Anthony B set to drop a teasing hot album

The original “Fire Pon Rome” chanter, Portmore’s own Anthony B, seems unstoppable this year as he is now poised to released his latest album. The indomitable cultural deejay, who has consistently been at the forefront of the music business for the past 15 years, with his signature hard-hitting, socially conscious lyrics that have made him a force to be reckoned with in the industry, has one of the hottest songs playing locally and abroad.

Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae: Changing sounds, same views

From ska to rocksteady and reggae to dancehall, Jamaica’s music since 1962 has not diverged much from its origin – an indication perhaps, that the sounds may have changed but the sentiments are still the same. Terms like “resilient, armoured music” used by scholar Dick Hebdige in his work – Reggae, Rasta and Rudies: Style and the Subversion of Form – to describe ska, may still be applicable to contemporary dancehall.

D’Angel/Barbee drama

There’s only room for one ‘top girl’ in Spanish Town, according to D’Angel, who allegedly attempted to have dancehall artiste Barbee kicked out of ‘Fire Tuesday’, a popular dance in Tawes Pen, Spanish Town. The drama began at the daytime event at about 2:00 p.m., when Barbee entered the already jam-packed venue, and proceeded to a section of the dance where prominent ‘top men’ from One Order and the artistes had congregated.

Island sounds make their way into pop

With Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls” vying for chart supremacy over the past month, pop music has received a sizable infusion of Caribbean flavor this summer. Also in the mix is Kat DeLuna’s “Whine Up,” featuring dance-hall star Elephant Man, which has cracked the top 40.

Long live the ‘Greats’ – ‘Tribute’ outlasts founder’s expectations

Having come of age in an era many regard as the golden age of Jamaican popular music, Kingsley Goodison has always had a kinship with performers of the 1960s. Hence came his decision to start the ‘Tribute to the Greats’ awards show in 1998. The annual event celebrates its 10th anniversary on August 11 at Curphey Place in St. Andrew, with singers Derrick Morgan, Strange Jah Cole, Bob Andy, Bunny Wailer, Marcia Griffiths among the honourees.

Entertainment: Ziggy Marley charts his own course

Though it may unsettle fans who believe the struggle against political and social injustice is a crucial component of the best reggae music, Ziggy Marley, eldest son of reggae’s most transcendent figure, Bob Marley, doesn’t quite see it that way. Marley says his struggle is “spiritual,” unlike the “physical” striving embodied in the protest anthems that gave hope to the downtrodden and made an international superstar of his late father, who died in 1981.

Rastas blast Munga’s ‘Gangsta Ras’ image

A group of Rastafarians who feel that dancehall artiste Munga’s promotion of himself as “the Gangsta Ras” with attendant image, is a perversion of the integrity of Rastafari, say they intend to pursue the use of intellectual property protocols to protect and preserve the culture and symbols from misuse.
According to the recently formed Ethio-Africa Diaspora Union Millennium Council, there is nothing honourable about the entertainer’s persona, as well as his assertion that “di gal dem love di gangsta ras” in the recording Bad From Mi Born.

Bagasau boy brings band

Kepone Fiu is a true believer. He lives the roots rock he earns his living from.
The one-time flight information officer is practically flying at the prospect of a home boy strutting his stuff in front of his people.
Kepone is the driving force behind acclaimed Australian reggae outfit Cool Runnings jamming here for the next month and even possibly setting up base in Fiji for flings around the wider Pacific basin.

Still moved by the spirit of Marley

Wilmington, though not a big city, has a festival worthy of one this weekend — The People’s Festival Tribute to Bob Marley.

Twenty-six years after his death, the legendary reggae musician, who once lived in Wilmington, still exerts a pull on millions of people

Reggae’s Compassion

Apparently, reggae and dancehall music are nothing alike. This might sound confusing to casual fans of the genres, but international reggae star Freddie McGregor says a line needs to be drawn in the sand — and he’s not just talking shit. McGregor, a prominent member of the reggae community who’s based in Hollywood, is just one of a long list of artists who are angered by the recent declaration of the Reggae Compassionate Act, which calls for the abolition of homophobic lyrics in reggae.