Getting the Busy Signal

If Dancehall artist and deejay Busy Signal comes to Minnesota anytime soon, it likely won’t be to share his riddims and impressive studder-step vocal styles. He is under arrest in Jamaica, and authorities in Minnesota are seeking his extradition.

Drug conspiracy charges were filed against Glendale Gordon, his legal name, in 2002. The extradition request follows his failure to appear in Minnesota to face those charges.

Court documents alleged he was involved in a conspiracy to distribute 5 or more kilograms of cocaine, which at 2002 prices would fetch more than $100,000. An amount like that would certainly surpass usage of, say, a backstage party.

Musically, in 2002, Busy Signal was shaping his craft. In 2006 he released “Step Out,” which helped lift the Dancehall genre to popularity far beyond Jamaica. Here’s a lesser known track from that album that showcases his vocal talent.

Unrelated, but interesting, a gram of cocaine in Colombia costs less than a Big Mac.

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