Reggae-influenced Skindred ready to rock the Machine Shop While Eddy Grant’s classic early-’80s tune “Electric Avenue” seems to be a perfect fit for the self-described “ragga punk metal” sound of Skindred, the group didn’t have high expectations when they recently knocked out their own version of the song. “We didn’t think anything of it,” vocalist [...]
Live This City: Island in the rain Knee-deep in this purgatorial rainy season of ours, my affection for Sacramento has once again been tested by the perpetual stormy weather. I’m still freezing, but my deliverance has arrived at last (take that, March). I’ll bet you didn’t know there’s an island in downtown Sacramento.
Church wants lewdness stopped The Jamaica Council of Churches has become the latest addition to the ongoing debate surrounding the purification of Jamaican dancehall music, with the organisation calling for a further ban to be placed on street and community dances, which perpetuate the playing of sexually crude and explicit songs. The umbrella church agency [...]
Jamaican prof ‘sounds like he has a vendetta’ St Vincent soca crooner Kevin Lyttle and Bermudan reggae act Colin “Collie Buddz” Harper have both come out in support of soca music, following recent controversy over statements made by Jamaican lecturer Dr Kwame Nantambu during an interview on a Jamaican radio station. Speaking to the Express [...]
San Diego Reggae Sound Systems and Culture Reggae music and culture in San Diego doesn’t stop with the Tribute to the Reggae Legends concert. It continues with the sound systems spinning the tunes, the restaurants creating the Jamaican cuisine and specialty shops providing the culture. A little history, during the 1950s in Jamaica, a speaker [...]
Rapper Lil Jon goes soca Lil Jon is known to the hip-hop world as the King of Crunk, a hit-making rapper and producer. What they probably don’t know is that his musical journey began as a dancehall selector on the now disbanded Four Seasons sound system in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Now, the entertainer [...]
A Tribute to The Reggae Legends For 28 years San Diego reggae fans have embraced, nurtured and grown the Tribute to the Reggae Legends Festival (formerly Bob Marley Festival). They co-exist as one, united. Reggae concerts were once rare in San Diego, as artists preformed only in major cities populated with West Indian people. Makeda [...]
Venture Seeks to Cash In On Bob Marley’s Image Reggae singer Bob Marley’s name and likeness have been slapped on unauthorized merchandise since his death in 1981. Now, the Marley family and a private equity firm that invests in retail brands are preparing a major push to license Mr. Marley’s likeness, trademarks and themes to [...]
‘You’re all social hypocrites’ – Kartel writes letter lashing out at ‘Rampin’ Shop’ critics Popular deejay Adidja ‘Vybz Kartel’ Palmer is defending his Rampin’ Shop and has sought to speak out against the critics of the song. In a letter which he sent to THE STAR on the weekend, the deejay responded to an article [...]
The original Mr Boombastic thinks Dubai is fantastic No stranger to the UAE, reggae star Shaggy returns to Dubai this week to perform at Festival City on Thursday. The concert, which is part of DSF 2009, marks the Boombastic hitmaker’s third visit to the emirate, his last being 2007′s appearance at the Life Music Festival. [...]