HERITAGE: SL2 Stormed The UK Charts With Their Anthem "On A Ragga Tip” (1992)

HERITAGE: SL2 Stormed The UK Charts With Their Anthem "On A Ragga Tip” (1992)


May 19, 2023

It was just last week that we revisited the time Normski invited rave legends SL2 onto his pioneering BBC2 show Dance Energy in 1991. It was a huge moment for everyone involved; SL2 got to dominate a mainstream space and bring rave magic to living rooms all over the UK, Normski got to host one of his most electric shows ever, and millions of British teens got exposed to some of the greatest dance music ever made.

Of course, when they went on BBC2 that year, they hadn't even recorded their biggest anthem yet. "DJs Take Control" held that title at the time and did a perfectly good job of getting everyone into a frenzy, but in 1992 they struck solid gold with "On A Ragga Tip". The tune has been sampled, covered and referenced endlessly ever since, but nothing will ever touch the chopped samples of Jah Screechy's "Walk and Skank" and Kid 'N Play's "Gittin' Funky".

What set SL2 apart and gave them such a strong identity was that the two producers—Matt "Slipmatt" Nelson and John "Lime" Fernandez had been such passionate fans of hip-hop. They didn't just have super catchy tunes, SL2 were tying rave culture back to its Black roots and embracing them fully.




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