Rags to rhythms to riches: Music a way out of poverty for many The story of dancehall and reggae is often one of rags to riches for artistes of impoverished origins, singing and deejaying to make a ‘trailer load of money’. It is no surprise that people turn to music as a means out of [...]
The return of De Ashanti, again! He is often described as “the people’s king”. Troubled Calypsonian Herman “Ashanti” has had a bond with Calypso lovers here, built on a rock of mixed emotions. Even those in competing camps, cannot deny his inimitable voice, his ability to connect with his audience in song and punctuate each [...]
2 the Max The talk circulating the globe about Maxi Priest being the new lead singer of UB40 is just that. Talk. Throwing back his phalanx of ink-black natties, he laughed generously, flashing his playful signature smile. “I ain’t in no UB40 band. Man, people say that and you know what, it suits me they’re [...]
Leader of the New School There’s plenty of fuss made at times by journalists (like myself) about the negative direction reggae music seems to have gone in the past ten years. But for all our boo-hooing, certain artists like Tarrus Riley know how to rise up and silence the critics. The popular singer of the [...]
Where poetry meets chaos At two in the afternoon one day this spring, I stood on a crowded, noisy street corner in a “no-go” area of Kingston, Jamaica, where I was serenaded by a dreadlocked street vendor who, having given up trying to sell me a cheap Chinesemade belt, decided to demonstrate his talents as [...]
Jimmy Cliff Still Has More Rivers to Cross When a musician finds out that a musical featuring their songs is in the works, the sensible thing is to follow Take That and David Bowie and disown it as quickly as possible. Veteran reggae star Jimmy Cliff has other ideas. His tunes from the classic 1972 [...]
Sean Kingston to perform in Israel this summer Leading reggae-hip hop star Sean Kingston is expected to join the shower of freign artists arriving in Israel this summer, with a mid-July performance. Sean Kingston burst into the music world only a year ago, at the age of 18. His song “Beautiful Girls†hit the radio [...]
The songs of Ecclesiastes “A man’s gift will make room for him” is one of the many promises of the Bible that gospel hip/hop and reggae recording artiste Mark Bailey knows to be so true. Bailey, who 12 years ago gave up a lifestyle – which included selling drugs – to serve God, said he [...]
Marshall’s True Story for a June release Dancehall star Wayne Marshall is currently putting the final touches to his highly anticipated compilation CD, True Story (to drop in June), which the artiste reveals is well worth the wait. “It’s going to be crazy. It features a mix of my new music but also includes many [...]
Buju pleads for other artistes to …CLEAN UP YOUR MUSIC Popular deejay Buju Banton has issued an emotional appeal to his fellow entertainers to clean up their lyrics in order to help Jamaica to recover from its present social decay. The deejay, who posted a message in his newsletter, The Gargamel Gleaner, said that the [...]