It's the year 2024 and it seems that the big musical trend this year has been feuds and diss tracks. Whether it be Drake and Kendrick, Taylor and Kim, or Nicki and Megan- there's tons of beefing to be had. It's definitely brought hip hop back into the main conversation and boosted other's profiles. It's a great way to get those clicks and streams up, and I can't deny that the drama is alluring.
There's been lots of articles that have come out about other famous feuds over the years but you know what genre I haven't seen being talked about? Ska. Where's my ska feuds at?? Well, there is one that I know of and would like to share with the class, and that's the Catch 22 and Streetlight Manifesto beef.
The Coles notes of it, as I have read, is that Catch 22 is a ska band that formed in 1996 and created a self-produced demo tape called Rules of The Game. Victory Records got a hold of it and decided to sign them. In 1998 the band created the fantastic debut album Keasbey Nights, which the lead singer Tomas Kalnoky was a significant writer and creator of. After this album Tomas left the band for higher education and later on started a band called Streetlight Manifesto.
There's rumors that there were a few diss tracks released at this point of time, the first being Catch 22's "Hard to Impress", from their 2000 album Alone in the Crowd. Here's some lyrics:
To continue on with the story, amidst all these diss tracks, in 2004 Victory Records decided they wanted to reissue Keasbey Nights but Tomas didn't agree with this, since he was the main factor to that album being created (in his eyes), so he recorded the whole album though Streetlight Manifesto...on their own dime. Pretty punk!
If you listen to Streetlight Manifesto's version of "1234 1234", at around 3:50, there's an explanation why they decided to release Keasbey Nights under their band name. It's an interesting take, basically that this version of the album is how Tomas wishes it turned out originally and they didn't want people to waste their money on something reissued but untouched sonically.
To finish the story on a positive note, it sounds like both bands have made up. Some have suggested that the song "So Cold" ,by Catch 22, is their olive branch to Tomas. Tomas has also changed the lyrics to "A Moment of Silence" on his live sets, where he lets the audience sing the diss lyrics instead of him.
You may ask me, Tilly what version of Keasbey Nights do you prefer, out of Streetlight Manifesto and Catch 22? Well glad you asked, thanks. I've given them both a few listens and decided the Catch 22 version if more my speed! Not to say I agree with them, or Streetlight on the beef, I just like the rawness and less polished version of Catch 22. Honestly, I suggest checking out both versions and deciding for yourself because both are excellent pieces of music. Let's not play by the rules of the game and argue, let's just enjoy some fun music and skank!
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Highlighted song and lyrics:
Day In, Day Out- "I don't need a music scene to tell me who I am"
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Similar bands to check out:
Mustard Plug, The Planet Smashers, Buck-O-Nine, Dance Hall Crashers
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Links to check out:
Vice.com- None of You Motherfuckers Wrote About the 20th Anniversary of Catch-22’s ‘Keasbey Nights’ so I Guess I’ll Do It
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