Brooklyn reggae shows on Internet radio catch on fast with music fans

Two Flatbush reggae shows have exploded in popularity since debuting last year, prompting the hosts to respond with a huge expansion of programming on the Internet radio station.

The shows that caught fire since they hit the air last April are “Reggae Calling,” a music program and “Real Talk,” a talk show about the reggae industry and Jamaican current events.

Chipmunk: ‘I want to be called a genius’

It is a warm Saturday afternoon in Jamaica and I am in a large beach-fronted villa with Chipmunk and 20 bikini-clad, oiled beauty queens. The British grime star is filming a music video and the models are gathered in a circle, their heads bowed in prayer. “We’re praying the Lord watches over us on the shoot,” one model explains, “and that we make it to the finals of Miss Jamaica.” Chipmunk, 6ft tall and dressed in a plain black vest and blue jeans, paces around the room, readying himself for his close-up.

How Plug ‘N’ Play assesses performers

In recent years, live music has had a resurgence in popularity on the Jamaican music scene. This can be somewhat attributed to the start-up of various live music events, such as Smokin Jacket, Plug ‘N’ Play and Jamnesia.

This rise has also managed to shine light on a few previously overlooked entertainers, as well as the young, talented Protojé, who recently launched his debut album, 7 Year Itch.

Bob Marley and the Golden Age of Reggae

Established more than 10 years ago, in Autumn 1998, Proud Galleries has quickly worked its way up to become one of most popular privately-funded photographic galleries in Europe. Proud Camden, its North London branch situated in the heart of the Stables Market, has made its mark as a premier contemporary gallery and live music venue. The gallery attracts collectors, photography enthusiasts, music lovers and newcomers to the field, focusing on photography that reflects our popular culture. The exhibits are often cutting-edge and reflect a passion for fashion and rock & roll. This formula is why past landmark shows including ‘Destroy: The Sex Pistols’, ‘Rankin’s Nudes’ and ‘The Underexposed’ were such a success, and why ‘Bob Marley & the Golden Age of Reggae’, will undoubtedly attract widespread media coverage and crowds of art enthusiasts.

Reggae’s powerful imprint in Africa

If the body of reggae music is found in Jamaica, then its heart and soul are certainly African. As a brand, reggae’s following across the continent is fanatical, some would say even religious.

Nigerian singer Majek Fashek says: “If I was born in Jamaica, I would still be an African singing reggae. Reggae is African.”

Sisterhood in the sun

Judy Mowatt may have been one of Bob Marley’s back-up singers, but her voice has always placed her front and centre. Alongside Rita Marley and Marcia Griffiths, Mowatt was one of the I-Threes, but her work started before Marley and has continued to this day. The first woman to have been nominated for a reggae Grammy, Mowatt has been singing her entire life, ever since she accompanied her mother’s organ playing at church as a child. She worked with Jamaica’s best-known female producer, the late Sonia Pottinger—a woman Mowatt considers a moth­er figure—and has made sure, through her work in reggae and now gospel, that Jamaican music maintains a female perspective. In recent years, she has converted to Christianity and now sings gospel music. Mowatt spoke to the Mirror from her home in Kingston, and talked about women in Jamaican music and her movement from reggae to gospel.

TV On The Radio, Parliament Members Join Lee “Scratch” Perry For New Record

Dub reggae icon Lee “Scratch” Perry has enlisted an impressive array of guests for his upcoming album ‘Rise Again’.

The record features eleven new songs featuring Tunde Adebimpe (TV On The Radio), Hawkman (Methods of Defiance, Tricky), Bernie Worrell (Parliament), Sly Dunbar (Sly and Robbie), Jahdan Blakkamoore, Josh Werner (Matisyahu, Wu-Tang), Hamid Drake, Aiyb Dieng, Dominick James (Angelique Kidjo, Shakira), Ejugayehu “Gigi” Shiabaw and more.

There’s something about Beres

There is definitely something about veteran reggae crooner Beres Hammond, which makes patrons feel like they are seeing him for the very first time, everytime he steps onto a stage.Another of those moments occured just two Saturdays ago when he was the headline act at a fundraiser organised by the Ardenne High School Parent Teachers Association of which he is a member.

Hurricane Grace

Fashion, fire, music and light: the elements are at their furious best as the inimitable Ms Jones storms into town on her wildly flamboyant world tour. Outrageously outfitted by long-time friend and collaborator Eiko Ishioka, the age-defying diva is something to see.

Few singers have integrated fashion into their performances as seamlessly as Grace Jones. When the Jamaican-born Jones crossed over from the world of modelling to become an extraordinary singer — her distinctive voice moves effortlessly from contralto to soprano — she brought with her a singular style enhanced by some of the 20th century’s greatest artists.

Of ‘Star Bwoy’ and birthday wishes

Without a doubt, Kingston is the entertainment capital of the Caribbean and continues to assert its primacy from the days of Henry Morgan, the pirate, to present. It serves as a crossroads of cultures and the unofficial meeting spot between the old and new worlds. Kingston is one happening place!

And little wonder as the energy and synergy of cultures and peoples has distinguished not only the capital, but also its people and the many social, cultural and entertainment expressions it has fostered!