Paris Hilton says new album will be mix of reggae, pop and hip hop Paris Hilton says her upcoming album will be a mix of reggae, pop and hip-hop, with the first single being a reggae song called «Stars Are Blind.» Hilton will also do a remake of the Rod Stewart song «Do You Think [...]

Jamaican pride and dancehall rivalries color reggae festival Feuds were revived, old prejudices revisited, and a classic surf riff resuscitated. Once again a reggae-centric festival provided the propulsive beat and intense energy of Memorial Day weekend celebrations in Miami. Sunday’s Memorial Fest, featuring dancehall legends, roots stars, and Southern hip-hop and R&B acts, drew tens [...]

Macka Diamond’s Money-O by Makkada B. Selah One Jamaican diva’s confused quest for gender equality, flat-screen TVs Macka Diamond’s biggest hit, “Done Already,” berates a disappointing one-minute man, but the dancehall diva formerly known as Lady Mackerel has recently retaken residence at the top of the Jamaican charts with “Bun Him,” a slightly more serious [...]

WAILING IN VAIN – Barrett’s case latest in failed attempts at Marley estate It is no secret that there would have been no Diana Ross without the Supremes, no Gladys Knight without the Pips, no Lionel Richie without the Commodores and, in the same way, it’s impossible to think of Bob Marley without linking him [...]

Aggrolites blend ska, reggae The Aggrolites have yet to headline a major concert tour or even have a video on either MTV or VH1. Yet members already consider the group a success. Image The Southern California-based ska-and-reggae act earned a seal of approval from legendary Jamaican musicians Derrick Morgan and Prince Busters. In fact, Prince [...]

Beijing Reggae Club Hoping for Some Marley Power One couple is on a crusade to bring the sounds of Ja to China “It’s going to be very difficult to bring reggae to China, but this is a start.” Former IT engineer Robin Liao looks out from the terrace of ‘Together’, Beijing’s first reggae bar, at [...]

Desmond Dekker, 64, Pioneer of Jamaican Music, Dies Desmond Dekker, the Jamaican singer whose 1969 hit, “The Israelites,” opened up a worldwide audience for reggae, died on Wednesday. He was 64. He died after collapsing from a heart attack at his home in Surrey, England, his manager, Delroy Williams, told Reuters. “The Israelites” was the [...]

Desmond Dekker dies Desmond Adolphus Dacres, more widely known around the globe as Desmond Dekker, is dead. The ska artiste, who was born on July 17, 1941, in Jamaica, died in the United Kingdom at 4:00 a.m. Thursday. According to his manager, Delroy Williams, Dekker, who is known for songs such as Israelites, Shanty Town, [...]

Information – Key to Music Business Success The following is the first in a series of essays aimed at offering insights into the music business for aspiring artistes and industry persons With Thaddeus ‘Teddy’ Laidley While sitting in the intransit lounge of the airport recently, I was in deep discussion with a small group of [...]

The Fugees find Floyd’s ‘Foxy’ Jamaican singer/songwriter Floyd Lloyd is on the verge of a long-awaited breakthrough. Reuniting hip-hop stars, the Fugees are adopting his song, Foxy Foxy. “I got a midnight call and the track was played on the telephone line to me and it was really a good moment, not just for me [...]