reggae - Blogs - CaribShout2024-03-29T13:46:46Zhttps://caribshout.com/blog/feed/tag/reggaeThe reggae anthem Helen Mirren couldn’t live withouthttps://caribshout.com/blog/the-reggae-anthem-helen-mirren-couldn-t-live-without2024-02-08T17:22:50.000Z2024-02-08T17:22:50.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12375296285,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12375296285,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="12375296285?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
<p>Undoubtedly one of the most highly acclaimed and celebrated actors, there is a certain aura of respectability around Helen Mirren. So, when thinking about the Hammersmith-born actor’s musical leanings, you would be forgiven for thinking it might consist entirely of classical compositions, perhaps some Tchaikovsky to celebrate her Russian heritage or ‘Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven’, in an ode to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who Mirren famously played in 2006. The reality, thankfully, is much cooler.</p>
<p>Back in 1982, when Mirren had already made a name for herself as a prominent actor on stage and screen, she appeared on BBC Radio Four’s long-running series Desert Island Discs. Her eight choices of songs she could not live without did indeed feature high-class classical compositions, such as Max Bruch’s ‘Violin Concerto No.1’, but the actor – then in her 30s – also showed an appreciation for more contemporary works.</p>
<p>Her final choice came in the form of ‘Falling In Love Again’, an unforgettable recording by Billie Holiday, but much earlier in the programme, Mirren selects one of the 1980s’ biggest reggae anthems, ‘Pass the Dutchie’. Released in 1982, shortly prior to Mirren’s appearance on Desert Island Discs, the track was a number-one hit in the UK singles charts.</p>
<p>Taking its inspiration from the Jamaican marijuana anthem ‘Pass the Kouchie’, by The Mighty Diamonds, Musical Youth altered the track to revolve around a Dutch Oven – a pot which is regularly used within Jamaican cooking. As their name implies, Musical Youth was made up of brothers, some of whom were children, and so the record caused quite a stir once the powers that be eventually figured out that the track had a subtext of cannabis.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, Mirren’s love of the track does not come from its ties to getting high. “This is the present,” she explained on the radio programme. Back in those days, the interviews on Desert Island Discs seemed to place less importance on the actual music, often using the tracks simply to break up what would otherwise be a long-form interview. As such, Mirren does not expand too much on ‘Pass the Dutchie’, though she does note, “This is just to dance around to. It’s good to have a dance around – get your energy and your spirits up. This is such a lovely record.”</p>
<p>While it is objectively funny to hear two old-school, middle-class, well-spoken accents discussing ‘Pass the Dutchie’ on a flagship BBC programme, Musical Youth are so much more than a novelty act. The members of the group were among the first British-born reggae artists to make such a huge impact on the singles charts.</p>
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<p>Of course, earlier boss reggae and subsequent Two Tone ska scenes had featured charting singles, but they were still very much considered subcultures away from the mainstream. Musical Youth helped to integrate Jamaican reggae into that mainstream. ‘Pass the Dutchie’ is undoubtedly their defining track, and its recent resurgence, thanks to being included on the soundtrack of Stranger Things, speaks to its enduring quality – something that Mirren clearly saw coming.</p>
<p>Courtesy: FAROUTMAGAZINE.COM</p></div>How Bob Marley Used the ‘One Love’ Concert as a Gesture for Peacehttps://caribshout.com/blog/how-bob-marley-used-the-one-love-concert-as-a-gesture-for-peace2024-02-05T19:19:32.000Z2024-02-05T19:19:32.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12373976671,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12373976671,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="12373976671?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>Marley hoped the star-studded concert, held in Kingston, Jamaica in 1978, could help bring stability and peace to a divided, violence-stricken country.</em></strong></p>
<p>Shortly after midnight on April 22, 1978, Bob Marley took the stage with his band at the One Love Peace Concert at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. It was the first time that Marley had performed in his home country in nearly two years.</p>
<p>Marley was performing at the urging of gang leaders from rival political factions, with the goal of leveraging a star-studded musical performance to encourage peace in the politically divided, violence-stricken Jamaica. While the performance provided a powerful and memorable moment of unity, political violence would continue to plague the Caribbean nation.</p>
<p>Ziggy Marley's Memories of his Father</p>
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<p><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><strong>Bob Marley and the Wailers: A Cultural and Political Force</strong></span><br /> The reggae singer had fled first to the Bahamas and then to London in 1976 after he and his wife, Rita Marley, and two others in his inner circle survived an assassination attempt at his home outside Kingston. Shot in an arm, Marley had been preparing for the government-sponsored “Smile Jamaica” concert when several armed men raided his compound.</p>
<p>Since the early 1970s with his group, the Wailers, Marley had established himself as a cultural and political force in Jamaica. His songs included lyrics that broadly addressed a concern for Pan-Africanism and colonial oppression, as well as the tensions between the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) and the opposition Jamaica Labor Party (JLP).</p>
<p>Under the leadership of Michael Manley, the PNP had won the 1972 general election and reggae, according to Brown University Caribbean Studies scholar, Brian Meeks, was the soundtrack of this new political movement.</p>
<p>“Leading up to the ’76 election, Marley was invited to present a concert by the minister of culture at the time, so it was seen as a PNP concert even though it was a government concert,” Meeks said during an interview with the Jacobin magazine.</p>
<p>“Marley was shot shortly before the concert, and it’s now pretty much certain that he was shot by a JLP gunman who wanted to stop him from bringing his significant presence to bear on an event that would redound to the interests of the PNP just before an election.”</p>
<p>Just two days after the attempt on his life by these suspected gang members, Marley recovered well enough to perform a 45-minute set in the “Smile for Jamaica” concert before 80,000 people at National Heroes Park in Kingston.</p>
<p>While he recorded Exodus, one of the Wailer’s most famous albums during his exile in England, politically-motivated gang violence continued to engulf Jamaica, particularly in the capital city of Kingston, as the PNP consolidated its power under Manley, who won the 1976 election.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><strong>Black Culture, Black Consciousness and Rastafarianism</strong></span><br /> To understand Marley’s music and political motivations is to understand his life as a Rastafarian, a religion developed in Jamaica in the 1930s that he began to embrace in the mid-1960s after being raised as a Catholic.</p>
<p>Rastafarians believe that Ethiopia is their promised land and that the Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, is the Black Messiah, the one that Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey prophesied would come from Africa. Marley brought that philosophy of the world to his involvement with the warring political parties that led to his involvement with the One World Peace Concert.</p>
<p>“In my music I and I want people to see themselves,” Marley said. “I and I are of the house of David. Our home is Timbuktu, Ethiopia, Africa where we enjoyed a rich civilization long before the coming of the European. Marcus Garvey said that a people without knowledge of their past is like a tree without roots.”</p>
<p>Party Leaders and Political Violence<br /> The son of Norman Manley, who founded the PNP in 1938, Michael Manley courted Marley and Rastafarians during his successful run for prime minister in 1972, where the party’s slogan, “Better Must Come,” came from a song from Delroy Wilson, a reggae artist. During the campaign, Manley wore African garb and carried an ebony and ivory staff that was given to him by Selassie.</p>
<p>''An epoch of brainwashing in white-oriented society has left scars which, however unconscious, mar the inner assurance with which Black people accept their own forms of beauty and excellence,'' Manley said in 1969.</p>
<p>In June of 1976, Manley imposed a state of emergency to curtail the political violence in the streets between gang leaders hired by both his PNP and Edward Seaga’s JLP. The State of Emergency allowed the government’s security forces to arrest 1,000 Jamaican citizens, which helped reduce serious crimes from as many as 160 a week before the emergency down to 54 in the weeks after the emergency began.</p>
<p>However, for Edward Seaga, the JLP leader, the state of emergency signaled the suppression of civil liberties and his party’s growing popularity with the people. A Democratic Socialist with close ties to the Cuban government, Manley believed that the JLP’s conservative opposition was sowing destabilization in the country and making allegations that Jamaica’s ruling party was communist.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><strong>Marley Returns Home for 'One Love' Concert</strong></span><br /> In late February 1978, Marley returned to Jamaica after being away in London for 15 months. He was lured home by gang leaders from rival political factions—Claudius “Claudie” Massop from JLP and his PNP counterpart, Anton “Bucky” Marshall. The two men believed that music could help bring peace and that no one better embodied this idea than Marley.</p>
<p>Shortly after midnight on April 22, 1978 Marley appeared before 30,000 people at the National Stadium in Kingston. During his performance of “Jammin,” he called Manley and Seaga to the stage in a show of peace. They all clasped their raised their hands together in show of unity.</p>
<p>The rich symbolism of the scene and Marley’s expression of love and hope filled the air with optimism for this country troubled by violence and economic blight. But the concert couldn’t ensure peace or the end the gang-related political violence in Jamaica.</p>
<p>In 1979, Massop—one of the "One Love" concert organizers—was killed when he was shot a reported 40 times by police in a car chase in Kingston. During the 1980 election, when Seaga soundly defeated Manley, an estimated 700 people were murdered. In 1980, Massop's counterpart, Marshall was killed in a New York City nightclub.</p>
<p>By then Marley was fighting his own personal battle. Diagnosed with melanoma in 1977, the 36-year-old hero of the people died in 1981 in Miami.</p>
<p>Excerpt From: <a href="https://www.history.com/" target="_blank">https://www.history.com/</a></p></div>For Bob Marley's many children and grandchildren, reggae is the family businesshttps://caribshout.com/blog/for-bob-marley-s-many-children-and-grandchildren-reggae-is-the-fa2023-05-29T12:59:32.000Z2023-05-29T12:59:32.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}11153735675,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}11153735675,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="650" alt="11153735675?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
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<p><em>Kymani, Julian, Ziggy, Damian and Stephen Marley sons of Bob Marley pose for a photo after their performance at the "Roots, Rock, Reggae Tour 2004" at the Filene Center August 8, 2004 in Vienna, Virginia <span class="image-source headline-regular">Frank Micelotta/Getty Images</span></em></p>
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<li>Bob Marley became an icon for popularizing reggae music worldwide.</li>
<li>Marley passed away in 1981 at the age of 36, leaving at least 11 children behind.</li>
<li>Many of his children and grandchildren have followed in his musical footsteps, continuing his legacy.</li>
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<p>Robert Nesta Marley was born February 6, 1945 in the village of Nine Mile to Cedella Malcolm, a 19-year-old Black Jamaican woman, and Capt. Norval Marley, a nearly 60-year-old white <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2131845/Revealed-white-ex-naval-officer-fathered-Bob-Marley.html" target="_blank">naval officer</a> who was overseeing plantations in the area for the British government. Marley said he was often <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/gallery/bob-marley-facts" target="_blank">bullied</a> for his biracial heritage growing up and derogatorily referred to as "White Boy."</p>
<p>The Jamaican reggae artist has been credited with making Jamaican music more popular worldwide. His professional career first began with the band the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/wailing-away-time-bob-marley-reggae-398060" target="_blank">Teenagers</a> — eventually renamed the Wailers — which he formed with Peter Tosh and Bunny Waller. Their debut album <a href="https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-song-lyrics-one-love-people-get-ready-by-bob-marley/" target="_blank">featured</a> the single "One Love," which Marley continued to revisit throughout his career. After signing to Island Records, the band was renamed Bob Marley and the Wailers, and their star power continued to grow, even after Tosh and Waller left the band.</p>
<p>Marley became a sensation with recordings of songs like "No Woman, No Cry" and "<a href="https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-meaning-of-the-song-i-shot-the-sheriff-by-bob-marley/" target="_blank">I Shot the Sheriff</a>," which was later covered by Eric Clapton. In 1976, he <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/the-night-bob-marley-got-shot-203370/" target="_blank">survived</a> an assassination attempt, when gunmen entered Marley's home two days before he was slated to perform at "Smile Jamaica," a concert set to take place days before a snap election in the country. Because of rising tensions at the time, some saw the concert as being politically motivated. Marley suffered minor wounds to his chest and arm.</p>
<p>His career was cut short. Marley died of melanoma that spread from his toe in 1981 at the age of 36, leaving behind his wife, Rita, and at least 11 children. He was buried <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/apr/24/bob-marley-funeral-richard-williams" target="_blank">along with</a> his red Gibson Les Paul guitar and a Bible. In a eulogy, then-Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga called Marley "part of the collective consciousness of the nation." His greatest hits album "Legend" — which was released posthumously — remains the <a href="https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/entertainment/marley-wailers-legend-best-selling-reggae-album/" target="_blank">best-selling</a> reggae album of all time, and Marley still ranks among the best-selling musicians of all time. </p>
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<div class="notranslate celtra-banner"><span style="font-size:1.5em;">Rita Marley</span></div>
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Rita Marley performing at the Ritz in New York City on October 4, 1982.
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<p>Bob and Rita Marley married in 1966. Rita, born Alfarita Constantia Anderson, was born in 1946 in Cuba and was raised in Kingston, Jamaica. In the 1960s, Rita joined a group called the Soulettes, a trio that was mentored by Bob Marley. After they married, Rita often sang vocals with the Wailers.</p>
<p>In 1976, Rita <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-life-and-times-of-bob-marley-78392/4/" target="_blank">survived</a> a shot to the head in the assassination attempt two days prior to the "Smile Jamaica" concert. That same year, Rita <a href="https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/15-places-in-london-with-a-bob-marley-connection-051116" target="_blank">moved</a> to London with Marley, who had begun seeing model Cindy Breakspeare, who had just been crowned Miss World. Despite her husband's infidelity, they continued to make music together.</p>
<p>After Marley's death in 1981, Rita continued to record albums, and converted their former home In Kingston into the <a href="https://www.bobmarleymuseum.com/" target="_blank">Bob Marley Museum</a>. She is also the founder and chairperson of the <a href="https://ritamarleyfoundation.org/about-mrs-marley/" target="_blank">Bob Marley Trust</a>.</p>
<p>Rita has also been heavily involved with humanitarian organizations. She has worked to support students in Ghana, and created the Rita Marley Foundation to alleviate hunger in developing countries.</p>
<p>She has six children, three with Marley and three from other relationships. </p>
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<div><span style="font-size:1.5em;">Sharon Marley</span></div>
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Sharon Marley, left, with her mother Rita and siblings Stephen, Ziggy and Cedella in Central Park, New York City, June 12, 1992.
<span class="image-source-caption"><span class="image-source headline-regular">Michel Delsol/Getty Images</span></span>
<p>Rita's eldest daughter, Sharon, was born in 1964, and was adopted by Marley when he married Rita in 1966. She was a part of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, a musical group made up of four of Bob Marley's children. Together, the group won <a href="https://www.grammy.com/artists/sharon-marley/11941" target="_blank">three</a> Grammy Awards.</p>
<p>Sharon has also <a href="https://sharonmarley.com/biography" target="_blank">served</a> as the curator and manager of the Bob Marley Museum, and worked in public relations for the Ghetto Youth United Recording Label, which was founded by her brothers Stephen and Ziggy.</p>
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Cedella Marley attends the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at the University of Southern California on April 24, 2022
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<p>Cedella Marley is the daughter of Bob and Rita Marley, born in 1967.</p>
<p>She is the CEO of Tuff Gong International, a recording label that was first started by her father, named after the nickname he received growing up in Jamaica. In a 2016 <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/bob-marley-family-photos" target="_blank">interview with GQ</a>, Cedella talked about her role within the family businesses, saying "whatever business ventures we get into, I'm the one who has to deal with whoever we partner with on a day-to-day basis."</p>
<p>She has also founded a number of <a href="https://www.cedellamarley.com/about-1" target="_blank">clothing lines</a>, and, in collaboration with Puma, designed the uniform for the Jamaican track and field team at the 2012 Olympics, which was worn by Usain Bolt.</p>
<p>She has also written children's books inspired by her father, including "<a href="https://affiliate.insider.com/?amazonTrackingID=biauto-60754-20&h=9dfe385f124639ac8b018cecd6f37a31d7dd02304e3c5c56f404ce20b633b309&postID=63b3690dba755633e776bf52&site=in&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBoy-Nine-Miles-Marley-Spirit%2Fdp%2F1571742824&platform=browser&sc=false&disabled=false&tag=insider-safetynet-20" target="_blank">The Boy from Nine Miles</a>," and "<a href="https://affiliate.insider.com/?amazonTrackingID=biauto-60754-20&h=11b0f794a654954314c13ef806fb81e7ceb742935187ca41b09ca2deac852f2a&postID=63b3690dba755633e776bf52&site=in&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLittle-Cedella-Marley-Gerald-Hausman%2Fdp%2F0971975825&platform=browser&sc=false&disabled=false&tag=insider-safetynet-20" target="_blank">Three Little Birds</a>."</p>
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<div class="notranslate celtra-banner"><span style="font-size:1.5em;">Ziggy Marley</span></div>
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Ziggy Marley performing on the Open Air Stage at the Womad Festival on 26 July 2019.
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<p>David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley was born in 1968, the second child of Rita and Bob Marley. He has had a successful music career, both as the lead of his family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, and as a solo musician, releasing <a href="https://www.ziggymarley.com/category/works/music-releases/studio-albums/" target="_blank">eight solo albums</a> under his own label, Tuff Gong Worldwide (a separate record label from the one started by his father, Tuff Gong International). He has won eight Grammys and one Daytime Emmy.</p>
<p>Ziggy first made his debut with the Melody Makers at the age of 11. After the death of his father, Ziggy often played in his place alongside the Wailers.</p>
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<div class="notranslate celtra-banner"><span style="font-size:1.5em;">Stephen Marley</span></div>
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Stephen Marley performs at The Greek Theatre on August 31, 2018 in Berkeley, California.
<span class="image-source-caption"><span class="image-source headline-regular">Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images</span></span>
<p>Stephen "Ragga" Robert Nesta Marley was born in 1972, the third child of Rita and Bob Marley. Like his older siblings, he also <a href="https://www.stephenmarleymusic.com/my-roots" target="_blank">began</a> his musical career as a member of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers when he was 7 years old. He has won <a href="https://www.grammy.com/artists/stephen-marley/9331" target="_blank">eight Grammys</a>, three of which were as a solo artist.</p>
<p>He also began <a href="https://kayafestivals.com/" target="_blank">Kaya Fest</a>, an annual music festival that first launched in 2017.</p>
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<div class="notranslate celtra-banner"><span style="font-size:1.5em;">Julian Marley</span></div>
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Julian Marley attends 2022 Black Music & Entertainment Walk Of Fame Induction Ceremony on June 18, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.
<span class="image-source-caption"><span class="image-source headline-regular">Prince Williams/Wireimage</span></span>
<p>Julian "JuJu" Ricardo Marley was born in London in 1975, the son of Bob Marley and Lucy Pounder. Like his siblings, his musical career started young; he had recorded his <a href="https://jujuroyal.net/meet-julian-marley/" target="_blank">first demo</a> by the age of 5. After moving to Jamaica, he formed the record label Ghetto Youths Crew with his brothers Stephen, Damian, and Ky-Mani. Together, they toured for three years.</p>
<p>Julian has released four albums as a solo artist, two of which have received Grammy nominations for Best Reggae Album. In 2008, Julian and the Uprising Band represented Jamaica at the Beijing Olympics.</p>
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Ky-Mani Marley sings on the pitch at half time during a match of the UEFA Champions League between Ajax and AEK Athens on September 19, 2018 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
<span class="image-source-caption"><span class="image-source headline-regular">Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images</span></span>
<p>Ky-Mani Marley was born in 1976 to Bob Marley and Anita Belnavis, a table tennis champion in Jamaica. His debut album, "Like Father, Like Son," released in 1996.</p>
<p>In 2001, his album "Many More Roads" received a <a href="https://www.grammy.com/artists/ky-mani-marley/12987" target="_blank">Grammy</a> nomination.</p>
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Damian Marley performs on stage during the 2017 ONE Music Fest on September 9, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.
