Louie Rankin: The Last Don [June 2006]

An original Jamaican Dondatta. The exotic island of black green and gold add raw beauty and rhythm to Hype Williams’ cult classic, Belly. The badass migrant from Kingston with the fly mansion in Queens, Ox, gave the film enormous credibility with a fuck-the-world image and run away final scene to rival that of Pacino’s Scarface. Audience members jumped out of their seats and roared with reverence as Lord Lennox went in, “Come on! Me’ murder pussyhole people fi’ fun… Who wan’ test me? Come on!”

Louie Rankin is easy… busy, yet relaxed. After a long night in the recording studio and return from briefly touring, he’s ready to pause for reflection and a good home cooked meal. A senior with experience, he casually educates about the tumultuous beasts that infatuate and entertain many. The music and movie industry have both been kind to the man most admire as Ox. He’s been deemed a leader and hero in both worlds. Popularity and critical acclaim of the underground smash, Shottas, has done nothing to slow Rankin’s progress and mass appeal. Listen close as he breaks down the difference between New York and Jamaica. With the everyday struggles of the common man close to heart, Louie Rankin shares his motivation for working hard and spares no expense at returning sincere love to the people.


Swagg News: You’re definitely an O.G. in the game. Coming from the West Indies, how did you get started?

Louie Rankin: I’ve been doing reggae music for 25 years. I’m one of the dance hall center of attractions, you know what I’m saying? People like me, Super Cat, Shabba Ranks… I started out a few years before them. When Shabba came out is when I came to America with one of the biggest hit records out in Jamaica. When I signed a deal with Warner Brothers, a Hip-Hop production company by the name of Trackmasters reproduced the single “Typewriter.”

Swagg News: Yeah, I remember the Showdown and Lethal Weapon albums. Are you still doing music or putting out anything new?

Louie Rankin: Right now I got one of the hottest albums, not too long finished, with Roscoe, production by Solji, a group called Danger, we’re putting together this album called The Resurrection. We’ve got a lot of good songs on it. I worked with a lot of Hip-Hop artists and the album is real hot. When it drops it’s going to be something…

Swagg News: When can we expect that?

Louie Rankin: Right now we’re working with Universal to get deals straight and situations cleared up as far as distribution, that’s just what we’re going through now but we’re ready to drop. The album is done.

As far as Hip-Hop I got John Doe, another rapper signed to Timbaland, some R&B singers on the album. I worked with a lot of unknown artists with talent that are ready to come up. The album is hot! I didn’t try to work with any big name artists. I’m already a star. I wanted to work with someone that has talent and wants to be successful. That’s how the collaborations came about for this album because there are a lot of good young artists out there and I wanted to work with the best ones.

Swagg News: That’s what’s up, definitely something to look forward to. To transition a bit, how did you make your way into acting?

Louie Rankin: Acting is a gift to me. I know Hype Williams from him doing the “Typewriter” video back in the day. He knows me a long time and saw how I was a hardcore gangsta DJ of the dancehall; he put all that together and said, “Alright, we wrote a movie called Belly.” That scene that you see me in, he wrote that with me in mind.

Swagg News: The role of Ox was specifically for you?

Louie Rankin: When I got the call I hadn’t even read the script. I was in Arizona. Hype said “You gotta come to New York, I’m shootin’ a movie tomorrow.” They had everything set up; budget, location, everything. When I got there they gave me a script. I just wanted the treatment that shows the outline of the movie. I said it was cool but I gotta do it Gangsta-Jamaica way. I had to do it my way. Hype gave me the green light.

Swagg News: There was a lot of authenticity with Belly. The realness of Jamaica was brought to the viewers.

Louie Rankin: A lot of these movies come with fake people, non-Jamaicans with phony accents and it’s not real. I was the first to bring that original street element to the American motion picture screen. I came really hard and it made a huge difference.

Swagg News: The chemistry was there on set, especially between yourself and DMX.

Louie Rankin: That’s my boy. I’ve known him for a minute, way before the movie. It was like a family affair when we were making the movie. That made it powerful. We get along everyday. We hangout after the shoot, drink some Hennessey, smoke some shit, talk a lot of shit, females going crazy hanging around the trailer.

Swagg News: One of my favorite movies is Shottas.

Louie Rankin: Did you know that Shottas is one of the highest grossing bootleg movies in the streets ever? I had fun shooting that. I was out in Miami for three months shooting that movie in South Beach. That’s the movie right there. Sony pictures is trying to get the rights to it for DVD clearance and I think they’re going to also limit it to certain theaters cuz they’re planning the sequels.

Swagg News: What’s the difference between the movie business and the recording industry?

Louie Rankin: Different levels. Movies are top of the line. It’s good cuz you can sell a few million albums, they put it all together right and you’re recouping a lot of money right there. With movies, you get your millions up front depending on the budget. If it’s a hit, you’re going to keep collecting and the movie business lasts forever. You can be a movie star at age 80. The music business caps off at a certain age where you can’t even fuck wit’ it. It’s a lot of aggravation. Movies, you work and chill.

Swagg News: What artists get burn in your stereo system?

Louie Rankin: I like Sizzla, listen to him all the time. One of my favorite songs right now, I even got it on my phone, an Atlanta artist… “Meet me in the club/It’s going down…”

Swagg News: Young Joc.

Louie Rankin: Yeah! That’s my song. I like that shit.

Swagg News: How would you compare New York to Jamaica?

Louie Rankin: Jamaica is a different vibe. New York is “Big Jamaica.” There are a lot of us in New York. There’s a lot of different energy, food and cultures here. Jamaica is harder, especially when you’re from the ghetto. You got to get up and live from day to day, working to put food on the table. In New York, you can run out there, hustle and get something going. You can get over. Jamaica is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but it’s hard.

Swagg News: After Belly came out; you were a hero, definitely the standout star. The audience loved you. What was the reaction in the streets?

Louie Rankin: Whenever I leave the house, even if it’s just going to the store, people come up to me and show me a lot of love and respect. Wherever I go, especially if I’m in the mall. It’s all good. It encourages me to keep working hard so I can give my best to the people.