For the first time in 10 years, the band Baha Men is set to release a full-length album titled “Ride With Me.” It will be released next month, which also marks the 15th anniversary of the group’s hit song, “Who Let the Dogs Out.” The Daily Orange spoke with Dyson Knight, one of the lead vocalists of the Baha Men, about their comeback onto the international music scene.

The Daily Orange: What’s it been like to work on this album?
Dyson Knight: It’s been a surprising, growing experience. We were signed to Sony three years ago and originally them wanting us to record an EP of four songs. After that, they raised our budget and wanted to record more for an LP. And one of those songs, “Night & Day,” was picked to have on the World Cup album… That caused another shake-up of interesting people to want to work with us and record a couple more songs for an album. It’s been bittersweet — bitter that we kept postponing the release so many times, but sweet that the postponement was because people have been so excited about giving the world more of Baha Men.

The D.O.: This year marks the 15th anniversary of “Who Let the Dogs Out.” What does that mean for the band?
D.K.: That song was released in 2000. And when I joined the band in 2006, people were still requesting that we tour based on that song. So that song has followed the band since it was introduced to the band in 2000… The song is bigger than the band, and that only happens to the select fortunate entertainers in the world. And if you can have a comeback after a song that big — good for you. Or, you can be comfortable with being a one-hit wonder and can still work a crowd. And up until today, the Baha Men have been thought of as a one-hit wonder, but we work a crowd with all the songs that we perform.

The D.O.: Can you talk to me more about the music of the album?
D.K.: … We tried to capture as many aspects of the band as we can. We have songs that have the same life and energy and spirit as “Who Let the Dogs Out,” as well as songs that are bit more suitable for your easy listening. But this album is pretty much geared to keeping people dancing. It’s meant to get people to come out and watch us, because the band is at its best when it’s live. We wanted to keep that element at the forefront of the production of this project. But we were also able to use a lot more of the Bahamas’ native sound, junkanoo — lots of African, tribal sounds and celebration music — and now is an opportune time to use that in the mixes.

The D.O.: What’s it like to work with the other men in the group?
D.K.: Nine guys, all professional, all very sharp, and they know their stuff. It’s just great that we have good chemistry and we have respect for one another. The only difficulty we have is deciding when to stop creating. The more we rehearse — and we do rehearse a lot — the more we come up with creative things. Stage time is our most relaxed and uncompetitive state. Other than that, we’re always trying to come up with something new. If I had to pick one word, I’d say it’s encouraging to work with these guys.

The D.O.: What other projects does the band have planned?
D.K.: We have a three-album deal with Sony. This album is the reintroduction of Baha Men into the market. The following album is going to be compounded with collaborations, and the sky’s the limit with that… But (music industry entities) all want to hear this album, and once they hear it, they’ll know exactly where we stand. You know, 10 years is a long time. We’re not going to pretend that we’re still hip or ‘in.’ We don’t know. We just need to release this album. We’ve been getting some good reviews, but the masses really call the shots.

The D.O.: And lastly, who did let the dogs out?
D.K.: Fifteen years later, and still I don’t think anyone’s ever going to find out. You know, the FBI and the CIA, they’ve all given up. But the dogs are out, and we’re ready to create some more havoc, and we just want people to join us on this ride.

Published on May 26, 2015 at 6:30 pm

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu