Music video booms in Jamaica It is a sunny morning and a group of rakish young men are dancing to music on a boom box in the shadow of rusty containers and a moored ship at Kingston’s Port Royal. The dancers are rehearsing a curious mix of dancehall, hip hop and Bollywood under the watchful [...]
Historic catalogue deal for Marley music via new technology format Bob Marley’s masterpiece Exodus celebrates its 30th anniversary this summer, and will be commemorated with the release of an exclusive new version of the album. Starting today, limited edition copies of the recording will be available on USB Memory Stick via Bob Marley’s official website [...]
Ska father proud of reggae daughter It is from her ‘trods’ with the Flames outfit that Queen Ifrica’s deejaying developed, as she was required to do Just My Brethren, the reply to Tony Rebel and Swade’s Just Friends. “The first time I did it was in England and the place went seriously crazy. Even I [...]
Nadine Sutherland’s moving forward on all fronts Forget what people think about you. Nadine Sutherland certainly has, and is a happier person for it. Her growth and new lease on life, are evident in almost every song on her new CD, Call My Name. It’s filled with lyrics of self-appreciation, love, independence and upliftment – [...]
No to ‘kill people’ music Some sound system selectors and radio disc jockeys are taking a stand against violence in music. Lyrical violence has slowly spread throughout the dancehall, resulting in feuds that incite fans and ruin dances. However, members of the Bembe Squad, and at least one radio DJ say they are not into [...]
Rootz Underground included on Sumfest line-up Rootz Underground has been added to the Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest line-up for Saturday, July 21, 2007. Saturday night, aptly named Zenith, will see Rootz performing on the same stage as musical greats Beres Hammond, Tanya Stephens and Mary J Blige. “Our goal is to establish Rootz Underground as [...]
Back to his Roots He began his career with dancehall hits before going on to enjoy mainstream success on a multi-platinum level. Now, Shaggy is going full circle with a return to his core audience, courtesy of his latest hit Church Heathen. One of dancehall’s current big hits, Church Heathen sees Shaggy making scathing observations [...]
Three Dollar Bill I knew I’d get in trouble with dancehall fans again this month when I got an email from Montreal reggae promoter Cezar Brumeanu announcing an upcoming concert by anti-gay dancehall performer Vybz Kartel. That’s because that same day I also got an email from Manuel Sarrazin, the reggaephile who started the thoughtful [...]
Rebelmix launches Black Chiney’s Drumline rhythm Rebelmix Inc, the Caribbean’s leading digital distributor of music and video, has released Black Chiney Presents Drumline Riddim & Timeline Riddim, the latest dancehall album from Miami-based Dwayne ‘Supa Dups’ Chin-Quee’s Black Chiney production house/sound system. Drumline, Black Chiney’s third rhythm production, is said to be already stirring up [...]
Soca Warrior To some who are unfamiliar with Caribbean culture, reggae might seem to be the dominant form of music in that region. It’s easily the most popular style that matriculates out to the States, and with the long list of reggae luminaries in Jamaica at any given time, there’s no fault in assuming that [...]