Yes King 'Rock This World' album

The brainchild of production duo Mark Rae and Rhys Adams, Yes King fuse a melee of styles from hip hop, dancehall, ragga and ska into their own unique brand. Rae has long been a figurehead of the UK music scene following the success of Rae & Christian.

Yes King is the brainchild of production duo Mark Rae and Rhys Adams. Together, they have combined hip-hop, dancehall, reggae and ska to create the Yes King’s unique brand. Mark Rae burst onto the UK music scene with his first production duo, Rae & Christian.

At the same time he founded his 2 former records shops, Grand Central Records and Manchester’s Fat City. When it came time for Mark’s follow up LP, INTO THE DEPTHS, Mark collaborated with Rhys Adams (aka Frankie Valley), who remixed Rae’s ‘Candystripe’ and their production/writing collaboration was cemented.

In 2004, the pair was producing the album TWO CULTURE CLASH for Wall of Sound. Shortly thereafter, they went to Jamaica to record in situ with local Jamaican vocalists. These sessions left Mark and Rhys with the makings of the heart and soul of the Yes King sound; blending old and new, using live instruments and crunchy hip hop/R&B/reggae beats.

The album also features an eclectic array of guest vocalists including Ayak (2004 Prince’s Trust Urban Music Award Winner); Dawn Penn (vocalist on dancehall classic ‘No, No, No’); Veba; Tor (described by Ras Kwame as "One of the sickest lyricists the UK has to offer"); Mystro; Kenny Knots; Sweetie Irie; Baby Chann (member of legendary UK bashment crew Suncycle); Prezident Brown (Jamaica’s Hi Power Soundsystem) and Pete Simpson.

While recording the album, artists would greet the Duo with “Yes King” (a traditional Jamaican greeting). Mark and Rhys felt the saying captured the essence of the project, and settled on Yes King for the name of the group. Dawn Penn’s track, ROCK THIS WORLD, set the tone for the album and thus, the title.

Although conceived in Jamaica, Yes King still has a strong London vibe. The album was completed in Ladbroke Grove (a area in London synonymous with Jamaican music) and where Mystro and Sweetie Irie grew up close to.

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Yes King - Rock This World