Severing all ‘Family’ ties On May 11, fans of reggae legend, Bob Marley, marked the 25th anniversary of his death. That same day Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, his former colleague in The Wailers band, lost a long-running battle in the British High Court. Three years ago, Barrett filed a lawsuit against the Marley family and [...]
Virgin Atlantic competing on quality When Virgin Atlantic Airlines flies into Montego Bay on July 3, its business plan for Jamaica is simply to offer a first class service that appeals to one’s sense of adventure and the desire for luxury. The Virgin brand owned by British billionaire Richard Branson, is all about replacing the [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
Decision awaited in ‘Family Man’ suit Music interests around the world, not to mention the two parties involved, are now awaiting the decision of the UK High Court regarding the multi-million dollar claim brought by former Bob Marley and the Wailers guitarist Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett against the Marley family and the Universal Music group. [...]
Passa passa in some ways has degenerated into lawlessness – local promoter A local Passa Passa promoter has remarked that in certain aspects the new dance craze has degenerated into lawlessness. Stan Gouveia told Stabroek News in an invited comment that he could understand the concerns of the authorities in Barbados and Grenada which have [...]
When the fad goes fizzle Reggaeton may be running out of gasolina. Radio stations that flocked to the thumping Latino hip-hop style have seen their ratings slip in recent weeks. In at least three markets — Las Vegas, Dallas and Miami — stations that gambled on the music’s growing popularity have since switched back to [...]
Dancing Against the Beat The girl in the flounced white micro-mini and green glitter tube top writhes to the dancehall beat throbbing through the Q-West nightclub. She drunkenly gyrates in a motion that sends her skirt riding up high enough to show her panties, if she were wearing any. Grenadian elders have condemned Passa Passa, [...]
Dubbin’ It Live MVD and Funky Gemini are pleased to announce the home viewing release of Black Uhuru with Sly & Robbie – Dubbin’ It Live for North American distribution on DVD. Through the late 80′s and 90′s, Sly & Robbie focused on studio work and revolutionized Jamaican music by turning Reggae into Dancehall. They [...]
Matterhorn telling it like it is Even as clubbers bounced to the music in the Zen Nightclub on Wednesday the shock and horror of the brutal slaying of six-year-old Sean Luke Lum Fai echoed in frontal lobes. The night’s featured selector, Tony Matterhorn of Jamaica mentioned the tragedy in the opening minutes of his performance [...]