Lady Saw’s ‘No Long Talking’ Sampled By Headie One In New UK Hit

Minister Marion Hall has worked long and hard to recreate her image after she dedicated her life to her faith, but the classic dancehall hits that she provided as Lady Saw in the 90s and early 2000s continue to live on.

Lyrics from her hit, No Long Talking, which was a 1996 anthem, are back on the UK Singles Chart after they were sampled in a collaboration between British rappers Headie One, AJ Tracey, and Stormzy, called Ain’t It Different.  The song also sampled Pretty Little Ditty by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

The samples worked for them as the track debuted at number four last Friday, August 28.

It’s not the first time that Lady Saw’s magic has worked on the British charts as No Long Talking, was also sampled by in 2000 by UK garage production duo M Dubs, for a song called Bump And Grind, which reached number 59.

Jamaica Observer spoke with Popular British radio disc jock Tom “Toddla T” Bell, who co-produced Ain’t It Different with Fred Again. He described the sampled song as a classic and said he was confident it would do well.

“Being a fan of reggae and dancehall music, obviously that song [ No Long Talking] is seminal. It was one that you heard around the UK in the clubs, and it was sampled before in UK garage. That record is so huge and important to UK music today. It’s a classic,” he said.

Toddla T has a lot of experience in dancehall music as he’s hosted Radio One Sound System, which airs Thursday and Friday nights on BBC Radio One and BBC 1Xtra for the past 11 years. It’s because of this he’s been able to develop a sharp ear for production in the genre, he added.

“I’ve been at the BBC for 11 years now and it has helped me to stay on top of my game, research and sharpened my ears to what’s going on. I have not a single Caribbean bone in me but I love Jamaican music. When I was growing up, I would hear reggae in the form of jungle music at the local festivals. I was listening to tracks by Beenie Man, Cutty Ranks and Red Rat,” said Toddla T.

He continued on to say that it came as no surprise to him that the song is doing well because the sample is timeless.

“When you have three giants on a track, it is expected. If it didn’t go Top 20, that would be weird. I think it will go higher,” he said. As to be expected with his many years of experience this is not his first hit. Toddla T has been successful in the British charts as a producer with Strike A Pose, which was number eight hit om the UK charts for Young T and Bugsey and has been certified platinum.

He also worked on a remix of Boasty by Wiley featuring Edris Elba, Stefflon Don, and Sean Paul which peaked at number 11. He keeps very active in dancehall and has also produced Differ by Spragga Benz and in 2015, teamed with Protoje for the release of the mixtape England Be Wise.

Later this month on September 25, he is expected to release Happy Place by Jada Kingdom. He’s also chosen this date to retire from radio because of new commitments in his life. “I needed more time to focus on other things. I have a family now, and radio and production has been difficult to juggle all three,” he said.