Passa Passa street parties pacify Kingston’s toughest It’s dawn, and the fusion of hip-hop and reggae rhythms has transformed one of this city’s grittiest slums into a cross between Girls Gone Wild and Cirque du Soleil. Gyrating women in barely-there tops and minis flash intimate flesh while roving video cameras document every erotic bump and [...]
Making sweet music at 16 At only 16 years old, producer Stephen McGregor seems destined to make a mark on Jamaican music. One would expect the son of reggae veteran Freddie McGregor to be involved in music, but Stephen has proven he has not only creativity, but staying power as well.
Ele’s birthday rocks Amnesia It was a traffic-blocking, jam-packed, high-energy, entertainment-filled occasion inside the Amnesia Night Club’s parking lot in Ocho Rios last Saturday when the ‘Energy God’ Elephant Man held his birthday celebrations there.
Young reggae stars as relevant as their elders Jamaica’s cultural complexity is aptly illustrated by a couple of interesting claims in the documentary Made in Jamaica, which premieres at TIFF today: the Caribbean island has more recording studios per square mile than any other country — all booked around the clock — as well as [...]
‘Dutty’ war over Matterhorn A battle is brewing over the man from Mars, Tony ‘Mentally Ill’ Matterhorn and the rights to his Dutty Wine song. According to Matterhorn, the sale of his mega hit song, Dutty Wine to VP Records by producer Supa Hype of Hyperactive Entertainment is now causing problems with him getting a [...]
Peter Tosh – 9/11 Victim This week the world commemorated the lives of the 3,000 people who were senselessly and unjustifiable murdered in New York’s World Trade Center by suicide terrorists on the 9th of September, 2001. This date is now often referred to as 9/11. The music world adds to those been commemorated an [...]
‘CP’ cops major soca award in NY Antigua’s soca darling, Claudette “CP†Peters has become the world’s soca darling with her capture of the 4th annual International Soca Awards’ title of Best New Female Soca Artiste. Reigning Antigua Party Monarch Peters, was told of her victory over competitors like Destra Garcia, Machel Montano and Alison [...]
Culture’s train bound to glory Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller yesterday promised to live up to the expectations of late reggae stalwart Joseph ‘Culture’ Hill, who some years ago in an interview on one of his overseas tours predicted that Jamaica would have a woman prime minister.
Tony Matterhorn rides a ‘blue streak’ to dancehall’s peak His feisty attitude has kept him at or near the top of the sound system game for many years. Tony Matterhorn has now found new territory as a dancehall deejay with a handful of hits pounding the dancehall both locally and overseas. Dubbed ‘Mr. Fully Loaded’ [...]
Icons fade, but music’s popularity lives on Walk through any mall and you’ll see stores filled with racks of clothes in the red, green and gold of Jamaica. Stroll through any college campus and you may hear the sounds of Bob Marley’s Legend drifting from the dorms. Even Southern California diva Gwen Stefani is modeling [...]