Robert Nesta Marley, O.M., composer On this day 25 years ago, the Jamaican songwriter and political activist Bob Marley died of cancer in Miami. He was only 36 years old. I’m not sufficiently grounded in either Jamaican or African politics to venture any sort of opinion on what his long-term impact has been in those [...]
Angel and Sizzla warm up with Good Loving Good Loving, a new collaborative effort between singer Angel Shalome and Sizzla Kalonji, looks set to become a staple at radio. The track, produced by Delroy ‘Fatta’ Pottinger, highlights the vocal capabilities of Angel, and features a scrumptious bout of toasting from Sizzla.
DJ Spooky Revisits ‘Fine’ Reggae DJ Spooky raided the vaults of Trojan Records and came out on the other side with the double-disc set “In Fine Style: 50,000 Volts of Trojan Records.” With cuts from artists like Sly & Robbie, Peter Tosh and Lee Perry, the compilation will hit stores June 27 via Trojan. The [...]
Tighter Than Ever Frenzied East Coast ska kings the Slackers nail the live show. Nonstop touring, superb musicianship, and an energetic stage show have built up the reputation of the Slackers, but their live albums have never captured the intensity the East Coast ska outfit will likely bring to Slim’s in San Francisco this Saturday. [...]
Surprising hands bear the torch of Marley Outwardly, Sean Paul and Matisyahu don’t really have the brotherhood vibe going on. Corn-rowed Paul is from Jamaica, and of Jamaican-Portuguese-Chinese heritage, while the bearded Matisyahu — known to his mom as Matthew Miller — is a Pennsylvania-born Hasidic Jew of European descent who now calls New York [...]
Mental Matterhorn Undoubtedly the hottest track of the new year so far is Tony Matterhorn’s Dutty Wine, which has not only spurred on other deejays like Elephant Man to create their own version but has also started rumours on the dancing scene.
For art or money? Matisyahu. Heeb. Guilt & Pleasure. Times are flush if you’re a young, culturally minded American Jew. Indeed, the last few years have seen an explosion in artistic and cultural activity by and for Jews. Matisyahu, a Hasidic reggae singer, for example, has sold more than 500,000 albums. And Heeb, a Jewish [...]
Irie Love: Hawaiian roots, reggae fruits Irie Love (not a stage name, but her given name, inspired by the third World classic, Irie Ites) recounts that while she grew in her mother’s womb, her father would place stereo headphones on her mother’s belly, thus ‘piping in’ the sounds of Buju Banton, Third World and others.
Rita Marley calls for Gov’t to pay greater attention to music business Montego Bay, St. James – Rita Marley, wife of music legend, Bob Marley, yesterday said it was about time that the Government streamlined Reggae music so that lyrical content could be monitored and royalty from the music would flow back to the artists [...]
New Caribbean dance craze worries parents in Grenada The woman in a flounced white micro-mini and green glitter tube top writhed to a dance-hall beat throbbing through the Q-West nightclub. She gyrated in a motion that sent her skirt riding high. Throughout the club, sporadically lighted by the flash of a camera or strobe light, [...]