DJ Dossier: Tony Culture

If you missed Tony Culture spinning reggae and dancehall music during last weekend’s ultra-packed First Friday celebration, don’t worry. You can always catch the dreadlocked DJ working the turntables next month. Or the month after that. And then the month after that.

In fact, the Jamaican-born musician and platter jock has been a regular fixture at the monthly art walk, “spreading the vibe” by broadcasting irie music from his expansive collection in front of Afida’s Hair Culture (which is run by his missus) adjacent to Carly’s Bistro over the past three years.

Mavado’s Range shot up – Foota denies involvement

Shots were fired at Mavado’s upper St Andrew home early Tuesday morning, and although persons speculate that it may have been linked to a recent feud with Foota Hype, the selector has denied any involvement in the incident.

Speaking with THE STAR yesterday, Foota Hype said: “Mi woulda neva hurt Mavado. De only thing mi ave is dat mi nuh like how Mavado a move, so mi part ways wid him couple months earlier.”

That Was Then, This Is Buju

Lyrics from a 17-year-old song are costing Buju Banton gigs. The Jamaican dancehall singer had some of the dates on his 2006 U.S. tour canceled because his 1992 song “Boom Bye Bye” urges listeners to shoot gay people in the head and douse them with acid.

Last week major promoters AEG Live and Live Nation canceled all upcoming Banton shows (L.A., San Francisco, Las Vegas, Chicago, Houston, Dallas). Neither promoter was involved with Banton’s Belly Up show scheduled for October 17.

Steely leaves indelible mark on dancehall

While jamming at the popular Rae Town dance in 1987, Home T member Mikie Bennett said he was struck by an infectious new rhythm.

“I found out that it was called the Cats Paw and it was done by Steely and Clevie at Jammys (producer Lloyd James),” Bennett told The Sunday Gleaner.

“At the time Home T were looking for something different, and we decided to go to Jammys.”

Local entertainers scoff at retirement

For many persons, age is just a concept. Nowhere is that proven more than the local music industry, where countless entertainers are on a musical mission that spans their entire lives.

Retirement age is 60 and 65 for women and men, respectively, with early retirement starting at 55. Music, however, disregards the norm, making it one of the few professions with a long life span.

Busy Signal rocked with sex vibes

The edgy, hardcore feel of dancehall music is the sort of stuff Jamaican artiste Busy Signal serves up when he is onstage and firing off lyrics. But he has a different appeal, a style that is dripping in raw, endless vulgarity.

The thing about dancehall is that its staying power is comfortably wrapped up in smuttiness – from the days of Beenie Man’s ‘Wickedest Slam’ to Tony Matterhorn’s ‘Dutty Wine’ and now Busy Signal’s ‘Agony.’

Reggae artist Pato Banton answers 7

When Patrick Murray was 8 years old he began performing at his stepfather’s gigs as a DJ. Since then, his career as a progressive Reggae singer and songwriter has blossomed and he is loved throughout the world. His unconventional performance style has endeared him to his fans, and new songs tackling world problems constantly update his world-peace message. But he’s not just focused on the world; many of his lyrics are about the human condition and what the individual can do. Murray, known as Pato Banton on stage, performs Sunday at Agave in Avon. He took the time to answer a few questions in advance of his show.

‘Lioness on the rise’ – Queen Ifrica … Music, Message, Mission!

Queen Ifrica has been in the spotlight a lot these days from promoting her debut VP Records release, Montego Bay, to voicing her forthright and unwavering stance against a lot of what is happening in the entertainment industry and popular culture in Jamaica and her assessment of how it affects the diaspora.

The reggae king’s rides

When Bob Marley and the Wailers released Babylon By Bus in 1978 – a live album recorded in Paris – the reggae superstar was depicting how he and the group travelled while on tour.

But in Jamaica, there were other vehicles that played an important role in the Reggae king’s sojourn.

Buju Banton, anti-gay reggae star, has U.S. tour canceled by promoters

The Jamaican dancehall star Buju Banton has a long-standing reputation for inciting anti-gay sentiment (his 1992 single “Boom Bye Bye” proposes pouring acid on homosexuals and shooting them in the head with an Uzi, among other things; in 2004, he was tried and acquitted on charges that he participated in the beating of six gay men).

Now, after months of organized protest, both AEG Live/Goldenvoice (the company that produces festivals like Coachella All Points West, and Bumbershoot) and Live Nation (the massive concert promoters behind 360 deals with Jay-Z, Madonna and U2) announced last night that they have canceled their respective concerts with Banton, who was scheduled to perform in major markets across the country through October.