Tami Chynn Heats Up Blue Beat In a polka dot ensemble, Kingston-bred Tami Chynn serenaded a hot crowd with old and new hits in the second performance of the Unplugged Series at Marguerite’s Blue Beat last Thursday evening on Gloucester Avenue in Montego Bay, St James. Fans cooled down to Chynn’s soothing ballads amid the [...]
Dancehall’s ‘First Ladies’ making their mark For years Lady Saw represented as the ‘Queen of the Dancehall’ but now the ‘First Ladies’ are taking control of the music and representing for their various labels. In the last few months, the title of ‘First Lady’ has been growing in numbers with the women stepping up in [...]
Nas and Damian Marley on their ‘Distant Relatives’ collaboration Nas and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley recorded one excellent single together, “Road to Zion,” in 2005. As much as I enjoyed hearing the N.Y. rap legend and the reggae scion play off each other’s styles on that track, though, I never guessed that they would be [...]
Next Generation Dancehall Tour Excites Up North With little over a week to go before the big ‘Next Generation Dancehall Vibes: Part One’ tour kicks off in North America, artistes Spice, Kiprich, Konshens and Laden as well as their fans are already stoked up with anticipation for the events. The tour which begins in Boston, [...]
Best of both worlds delivered reggae on a platter Of the endless string of Jamaican music imports landing here every other month for local entertainment, the presence of Freddie McGregor and Tarrus Riley was a rare blessing; a combination of fresh and enduring reggae sounds worth soaking up. As the legendary McGregor navigated his “Big [...]
A little Jamaica blooms in the heart of the desert There’s no greater disciple of reggae music in Las Vegas than Stan Rankin T. He writes reggae music. He fronts a reggae band and has released six reggae CDs. He owns a reggae record company — Patois Music — and a reggae store — Caribbean [...]
Marley’s a Legend on iTunes Bob Marley’s album Legend continues to top iTunes reggae charts in every major reggae market except Japan. Downloaders in 17 of the 22 listed countries are buying Marley’s 1984 album above any other reggae album on iTunes, arguably the Internet’s most popular online music store. Marley tops the iTunes chart [...]
Dancing up a storm Jamaica is a musical country, an auditory mecca of sound and soul. While this jewel of the Caribbean may be world famous for her Bob Marley beats, a trip there proves Jamaican music isn’t confined to reggae alone. Dancehall music, loosely defined as high-energy rap with a Reggaeton rhythm, is extremely [...]
Patrons sit out dance moves As more complex dance moves are created, patrons have been reduced to mere spectators in the dancehall instead of active participants. Patrons danced more during the days when the late dancer Bogle did his suave moves, as the steps did not require much energy and were easy to follow. However, [...]