BRITISH deejay Gappy Ranks went back to the drawing board for Generation, his latest song. He says it is a salute to music he grew up listening to which made a difference in the lives of he and his peers.

“Without previous generations I would not be able to deliver such stories in my music, hence Generation. I wanted to take the listener back to the times when music was full of education and lessons to learn,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Generation is produced by Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor, known for his work with acts including Gyptian, Etana and Richie Spice.

The song is the precursor to an EP of the same name, also produced by McGregor. It contains duets with Marcia Griffiths, Sugar Minott and Barrington Levy.

Gappy Ranks, who is in his early 30s, welcomed the opportunity to ‘voice’ with these acts. He says they influenced him as a youth in Harlesden, a London community with strong West Indian ties.

“The respect for pioneer artistes is above all because of the platform they built for people like myself,” he said.

Gappy Ranks (given name Jacob Lee Williams) was born to a Jamaican father and Dominican mother. He is one of Britain’s top deejays, and has worked with Jamaican artistes such as Delly Ranx and toured as opening act for Bermudian reggae star Collie Budz.

He has four albums to his credit. His previous set, Gappy Ranks Meets Dub Club, was released last year.

— Kevin Jackson