One of the most popular dancehall artists of his time — Shabba Ranks — is to make his return to the Bermuda stage and will be accompanied by the ‘Queen of Soca’ Alison Hinds.

Two-time Grammy-Award winning Shabba is known for hits such as Mr Loverman, Respect and Ting A Ling.

Formerly with the band Square One, Alison Hinds is one of the most popular soca singers in the world. She is known for songs such as Roll It Gal which was a huge hit throughout the Caribbean and was released in the UK in 2007, and Faluma.

via Exclusive Organizers ecstatic at landing Shabba Ranks.

Street dancing has long been an informal profession taken on by inner-city youth. Using the dancehall stage as their training and promotional ground as well as performance platform, several dancers have managed to cement themselves as international celebrities in their own right.

However, videos from street dances which brought many dancers to fame, are back to haunt them, this, as foreigners have now begun to capture dancehall choreography, rebrand and redistribute them as theirs.

Since 2011, several Europe-based dance videos have been uploaded on social networks, displaying foreign dancers using Jamaican dance moves on tours and hosting dance workshops. Interestingly, the originators of the various dances are not credited, nor is the dance move regarded as dancehall.

via Dancers want to copyright their moves .

Seminal reggae act The Melodians will headline the second-annual Punky Reggae Party benefit show Friday, April 19, at Tricky Falls.

The night, a benefit for several local nonprofits, will also feature Radio La Chusma, Mexklan, Steady Shakedown and DJ System A.

“The message of reggae is love, support, struggle and fight for the people,” said Charles Villanueva, drummer of Radio La Chusma and founder of A Taller Earth Productions, the promotional team behind the event.

via Melodians to play ‘punky reggae’ benefit show.

A Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter is coming to Yuma to prove he is much more than just another reggae performer caught in his father’s long shadow.

Ky-Mani Marley, son of legendary reggae singer Bob Marley, will highlight music from his many studio albums released over the years. He will perform Saturday at Cocopah Casino.

Despite his name, Ky-Mani doesn’t only perform reggae, but also dancehall and hip-hop music.

via Ky-Mani Marley, son of reggae legend, forging own musical path.

The song which features fire-brand Rastafarian deejay Turbulence is currently sitting in the number-one spot of the Black Music Reggae charts, which is compiled weekly by Argentinian radio DJ Jah Wisdom Outer National on MIX 90.3 FM in the South American nation’s capital, Buenos Aires.

“The success of Unite & Be Strong is just awesome, I’m happy to see that this song is doing so well Argentina. Right now, it’s a favourite of many of my fans worldwide. I’m very thankful to Jah and my fans for this," said Khalilah.

via Khalilah Rose blowing up FM radio in Argentina.

The Rockhouse, West End, Negril

If you’re after the cliff-edge drama of the West End, but don’t fancy slumming it, the Rockhouse is probably for you. Some of the West End’s most upmarket hotels are so antiseptic and uptight you’d hardly know you were in Jamaica, but the Rockhouse has managed to combine modern boutique comforts – a world-class spa, crisp bed linen, fabulous food – with the laid-back hedonism of the old Negril.

via Jamaica’s best beach hotels and accommodation on a budget .

Woman power fuels Jamaican music.

Seconds into Bunny Marrett’s I’m Free album, you know this is not your average reggae record. Sensual melodica and flute weave around each other while a lazily skanked guitar gently bumps hips with an upright bass to a laid-back, jazz-flavored drumbeat.

And then, there’s Marrett’s vocal: delivered with passion and the same jazzbo coolness that fuels the music. The mix captures the sound of dark, thick air, pulsing with the rumble-thump of the rhythm.

via Global Beat: Bunny Marrett.

A female Jamaican reggae dancehall artiste has hailed the Gambian leader, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Jammeh’s vision cum philosophy of coming out to celebrate The Gambia’s Independence musical concert on Tuesday with his people.

Jahseen Foster aka Tenza (Boss Lady), who was speaking to the Daily Observer during an interview Sunday at the Ocean Bay Hotel at Cape Point in Bakau, also described the Gambian leader as an exemplary leader.

via Jamaican Artiste Hails President Jammeh.

Just weeks after officially releasing his sophomore album titled 8 Year Affair, which has charted at number five on the Billboard Reggae chart, Protoje and his Indiggnation band opted to bring another dimension of his music to the fore with a concert titled Live from the Capital.

Many fans opted to stand shoulder to shoulder because there just was not enough room inside the Vera Moody Concert Hall at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

via Protoje’s “8 Year Affair” live debut hits home.