Cultural icon dies: Louise Simone Bennett–Coverly Beloved Jamaican cultural icon Louise Simone Bennett–Coverly, affectionately called ‘Miss Lou’, died Wednesday at the Scarborough Grace Hospital in Toronto, Canada at age 86, triggering a flood of tributes from the political and artistic communities, all of which recognised her pioneering role in promoting Jamaican folklore worldwide.
Maxi Priest gives dancehall his blessings Maxi Priest refuses to stand with the so-called purists on this one. Long-time reggae aficionados all-too-eager to bash the current trend of dancehall’s growing momentum will not find an accomplice in the British-born singer of Jamaican parents. For him, change in music represents progress, and there is no point [...]
Status Ain’t Hood This past January, when I was spending four hours waiting around at Ghostface’s “Back Like That” video shoot for a chance to interview Ghost, I overheard a conversation between two guys, one of whom may have been Ne-Yo’s manager or something, talking about how Ne-Yo was planning his career. They were discussing [...]
Platinum-selling Nigerian reggae artiste Victor Essiet for bmobile Reggae Sunsplash Nigerian reggae singer Victor Essiet has been busy making a name for himself outside of his native country. The singer and his band the Mandators recently released the album One Love, One World. It boasts the talents of Jamaican Grammy-winning duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie [...]
Reggae singer Collie hits the big time by landing deal with Sony Bermudian reggae singer Collie Buddz is on the road to superstardom, having secured a lucrative deal with recording giant Sony Music. Colin Harper is now living a jet-set life, dividing his time between Jamaica, Toronto, New York and Bermuda, as he works to [...]
15 minutes with reggae-soul diva Alaine With a sizzling reggae/R&B/soul-influenced style, singer/songwriter Alaine has taken over the local music scene, and her artistic dominion continues with Wine, the current single from her soon-to-released debut album, which is heating up the airwaves here and overseas.
After Two Decades, Beenie Man Still Has Passion for Music When you’re talking with Beenie Man, his enthusiasm for his music shines through the conversation. “Music is my everyday life,” he tells andPOP. “If I’m thinking about the kids, I’m thinking about music. I get inspiration just from watching a movie. That’s what I do. [...]
All aboard the Zion train Following in one’s father’s footsteps is never easy – all the more so if your dad was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Yet singers Julian and Sean Lennon and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane have had successful careers, as have artists like Natalie Cole, Hank Williams Jr. [...]
War of words lashes Stormfront Though the feud between dancehall stars Beenie Man and Bounty Killer is nothing new, the name-calling took a turn for the worse when each of the deejays decided to take a jab at the other’s mother. Bounty Killer, one of the bigger acts on the Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest Dancehall [...]
Cham dazzles…Beenie and Bounty intensify feud On a night which saw Baby Cham dazzling with an awesome performance, Bounty Killer and Beenie Man took their feud to an all-time low, washing their proverbial dirty linen before patrons at Thursday night’s ‘Storm Front’ segment of the 2006 Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay.