The island’s emergency response agencies were yesterday put on full alert as the country braced for what is likely to be a direct hit from Hurricane Dean. Dean, which yesterday morning pounded the Eastern Caribbean islands of Martinique, Dominica and St Lucia, last night strengthened to a category four hurricane and was on a path that would take it over Jamaica by early tomorrow.
With the possibility that Hurricane Dean could be in Jamaica’s territorial waters by Sunday, the Meteorological Service has advised fishers and other marine operators that weather conditions are expected to steadily deteriorate during the next 48 to 72 hours. As such, they have been urged to commence preparations to evacuate if the need arises.
Reggae, rock, rap and funk: 311 boldly goes where a lot of other bands have gone before. They just do it all in one song.
“Our sound stems from all the types of music we like,†guitarist Mahoney said recently after the sound check at a festival in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. “Everybody (in the band) loves reggae music. Everybody loves Led Zeppelin. Everybody loves Bob Marley. And everybody loves funk and all types of good music. It basically stems from everybody in the band wanting to play the music that they love.
Hurricane Dean blasts into Caribbean
Hurricane Dean uprooted trees, tore down power lines and ripped the roof off a hospital in St. Lucia on Friday as it raced into the Caribbean on a track that could take it near Jamaica as a dangerously powerful storm next week, officials said. On the nearby French island of Martinique, sustained winds were measured at 120 kilometres per hour with gusts up to 170 km/h, according to France’s weather service.
The Aggrolites: West Coast reggae’s best-kept secret
Local connoisseurs, junkies for a taste of sweet reggae traditionalism, have been wise to the ways of the quintet called the Aggrolites for going on five years now. They have watched their subtle, steady rise from in-demand West Coast house band for a parade of touring pioneers (ska fave Prince Buster, reggae great Derrick Morgan, Culture’s Joseph Hill) to being a credible act on its own terms, cutting albums so uncannily crafted from old-school fundamentals that casual ears might mistake them for lost gems from the dawn of the ’70s.
A look at the pop charts these days suggests as much, noting that two of this summer’s hottest hit singles come courtesy of Jamaican-bred newcomer Sean Kingston (Beautiful Girls) and Barbados babe Rihanna (Umbrella), both of whom incorporate heavy doses of reggae music into their hip-hop styles. Then there’s 19-year-old Kat DeLuna, who was raised in the Dominican Republic, also making serious waves on the charts and in the nightclubs with her thumping debut single Whine Up, which features Jamaican dancehall star Elephant Man.
A look at the pop charts these days suggests as much, noting that two of this summer’s hottest hit singles come courtesy of Jamaican-bred newcomer Sean Kingston (Beautiful Girls) and Barbados babe Rihanna (Umbrella), both of whom incorporate heavy doses of reggae music into their hip-hop styles. Then there’s 19-year-old Kat DeLuna, who was raised in the Dominican Republic, also making serious waves on the charts and in the nightclubs with her thumping debut single Whine Up, which features Jamaican dancehall star Elephant Man.
Jamaicans make splash at Rototom
It is no secret that reggae music is widely loved internationally and, as countries across Europe and other parts of the world invest heavily in reggae festivals and other major events, local artistes are called upon to perform some authentic Jamaican music.
One major festival that features a number of reggae acts each year is the Rototom Sunsplash which takes place every summer at Osoppo in the province of Udine, Italy.
Former dancehall queen and popular dancer, Mad Michelle, has come out and expressed her disgust at what she describes as malicious rumours that have been circulating in dancehall circles about her.
Mad Michelle, whose real name is Ann-Marie McKoy, says there is a rumour going around that she is involved with dancehall selector Fire Links, but according to her, “Him (Fire Links) neva eva step to me dem way deh. Di most him wi come to mi an sey is gi mi yuh fren nuh.”
“My name is Dr. Evil”
Austin Powers aside, the intro is as notorious now as the musical assault that typically follows: a rapid-fire burst of raucous rhymes layered over frenetic up-tempo dancehall riddims. The headliner of the Jamzone Summer Break billed for the Splashmin’s resort this weekend, Dr. Evil is arguably one of the most controversial acts among the current dancehall artists – not an easy feat with the likes of Elephant Man, Mavado and Vybz Kartel as contemporaries.