Jasmine’s Juice: My cup runneth over!

The hottest tune this year so far has to have been Mims’ This Is Why I’m Hot. Used as a musical bed for any product on the planet that exists, will Mims be another one hit wonder a la Sunshine Anderson or does he have that much eluded longevity that Jibbs, Chamillionaire, Chingy and Blu Cantrell crave? When he invited me to hang out I accepted. Within our first minute Mims confided in me that he thought his London hotel was haunted (I suggested Mary Jane has hallucination qualities) and he mentioned he was a huge Slick Rick fan (I appreciated his love for the Brits).

Danish rapper killed in car accident

Natasja Saad, Danish rap and reggae artist, has died in a car accident, her mother said Monday. Saad, 32, one of Denmark’s best-known dancehall performers, died in the accident early Sunday, said her mother, Kristine Saad.

Rondell Yassin: ‘Solid’ as a rock

When The Scene first interviewed Rondell Yassin almost two years ago, he was described as a gospel artiste who was set to take his music to a higher place. That prediction was accurate since the singer, who goes by the stage name “Solid Youth”, has advanced by leaps and bounds as an artiste. The gospel reggae, dancehall and hip-hop singer has easily established himself ‘solidly’ as one of the leading gospel artistes in Guyana…

XXX Dancehall Anthems is raw dancehall at its best

Approach with caution. That’s the best advice for anyone wishing to subscribe to the Greensleeves Records various artistes compilation XXX Dancehall Anthems. The 18-track set is an unbridled collection of some of the most suggestive, X-rated and downright slack lyrics from some of the biggest names in dancehall over the years.

Katalys looks outward on second album

The radical gospel group, Katalys Crew, has a new album. For those who are familiar with the group, they are accustomed to the rich reggae beat that the group produces. The new album is called Katalys Crew 4 A Reason and is “dedicated to people in the world who feel trapped by situations and circumstances”. Their first album reflected mostly on the members’ personal hardships and triumphs, but now they are more dedicated to getting the message out there.

We’re doing it for Dad

Reggae superstar Bob Marley never appeared at Glastonbury – but now two of his sons are taking his songs on stage. They talk to Andrew Perr. Such is the magic of Glastonbury that an inspirational show can be stumbled upon at any of the stages, at any time of the day or night. On Sunday evening on the Pyramid Stage, however, there is one of those attractions that one can almost categorically predict will capture the spirit of this year’s festival.

Stewart Girls and Marley Boys Battle It Out In London Club!

Two of the biggest music families, the Stewarts and the Marleys, were at war last night after a clash erupted in a London club. Kimberley Stewart had been out celebrating her younger sister Ruby’s 20th birthday with the likes of Natalie Imbruglia, when the sons of reggae legend Bob Marley gate crashed the celebrations at Kabaret’s Prophecy nightclub.

QQ’s mom wants more

Just about everyone knows the man behind young dancehall star, QQ’s career – GQ, his father and manager, but very little is known of his mother, Jackquee Banks. But before you meet her, you must know it’s not your typical flowery ‘meet-the-mom’ profile; it’s even a scenario some may roll their eyes at and use words such as ‘careless’ or ‘simple’ then launch into ‘if ah did me’.

It’s a ‘Beautiful’ summer for Kingston

Rapper Sean Kingston’s Beautiful Girls describes a personal heartbreak, but one that has worked out nicely for the 17-year-old newcomer. The song of young love gone awry, which heavily samples Ben E. King’s 1961 classic Stand by Me, reached No. 4 on the Nielsen BDS national radio airplay chart in just a month — a virtually unprecedented ascent for a new artist that ensures it will dominate airwaves for the summer.

U.S. passport rules hurt business for Caribbean hotels

Caribbean hotels are suffering from new U.S. rules requiring Americans traveling from countries in the Western Hemisphere to carry passports, and they want Washington to delay the measure until 2009. Hotel business fell in many Caribbean nations during the winter, and a serious backlog in issuing new U.S. passports has many Americans postponing trips to island resorts this summer and fall, Caribbean executives said Monday at a tourism conference in Miami.