<span class="image-source-caption"><span class="image-source headline-regular">Marcus Ingram/Getty Images</span></span>
<p>Born in 1978, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley is the son of Bob Marley and <a href="https://jamaicans.com/cindybreakspeare/" target="_blank">Cindy Breakspeare</a>, a jazz musician and model who was crowned Miss World in 1976.</p>
<p>His musical career began as a child with a <a href="https://www.melodymakers.com/mm/damian.html" target="_blank">group</a> called the Shepherds. In 1996, he released his debut solo album "Mr. Marley," and continued a successful solo career with albums "Halfway Tree," "Welcome to Jamrock," and "Stony Hill." In 2010, he released "Distant Relatives," an album made in collaboration with Nas. In total, Damian has won four Grammy Awards.</p>
<p>Unlike his older siblings, Damian's early music was not as inspired by traditional reggae sounds. "You have to remember, Ziggy is ten years older than me. So I grew up with dancehall and a whole different set a influence," Damian <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/bob-marley-family-photos" target="_blank">told GQ</a> in 2016.</p>
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<div class="notranslate celtra-banner"><span style="font-size:1.5em;">Bambaata Marley</span></div>
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Daniel Bambaata Marley performs at House of Marley booth during the International Consumer Electronics Show on January 6, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
<span class="image-source-caption"><span class="image-source headline-regular">Isaac Brekken/WireImage for House of Marley</span></span>
<p>Daniel Bambaata Robert Nesta Marley was born in 1989, the eldest son of Ziggy Marley. He has collaborated on music with family members, including cousin Jo Mersa on "<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jo-mersa-marley-dead-obituary-1234653280/" target="_blank">My Girl</a>," and with his father, Ziggy, on "Changes."</p>
<p>His music often incorporates dancehall and hip-hop sounds. In a 2014 <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/meet-the-next-generation-of-musical-marleys-106833/" target="_blank">interview</a> with Rolling Stone, Bambaata said, "the root of my music, regardless of if it might sound a different way, is always reggae."</p>
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Jo Mersa Marley visits Fox 29's 'Good Day' on April 9, 2015, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
<span class="image-source-caption"><span class="image-source headline-regular">Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images</span></span>
<p>Joseph "Jo Mersa" Marley was born in 1991, the son of Stephen Marley. He began his career on stage with Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, alongside his family. Soon, he launched his solo career, releasing a single "My Girl" with his cousin Daniel Bambaata in 2010, and <a href="https://thepier.org/interview-jo-mersa-marley/" target="_blank">debuted</a> an EP titled "Comfortable" in 2014.</p>
<p>In a 2014 <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/meet-the-next-generation-of-musical-marleys-106833/" target="_blank">interview</a> with Rolling Stone, Jo Mersa said, "I am one of the new generation of Marleys, but I am still experimenting at the same time… My plan is to do something new with my roots."</p>
<p>On Tuesday, December 27, 2022, a representative <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jo-mersa-marley-dead-obituary-1234653280/" target="_blank">confirmed</a> to Rolling Stone that Jo Mersa had died at the age of 31.</p>
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<div class="notranslate celtra-banner"><span style="font-size:1.5em;">Skip Marley</span></div>
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Skip Marley performs live during Sea.Hear.Now Festival on September 17, 2022 in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
<span class="image-source-caption"><span class="image-source headline-regular">Jim Bennett/Getty Images</span></span>
<p>Skip Marley Minto was born in 1996 to Cedella Marley. His EP, "Higher Place" was released with Island Records in 2020. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4jZKM5Y6-0" target="_blank">Slow Down</a>," a single off that EP featuring H.E.R. quickly reached the number-one spot on Billboard's Adult R&B chart. Skip also co-wrote and is featured on Katy Perry's "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um7pMggPnug" target="_blank">Chained to Rhythm</a>," which he performed at the Grammys in 2017. </p>
<p>In an <a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/interview-with-skip-marley-on-his-ep-higher-place-11696049" target="_blank">interview</a> with Miami New Times, Skip said he was inspired to pursue music in 2005 after watching a tribute to Bob Marley at an Africa Unite concert.</p>
<p>He has received two Grammy nominations.</p>
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<div class="notranslate celtra-banner"><span style="font-size:1.5em;">Selah Marley</span></div>
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Selah Marley attends the Balenciaga Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on October 02, 2022.
<span class="image-source-caption"><span class="image-source headline-regular">Anthony Ghnassia/Getty Images For Balenciaga</span></span>
<p>Born in 1998, Selah Marley is the daughter of singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill and former football player Rohan Marley.</p>
<p>As a model, she has worked with the likes of Chanel, Armani, Calvin Klein, and Ivy Park. In 2022, she found herself at the center of <a href="https://americansongwriter.com/lauryn-hills-daughter-bob-marleys-granddaughter-selah-marley-talks-wearing-white-lives-matter-t-shirt-you-can-not-bully-me/" target="_blank">controversy</a> after modeling an article of clothing that read "White Lives Matter" for Kanye West's Yeezy show in Paris.</p>
<p>Just like her famous family, Selah has also <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/selah-marley-star-power-ep-interview" target="_blank">ventured</a> into music, releasing an EP, "Star Power," in 2021.</p>
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<h2 class="slide-title-text">Mystic Marley</h2>
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<div class="lazy-holder"><img class="lazy-image js-rendered" src="https://i.insider.com/63b4000a3e42ed0018561600?width=1300&format=jpeg&auto=webp" alt="Mystic Marley performs on stage during Kaya Fest on April 20, 2019 in Miami, Florida." />https://i.insider.com/63b4000a3e42ed0018561600":{"contentType":"image/jpeg","aspectRatioW":2666,"aspectRatioH":2000}}" /></div>
Mystic Marley performs on stage during Kaya Fest on April 20, 2019 in Miami, Florida.
<span class="image-source-caption"><span class="image-source headline-regular">Jason Koerner/Getty Images</span></span>
<p>Mystic Marley is the daughter of Stephen Marley. Her debut single "Beatdown" was released in 2018, followed by "Sad Girls (Cause Damage)" in 2021. In an <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/bob-marley-s-granddaughter-mystic-feeling-his-presence-t214144" target="_blank">interview</a> with the TODAY Show, Mystic said she often senses grandfather Bob Marley's presence, saying, "I just, like, close my eyes and I see him, or I'm making music and I feel him."</p>
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</div></div>Ghana's love affair with reggae and Jamaican Patoishttps://caribshout.com/blog/ghana-s-love-affair-with-reggae-and-jamaican-patois2023-03-05T01:48:12.000Z2023-03-05T01:48:12.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10992707681,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10992707681,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="650" alt="10992707681?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="text-align:center;"><em><strong class="ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3">The spelling of Stonebwoy's name is a nod to Jamaica</strong></em></p>
<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00"><strong class="ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3">African journalist, Mark Wilberforce looks at how Ghana's rich musical scene has strong Jamaican link.</strong></p>
<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Afrobeats may be the dominant sound right now in Ghana, as in many other African countries, but the sounds of Jamaica can still be heard blaring through the speakers of Ghana's roadside and beach bars almost every day. Thursdays are reggae night in two big clubs in the capital, Accra - turning up the heat in an already hot climate.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Jamaican musicians such as the late greats Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and the group Culture have long been credited with planting the seeds of reggae music on African soil 50 years ago - and Ghana shows the roots have grown deep, and gone on to produce homegrown talent.<img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10992710073,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="450" alt="10992710073?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></p>
<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00"><span class="visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0">IMAGE SOURCE,</span>AFP: Accra has a wealth of reggae and dancehall gigs to offer</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">This love of reggae has also had a cultural bearing on the language: it is not hard these days to hear Ghanaians talking a little Jamaican Patois, which is different from Pidgin English, a lingua franca spoken by roughly a fifth of Ghana's population.</p>
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<div id="teads0" class="teads-player">Take Livingston Satekla, one the biggest reggae-dancehall artists to come out of Africa, better known as Stonebwoy. The spelling of his stage name is a nod to Jamaican Patois.</div>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">The phrase "Who is that boy singing?" in Ghanaian Pidgin is: "Who be dat boy weh he de sing for deh?" In Jamaican Patois it is: "Ah who dat bwoy weh im ah sing fi deh?"</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">In a recent interview Stonebwoy and I discussed the growing use of Patois in Ghana, frowned upon by some Ghanaians.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">"What's wrong with learning to communicate in Patois, which comes as part and parcel of reggae-dancehall as a core tool of communication? If you love reggae-dancehall you ought to learn Patois," the 34-year-old musician told me.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Born in the ghettos of Ashaiman outside Accra, Stonebwoy would regularly listen to Jamaican dancehall dons like Capelton, Anthony-B and Beenie Man as a teenager - wanting to sound just like his Patois-speaking heroes. He would later go on to host some of the very same people at his annual BHIM Concert, arguably one of the most successful dancehall showcases in Africa.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">It takes place in December as part of Ghana's Beyond The Return campaign - a project designed to encourage people from the diaspora to visit the country.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">It draws big crowds - me included - and last year featured Jamaica's Busy Signal, who had many of his fellow countrymen and women singing along to his hits. Some in the audience could be seen with dreadlocks - worn by Rastafarians.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Reggae has been instrumental in spreading the rasta message. It too has been a cheerleader for Africa - singing about the beauty of the continent, boasting of its natural resources while calling for people in the diaspora to return to the motherland.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">This has gone a long way to solidify the bond between reggae and Africa, especially during and after colonial rule.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">It makes sense that Ghana, among the first African countries to gain independence (from the UK in 1957), gravitates to the sounds of struggle and strife associated with reggae. It has had plenty of struggle and strife, having experienced six military coups between the 1960s and 1980s.