A small piece of mid-'80s reggae history for you: The somewhat obscure 7" single by Papa Santress titled "Dance Inna Mount Zion" on Miami-based label Skengdon.
An excellent Reggaepedia entry gives the full Skengdon story. The entry includes nuggets about Kenneth Black's label such as:
Skengdon was also the owner of the Stereomars AKA Sturmars Sound System. The name Skengdon is a combination of skeng (firearm/gun) and don (inspired by Don Corleone's character in the Godfather Trilogy). Outside of the music industry Skengdon is a controversial character whose connections with PNP have received much critique.
Serious!
Interestingly one of 2007's bigger dubstep tracks was The Bug ft. Killa P and Flowdan's track "Skeng" Badman business fi real.
Artist: Papa Santress
Song: Dance Inna Mount Zion
Riddim: Tempo
Year: 1986
Label: Skengdon
Producer: Kenneth Black
Download
Intro:
Well dis one hot like a welder holding a wrench wid iron
Musical thing called di dance up a Mt. Zion
Wa-da-da-deng Wa-da-dam
Chorus:
Dis a di dance ‘round a Mt. Zion (X4)
Verse 1:
Them keeping a dance up a Mt. Zion
Say Moses at di gate wid the rod in ‘a him hand
Bartender was ‘im brother Aaron
Promoter fi di dance was King Solomon
King David did a play selection
Sound that did a play name Ethiopian
Mi sight Daniel wid di mic in a ‘im hand
To Queen ‘a Sheeba him send dedication
Mi sight Ezekiel bubble wid a woman
Him bawl forward in a style and fashion
When mi look out a gate mi sight a bangarang
A fight fi come in was di bwoy Satan
Selassie I lick him with a garbage pan
Him run go ‘a hell, him come back wid a gang
Sampson did a come from ‘cross Jordan
Come di right time fi help di situation
Gwaan Daddy Santro dem style cyaan wrong
Listen how mi sit dung steady pon di version
Verse 2:
Mi seh – keepin’ a di dance up a Mt. Zion
Christ ‘hol di mic an give dem new testament
Judah hear dem lyrics how dem intelligent
Lazarus get up and den him beat down di fence
Zacchaeus come dung wid him I-shence
Listen Daddy Santro in a good arrangement
Anywhere mi go mi nice up di residence
Chorus:
Dis a di dance ‘round a Mt. Zion (X2)
Verse 3:
Ca’ mi seh Sista Dianna come from Israel
Posse weh she spar wid ‘a pure angel
Mary and Joseph was dere as well
Isaac and Rebecca was dere as well
Lot was there but his wife gone to hell
Chorus:
Dis a di dance ‘round a Mt. Zion (X2)
Repeat Verse 1 & 2.
