Archive for January, 2011

Younger Marley wails for dad Bob

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

Younger Marley wails for dad Bob IT WAS a redemption song in more ways than one. While hip-hop superstar Mary J. Blige was Raggamuffin’s headline act, it was Ky-Mani Marley’s reunion with his dad’s band The Wailers that stole the show. In front of more than 7000 fans at Parramatta Park, the second-youngest of Bob [...]

Downloading music illegally – A Jamaican pirate speaks

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

Downloading music illegally – A Jamaican pirate speaks <img src=”http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/assets/5805946/cds_w370.jpg” width=”150″ hspace=”8″ align=”left”> INTERNET pirates including those in Jamaica couldn’t stop the six per cent rise in global digital music sales to US$4.6 billion ($395 billion) in 2010. Vernon, a Jamaican musician and computer scientist, has over 10,000 illegal songs enough to continuously play for [...]

Dreadlock diaspora

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

Dreadlock diaspora These days, the stoned ski towns of Colorado just might be more receptive venues for reggae rhythms than the genre’s ancestral shores of Jamaica. A case in point is Fort Collins’ own dub purveyors, DubSkin, who stay true to reggae’s roots, selling out strings of shows in places like Crested Butte, Breckenridge and [...]

Following the jerk trail in Jamaica

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

Following the jerk trail in Jamaica With the exception of reggae music, jerk cuisine is probably Jamaica’s best-known cultural export. That’s why the Jamaica Jerk Trail is such a big deal for the Caribbean island. Jamaica is the birthplace of the jerk cooking style, in which a variety of meats are dry-rubbed with a fiery [...]

Buju steadfast as 2nd drug trial draws closer

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

Buju steadfast as 2nd drug trial draws closer Davud Oscar Markus, the attorney representing beleaguered Jamaican Reggae icon Buju Banton, has hailed his client’s resolve and sense of purpose during his times of trouble. Banton, registered at birth as Mark Anthony Myrie, was arrested and jailed by Florida police in December 2009 on drug-related charges. [...]

Peep This: Vybz Kartel Defends His Newly Bleached Skin

Saturday, January 22nd, 2011

Vybz Kartel Defends His Newly Bleached Skin Jamaican Reggae and dancehall artist Vybz Kartel has resurfaced as a much lighter skinned man. Although his transformation has caused much backlash from fans and critics, the musician (born rather dark-skinned) compares his decision to fairer people getting a tan. “This is my new image,” Kartel said. “You [...]

Marley jury hears closing arguments

Saturday, January 22nd, 2011

Marley jury hears closing arguments Bob Marley’s children don’t want to see the reggae legend portrayed as a bobblehead or a plush toy, a lawyer representing the family said Thursday.”They brought this case to protect the legacy of their father,” Los Angeles attorney Jill Pietrini told a federal jury in Las Vegas.

Raggamuffin 2011: Sean Paul set to teach us a few moves

Monday, January 17th, 2011

Raggamuffin 2011: Sean Paul set to teach us a few moves Dancehall reggae superstar Sean Paul is heading to Rotorua and he may even give residents a bit of a Jamaican-themed dancing lesson while he’s here. Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques, commonly known as Sean Paul, is from Kingston, Jamaica. He is one of the [...]

Huge turnout for Buju in Miami

Monday, January 17th, 2011

Huge turnout for Buju in Miami The Bayfront Park Amphitheatre in downtown Miami was bursting at the seams as fans of the embattled reggae star, Buju Banton turned out in their numbers for his Before the Dawn Concert here yesterday. At the time of filing this report, the Reggae star, who has been facing drug [...]

Family of reggae legend Bob Marley seeks damages in Las Vegas trial

Monday, January 17th, 2011

Family of reggae legend Bob Marley seeks damages in Las Vegas trial Three years after filing a federal lawsuit in Las Vegas, the widow and children of reggae legend Bob Marley are trying to persuade a jury to award them damages in the case, which stems from the sale of T-shirts bearing Marley’s image in [...]