<img class="ssrcss-evoj7m-Image ee0ct7c0" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/4BEB/production/_112953491__108802839_624_transparent-nc.png" alt="_112953491__108802839_624_transparent-nc.png" />https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/4BEB/production/_112953491__108802839_624_transparent-nc.png 320w, <a href="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/4BEB/production/_112953491__108802839_624_transparent-nc.png">https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/4BEB/production/_112953491__108802839_624_transparent-nc.png</a> 480w, <a href="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/4BEB/production/_112953491__108802839_624_transparent-nc.png">https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/4BEB/production/_112953491__108802839_624_transparent-nc.png</a> 624w, <a href="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/4BEB/production/_112953491__108802839_624_transparent-nc.png">https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/4BEB/production/_112953491__108802839_624_transparent-nc.png</a> 800w, <a href="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/4BEB/production/_112953491__108802839_624_transparent-nc.png">https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/4BEB/production/_112953491__108802839_624_transparent-nc.png</a> 976w" alt="1px transparent line" width="624" height="1" /></p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">One of the first big reggae artists in Ghana was Kojo Antwi, also known as Mr Music Man. Antwi started his career in the 1970s working with reggae band Classique Handles which later changed its name to Classique Vibes. Their debut 1979 album Higher: Suffer Hell on Earth addresses the economic struggles of the ghetto and how a lack of job opportunities can lead to starvation.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">By the mid-1980s Antwi would become better known for love songs with lyrics in his local language Twi - sung over the less political lovers' rock reggae sound, which went on to inspire other big Ghanaian artists.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">While Mr Music Man was serenading his homeland, a young northern Ghanaian, Rocky Dawuni, of royal heritage, was beginning to make waves on the global reggae scene with the 1998 hit In Ghana. His growing popularity saw some of his tracks featuring on various US TV dramas and three Grammy nominations to his name.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">If reggae is the parent, dancehall is definitely its mischievous child - with skilful lyricism and the unmistakable tones of Patois. One of the first successful descendants of this in Ghana is Samini, famous for his energetic live performances, singing in Pidgin, Patois and Twi. Often referred to as Africa's King of Dancehall Music, he has received accolades from foreign and domestic organisations, including a Mobo back in 2006 for Best African Act and an MTV Africa Music award in 2009 for Best Live Performer.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Not being content with his solo accomplishments, Samini helped launched the career of top Ghanaian artist Mugeez as well as playing a huge role in kick-starting the career of Stonebwoy.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">There is also another contender with a legitimate claim to Ghana's dancehall throne: Shatta Wale. As a student in Accra, he performed using the names Doggy and Bandana, producing one hit in 2004 and then disappearing into relative obscurity.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">It took a trip to Jamaica to bring his resurrection.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">He returned as Shatta Wale - now with a devoted fan-base and catalogue of hits including an epic collaboration in 2019 with Beyoncé on Already. The 38-year-old's golden touch has also extended to business and he owns a successful line of taxis known as Shaxi.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Currently, Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy are two of Africa's biggest reggae-dancehall stars and memorably participated in the Asaase Sound Clash at the height of Covid in 2020.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">The onstage competition, a musical tradition that originated in Jamaica, was live-streamed globally and hosted by Grammy award-winning producer and BBC broadcaster Seani B.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">As each artist tried to outdo the other, their fans shouted out their appreciation, with the phrase "dat tune deh mad" (Jamaican Patois for "that song is awesome") ringing through the venue.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Both sets of supporters believed their man had won on the night. However, the real winner was GH dancehall - a true child of Jamaica.</p>
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</div></div>Reggae Hero Protoje Returns From the ‘Hills’ With Fierce New Musichttps://caribshout.com/blog/reggae-hero-protoje-returns-from-the-hills-with-fierce-new-music2022-04-22T14:23:32.000Z2022-04-22T14:23:32.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10432106476,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10432106476,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10432106476?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650" /></a></p>
<p>By: Mankaprr Conteh - Rollingstone Photo Credit: Destinee Condison</p>
<p>One of the titans of modern <a id="auto-tag_reggae" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/t/reggae/">reggae</a> is back. <a id="auto-tag_protoje" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/t/protoje/">Protoje</a> — the Grammy-nominated singer, rapper, and label chief — has dropped his first solo release in more than a year with “Hills,” an ode to peace, nature, and frankly, being left the hell alone. “This song narrates what the last two years have been like for me, living in the mountains while the world was on lockdown,” Protoje says in a statement. “Connecting with the simplicity that exists here and being inspired with what I see surrounding me.”</p>
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<p>“Hills” is made up of tittering drums and slick flows that lean heavily into rap. “We are much more experimental than our predecessors,” Protoje says of he and like-minded “reggae revival” artists like <a id="auto-tag_koffee" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/t/koffee/">Koffee</a> and <a id="auto-tag_chronixx" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/t/chronixx/">Chronixx</a>. “We’re influenced by <a id="auto-tag_hip-hop" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/t/hip-hop/">hip-hop</a>, rock, pop music, with a reggae base underneath it.”</p>
<p>In the video, set in the hills of Jamaica, two women ask locals to point them in Protoje’s direction, seeking out the mountainous retreat where he enjoys a brisk jog, a mug of beverage, and the company of a bevy of goats. Before the out-of-place looking pair can find him, he’s taken off in a helicopter overlooking the majestic green terrain. </p>
<p>With “Hills,” Protoje announces that his sixth album is coming this summer via <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">In.Digg.Nation</span> Collective and RCA Records. Protoje founded <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">In.Digg.Nation</span> Collective in 2014 and the company is now home to fellow Jamaican artists Lila Iké and Jaz Elise. <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">In.Digg.Nation</span> received support from RCA through a <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/protoje-rca-deal-sevana-lila-ike-982332/">deal</a> announced in 2020.</p>
<p>The reggae revivalist will also tour North America and Europe this summer, hitting Bonnaroo and the Roots Picnic</p>
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<p>Protoje will also tour North America and Europe this summer, with dates including <a id="auto-tag_bonnaroo" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/t/bonnaroo/">Bonnaroo</a>, the <a id="auto-tag_roots-picnic" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/t/roots-picnic/">Roots Picnic</a>, and the California Roots Festival. His full tour calendar is yet to be announced.</p></div>Koffee: Reggae's Rising Starhttps://caribshout.com/blog/koffee-reggae-s-rising-star2022-03-17T13:42:41.000Z2022-03-17T13:42:41.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><div class="ArticlePageLedeBackground-bMjhmY eUjBwB">
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<span class="BaseWrap-sc-TURhJ BaseText-fFzBQt CaptionCredit-cTdqxu eTiIvU dIMOjQ iHbDSe caption__credit">Photo by Nwaka Okparaeke</span>
By: Clover Hope - Pitchfork Magazine
<strong>She’s already won a Grammy, hit No. 1 on the reggae charts, and worked with Jay-Z but, she says, “I have a far way to go.”</strong>
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<p><a href="https://pitchfork.com/artists/koffee/">Koffee</a> is marveling at the world’s tallest freestanding dinosaur skeleton, a long-necked Barosaurus that makes the five-foot-tall Jamaican musician look like a tiny figurine in comparison. As she stares, a little kid hops onto the platform in front of the dino’s bones to pose for a picture. “That would be a spectacle if that shit fell,” Koffee says dryly. It’s the 22-year-old’s first trip to New York’s Museum of Natural History, and she roams aimlessly at first, consumed by the scale of it all. With a gray OVO hoodie over her head, she mostly observes the enormous creatures in silence, gradually coming alive.</p>
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<p>She stops in front of a staged elephant nicknamed Henry. “These are so <em>realistic</em>,” Koffee says, noting that her mom once rode an elephant during a trip to Tanzania. And then, “Yoooo, do you know what I wanna see in real life?” she adds, grinning through braces. “A moose. I heard those are <em>huge</em>.” She wanders over to a cape buffalo that’s about as big as a moose and would make either of us pass out on sight in the wild. Behind a glass partition, however, there’s beauty in its stillness. “Like it’s ready for anything,” Koffee says, comparing the buffalo’s curved horns to a crown of hair. “Even though it’s doing nothing at all, it holds a power.”</p>
<p>The museum is a refuge for Koffee, who’s braving 40-degree February rain in a sweatsuit and no coat. Before our field trip, we met at the plant-based restaurant Butcher’s Daughter in NoLita, where Koffee arrived with an entourage of seven, including her manager, her Sony UK label rep, and her videographer, Champs. The restaurant specializes in smoothies; Koffee ordered hot chocolate and sat at a window stool overlooking a rack of Citi Bikes across the street. Watching cars whiz by, she spoke softly, as if in low-battery mode.</p>
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<p>Koffee first came to New York when she was 13 and often visits her dad and brother here, or for work. The previous night, she hit the <em>Tonight Show</em> stage, performing “Pull Up,” the clubby lead single from her debut album <a href="https://pitchfork.com/news/koffee-announces-debut-album-gifted-shares-video-for-new-song-pull-up-watch/"><em>Gifted</em></a>, backed by dancers and a DJ blaring airhorns. Though some artists might consider the late-night performance a triumphant culmination, Koffee also sees room for improvement. “I’m my biggest critic, so I watch back, and I’m like, ‘What can I do better next time?’”</p>
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<p>Three years ago, Koffee initiated a sequence to be the next big reggae star. In March 2019, she released her debut EP, <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/koffee-rapture-ep/"><em>Rapture</em></a>, where she sings about pursuing a peaceful life while witnessing the fallout of poverty and violence in Jamaica. A smooth balance of boasts and affirmations, the project made a strong impression, debuting at the top of <em>Billboard</em>’s reggae chart. (It didn’t hurt when Rihanna <a class="external-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKmsBJjroGM" target="_blank">posted a video</a> of herself singing along to the sanguine hook of Koffee’s breakout single, “Toast.”) At the top of 2020, the then-19-year-old became the youngest person—and first-ever woman—to win the Grammy for Best Reggae Album. Six weeks later, the entire world shut down.<iframe title="3rd party ad content" src="https://fc26f31109f95ca4e53582c071e93777.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html" width="0" height="158" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
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<p>After returning home to Jamaica, Koffee saw the pandemic recess as an opportunity for a “creative reset.” In July 2020, she released “Lockdown,” a charming anthem about post-quarantine daydreams. Last December, she supplied the slick theme song for the Jay-Z-produced Western <em>The Harder They Fall</em>, a track that was co-written by Jay himself. “I know I have a lot of accomplishments,” Koffee says, “but I have a far way to go.”</p>
<p><em>Gifted</em> opens with a sample of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” and weighty guitar plucks as Koffee sings, “I’m glad I woke up today,” a sunny intro to an album that flows with measured swagger. The sparkling chimes of “West Indies” evoke images of partygoers dancing in slow motion, and “Lonely” is a swaying rhythm about choosing romance over the fear of heartache, replete with effervescent backup harmonies. “That was my most deliberate effort fi go back in time a little bit,” Koffee says. “I wanted to make it clear that this is lovers rock.” Across its 10 tracks, the feel-good record embeds hip-hop, dancehall, and Afrobeats into its reggae core. “I wanted to make it a little lighter than my EP,” she says. “I didn’t want it to be so heavy.”</p>
