Dancehall’s decline Bans, stop orders and incarceration. Is Jamaican music, or more specifically Dancehall, under threat? Are forces hostile to certain strains in popular Jamaican musical expression conspiring to suppress what they deem a cultural contagion? As I indicated in one of my recent articles in which I supported Charles Campbell’s position that overseas opportunities [...]
4 Artises Visas Cancelled The visas of five of Jamaica’s top entertainers have been revoked, THE WEEKEND STAR understands. According to information coming from the Fraud Prevention Arm of the United States Embassy in Kingston, the visas of Bounty Killer, Mavado, Beenie Man, Adonia and selector Ricky Trooper are in the process of being cancelled. [...]
Greensleeves former owners deeper in debt UK-based Zest Group is in deeper debt with £4.3 million ($572 million) in accumulated losses following the disposal of reggae label Greensleeves, one financial year ago — but it hopes to boost revenue from Dominican reggae star Nasio Fontaine in 2010. The group made a trading loss of £283,000 [...]
Matisyahu still tops Billboard Reggae Album Chart Iration, the Hawaii-based reggae-rock band debuted at number two on Billboard Reggae Albums but Matisyahu’s 30-week-old album remained at the top. Time Bomb (Law Records) is the band’s highest-ever charter on Billboard, having maintained the number two slot for the second straight week following its debut.
Life is ‘irie, mon’ in Jamaica, the birthplace of reggae When visiting this verdant Caribbean island, always remember that as important as knowing your rights is getting your lefts sorted out. You quickly learn that as in Australia and the United Kingdom, driving is done on the opposite side of the road. “The left side [...]
Talking With Jimmy Cliff, Shepherd Of Reggae Music This week, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame got a little more crowded. Monday night marked the Hall’s 25th annual induction ceremony. In the class of five: The Stooges, the Hollies, ABBA, Genesis and reggae star Jimmy Cliff.
Alison Hinds aim to top Jamaica chart Soca queen Alison Hinds plans to top Jamaican charts with her deejay-studded album Caribbean Queen but noticeably absent is fellow Barbadian star Rihanna. “We look forward to topping charts everywhere, especially in Jamaica. Caribbean Queen is my gift to all my fans everywhere in the world so that [...]
Nas and Damian Marley Perform New Collaborations at SXSW Considering Jamaican immigrants (and their soundsystem culture) were the driving force behind the birth of hip-hop, and that rap in turn inspired reggae’s evolution into dancehall, one would think the two genres would mix more often. Maybe they will in the wake of Nas and Damian [...]
Wonderful end to Negril’s One Love Reggae Series Reggae crooner Wayne Wonder headlined the final concert last Tuesday night, in the winter series of the One Love Reggae concerts. “I want to give Negril my all” said the artist born Von Wayne Charles, and so he did. The singer, whose No Letting Go album had [...]
Tekla Metfet links Bob Marley with the Bible and African Philosophy On February 6, 1995 –the 50th birthday of Robert Nesta Marley OM — Janet L DeCosmo in a paper presented at a seminar on Bob Marley at the University of the West Indies, Mona sought to compare the Rastafari folk philosopher with David of [...]