Rebelmix launches Black Chiney’s Drumline rhythm Rebelmix Inc, the Caribbean’s leading digital distributor of music and video, has released Black Chiney Presents Drumline Riddim & Timeline Riddim, the latest dancehall album from Miami-based Dwayne ‘Supa Dups’ Chin-Quee’s Black Chiney production house/sound system. Drumline, Black Chiney’s third rhythm production, is said to be already stirring up [...]
Soca Warrior To some who are unfamiliar with Caribbean culture, reggae might seem to be the dominant form of music in that region. It’s easily the most popular style that matriculates out to the States, and with the long list of reggae luminaries in Jamaica at any given time, there’s no fault in assuming that [...]
17 years of ‘real’ jazz After 17 years, the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival continues to create history with stellar performances and a touch of the past. The sounds of instruments galore will run from Sunday to Sunday, from the opening day on June 10 at Morgan’s Harbour Hotel, Port Royal, to the closing Father’s Day [...]
Reggae festival fails to live up to its name Given the number of headline-making controversial artists on the bill, what was surprising about Sunday’s Best of the Best reggae concert at Miami’s Bicentennial Park were the artists who didn’t cross lines of decency and hate speech. Akon, the Senegalese singer whose salacious on-stage antics with [...]
Caribbean trips surprisingly cheap Would you ever have believed that the Caribbean would become the cheap area in which to vacation and Europe the costlier place? With European currencies surging almost daily against the U.S. dollar, hiking the price of rooms and meals, cost-conscious Americans are flocking to a handful of tropical islands costing less [...]
A Star Is Buddz When you think of dancehall music, it’s safe to assume that the island of Bermuda isn’t the first locale that leaps to mind. In fact, though Bermuda is often mistaken as a Caribbean island, its closest neighbor is actually North Carolina. Other Bermuda oddities include the Bermuda Triangle, Bermuda shorts, and [...]
Miami’s music scene vibes on Inner Circle Straddling a quiet residential street in North Miami Beach lie two houses that are musical portals. From the mixing board in the guest cottage of one, you can look out on a curvy pool and see hitmakers — maybe Beyoncé, 50 Cent or No Doubt — taking a [...]
Jamaican memories Jamaica is known for great reggae singers, wonderful and hard working people, fantastic food, beautiful beaches, and an interesting bob sledding team. While boxing is not an active sport, the tiny island nation has had a hand in producing (either by birth or by parentage) a disproportionate number of very notable boxers. But [...]
Magical! – Excalibur was as sharp as it gets The Kingston leg of the Fame Road Party, ‘Excalibur’, came to an abrupt end early Sunday morning after the police drew the musical sword out of the Mas Camp rock, New Kingston. Earlier that morning at 1:30 a.m., hundreds of patrons were still streaming into the [...]
Walking Out For a woman, life inna di dancehall isn’t always easy. At times, reggae culture is rough, male DJs are often aggressive, and trying to earn respect working sound systems as a female MC is one heck of a challenge. That’s especially the case in a subgenre with as many machismo issues as dancehall [...]