Finding the rhythms of Porti Port Antonio and the Jamaican music scene are not ideas you would readily put in the same sentence. Marlon Minott, aka Marly B of Illmatic Records Inc, is looking to change that. He operates his studio, mixing lab and voice booth all from a little nook in Port Antonio.
Mr Vegas is ‘blessed’ Dancehall artiste Mr Vegas returned to Jamaica this week after completing a successful I Am Blessed tour in Europe. He had kicked off the tour on July 13th with a rousing performance on a show dubbed Summer Reggae Fest at Fort de Saint Pere in France. The tour lasted for about [...]
‘Jamaican Woman’ a hilarious tribute Whether walking runways all over the world, holding attention with form and figure, or urging the pilot on (in none too gentle terms) as the plane sits tantalizingly close to the runway (and their goods sit in the cargo bay), Jamaican women have made their mark on the world. And, [...]
Lost in translation? German radio disc jock Andreas Müller has criticised European and North American gay and lesbian rights groups for what he calls a coordinated campaign to tarnish reggae and dancehall music. The 44-year-old, who doubles as an entertainment writer and has a vast library of some 15,000-20,000 reggae works – mainly on vinyl [...]
Tarrus Riley is the real deal On Friday, I had the great honour and pleasure of speaking at the launch of Tarrus Riley’s latest album, Contagious. Tarrus is the real deal. Clearly, he has talent and possesses a distinctive voice. He is also curious and persistent. Too often we place undue emphasis on talent. Certainly [...]
Beenie Man King of the Dancehall indeed In what was probably the biggest dancehall night turnout in the 17-year history of Reggae Sumfest, Beenie Man proved that he was indeed the king of the dancehall. The wiry deejay, who was earlier in the morning officially crowned dancehall king by the Sumfest organisers, effectively justified why [...]
Reggae legend Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry brings the bottom end to ByWard Asked the origin of his enduring nickname, Lee Perry is inclined to say, “All things start from Scratch.” It is a characteristically blustery if uncharacteristically coherent pronouncement from the certifiably loopy septuagenarian. And it is a boast not without merit. The influential producer honed [...]
Sumfest feeling economic pinch – But top American acts boost profile Even though he has almost 20 years experience as a show promoter under his belt, Johnny Gourzong believes this month’s production of Reggae Sumfest will be the most challenging to date. Jamaica has not escaped the rigours of the worldwide recession that started in [...]
Marley more popular in non-white world than MJ Reggae icon Bob Marley was more popular than Michael Jackson in most of the non-white world based on web searches up to the time of Jackson’s death. Blacks, Latin-Americans and many Asians were searching for Marley over pop icon Jackson with China and India as notable exceptions, [...]
‘Mi vehicle cyaan dearer than mi house,’ says Flippa Mafia When flossing king, Flippa Mafia, scored number one last year with the hit single Dem Yah and Dem Yah, it was the signal that this deejay was one of those “to watch”. And he has proved that this success was no fluke. “It was a [...]