make way for the indian

by Rick AndersonSteve Kapur is of East Indian descent, but he grew up in Birmingham, England, an industrial town burdened with economic hardship but blessed with a large immigrant population of various ethnicities, notable among them West Indians from Jamaica and actual Indians from India. Under the stage name Apache Indian, Kapur was one of the first artists to successfully fuse dancehall reggae with bhangra (the rock-influenced dance music favored by the Anglo-Indian youth), and he achieved significant chart success with his early singles and debut album. Make Way for the Indian was his sophomore effort and failed to achieve the same success, but it's an eminently worthwhile album nevertheless. Here he covers the Willie Williams tune "Armagideon Time" with the help of dancehall superstar Yami Bolo and "Raggamuffin Girl" with Frankie Paul. "Boba" is one of the most explicitly bhangra-based songs he has recorded, and it's one of the best things on the album, which also includes his huge hit "Boomshackalak." Song for song, it's difficult to see why this disc didn't perform as well in the marketplace as his debut.