Rising Stars sparkle in Curaçao They are a phenomenon in Jamaica and surely after two sparkling performances in Curaçao on Wednesday night, they will be a phenomenon there too. The Rising Stars’ first performance took place at the Mambo Beach, where the crowd was small, and despite much prodding, the native and predominantly Caucasian people [...]
Morgan Heritage, Munga, Tony Matterhorn shine at Irie Jamboree The 2007 installment of Irie Jamboree, North America’s premier reggae festival, proved to be another spectacular affair for the more than 30,000 music lovers who converged on the Roy Wilkins Park, Queens, New York to see international acts like Steven Marley, Jr Gong, Morgan Heritage, Lady [...]
Ziggy Marley Hopes to Raise Awareness of African Issues Ziggy Marley has followed his father, legendary reggae star Bob Marley, in becoming an award-winning artist. His hit album Love Is My Religion earned the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. VOA’s Larry London sat down for a conversation with Marley at Wolf Trap National [...]
Counting summer profits$ Summer is not officially over, but the major shows of the season are and organisers must now determine whether the season was a good one. “It was a very good year, one of the best we have ever staged. The attendance was good, there were no incidents, good weather, good performers and [...]
Freddie McGregor preps new album with dancehall’s elite Caught up with veteran reggae crooner Freddie McGregor earlier this week while he was on his way to the funeral service for singer Craig Dennis. McGregor revealed that he is in the process of re-recording some of his more familiar material, with the assistance of some of [...]
Power 105 pulls Reggae Carifest sponsorship Hip-hop radio station Power 105 withdrew its sponsorship of Saturday’s Reggae Carifest because two artists on the bill have used anti-gay language in their songs. The two dancehall reggae artists, Buju Banton and Bounty Killer, have both drawn fire for their lyrics over the years. Banton’s song “Boom Bye [...]
Lucky Dube: South African reggae singer hopeful After five best-selling albums in the early to mid-’80s, Lucky Dube was at the top of the musical heap in his native South Africa. Still, realizing he hadn’t reached all that lofty a perch, Dube cut a reggae disc — despite his record company.
Shaggy Teams With Akon, Sizzla On VP Debut Dancehall superstar Shaggy will inaugurate a new joint venture with Big Yard and VP Records with his next album, “Intoxication.” Due Oct. 16, the set is led by the single “Bonafide Girl” featuring “It Wasn’t Me” collaborator Rik Rok and Tony Gold. Akon, Collie Budz, Kalonji, Mischieve, [...]
Reggae band frontman critical after van crash One of Calgary’s best-known reggae musicians was critically hurt and members of his backing band seriously injured in a highway en route from a show in Regina to Calgary, where they were scheduled to play at the Calgary International Reggae Festival on Saturday night. Culture Brown, a vocalist [...]
Monster hurricane hits Jamaica HURRICANE Dean has unleashed the full force of its 230km/h winds on Jamaica after leaving a trail of destruction in the Caribbean where it killed at least five people. “Take this hurricane threat very seriously,” Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said in a national broadcast, trying to convince people refusing to [...]