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Childhood friends with Augustus Pablo, teenage apprentice to King Tubbys, “Prince” Philip Smart would later move from Kington to New York and establish the most important reggae recording studio in the USA. The very first song produced at HC&F Studios was a crossover hit for the band Monyaka, who’d invested sweat equity into their recording time by helping to construct the Freeport, Long Island studio with their own hands. Over the years, numerous historic recording sessions went down at Smart’s soundlab that helped to spread reggae music into the American pop charts and around the world, as did his weekly radio show on WNYU FM, Get Smart! As friends, family and music lovers mourn the man—who passed away last week—what better time to take a deep dive into the music and reflect on all the works one man in his late 50s could accomplish on earth. Many of Philip Smart’s hardest selections, including Scion Sashay Success futuristic digi-dancehall cut “The Trainer,” are includied on the hard-to-find compilation Five Borough Fire, which is well worth the effort of hunting down on eBay. In one of many tributes that appeared following the tragic news, Clinton Lindsay quotes Sting International saying, Father Phil was “a man who gave so much and asked for nothing.” Make sure to tune into the next episode of the Strictly Boomshots show on RadioLily.com for a musical celebration of the man known affectionately by so many as “Father Phil.”  Click Through The Gallery Above To Start The Countdown


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#10 Barrington Levy "Murderer"

Jah Life recorded one of the wickedest selections from Barrington Levy’s extensive catalog at Philip Smart’s HC&F Studios. Father Phil took time to give this hard-chopping version of the Hot Milk riddim a super-heavy Tubby’s style mix, earning the NYC studio an officiall yardcore seal of approval for life.

#9 Super Cat "Don Dada"

The title cut for Cat’s 1992 major-label debut started off as a 12-inch single on the Wild Apache label, produced at HC&F Studios. “We pull all teeth” Uzeet? Dogheart dweet! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J89zj0y4TK0

#8 Shabba Ranks "Mr Loverman" Remix

Once word began to get around that Philip Smart’s HC&F Studios was the place where you could get that authentic Jamaican sound in New York, many big-label reggae and dancehall projects were booked into the soundlab. These including many of Shabba’s biggest hits, including “Housecall” featuring Maxi Priest, and this hip-hop-flavored version of “Mr. Lover Man” featuring Chevelle Franklin, a remix of Gussie Clark’s original (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAPk9UBbY1s#t=69) featuring the late Deborah Glasgow.

#7 Louie Rankin "Typewriter"

Like so many other early attempts to fuse hip-hop and dancehall, this Louie Rankin classic was produced at HC&F studios. Rankin would go on to on-screen fame playing bad bwoy roles in films like “Shottas” and “Belly,” and his gruff-and-gravelly vocals on this track would be endlessly sampled on innumerable club remixes.

#6 Garnet Silk "Retreat Wicked Man"

Garnet Silk was not exactly a frequent visitor to the NYC area during his all-too-short career. But like any major Jamaican artist, he knew where to go hold a vibes while passing through the Tri-State area. During on such visit, Philip Smart recorded this crucial selection by one of reggae’s finest vocalists for his own Tan Yah label.

#5 Sammy Levi "It's A Shame"

Sounding just a bit like Michael Prophet, Sammy Levi made a decent name for himself recording rootsy vocals over dancehall riddims for NYC-based producers like Whitfield “Witty” Henry. He did this remake of The Spinners’ R&B smash at HC&F Studios over a riddim called “On The Wings of Love,” creating a massive hit in the dancehall of BK and beyond.

#4 Dirtsman "Hot This Year"

Papa San’s brother achieved the biggest hit of his tragically short career when he tore of Philip Smart’s turbocharged digital remake of Scrath Perry’s classic “Drum Song” riddim. The aptly titled 1991 Tan Yah Records single “Hot This Year” increased the buzz around this rising dancehall star before his life was cut short by gunfire in 1993—one of a few tragedies that inspired Buju Banton’s “Murderder.”

#3 Shaggy "Mampie"

Shaggy recorded his first hit for Philip Smart’s Tan Yah label when he was still a USMC enlistee on weekend furlough from Camp LeJeune in North Carolina. A humorous satire of plus-size ladies, “Mampie” would go on to become a cut on Shaggy’s major label debut album after “Oh Carolina,” another hit recorded at HC&F, made Shaggy an overnight pop star. He would go on to lay down many of his multiplatinum Grammy-winning culture-shifting hits—from “Big Up” to “Angel”—right there at Father Phil’s studio.

#2 Sister Carol "Black Cinderella"

This Brooklyn based rootical dancehall artist came to prominence when she had a featured role in the Jonathan Demme film “Somthing Wild,” leading to her getting some shine on “The David Letterman Show.” Her debut album and many more were recorded at Philip Smart’s studio—naturally.

#1 Johnny Clarke "None Shall Escape The Judgment"

Back when Philip was a teenage apprentice to King Tubby’s, the Dubmaster gave the youth a chance to produce and mix his own track, with the result being this massive hit for the ragga roots vocalist. From that day on, Smart knew within himself that he could be a producer.

Bonus Throwback!!! Monyaka "Go Deh Yaka"

The very first song recorded at HC&F studio was a crossover hit for this Long Island reggae band who assisted Philp Smart in the construction of his soundlab.