Mugabe rewards Jamaican reggae star with farm as payment for gig Jamaican reggae star Sizzla Kalonji has been rewarded with a farm – for singing at president Robert Mugabe’s lavish 86th birthday party in February. Rather than paying the bill, Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party handed the artist – who denies he is on the run [...]
Two new singles and three-continent tour for Sean Paul With two new tracks and a three-continent tour for April, Jamaican dancehall superstar Sean Paul is keeping quite busy these days. Sean Paul, who returned from performances in Africa recently, is also toasting the success of his single with British-born pop sensation Jay Sean, Do You [...]
Rocksteady: the Roots of Reggae BORN in the Jamaican dance halls of the late 1960s, ”rocksteady” is the catchy musical style that led directly to reggae, with an accentuated bassline and a slow, driving rhythm. Whether or not that description rings a bell, you’ll probably be able to hum along with songs like The Tide [...]
Traditional reggae acts will rise Veteran Jamaican broadcaster Lister Hewan-Lowe believes the recent troubles of dancehall artistes with United States (US) authorities will open the door for traditional reggae acts in that country. Hewan-Lowe, who hosts two programmes on Stonybrook University’s WUSB 90.1 FM radio station, was in Kingston last week. He told The Gleaner [...]
Third World to host live stream of band rehearsal The world’s longest-running reggae band is set to host ‘Third World Band Rehearsals LIVE!’. The informal, online-only rehearsal will be streamed live on www.ination. tv/thirdworldbandlive and www.thirdworld.com on Saturday, May 8, at 7 p.m. for Caribbean and United States audiences, and rebroadcast May 9 at 1 [...]
Ky-Mani Marley, son of Bob Marley, grew up outside family circle His name is Marley, but Ky-Mani didn’t grow up as Jamaican royalty like most of his brothers and sisters. He was born in poverty in Falmouth, Jamaica, without even the luxury of an indoor kitchen or bathroom. His mom, table tennis champion Anita Belnavis, [...]
Visa woes taint music industry Fellow entertainers may not benefit from the group of five whose visas were recently revoked, as the entire industry has been tainted, said booking agencies. Top artistes with US visas now include Capleton, Tarrus Riley, Elephant Man, Assassin, Chino, Voicemail, and Sean Paul, however, US promoters may avoid these and [...]
Bounty Killer denied bail, but … Deejay Bounty Killer will have to spend at least the next week in jail after he was denied bail in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday on assault charges. The deejay, real name, has been in custody since Monday when he was arrested on a warrant by officers [...]
Dancehall hit! United States visa woes will cost Jamaican entertainers big Local dancehall stars Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Mavado and Aidonia, as well as selector Ricky Trooper, are set to lose millions of dollars in earnings based on United States decision to revoke their visas. Last Wednesday, news came that the US had decided to [...]
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 [...]