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<p>At the museum, whistles and panpipes echo from an Andean music exhibit, like something out of Sunday Service. It’s easy to imagine Koffee singing over the prehistoric instruments. Growing up with her churchgoing mom in Spanish Town, a hamlet outside Kingston, the singer born Mikayla Simpson found her voice in the pews of her Seventh Day Adventist church. “It’s a very musical denomination,” Koffee explains, “so they include melodic instruments like piano, guitar, and trumpet in the worship.” Every Sunday, her mom would play Cool FM’s “love segment,” along with gospel and classic reggae acts like <a href="https://pitchfork.com/artists/u-roy/">URoy</a> and <a href="https://pitchfork.com/artists/22911-maxi-priest-richie-stephens/">Richie Stephens</a>.<iframe title="3rd party ad content" src="https://fc26f31109f95ca4e53582c071e93777.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html" width="0" height="151" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
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<div class="rad-fl-6221224e51c2212df5bf676d nedit"><ins></ins>The youngest of five, Koffee was a loner with a lyrical ear. She fell in love with the guitar in high school and took up practicing after her grandma got her an acoustic one for her 13th birthday. A friend taught her the chords, and she consulted YouTube, studying the flow and lyricism of reggae acts like Protoje, who later became a mentor. When Koffee was 17, she recorded her first song, “Legend,” an ode to Usain Bolt. The Olympic track star reposted it, creating a pipeline for Koffee to make music professionally.</div>
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<p>Koffee now occupies a corner of reggae and dancehall once inhabited by the likes of <a href="https://pitchfork.com/artists/5953-sean-paul/">Sean Paul</a> and <a href="https://pitchfork.com/artists/8436-shaggy/">Shaggy</a>, and she’s among the few women leading the new school alongside upstarts like <a href="https://pitchfork.com/artists/shenseea/">Shenseea</a> and <a class="external-link" href="https://www.instagram.com/jadakingdom/?hl=en" target="_blank">Jada Kingdom</a>. She isn’t shy about her desire to make reggae pop. “That’s part of my mission in the long run,” she says. “People like Sean Paul set the example for all of us younger ones to follow.”</p>
<p>But maintaining widespread acclaim is a challenge in an industry that treats reggae as more of an ornamental genre than a mainstay. Even though Koffee’s Grammy win made history, her acceptance speech wasn’t televised for the primetime show. “Winning it was special for me, and I was grateful,” she says diplomatically. “But I think every category should be televised.” For her part, she’s been trying to nudge the Recording Academy to incorporate more genres into its broadcast.</p>
<p>In April, she’ll perform at Coachella; later this year, she opens the Latin American leg of Harry Styles’ tour. When she embarks on her own North American outing in support of <em>Gifted</em> this spring, she plans to record on the road. As she rode from place to place through Manhattan, she would sometimes hum a melody into her phone—but ever so faintly, because she’s “so self-conscious about stuff like that.” No one could hear her over the car radio as she retreated into the quiet storm in her head.</p>
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</div></div>The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger Enjoys "A Little Downtime" In Jamaicahttps://caribshout.com/blog/the-rolling-stones-mick-jagger-enjoys-a-little-downtime-in-jamaic2022-02-21T15:07:36.000Z2022-02-21T15:07:36.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10142754679,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10142754679,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="650" alt="10142754679?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
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<p>By: Claudia Gardner - Dancehallmag.com</p>
<p>The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger, who was closely associated with Reggae legend Peter Tosh, seems up to some musical works in Port Antonio, the cradle of Jamaica’s tourism and a stomping ground for music and Hollywood’s rich and famous. The British rock legend gave his fans a peek into his most recent holiday in Portland, on Friday, by posting several snapshots on his Instagram page of himself having fun round-town in the picturesque parish capital.</p>
<p>Sir Mick, 78, showed off pics of himself with his guitar standing somewhere in the mountains, with the Caribbean sea in the distance; another with him at a fruit and vegetable stall listening to a market vendor as well as himself leaning on a neon green mural.</p>
<p>The music legend, unsurprisingly, posted an image of himself at the Roof Nightclub, Portland’s longest-standing night club.<img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10142757662,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="550" alt="10142757662?profile=RESIZE_584x" /><img class="i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content" src="https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2022/02/mick2-960x1200.jpg" alt="mick2-960x1200.jpg" />https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2022/02/mick2-480x600.jpg 480w, <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2022/02/mick2-768x960.jpg">https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2022/02/mick2-768x960.jpg</a> 768w, <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2022/02/mick2-150x188.jpg">https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2022/02/mick2-150x188.jpg</a> 150w, <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2022/02/mick2.jpg">https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2022/02/mick2.jpg</a> 1080w" alt="mick" /></p>
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<p>“A little downtime before things get busy!” the lanky musician captioned his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaIcwaPqQeo/" target="_blank">post</a>.</p>
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<p>Jagger’s visit comes just a year shy of the 50th anniversary of The Rolling Stones’ month-long stay in Jamaica in 1973, where they recorded their <em>Goat Head Soup</em> album at Byron Lee’s Dynamic Sounds Studios in Kingston, during what was the Briton’s second trip to the island.</p>
<p>With the Terra Nova Hotel as their abode, the group deeply immersed themselves in Jamaican culture where they gallivanted in Ocho Rios, had the time of their lives in Port Antonio, and, according to one band member, essentially caused merriment and Jamaican bliss, to take precedence over the album, according to Far Out Magazine.</p>
<p>Jagger, who formed one of the five members of the Rolling Stones, sparked a connection to Reggae when the band’s record label signed Peter Tosh in 1978, and released his album <em>Bush Doctor</em>.</p>
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<p>Tosh’s album also featured Mick who collaborated with him on the lead single <em>Don’t Look Back</em>, which was a cover of The Temptations’ original song. That album also featured classics such as <em>Pick Myself Up</em>, <em>I’m the Toughest</em>, <em>Dem Ha Fe Get a Beatin</em> and <em>Creation</em>.</p>
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<p>Peter Tosh was the only Reggae artist signed to Rolling Stones’ label, from 1978-1981. He also served as the opening act for their 1978 US tour. The <em>Johnny B Goode</em> singer is also featured in the opening scene of the band’s music video for the song <em>Waiting On A Friend</em>.</p>
<p>The Rolling Stones also covered Jamaica’s 1971 Festival Song winner <em>Cherry Oh Baby</em> by Eric Donaldson for their 1976 album <em>Black And Blue</em>.</p>
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<p>Jagger was also in attendance in 1978 at the One Love peace concert at the National Stadium in Kingston.</p>
<p>Peter Tosh recorded a total of three albums on Rolling Stones small record label, but their relationship reportedly ended on a sour note, as the Reggae icon grew bitter after his second and third albums did not do great numbers, which he attributed to a lack of promotion by the label.</p>
<p>The relationship between the parties ended after Tosh’s 1981 album <em>Wanted Dread & Alive</em>.</p>
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<p>According to a 1973 Rolling Stone Magazine article, about The Rolling Stones’ Goat Head Soup album, after completing the most intensive studio activity of their ten-year recording career, the schedule for which they had to compress in order to finish up before Christmas, by “working sundown to sunup seven days a week during four weeks in November and December, “the Stones cut more than a dozen basic tracks at Dynamic Sounds Studio”, ahead of their month-long tour of Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia.</p>
<p>“Nobody has had any time to go sightseeing or shopping,” their manager Marshall Chess was quoted as saying. “Their only relaxation has been a few late afternoon hours by the pool at the Terra Nova, a palatial hotel that was formerly the family home of Chris Blackwell, founder of England’s Island Records, which brought Kingston Studios their current fame.”</p>
<p>Jagger had also laid out a pro and a con of recording in Jamaica, according to the article.</p>
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<p>“Finding something to eat has been a problem. We usually get up too late for lunch and too early for dinner. When we return from the studio it’s too early for breakfast,” he was quoted as saying.</p>
<p>“One of the benefits of recording away from home in an isolated place like Jamaica is there are no distractions. We can work without interruptions and that is what we have been doing,” he added.</p>
<p>Three Jamaican musicians played on the album, which according to Rolling Stones, a Jamaican conga and timbales player and Ian Stewart, long-time friend and road manager, on piano.</p>
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<p>Byron Lee had told the magazine at the time that he had completed his new Studio B just in time for The Rolling Stones, and had also sourced specific equipment they requested: “a grand piano and Hammond B3 organ, as well as special microphones and headphones, which Jamaican musicians never use in the studio)–an investment of nearly $100,000”.</p>
<p>Jagger has kept abreast of Jamaican music over the years. On two occasions, a few years ago, he not only named his top 10 Reggae songs, but also stated that Vybz Kartel was his favourite ‘rapper’.</p>
<p>He told Far Out Magazine, at the time that <em>Get Up, Stand Up, No More Trouble</em> and <em>War</em> by Bob Marley were in his top 10.</p>
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<p>In addition, Toots and The Maytals’<em> 54-46, </em>War Ina Babylon by Max Romeo; Marcus Garvey by Burning Spear; and You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) by Dawn Penn, were among his favourites, in addition to Peter Tosh’s <em>Pick Myself Up</em> Gregory Isaacs’ <em>Cream of the Crop</em>; Brethren And Sistren by The Viceroys), Writing on The Wall by Ronnie Davis and Tenor Saw’s legendary Dancehall hit <em>Ring the Alarm</em>.</p>
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</div>The Evolution of Jamaican Music – REGGAEhttps://caribshout.com/blog/the-evolution-of-jamaican-music-reggae2021-11-22T12:28:12.000Z2021-11-22T12:28:12.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9832443266,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9832443266,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="9832443266?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/entertainment/the-evolution-of-jamaican-music-from-revivalism-to-reggae/">Part II: The Evolution of Jamaican Music: From Revivalism to Reggae</a></p>
<p>In the late 1960s, Jamaica was blessed with a variety of talented musicians and singers who experimented with and blended different beats of music and recorded their musical renditions at local recording studios like Dynamic Sounds and Treasure Isle.</p>
<p>So, while rocksteady, with its smooth rhythmic beat and melodious lyrics and sound, took over from the more pulsating and energetic sound of ska in 1967, by 1969 another new energetic beat was already replaying the rocksteady genre. The new beat would become the phenomenal genre of reggae.</p>
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<p>There is no definitive account of where the name reggae originated from. One account is that it emerged from a 1968 single, “Do the Reggay” by the group Toots and the Maytals. Another account claims the late reggae icon Bob Marley said the word <em>reggae</em> came from a Spanish term for “the king’s music.” This could have some accuracy as in Latin the word regi means “to the king.”</p>
