The partnership between Bounty Killer and Cham started in the early 90s when Cham was just a school boy under the tutelage of Dave Kelly and Killer was an already established artist. Bounty took Cham under his wings, Cham introduced Bounty to Kelly, they recorded their first song “Worthless Bwoy” on Kelly’s Haunted Riddim and the rest is history. The trio’s relationship went on to produce some of most genre defining songs in dancehall such as Anytime and Another Level.
When tensions grew, as they tend to do with Bounty Killer, Cham and Kelly kept the formula going with several hit songs. Now they are all back together again for the “Time Bomb” EP, just in time for Christmas shalala la la la la.
Cham, one of the most dedicated artist in dancehall, star off my stating the obvious with a scene description to start the EP, “Dancehall is more than a genre, dancehall is more than entertainment, dancehall is a way of life.” He could not have been less profound.
‘Don’t Play’ would have been a better fit to start the EP, as it is captures the essence of ‘Time Bomb’ with Cham boasting and Bounty endorsing wealth as a way of life over a staccato Dave Kelly beat.
Bounty makes up words and hyperbolic terms throughout the EP like “My dream is to make ten thousand million/buy a few dozen bike nah carry no pillion/so all immigrants you fi proud a you nation,” another time he rhymes “King Pin with Cherry Garden” like only Bounty Killer could. But this is not the 90s and there are no obvious hits on this EP. The singles can’t fit into a playlist on the current top ten Apple Music chart in Jamaica or anywhere for that matter.
Of course no one expects Cham and Bounty Killer to release an album loaded with sexual innuendos, cliche bad man lyrics and alluding to “Big Trucks” in 2023, but still they did. Both artists have strong vocals so a female feature on Slow Motion would better convey the message. Dexta Daps, as good as he is, is not enough to fill the dance floor.
U.K. actor and entertainment Idris Elba’s cinematic voice on “Badman Ting,” gives it a unique touch forcing both Cham and Killer to simplify their deliveries. The song itself reinforces cultural and gender stereotypes but it’s one of the stand out tracks.
The project was recorded in the Bahamas and that may have worked well for rekingling their brotherhod, because there wasn’t one track that caputures the times, nor was there any ‘bomb’ on ‘Time Bomb.’
both Bounty Killer and Cham need more mature topics to evolve as artists, but if you can get over the vocal monotony and dated flows, then you will enjoy “Time Bomb” from two of dancehall’s greatest.
★★★☆☆
“Time Bomb EP” is released by MadHouse Records.
