KALLMAN... this is absolutely the moment for dancehall

ALTHOUGH Sean Paul's number one hit song, Get Busy, is arguably the most successful crossover record in Jamaican history, there are still sceptics who question the deejay's talent.

Others, meanwhile, are watching how long the latest resurgence of dancehall music in the United States will last.

Not so, says co-president of Atlantic Records, Craig Kallman, with whom Splash spoke Monday last, at that major label's New York offices.

"What I want to do (with this music ) is not dissimilar to what Chris Blackwell of Island Records has done," Kallman said.

"This is absolutely the moment for dancehall," he added.

These words are not of a parvenu sipping rum punch in a bar somewhere in the Caribbean, bobbing his drunken head to the beat of lounge Reggae. But of a seasoned music pro who inked a deal with dancehall giant VP Records last year to distribute albums like Sean Paul's double-platinum Dutty Rock.

Kallman started out in the industry in 1981 as a disc jockey at the Cat Club in New York City. At the same time, he was working in Columbia Records' (CBS) dance music department.

At Brown University, he was CBS Records college representative, promoting such pop acts as the Beastie Boys, Sinead O'Connor, The Bangles, LL Cool J, and Billy Idol. He was also programmes director of the urban and rock specialty shows on WBRU-FM.

After graduating in 1987 with a BA in English, Kallman promoted the New Order and Joy Division for Factory Records. He also worked in the chart department at Billboard magazine, while continuing his DJ career at hot nightspots such as Danceteria, Area, The Palladium, The Tunnel and Mars.

Kallman has more than a passing acquaintance with Reggae music. In the early 1990s, he started Big Beat Records, an affiliate of Atlantic Records. That company had a lot of success with Inner Circle whose Bad Boys album sold platinum for them, and singer Dawn Penn, whose No, No, No single was a minor hit in the United States. Kallman also signed roots singer Garnett Silk to Big Beat.

He speaks highly of Sean Paul who has hit it big in the US with a hardcore Reggae feel. In the past other dancehall acts such as Shabba Ranks incorporated hip-hop elements to crossover in the US. With Sean Paul, there was no attempt to dilute the product.

"Other artistes (before him) did a lot of things to compromise, to step out and reach the American audience. This does not apply to Sean Paul. He worked with the hottest producers out of Jamaica and like rapper sensation 50 Cent, has the right work attitude.

They have the greatest work attitude that I have ever seen. There's drive, tenacity, and desire to spread what they do," Kallman said.

Kallman is not just waxing sweet lyrics on Sean Paul. There is also deejay Elephant Man whom he describes as "the greatest performer. The doors are now broken wide open and Elephant Man is the natural next one," he told Splash.

He admitted that there have been some hitches with Good To Go, Elephant Man's much-anticipated album, but said all problems have been worked out and the set is scheduled for release in early December.

Kallman pointed to the crossover appeal and strong visuals of Sean Paul and Elephant Man as the main reasons for major cable television music channels such as MTV and BET rotating their music videos heavily.

"The visual is very important, Elephant Man is both colourful and dynamic, and BET was instrumental in that resurgence of interest in Sean Paul," he explained.

"BET really stuck in there with Sean, really reactivating, and re-energising (him)."

The alliance with VP Records, he added, is so far working very well; he denied that there was any rift between that company and Atlantic. Both, he said, are committed to breaking dancehall to an even bigger audience in the US.

"It's a challenging time for the entire entertainment industry," says Kallman. "Even so, our compass is still set by Atlantic's deep heritage in American roots music of every kind."

Somehow, we suspect that dancehall is to become part of that deep heritage.

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