elephant Man's DJ style is similar to his mentor Bounty Killer -- i.e., hardcore -- but with his own twists.  He's sort of like Bounty Killer on crack: he's more energized than the sometimes stiff Killer, his voice is lighter, his tone is more humorous (see his take on the Spiderman TV show theme song, "Elephant Man"), and, well, just look at him.  Produced by an array of up-and-comers, this debut has a fresh sound dominated by hard, fast dancehall riddims (only a couple of hip-hop tracks and one more rootsy tune, "Betta Deal"), most of which don't sound terribly familiar.  So many of the cuts are solid, Comin' 4 You! sounds like it's full of potential hit singles, the best being "Headache," "E-L-E-P-H-A-N-T," the space-aged "2000 Began," "Mama," "One More (Start a War)," and the hip-hop duo of "Elephant's Comin' 4 You!" and "Somebody."

Click pic to buy!

Click pic to buy!

Good 2 Go (VP/Atlantic, 2003)

 2003 was something of a breakthrough year for Elephant Man.  With the marketing power of Atlantic Records backing him up, his "Pon de River Pon de Bank" received extensive airplay in the mainstream media, and while he undoubtedly won over some new fans, I don't think that America really knew what to make of him.  With his garish blonde hair, his hyper-kinetic speech and movements, his raw, hardcore dancehall sound, his heavy Jamaican slang, and his slack lyrics, Elephant Man is a hard sell to the American public, especially when compared to the first two artists to release albums through the VP/Atlantic team-up, the relatively clean-cut Sean Paul and Wayne Wonder.  Yes, his very nature -- the thing that makes him so popular among his fans -- is the same thing that inhibits him from expanding that fan base much beyond the diehard dancehall crowd.  That said, if he was to cross over, he'd likely need a stronger album than Good 2 Go, his fourth studio album and first away from the Greensleeves label.  I'm not completely sure if Elephant Man's style is getting a little stale, or if this album is just not as fresh as his previous releases, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and go with the latter.  For an album that's supposedly trying to reach a wider audience, there are surprisingly few hip-hop/R&B tracks on Good 2 Go (not a complaint, merely an observation), the most notable being "Jook Gal," which sounds more like a Lil' Jon song than an Elephant Man tune, but it still works as a fun party jam (adapting Johnny Kemp's '80s hit "Just Got Paid").  Even when rappers are featured on other tracks, dancehall beats are still in effect -- actually not a great idea, since this mix doesn't work as well as when a dancehall DJ chats over a hip-hop beat (as evidenced by Killah Priest's awkward rap on "Who We Are").  Elephant Man's sound has changed little since his debut in 2000; he still has a fun, freewheeling, don't-give-a-damn attitude that enlivens tracks like "Indian Gal" (which boasts "Gal down from a India say dem nuh want a lickle finger...True we come from Jamaica, we blessed with the anaconda."), the sing-a-long "Head Gone/Wine Up Uh Self," "All Out," "Real Gangstas" (which combines the 1950's instrumental "Tequila" with Ginuwine's "Hell Yeah"), and of course "Pon de River Pon de Bank."  One of the more intriguing tunes, however, has a more serious message: "Nah Gwan a Jamaica" addresses socio-religious issues -- from homosexuality to Islam -- that "nah gwan a Jamaica," saying "Certain tings weh gwan a foreign can't gwan a Jamaica. Nah support no chi chi and we nah support no raper...Man a worship Allah like dem think it the Creator."  While you may not agree with his views, this track is remarkably insightful as a reminder to those outside of Jamaica that social mores vary wildly between cultures and that it's often complicated to judge one society using another's standards.  Judging this album by the standards set by his previous efforts, however, is not so hard.  Several tunes on Good 2 Go fall short of Elephant Man's usual quality: beyond the previously mentioned "Who We Are," the hard rock edge of "Fan Dem Off" (adapting Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger") is a mess, while "So Fine" has a generic R&B hook that falls short of the Wayne Wonder sound it's trying to replicate, "Jamaica"'s dark hip-hop-inclined beat has been used way too many times to be included on this album, and "Blase" and "Signal de Plane" both sound like weak attempts to re-work "Pon de River."  A remix of "Cock Up Your Bumper" is included, but it adds little to the original aside from two guest stars, rapper Big Tigger and DJ Sasha.  Elephant Man is still one of the best pure dancehall DJs around, and while Good 2 Go isn't bad, it's far too average for a man of his talent.

Direct from Jamaica (2B1, 2005)

This is technically a DVD/CD set, but the CD is practically useless because all of the entertainment is visual.  The live performances -- recorded during two separate concerts -- and the two interviews included capture Elephant Man's boundless energy.  It seems like he's never "off," as he breaks into song a cappella even during the interviews, and when performing in concert, he delivers a steady stream of vitality, leaping around and talking to the sound man, the camera man, and the audience.  He talks so much, in fact -- stopping literally every 30 seconds or so to chat -- that he renders the songs unlistenable.  Thus, listening to the CD for 15 or 20 minutes will make you want to chuck it out the window.  The DVD, on the other hand, showcases Elephant Man's undeniable charisma.  Although the audiences are fairly small (the performances taking place early in his career, featuring songs from his debut Comin' 4 You), he captures their attention, delivering his philosophies on life, family, clothing, and style, and inviting a woman on stage to dance and DJ.  At one point, he even adapts the lyrics to "Out of Order" in an impromptu dis of a guy in the front row whose big head is blocking the view.  Still, I can't say that Direct from Jamaica is worth more than one viewing except for the most rabid fans.  As for the interviews, the most revealing thing that we glean is that he has 13 (!) kids.  Maybe in the year 2020 we'll have Direct from Jamaica starring Elephant Jr. and Elephant III...and IV...and XIII.