Carnival – A sweet it sweet so!

Carnival in St. Kitts is sweet, sweet , sweet! The soca music blaring, the big drum resonating, the fife music piercing the air, the thrashing of the clatter, the rhythmic music of the steel pan, the chants of the masquerades, the running of the “bull”, the animation of the mummies and the cherished art of calypso are components that have accentuated the festival. Carnival 2007-2008 will be the 36th edition and the ingenious merger of Carnival with the Christmas Season- an experience unique to St. Kitts- has forever enhanced the festival’s brand and added to the appeal of the affair.

Rootz Underground hits with Hammerz

Reggae band, Rootz Underground, has broken new ground with the shooting of Hammer, the video for the next single off their soon-to-be released debut album Movement!. Produced by Shannon Hart and directed by Luciano Blotta, the video for Hammer is a symbol of the message of Rootz Underground, whose lyrics manifest self-realisation and self-actualisation.

Strictly the Best, Vol. 37 and 38

In a genre as singles-driven as reggae, mixtapes rule. Compilations are the next best thing, though, so VP Records churns them out liberally: The Reggae Gold series is its annual crossover-friendly collection (translation: hip-hop remixes and liberal doses of Sean Paul), while Strictly the Best titles serve up hot tunes designed with the massive, as opposed to the masses, in mind. The latest two editions of the latter are a convenient Who’s Who of reggae’s fresh new talent, a crew best described as righteous—in every sense of the word.

Billy’s back

Anyone who thought that Billy Ocean faded into oblivion after enjoying 80s fame, would be, erm, correct. The Trinidad-born singer who found success with hits including Caribbean Queen and Get out of My Dreams, decided that when the going got tough, it was time to take a break.

Ky-Mani Marley breaks from Van Halen tour to star in Park City

Singing with Van Halen is a job that’s usually short-lived. But vocalist Ky-Mani Marley has bucked the trend. Actually, Marley isn’t singing for Van Halen, but before them. He’s been lucky enough to be the opening act for Van Halen on their current sold-out tour.

“So far, so good,” Marley said in a phone call to The Salt Lake Tribune before warming up the crowd in Los Angeles for Eddie, Alex, David and Wolfgang.

Sean Kingston’s ‘Beautiful Girl’ is mommy

Janice Turner meticulously prepared tripe and beans for her celebrated son, Sean Kingston, last Saturday and if and when he desires ackee and saltfish, stew peas or pig’s tail, she will don her apron without hesitation. Two months ago, Turner, daughter of the legendary Jack Ruby and mother of Sean Kingston, was serving time for tax evasion, an offence for which she served over two years in prison.

Africa is Blacks’ Mecca, says Reggae star

A leading Reggae superstar Jepther McClymont known in show business as Luciano or Jah Messenger has described the continent of Africa as the Mecca for all black people both home and abroad.

“The continent to me is I and I greatest heritage we have now especially for those who have been taken into slavery. We look to Africa as a Mecca”. According to Luciano is time for all Black people to journey to Africa and get themselves tune, to align and balance their bodies and minds because they have been out of balance for a long time.

Detour to dancehall

As reggae’s best-selling living artist, Shaggy took a detour from the mainstream this year.

After multiple crossover hits, “Church Heathen” signalled a departure from the formula-though mixing Gregorian chants into a dancehall record was always going to raise eyebrows. Predictably, it failed to match past chart successes, but it was an overdue return to his roots, and packed a punch powerful enough to re-establish his foothold among the dancehall elite.

‘Many Moods Of Moses’

Being the King of the Dance-hall is not an easy throne to keep, with competition stiff and naysayers trying to take away your crown. STAR Artiste of the Month Beenie Man is confident in his stance as king of the entire dancehall movement, not allowing anybody to take away his crown.

Cocoa Tea

After more than 30 years as a reggae musician, Cocoa Tea should be either a cutting-edge groundbreaker or a standard-bearing legend. As Biological Warfare disappointingly makes clear, he’s neither. The dancehall vibe he’s worked with for most of his career has seen him occasionally flirting with progressive electronic sounds that threaten to push the genre forward. Similarly, his lyrics have had moments of daring, even controversial inspiration.