It’s not quite how his life panned out, but it’s pretty close. Buju Banton, barely settling into 33, has achieved the iconic status usually bestowed upon those much older than himself. However, wearing the crown isn’t easy, especially when it has been noticeably speckled by a few thorns.
Celebrities secure their rides
Anthony Cruz had his Rav 4 stolen from his Red Hills home, Comedian, Fancy Cat, was held up at gunpoint and his Mitsubishi Gallant stolen, Wavell Hinds was also relieved of his Prado and the list could go on and on.
The reality has struck some entertainers that they are no longer safe just because they are popular.
Apple Gabriel: With Israel Vibration
“Don’t fight against the Rastaman with his culture music, cause the Rastaman no mean no harm. What the Rastaman wants to do is calm the storm: This is Albert “Apple Gabriel” Craig’s message to Kenyans and the world.
Don’t you dare call them comebacks
In a music business that is very much a perpetual motion machine, always in search of ‘the next hot act’ artistes who, for their own reasons, either reposition themselves or revisit a scene they once dominated, that the usual perception is of a comeback.
But the two artistes featured here are quick to point out that they never left, even if, in the case of Don Yute, his primary base of operations remains outside Jamaica.
McGregor documentary premieres in Trinidad
Following three successful screenings of Freddie McGregor’s docu-trip, Freddie’s First – Where Reggae Meets Soca, in New York and Jamaica, the much anticipated film will make its Trinidad debut at Courtyard Marriott, Invaders Bay, Audrey Jeffers Highway, Port of Spain, this at 6 p.m.
It ‘Won’t Be Long’ for Karell, says producer
Vasco Carney thinks his V1 record label has finally struck gold with its latest recruit, Karell. What’s more, he believes that Karell’s debut single on the label, Won’t Be Long, is sure to at least warn consumers that this is an artiste with some exceptional talent and some commitment to reggae’s best practices, as well as some experience.
Tony Matterhorn has said it and other selectors have concurred, men are not allowed to do the Dutty Wine, but some men have not complied despite stern warnings.
“Maybe it’s the hypnotising effect that the dance has why some men find themselves doing it, because even di woman dem weh it mek fah, mi sure some a dem neva plan fi a do some a dem outrageous move an a expose unda dem,” one selector told The Star.
The polyglot nature of our music mirrors that of our people, it makes chronicling the history of the music a robust challenge.
Klive Walker takes on the challenge with mostly satisfying results, shedding new (at least new to latter generations) light on important figures like master drummer Count Ossie, trombone genius Don Drummond and others.
Reggae fest found its voice — then someone hit the switch
Do not challenge the curfew; the curfew is sacrosanct. It doesn’t matter who you are. You could be the sons of reggae’s greatest legend or one of his former bandmates (and a legend yourself): The sound system at the Bank of America Pavilion will be off, and the house lights up, at 11:30 p.m. — whether you are in the middle of a song or not.
Zach Hollenbeak, aka DJ Xacto, and Geoff Haffner, aka Short Change (behind, in green shirt) DJ Just Cool Mon night at Ringlers Pub Little Nova Hollenbeak is one lucky daughter. The 9-month-old is growing up in a household filled with reggae.