Ba-psssshhh! Dis generay-SHUN, brrrrap! ruuules the nay-TION, brrrrrap! with VER-shun!!
Whether you’d been grooving to reggae since its’ inception or had never heard a song by a Jamaican act before, there was no doubt that Pass The Dutchie got asses wiggling and backs off walls as soon as it came on a sound system. A remake of a song called Pass The Kutchie, the title was changed because of the fact that the members of Musical Youth were all in their early-mid teens (for the uninformed, a “kutchie” refers to a joint. A “dutchie” is a pot that food gets cooked in. Pot? Pot!! Oh, those crazy Jamaicans).
The members of Musical Youth, who were British of Jamaican descent, brought reggae to the Top 10 on the pop charts for one of the first times, presaging acts ranging from Shaggy to Shabba Ranks to Sean Paul. The reason this song sticks out from so much other music released around this period is that it sounds like everyone involved in the recording is having a blast. Must have been one good kutchie being passed around!
Watch the video. I dare you not to dance or at least bob your head (because you might be reading this at work and if you start dancing, your co-workers might worry a little bit). I can even help you out with a translation of some of the Jamaican patois. Just don’t ask me why the kid croaks “ribbit!” at the end of the song.
