According to one of the members of Black Judah, Dylan Judah, having Snoop Dogg on the track was like a dream come true for the California-based outfit.
“I gave the song to Snoop’s manager and one night, about three or four months later, I got a call from the manager that Snoop was in the recording studio vibing the song. He invited us to come down to the studio but by the time we got there, Snoop had already left. The following day we were invited to his home studio where we did the track,” said Dylan.
California Green was written by Dylan Judah, a California native whose interest in reggae developed from during his teenage years. “Where I come from in California it’s where the real authentic reggae culture can be felt. I was involved in a reggae band and we were playing the music that I loved,” Dylan explained.
He would later team up with Jamaica reggae artiste Sugar Black a former Flames recording artiste, and they formed Black Judah.
“I met Sugar Black at a reggae festival in California and we just clicked from there,” said Dylan.
Black Judah came to prominence in 2008 with the number one single “Mercy Please” which featured reggae chanter Warrior King.
“Mercy Please opened a lot of doors for us worldwide from a street level and a grass roots level. It’s good to have fans all over the world, but when you meet people individually, it’s an even better feeling”, Dylan explained.
After the success of Mercy Please, the duo followed up with Never Give Up which got a lot of rotation on radio not only in Jamaica but stateside as well.
Dylan says he decided to record message music because of the musical influences he listened to while growing up. “For me it wasn’t about the fame or career. It was about the love and beauty of the music. I grew up listening to people like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Johnny Osbourne and they inspired me. The delivery and conviction of the truth in their lyrics inspired me to do message music,” he said.
The feedback to California Green has so far been positive according to Dylan. The track is reportedly gaining momentum on major stations across the United States. “The song is receiving mad airplay already even over in Hawaii where it was the second most added song on the College Journal charts. Right now we are getting ready to shoot the video. Snoop is really excited about the song and he wants us to work on another track,” said Dylan.
The video for California Green is to be directed by Matt Alonzo. Alonzo’s directing credits include the music videos, Fire by B Real and Damian Marley, Like a G6 by Far East Movement, Purp and Yellow by the Game and Snoop Dogg, You’re a Jerk by New Boyz, Gossip by Lil Wayne and Turn My Swag On by Soulja Boy.
(Parts of this article were written with content submitted in a Jamaica Obeserver publication)