Video: U-Roy & Rygin King – Stop That Train

At Reggae Sumfest 2018, Rygin King flashed across the stage while singing, “Me get a dream last night and the dream tell me things ah go change.” Three years ago this July, at that precise moment, the young reggae star’s life changed irrevocably. One of three Montego Bay musicians selected to headline Dancehall Night at Sumfest, Jamaica’s premier music festival, is Rygin. In a year when MoBay was put under a state of emergency due to an increase in violent crime in the city known as a picturesque tourist hotspot, seeing his face on posters all over his hometown meant a great deal. In the early morning sunshine, Rygin sang, “A long time man a suffer,” and the crowd felt it. And everything is still the same today. I simply want you to have faith in me and to pray for me when I cross the road. After that historic performance, Rygin became one of Jamaica’s most popular new artists, releasing hit songs like “Powerful,” “Star Life,” and “Clean,” and landing lucrative gigs in the United States and Europe. Rygin teams up with the late great Daddy U-Roy on his 2021 release “Stop That Train,” a dancehall pioneer who helped sound system slang reach the top of the charts in 1970. Rygin not only displays the strength of his voice on the legendary collaboration, but he also links the new dancehall generation to the genre’s origins. Working with a legend like Daddy U-Roy is fantastic, says Rygin King. “I want to thank everyone who made it possible because it’s not often that someone ends up on a track with one of their elders… Bravo to U-Roy and Trojan Jamaica. A timeless song that is ingrained in our culture is “Stop That Train.”
The song Rygin performs is a cover of a Spanishtonians’ original ska track. Later, the rock duo Keith & Tex and deejay Scotty reworked the song as “Draw Your Brakes” for the soundtrack to the legendary 1972 movie The Harder They Come. The creators of Trojan Jamaica, Zak and Sshh, produced the new version with U-Roy and Rygin. Since Zak’s father is none other than Ringo Starr, drummer for The Beatles, they should know about rock stars, as they stated in a statement, “We met Rygin after his legendary Sumfest performance and thought he was a proper rock star.” They didn’t waste any time in asking him to take part in their upcoming U-Roy album. Rygin agreed right away, and working with him on “Stop That Train” was a pleasure. The song was one of U Roy’s last sessions for the album Solid Gold U-Roy, which also includes vocals from Santigold, Tarrus Riley, and Ziggy Marley.

Rygin experienced another life-altering event late last June when he was ambushed by gunmen while travelling home from a funeral with his manager and girlfriend between his Sumfest performance and the release of his U-Roy collaboration. In the heinous daytime assault, the artist suffered serious injuries, and tragically, his girlfriend died. Since then, Rygin has maintained a low profile, preferring to let his music do the talking. In his most recent song, “Plead my Cause,” he addresses the situation and asks for help from a higher power. Rygin sings, “Me know me nuh perfect.” But I don’t Deserve It. I don’t trust people; I believe in the Almighty.

Check out the music video for “Stop That Train“.