<p>Whatever the source of the name, the fact is that within a short time the new genre reggae became king on Jamaica’s musical scene.</p>
<p>Reggae had a distinctive sound, heavy on the beat of the guitar and piano (or keyboard), and a collaboration of the traditional Jamaican musical genres of mento, ska, and American jazz and rhythm and blues.</p>
<p>Like its predecessor, ska, reggae when played immediately summoned people to the dance floor. In Jamaica, reggae had a similar effect on the local population as calypso had on the population of Trinidad. </p>
<p>And if one wasn’t dancing to reggae, the new genre, like calypso, evoked great satisfaction as the lyrics in several reggae songs performed by artists like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, the Third World Band, and others, were strong social commentaries that served to motivate people who were then marginalized, giving hope for their upward social mobility.</p>
<p>Somehow, reggae attracted singers, men and women, who were affiliated, or yearned to be affiliated to the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica, which created a societal conundrum in the late 1960s to early 1970s, as some uptown Jamaicans tended to turn up their noses, not so much at the music, but the artists rendering the sound, but the music grew to so much in popularity that the societal biases was eventually removed.<a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9832443867,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9832443867,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="512" alt="9832443867?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></a></p>
<p>There is little doubt that the music and lyrics of reggae orchestrated change in the Jamaican society in the 1970s—something quickly identified by the emerging populist leaders like Michael Manley and Edward Seaga in the 1970s. Manley came to power in 1972, riding on the rhythm of a popular reggae hit, “Better Must Come” by Delroy Wilson, which he chose as the People National Party’s campaign song, and for later campaigns, the hit, “My Leader Born Ya” boasting his Jamaican roots compared to his rival Seaga’s U.S. birth. Also, in the mid-1970s, when political violence threatened to destabilize the country, Manley turned to reggae for a solution and sought Bob Marley and several other reggae artists to perform in the legendary Peace Concert held at the National Stadium in Kingston.</p>
<p>And, Seaga who had a keen understanding of Jamaican music and musicians, and the impact of the music on the lives of impoverished Jamaicans, used reggae and other forms of traditional Jamaican music to bind him and his politics to the Jamaican working class.</p>
<p>Although reggae has had great singers like Marley, Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Gregory Issacs, Dennis Brown, among others, it also produced great musicians. These included bass guitarists like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlton_Barrett">Carlton Barrett</a> from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marley_and_the_Wailers">Bob Marley and the Wailers</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Brevett">Lloyd Brevett</a> from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skatalites">The Skatalites</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Knibb">Lloyd Knibb</a> from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skatalites">The Skatalites</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Grennan">Winston Grennan</a>, Sly Dunbar, Anthony “Benbow” Creary from The Upsetters, and from Ritchie Daley of Third World. Several reggae sounds also featured organ shuffle sound mastered by keyboard artists like Jackie Mittoo and Winston Wright.</p>
<p><strong>Emergence in Jamaica</strong> </p>
<p>Reggae began to take over from ska in the late 1960s with hits like Larry And Alvin’s “Nanny Goat.” the Beltones’ “No More Heartaches,” and Lee “Scratch” Perry’s “People Funny Bwoy.” But, the music had also spread overseas with the legendary English group The Beatles recording the hit “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” with a distinct reggae beat.</p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wailers_(1963%E2%80%931974_band)">The Wailers</a>, with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, grew in popularity, and emerged from the rocksteady era in association with Lee Perry’s studio artistry with early reggae hits like “Duppy Conqueror” and “Small Axe.” The Wailers remained strong on the Jamaican reggae scene and in collaboration with Englishman Chris Blackwell’s Island Records, broke reggae firmly on the international scene with the first reggae album “Catch A Fire” in 1972. The Wailers went on to release more great hits like “Put it On,” “Get Up, Stand Up” and “I Shot The Sheriff,” which was also covered by British singer Eric Clapton. In 1974 the group produced another classic album, <em>Natty Dread</em>, released in 1975, featuring hits like “Talking Blues,” “No Woman, No Cry” and “Rebel Music.”</p>
<p>The group split in 1975, with Tosh going solo, and became known as Bob Marley and the Wailers, with the background harmony provided by the female trio—The I-Threes (Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt, and Marcia Griffiths). </p>
<p>Tosh became a legend in his own night with hits like “Buckingham Palace,” “Legalize It” and “Momma Africa,” while Marley rose to iconic reggae status with hit after hit including, “Crazy Baldhead,” “Who The Cap Fit,” “War,” “One Love,” “Redemption Song,” “Exodus,” and later shortly before his death in 1981, reggae love songs like “Waiting in Vain,” and “Is This Love.”</p>
<p>There are too many outstanding reggae artists to include in this limited space, but special mention must be made of the Third World Band that emerged in the mid-1970s with a distinctive, very professional reggae sound produced by a talented group including, Ritchie Daley, Steven “Cat” Coore, Michael “Ibo” Cooper, Irvin “Carrot: Jarett, Willie Stewart (renowned drummer now stationed in South Florida), and vocalist Bunny Rugs. The groups many hits like, “Now That We’ve Found Love,” “96 Degrees In The Shade,” and “Try Jah Love” were intensely popular in Jamaica and globally. The band is still playing currently.</p>
<p><strong>International popularity</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong>One of the reasons for the lasting popularity of the genre is its influence internationally. Several international artists had Reggae hits. These artists included First Three Dog Night’s cover of the Maytones’ hit “Black and White in” 1972; Johnny Nash’s hit, “I Can See Clearly Now” and Paul Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion” also in 1972. </p>
<p>Reggae’s international influence would spread in 1973 onwards with the movie “The Harder They Come” starring Jamaican singer turned actor Jimmy Cliff. The movie was shown in theaters around the world, introducing Jamaican culture, specifically reggae.</p>
<p>Over the years, reggae has grown in popularity in countries like Japan, England, Germany, the U.S., and several African countries, and spawned a hybrid sound called reggaeton with the Latin beat in Latin America.</p>
<p>A powerful indication of the international influence of reggae was that in 1985 the Grammy Awards introduced the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Reggae_Album">Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album</a> category.</p>
<p>In February 2008, then-Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding sanctioned February as Reggae Month in Jamaica, and in February 2008 the Recording Industry Association of Jamaica also staged its first Reggae Academy Awards.</p>
<p>In November 2018, remarkably, the genre was added to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO">UNESCO</a>‘s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO_Intangible_Cultural_Heritage_Lists">Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity</a>, recognizing that reggae’s “contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love, and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual.”</p>
<div class="td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-content_bottom td_uid_3_619b8a41ba79a_rand td_block_template_1"> </div></div>From Revivalism to Reggae: The Evolution of Jamaican Music and Dance. Part 1https://caribshout.com/blog/from-revivalism-to-reggae-the-evolution-of-jamaican-music-and-dan2021-10-20T13:37:40.000Z2021-10-20T13:37:40.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9718524657,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9718524657,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="9718524657?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></a></p>
<p>Jamaica is traditionally described as the “land of wood and water,” but that description would be more accurate, as the “the land of wood, water and music.”</p>
<p>Music, and dance, have been a part of Jamaica’s history dating back to slavery—serving as expressions of faith, hope, resistance, love, romance, and national pride. Over the years, Jamaican music has evolved from its traditional roots that included gospel, pocomania, quadrill, dinki mini, and Zion revival music. Influenced by the African culture from which enslaved people in Jamaica originated, the music throughout the early years featured heavy use of drums, and wind instruments like bamboo flutes.</p>
<p>As the slaves grew emboldened to seek emancipation from the British colonial masters, and influenced by visiting Christian evangelists, Revivalism grew into not just an appeal to a higher power, but into a movement characterized by passionate, pulsating revival music and dance.</p>
<p>The Revival ritual involves singing, drumming, dancing, hand-clapping, foot-stomping, and groaning along with the use of prayers to invite spiritual possession. It also includes music and songs from orthodox religion. Revivalism still exists in Jamaica, found chiefly in the parishes of Kingston, St. Andrew, St. Catherine, St. Elizabeth and St. Ann.</p>
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<p>After emancipation in the 1860s, another genre of music evolved out of, and side by side with, Revivalism. This genre was called mento—a fusion of African and British influences, which was played liberally during the plantation period providing much-needed entertainment and relief for mostly rural Jamaicans toiling under colonialism.</p>
<h4><strong>Rhythms of Mento</strong></h4>
<p>Mento music placed a strong emphasis on a rhythm created by the combination of drums, banjo guitars, flutes, and horns. </p>
<p>Mento is described as having a “performance mode with a rhythmic impulse, with a response type of singing that is African in origin, while the scale patterns, harmonic concepts, and verse and chorus song types are British.” But, when performed, it was quintessentially Jamaican.</p>
<p>Mento is regarded in some circles as the Jamaican equivalent to calypso. While some of the songs were aired regularly, others were banned as they were thought to be too sexually explicit. Mento was first recorded by artistes such as Lord Flea and Lord Fly and ‘Sugar Belly’ Walker. In the 1960s and early 70s, one of Jamaica’s more popular dance bands, Carlos Malcolm and the Troubadours, featured mento heavily in its repertoire. Among the band’s greatest hits was ‘Rukumbine’ a distinctively mento song with sexual overtones.</p>
<p>In the 1950s and early 60s, the music in Jamaica took on a more populist form. Sound system like Dule Reid and Coxones emerged and played to large enthusiastic audiences and dancers at venues like the Silver Slipper Club in Cross Roads, and Chocomo Lawn on North Street in Kingston. But like music played on local radio Station RJR, and then JBC from 1959, it was mainly foreign in origin.</p>
<p>In the late 1950s, more young Jamaicans emerged as singers and musicians and began recording their music. Around this time a young politician of Lebanese descent, Edward Seaga, who developed a keen interest in Jamaican music and artists, established a modern recording studio that released early recordings of ‘blues’ artists like Higgs and Wilson and the Blues Busters, and a new, extremely popular band, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. In 1962, Seaga sold the company to Byron Lee, who renamed it Dynamic Sounds which would grow in influence to the development of Jamaican music to be regarded as Jamaica’s Motown. </p>
<p>The explosion of singers, musicians and recording studios in Jamaica in the late 50s produced a new Jamaican musical genre – Ska. </p>
<h4><strong>The birth of Ska</strong></h4>
<p>Ska, a combined musical element of mento and calypso with some infusion of American jazz and rhythm and blues, featuring a strong bass line with upbeat rhythms from guitar, saxophone and even the piano, or keyboard. </p>
