Darcus Beese’s new memoir Rebel with a Cause charts his rise from blagging a job as the tea boy at Island Record’s West London offices, to becoming the CEO of the label (and creating a legacy as one of the music industry's greatest A&Rs in the process.) The book also provides a reflection on his childhood, born to activist and broadcaster Darcus Howe and the former UK Black Panther Barbara Beese. His selections for this week's Record & Tape Exchange feature recollections from family life as well as personal highlights from his storied career.
What song reminds you most of your childhood?
Because of the time the record was made, and how engaged I was with it, I’m gonna go with Linton Kwesi Johnson, “It Dread Inna Inglan.” The reason why I’m choosing that track is because when you ’re listening to the record, there’s a kid on a megaphone, and that’s me, it was recorded when we were at a demonstration up in Bradford for George Lindo. I knew that song lyrically, off by heart, and I was only seven or eight at the time. And then obviously Linton also wrote “Man Free” for my dad. So that Dread Beat an’ Blood album, a seven or eight year old me knew every word.
What was the first record you remember buying?The first record I bought was The Specials by The Specials. I was already on brand politically, music in my house was either coming from Trinidad or Jamaica, and The Specials was the first time I saw a band that looked like me and my mates. That was multicultural England. It was my best friend that I grew up with, Kelly, that introduced me to them. |
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What song is the best representation of your hometown?
That’s a fucking hard question, because is home Fulham? Is home London? Is home Trinidad? Let’s say Trini is home, and let's go with David Rudder, “Calypso Music.” That is one of my dad’s big songs as well. Either that or “The Hammer,” also by David Rudder. That reminds me of Trinidad, when I go back home.
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What song reminds you of traveling to a specific place?The first time I went to LA was during that American acid jazz wave, so I would have to say Jhelisa, “Friendly Pressure.” Hearing that now would take me back to when I first visited, and was on Melrose Avenue, playing it on my Sony Walkman. That’s a good one, because that was a certain period of time on the West Coast when acid jazz and funk was at its height, and a lot of music from that scene here in the UK was working in little pockets of America too, like LA and New York. This was when Guru was making Jazzmatazz, all that kind of stuff. |
What song do you wish you had written?
Because I like a lyric, I would say “Love is a Losing Game” by Amy Winehouse. That first line of the first verse... genius shit. “For you, I was a flame, Love is a losing game...” I mean, I’m getting goosebumps just listening to that. I remember when Amy came and said “I’m ready to make the record.” She sat down and took her acoustic out, and played that song. And it’s hard to know what a hit sounds like, but what you can know is how powerful a lyric is. If I could do that kind of shit, I’d be writing love letters to my missus all the time - my love letter game would be off the charts. Amy was really great at creating those powerful little moments. You know, she was always writing notes and making little doodles, and they always meant something; there was always something behind it.
What song did you play at your wedding?It was Tanya Blount, “Through the Rain.” It was my wife’s choice, but it was one of those records when I was still making little mixtapes for her, I put that on there. “Through the rain and storms together, we can make it, Boy, you know our love’s forever.” |
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What song would you want played at your funeral?
It’s a song by Ennio Morricone, “Trinity: Titoli,” that plays at the end of Django Unchained. I watched Roots when I was a kid, and I loved it, and I’ve watched 12 Years a Slave, but I can’t watch those things again, because I know there’s no fairy tale ending. But what I love about Django, is that at the end he killed everyone and burned down the plantation, and then rode off on a dancing horse. And this was the song playing over that last scene. I like the context of it: it’s the one black history film that actually has a happy ending, a triumphant ending - and that’s how I would like to go out.
What’s the best song to play at a house party?
“Not Like Us.” That was a moment in hip-hop, and the whole of music, where everybody was talking. Drake had such a global imprint that it also dragged Kendrick into a global conversation - and that was always what hip-hop was supposed to be about, the excitement of the battle. It meant that they each had to raise the bar with what they were coming back with. They had to come with it, lyrically. And all of a sudden it was community, all of a sudden it was two sides; with records that were great to listen to, with a reason to listen to them. So, that means that the level of the record making went up, and it means that we, as listeners, were super engaged.
You’re abducted by aliens, and when you wake up on the spaceship, they pass you the aux. What is the song you’re playing to convince them not to destroy Earth?
I think it would be Africa Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force, “Looking for the Perfect Beat,” because that song is just about, “how do we get in sync with each other,” right?
Darcus Beese’s memoir, Rebel with a Cause, published by Bonnier Books, is out now and available to order here.