Dressing the wounds of dancehall In the article entitled ‘No Caribbean love for dancehall’ by Krista Henry in the May 10 issue of The Gleaner, the assertion that “Caribbean islands are putting a ‘stop order’ on Jamaican artistes travelling throughout the region” is not only misleading but also divisive. Indeed, the observation that Jamaican songs [...]
Matisyahu keeps the faith while rapping Matisyahu, the devout Jewish rapper, is making the kind of journey he makes all the time between his music and his religion. On this recent Friday afternoon, that consists of walking through Manhattan from a voice lesson to prepare for Shabbat, the Jewish holy day of rest. For Matisyahu, [...]
Legends ready to rock TT With just one week to go before the show that will set the pace for all shows to follow in 2K9 and beyond, promoters of I Am Legend II, are rearing to go and eager to see the masses that will flock to the Queen’s Park Savannah next week Saturday. [...]
Vacant Metro Orlando homes leave neighbors feeling empty There’s a squiggle of yellow crime-scene tape on the ground and a notice from code enforcement staked to the front yard of the vacant, one-story brick home near Lake Jessamine in Orange County. The water in the backyard swimming pool is dark and scummy. Tim Repasky says [...]
Reggae Builds In Asian Appeal As NY1 marks Asian-American Heritage Month, the station profiles musical artists and their struggle to find mainstream success in the United States. NY1′s Jeanine Ramirez filed the first report on a Brooklyn reggae band. Yuichi Iida is a Japanese-born musician, but plays a West African drum in Brooklyn as the [...]
Showcase: Bob Marley by David Burnett David Burnett has published his first book, “Soul Rebel: An Intimate Portrait of Bob Marley in Jamaica and Beyond” (Insight Editions). It features the legendary reggae musician and his contemporaries, photographed first in Jamaica in 1976, then during Mr. Marley’s European tour in spring 1977. Mr. Burnett worked for [...]
Aswad reunites for Island’s 50th anniversary Arguably one of the most prestigious record labels in the history of British music, Island Records has spawned countless artistes in its 50-year history. Founded by Chris Blackwell, the label is probably best known for bringing Bob Marley and The Wailers to international prominence.
Julian Marley urges ‘Awake’ on third album Though primarily a roots reggae album, Julian Marley delves into several other genres on his latest project, Awake. On the album, due out May 26 through Ghetto Youths/Universal, there is a marked difference between the feel of two adjacent songs on the same topic, the slow, bare-bones (musically) [...]
Devon ‘Troublesum’ Smith – a new face to reggae music Would you give up everything to follow your dream even if you did not have a concrete plan but was driven only by what you believe is your destiny? Well, one individual from neighbouring Jamaica has done that. He is the island’s new reggae artiste, [...]
Last week Ziggy Marley released an album of music for young people called “Family Time.” The album has a whole crowd, including his mother, Rita, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson and Jamie Lee Curtis. He will play a show for kids in L.A. as part of a “What Is Reggae?” day June 6 at Club Nokia. [...]