<p>In the early 1960s ska was insanely popular and was the dominant music genre for Jamaicans of all classes. The music was definitely made for dancing. Bands like Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, and the Skatalities, pulled large crowds wherever they played. One of the more popular clubs to dance the ska was the Glass Bucket Club on Half-Way-Tree Road in St. Andrew, where Jamaicans, including many overseas visitors, came to dance the ska; bending low, swinging their arms upwards and downwards, side by side, backwards and forward, while lifting their legs bent at the knees alternatively to the beat.</p>
<p>Traditional ska bands like the Skatalites featured bass, drums, guitars, keyboards, horns with sax, trombone and trumpet being most common. Individual members of the Skatalites like Don Drummond on trombone, and Jackie Mittoo on keyboards stood out as outstanding ska artists.</p>
<p>The lyrics of ska were often about the prevailing socio-economic commentaries of the less privileged in the society at the time. Popular songs of the ska era included Count Ossie’s “Oh Carolina,” Prince Buster’s “It’s Burke Law” and Desmond Keer and the Aces, “Shanty Town.”</p>
<p>The music and dance were so popular that two Jamaican dancers, Ronnie Nassralla, who died recently, and his partner Jeanette Phillips were invited to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City, along with acclaimed Jamaican musicians, where they performed this new Jamaican dance to great acclaim.</p>
<p>Ska hits popularized by Jamaican artists like Prince Buster, Stranger Cole, Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, and Deryck Morgan got heavy airplay on Jamaican radio. When JBC-TV went live in 1963, some local entertainment programs featured ska bands and dancers.</p>
<p>Ska gradually gained popularity overseas, especially in Jamaican diaspora communities in the U.S., UK and Canada. It was the first real exposure of Jamaican music to the rest of the world.</p>
<p>Without a doubt, ska set a musical standard for genres that followed it such as rocksteady, reggae and dancehall. With ska, Jamaican music secured its niche, replacing American rock and roll and R&B as the main attraction at Jamaican clubs and house parties. </p></div>Triple S: Spice, Sean and Shaggyhttps://caribshout.com/blog/triple-s-spice-sean-and-shaggy2021-05-28T12:59:56.000Z2021-05-28T12:59:56.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lZizLbWxr_E" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p>The biggest dance craze across the world, Go Down Deh has spawned multiple choreographed videos all over YouTube. Another hit from Jamaica's hottest Reggae and Dancehall Stars.</p></div>Sean Paul sits in the Odyssey chair with Yendi!https://caribshout.com/blog/sean-paul-sits-in-the-odyssey-chair-with-yendi2021-05-10T20:12:51.000Z2021-05-10T20:12:51.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hbtWwtYk-9c" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p>Sean Paul is one of the biggest Jamaican Dancehall international sensations. Having scored hit records and collaborations with icons across musical genres, he has cemented himself as one of the greatest exports from Jamaica. Having a career spanning decades, Sean Paul continues to reinvent himself and give the world music that becomes household bangers.</p></div>Beres Hammond - Love From a Distancehttps://caribshout.com/blog/beres-hammond-love-from-a-distance2021-03-01T14:02:27.000Z2021-03-01T14:02:27.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ms3ihZ2xPs" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p>Beres Hammond performed in a live virtual concert from Harmony House studos in Kingston, Jamaica. A virtuoso performane from the Reggae Icon you will watch over and over again. Beres performed hit after hit and had had some special guests who underscored the richness of Jamaican music. I watched it live and it was simply on fire!!!!!!</p></div>Stephen Marley - Bob Marley 75th Celebrationhttps://caribshout.com/blog/stephen-marley-bob-marley-75th-celebration2021-02-16T15:08:03.000Z2021-02-16T15:08:03.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sJfk-4fs5Us" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p></div>Maluma - 7 Days in Jamaica.https://caribshout.com/blog/maluna-7-days-in-jamaica2021-02-10T00:52:10.000Z2021-02-10T00:52:10.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_zUlf_BeY38" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p></div>Maluma’s Jamaican Co-Star: Davina Bennett in ‘#7DJ’https://caribshout.com/blog/meet-maluma-s-jamaican-co-star-davina-bennett-rocks-locks-and-car2021-02-10T00:31:38.000Z2021-02-10T00:31:38.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8536742496,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8536742496,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8536742496?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p>
<p>When former Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett landed the part as the love interest in a Maluma music video, she thought she’d be taping a regular four-minute music video. Instead, she was cast as the Colombian star’s muse in #7DJ (Siete Días en Jamaica – Seven Days in Jamaica), companion film to the seven-song EP of the same name that tracks Maluma’s trip to Jamaica, in search of a spiritual rebirth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And Bennett’s role became something far more significant than mere screen time or high-profile exposure.</p>
<p>“There are other music videos, but few consider, ‘Let us merge cultures, let us merge Black and white,'" says the 2017 Miss Universe runner-up. "To see Latin, reggae, dancehall, Black and white come together and create something epic like this is a whole other level." </p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_zUlf_BeY38" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /> For Bennett, proudly representing Caribbean and Black culture is not new. In 2017, she made headlines when she took the stage at the Miss Universe pageant with an afro, her natural hair, becoming the first Black woman to be crowned among the top three to do so. In “7 Días,” she wears dreadlocks, emblematic of Jamaica, and is a constant player in a visual work that went to great lengths to stay true to the island’s roots and traditions.</p>
<p>“She’s not just beautiful, but a big ambassador of her own culture,” says Maluma.<br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8536729092,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8536729092,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8536729092?profile=RESIZE_584x" width="450" /></a>Davina Bennett and Maluma<br /> Phraa<br /> Bennett spoke to Billboard about the significance of Black presence in a Latin music video, especially coinciding with Black History Month. “I hope we become a domino for others to follow,” she says.</p>
<p><br /> I’m making an effort to think of videos where you have a white Latin superstar with a beautiful Black woman as the model, and I can’t think of many…</p>
<p>I’ve never seen it. I think that’s why social media is eating it up. It’s an immense sense of pride. It’s also very overwhelming, because sometimes I think, "Is this real?" I’ve been in this position once before, representing Jamaica in Miss Universe, and being the first woman to rock my Afro -- and that was a big thing for my country, and for Afro and brown girls. To be in the same position, rocking another hair style and showing unity between two countries and two cultures… I don’t have words to express it.</p>
<p>You’re opening a big door. It’s amazing there haven’t been more instances, right?<br /> It feels the same as when I did Miss Universe. This pageant is over 60 years [of history] and you’re telling me there has never been a Black woman with an Afro in the top three? And there are other music videos, and they have never considered: Let us merge cultures, let us merge Black and white. It’s mind blowing. But, someone has to do it first. Someone has to be the first domino on that table.</p>
<p><br /> READ MORE<br /> Every Song on Maluma's '#7DJ (7 Días En Jamaica)' Ranked: Critic's Picks<br /> The album is called 7 Días In Jamaica, and it truly is an homage to Jamaica, showing so much of the island. Did it surprise you to see how prominently Jamaica is featured?</p>
<p>What makes it even better for me is there’s the combination of two cultures: Latin from Colombia and reggaetón and dancehall from Jamaica, and that makes it even greater. Maluma incorporates people like Ziggy Marley, Charly Black. For you to not just come to our country, but also use Jamaican creatives, a Jamaican girl, Jamaican artists -- it’s not cultural appropriation, but literally paying homage. It’s not, “I’m coming to your island, taking credit and leaving.” It’s about us. It goes in-depth in terms of our culture, how we portray ourselves. Even down to the drink we have in our hand, Red Stripe, is unique to the Caribbean. </p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8536727859,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8536727859,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8536727859?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="600" /></a>Davina Bennett<br /> Eve Harlowe</p>
<p>Your hairdos are incredible. Tell me about them?</p>
<p>We decided to do locks [dreadlocks], which is a great representation. We are Rastafarian. Mellisa Dawkins, my hair stylist, would come up with these ideas on the spot. This woman just transformed each look into something amazing. It was such a great representation in my country. Locks are discriminated [against] in many places. And to show locks can be styled, they can be elegant, flirty -- it’s something I’m extremely proud of.</p>
<p>There was a highly publicized case of locks and discrimination in Jamaica recently, right?</p>
<p><br /> Last year there was a discrimination case in Jamaica, because a little girl went to school with her locks and she was sent home. This is a big slap in the face. We are known for our locks. If you’re going to send a girl home for wearing locks, you might as well spit on us. So to be able to be on a [major] platform and use locks is a big deal, not just as a Jamaican woman but as a Caribbean woman. I hope this will tell people: “It’s not OK to discriminate against natural hair.” Because it is natural hair. And it’s a disgrace that today you would tell someone you can’t wear your hair like that.</p>
<p>Normally, how do you prefer to wear your hair?</p>
<p>Afro. It’s more relaxed. I’m someone who doesn’t comb her hair every day. So my Afro is my every day hairstyle.</p>
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<p>Ky-Mani Marley, Davina Bennett, Julian Marley & Rohan Marley<br /> Courtesy of Davina Bennett</p>
<p>You also shot in Colombia, in Medellín, but also in Barú, a beautiful beach close to Cartagena. How was that experience?</p>
<p>I’ve never experienced anything quite like that, where they appreciate Black beauty [to that degree]. It had nothing to do with being Miss Jamaica. In Barú, people would walk up to me and say, “We have the same skin. We’re family. We don’t even speak the same language, and just because of our skin there’s a connection.” I was in awe of the fact that these people were appreciative of who I am, my beauty and my color.</p>
<p>Did you talk to Maluma about these things?</p>
<p><br /> I asked Maluma why he decided to do Jamaica. And he said, "Our cultures are so similar. There is a lot of diversity in Colombia. Our cultures intertwine." He just wanted to connect the two. And it’s amazing someone as big as Maluma can come to small Jamaica and find the uniqueness and the things that make us one. To be able to create an entire album paying homage to that is an iconic and very brave move. And it was executed in a way that both sides should be very proud of. I am, anyway. It’s a white guy from Colombia falling in love with a Jamaican woman with dreadlocks.</p>
<p>How did you meet Maluma?</p>
<p>I first met him in Jamaica. I was a little bit nervous. But I think it’s because I had to kiss him. It was in the script. I thought, "Oh Lord." I don’t want to make a fool of myself. But, yes he’s a very good kisser. And the kissing scene was quite a delight.</p>
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<div style="right:0;width:86px;height:250px;"> </div></div>The Evolution of Reggae: Are Jamaica’s Biggest Stars Leaving Reggae Behind or To The Next Level?https://caribshout.com/blog/the-evolution-of-reggae-are-jamaica-s-biggest-stars-leaving-regga2020-12-31T17:30:06.000Z2020-12-31T17:30:06.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8369905298,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8369905298,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="8369905298?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Photo via (L-R): Fernando Hevia; Yannick Reid; Sameel "samo Kush I" Johnson
By: Patrice Meschino - Daily Beast
<p>Jamaica’s first reggae radio station, IRIE FM, debuted on the island’s airwaves in August 1990. In Jamaican Rastafarian parlance, “irie” means good, cool, nice, and the station utilized a simple jingle to announce its content: “Reggae in the morning, reggae in the evening, reggae at nighttime on IRIE FM.” Thirty years on, IRIE still plays the original jingle. But it’s no longer quite true.</p>
<p>Some of the biggest stars featured on IRIE FM are playing a hybrid style that would’ve been unrecognizable as reggae when the station began. To many fans, it’s unrecognizable now. The new sound of Jamaica owes as much to trap, EDM, Afrobeat, and contemporary R&B as it does to dancehall or the original roots of reggae. It’s a style that doesn’t have a name yet, at least not one that’s stuck (although it’s sometimes referred to as trap dancehall) and you can hear it all over Jamaica.</p>
<p>“Reggae and dancehall continue to influence and contribute to the birth of various genres, as we’ve seen with hip hop, reggaeton and tropical house; now we are experiencing the birth of trap dancehall. Listeners to IRIE hear reggae and dancehall but also their offspring in a bid to further propel the art forms,” comments Kshema Francis of IRIE FM.</p>
<p>Three marquee names—Tarrus Riley, Protoje, and Dre Island—released outstanding albums this year that embody this evolutionary sound. All have incorporated influences and teachings from their Rastafari way of life, yet numerous tracks on their new albums bear little resemblance to the reggae of a generation ago. “I love the authentic reggae and dancehall sounds, but there are mixtures of other influences within those sounds,” Tarrus Riley, whose album <em>Healing</em> dropped on Aug. 28, told The Daily Beast in a recent Zoom interview.</p>
<p>Tarrus, 41, is an unlikely poster child for this new movement. He ascended to reggae stardom in 2006 with “She’s Royal,” a beautiful roots tribute to women and one of the decade’s most popular Jamaican singles. Tarrus’s breakthrough was part of the ‘00s mid-decade resurgence in roots reggae. Another roots movement appeared in Jamaica in the early 2010s, referred to as the Reggae Revival, which saw the emergence of several charismatic young talents including Chronixx, Jah9, Jesse Royal, and Kabaka Pyramid. Tarrus sees himself as the middle child in the reggae family.</p>
<p>“<a class="link rapid-noclick-resp" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/buju-banton-walks-like-a-champion-with-long-walk-to-freedom-concert-in-jamaica" target="_blank">Buju [Banton]</a> and Sizzla were before me in the 1990s and Chronixx is after me so, I understand the roots and I understand the youths,” he explains. “When I was young, me and my father (the late Jimmy Riley whose singing career began in Jamaica’s mid-’60s rocksteady era) never liked the same music. It’s a new decade now, new things are happening so while the people from before want to hold on to music that had its time, the youths want to give you something new.”</p>
<p>Tarrus’ impressive catalogue showcases his finely tuned expressive vocals, which are adaptable to a range of styles from soft rock (“Jah Will”) to traditional Rastafarian Nyabinghi drumming (“Lion Paw”) to energetic dancehall (“Good Girl Gone Bad”). Then there’s the EDM power ballad “Powerful,” a certified gold single produced by Major Lazer, featuring Tarrus and Ellie Goulding.</p>
<p>Jamaica went into its coronavirus lockdown in late March. Tarrus abruptly ended his touring, returned home, and began writing and recording the songs that would become <em>Healing,</em> produced by Tarrus with co-production by Shane Brown and legendary saxophonist Dean Fraser.</p>
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<p>Several tracks offer what Tarrus calls “experimental sounds”: over spatial dub and trap effects, Tarrus and rising trap dancehall artist Teejay trade quickly rhymed bursts referencing current racial and political sparring on “Babylon Warfare.” “Connect Again” with dancehall star Konshens anticipates a post-quarantine world and offers trap with a subtle reggae reverb while the spiritually fortifying “My Fire” (featuring singer Dexta Daps) is quintessential trap-R&B. The album’s biggest hit “Lighter” blends trap, EDM and dancehall into a catchy pop nugget, featuring female dancehall powerhouse Shenseea and is produced by (Jamaica born) Rvssian, well-known for his dancehall hits and Latin trap and reggaeton international chart toppers<em>.</em> The “Lighter” video has received over 32 million YouTube views since its release on Sept. 6. A fearless creative, Tarrus says the only thing to expect from his music is empowering messages.</p>
<p>“Don’t watch the tempo,” he cautions, “because I like doing new things. People are concerned with names, labels, trap, rap, hip-hop, dancehall, I can’t bother with them things. I have always been doing different kinds of sounds and I will continue. Music is going through a change right now, people are blending and fusing, everybody wants to call it a name, but I just call it good music.”</p>
<p>Reggae, like its direct Jamaican forerunners, ska and rocksteady, is an amalgam sound. In the late 1950s the ska beat was developed in Kingston recording studios by singers and musicians influenced by American doo wop, early rock and roll, gospel, rhythm and blues as well as Jamaica’s mento and Trinidad’s calypso. Rocksteady followed in 1966 with a slower tempo that allowed vocalists to fully showcase their talents while the basslines grew steadier and more pronounced. In 1968, the drum and bass led a faster, more complex rhythm called reggae. Experimentation on reggae tracks by Jamaican engineers and producers led to the birth of dub shortly thereafter. Dancehall reggae, reggae’s digitized strain, was created in 1984.</p>
<p>Over the decades, reggae has undergone organic stylistic changes and intentional adaptations aimed at reaching wider audiences. Island Records founder Chris Blackwell strategized marketing The Wailers’ 1973 <em>Catch A Fire</em> as a rock album, overdubbing guitar riffs and keyboard flourishes on the trio’s Jamaican recordings. Seeking to connect with an African American audience Bob Marley incorporated disco influences on his 1980 single “Could You Be Loved.” Esteemed rhythm section and production duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare brought the aggressiveness of the rock influences they absorbed while touring as members of Peter Tosh’s band opening for Santana and The Rolling Stones.</p>
<p>“As we did a couple of tours with these rock bands, we were wondering, how can we get that power, that energy, behind the reggae groove?” Dunbar told The Daily Beast. “So Robbie and I changed the sound of what we were playing, it was reggae but with a different attitude. The first experiment was (vocal trio) Black Uhuru, one of their first songs was “Shine Eye Gal” and people were like what is this?”</p>
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<p>Sly and Robbie’s modernizations earned widespread attention, yet some protested they were changing the music too much. In the 21st century their sonic advances continue to inspire another generation of artists and producers. Stephen and Damian Marley sampled Sly and Robbie’s production of singer Ini Kamoze’s “World-A-Music” for Damian’s 2005 Grammy winning blockbuster “Welcome to Jamrock,” a profoundly influential consolidation of hip-hop, dancehall and reggae elements. In 2012, Protoje, deeply inspired by Marley’s “Jamrock,” sampled Kamoze for his provocative hit “Kingston Be Wise,” written about the Jamaica Defense Force’s incursion into the city’s Tivoli Gardens community in search of wanted drug lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke, which resulted in an estimated 100 deaths.</p>
<p>Earlier this year Protoje sampled another Sly and Robbie rhythm for his production of singer Lila Ike’s single “Thy Will.” “Sly personally sent me the Baltimore riddim,” Protoje shared with The Daily Beast via Zoom, “and he told me, I love how you sample and lick over these riddims but now I want you to add something and move it forward.”</p>
<p>Protoje, 39, was born Oje Ken Ollivierre, the son of Jamaican lawyer (and former singer) Lorna Bennett and Mike Ollivierre, a former calypso king from St. Vincent. He was a core member of the Reggae Revival movement of the 2010s; since his initial impact on Jamaican music with the 2011 single “Rasta Love,” delivered in his mesmeric spoken/sung/patois-rapped vocals, Protoje has made tremendous strides in moving the island’s industry forward. He has signed three young female singers (<a class="link rapid-noclick-resp" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/jamaican-reggae-star-lila-ike-on-why-her-songs-of-survival-and-resistance-hit-home-in-america" target="_blank">Lila Iké</a>, Sevana and most recently Jaz Elise) to his Kingston based label In.Digg.Nation Collective and made history as the first Jamaican artist to have his label contracted to an American major, RCA Records. <em>In Search of Lost Time</em>, released on August 28, is his premiere album through that deal. Throughout the album’s 10 tracks, Protoje’s broad based influences including classic dub, 80s dancehall, grunge guitars, trap, hip hop, and electronica are intricately woven into a multi-layered sonic.</p>
<p>The album opens with “<a class="link rapid-noclick-resp" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgU8WNkP7LE&ab_channel=ProtojeVEVO" target="_blank">Switch It Up</a>,” blurring hip hop, R&B and a touch of roots, as Protoje and 20-year-old Jamaican sensation Koffee (who cites Protoje as a significant career influence) impressively change their flows, singing together then trading blistering verses. Incorporating a mash up of classic dancehall and hip-hop, Protoje reimagines the 1991 hit “Strange” by veteran Papa San into “Strange Happenings.” “Weed & Ting” is an unexpected take on a ganja song that also muses on life’s blessings and is set to a transcendent trap-one drop reggae fusion; the album’s other marijuana tune, “A Vibe,” featuring Wiz Khalifa, is straight up trap. Protoje wrote the motivational “<a class="link rapid-noclick-resp" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFxyPB_LcBA&ab_channel=ProtojeVEVO" target="_blank">Like Royalty</a>” (featuring dancehall superstar Popcaan) after attending the 2019 Grammy Awards (he was nominated for Best Reggae Album for <em>A Matter of Time</em>); wreathed in hip hop, funk and soul, the song’s complex patois rhymes acknowledge the sacrifices made by a few close friends and especially his mother to advance his career.</p>
<p>Working alongside a stellar cast of Jamaican producers including Iotosh Poyser, Supa Dups, Ziah Roberts, Natural High, The Grei Show, Stephen McGregor and longstanding collaborator Winta James, Protoje incorporates live instrumentation, samples, dub reverbs and various effects into a sophisticated tableau that’s beyond genre classification yet retains many distinctive Jamaican elements: the heavy reggae bassline and signature Wailers’ percussion on “Deliverance;” a bassline sampled from renowned (British) dub producer/engineer Mad Professor on “Still I Wonder” and a sample of veteran singer Freddie McGregor’s “I’m A Revolutionist,” that’s flipped into the sultry neo-soul influenced love song, “In Bloom,” featuring Lila Iké.</p>
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<p>“When Bob Marley dropped <em>Exodus </em>people probably said it wasn’t real reggae,” Protoje offered. (Recorded during Marley’s exile period in London, some critics balked 1977’s<em> Exodus </em>was unrelated to what was happening in Jamaica then, rather than applauding the album’s sonic innovations; <em>Exodus</em> was named Album of Century by <em>Time Magazine</em> in 1999.)</p>
<p><em>“</em>I always incorporate indigenous Jamaican elements, but music evolves, and our generation is responsible for what the sound is now. It’s the youths them me check for but me want the elders to respect my music. Freddie McGregor, Papa San, Sly, all them people say them a love what me a do so me nah listen to the others. I just keep making music how it sounds in my head.”</p>
<p>Dre Island’s debut album <em>Now I Rise</em> combines Rastafarian roots reggae’s denunciations of societal injustices underpinned by atmospheric genre-defying beats. Released in May, the <em>Now I Rise</em> <em>Deluxe Edition</em> dropped on July 24, with Dre writing, singing and producing most of the album’s 20 tracks. Born Andre Johnson, Dre, 32, is a classically trained pianist who worked as an engineer/producer before stepping in front of the mic. He made his initial impact with such singles as the jubilant “Rastafari Way” and the poignant commentary on the disparities between “Uptown/Downtown;” Dre’s fan base was further expanded through acoustic performance clips uploaded to the internet and posted on social media showcasing his keyboard expertise and raspy, emotive vocals. His biggest hit to date “We Pray,” featuring Popcaan, a widely embraced hymn of spiritual strength (its video has received over 32 million YouTube views) was released in 2017 and is included on <em>Now I Rise</em>.</p>
<p>Dre skillfully explores a range of styles including EDM (“More Love-Dub Fx Remix”) exuberant funk pop (“Four Seasons”) Afrobeats (“Calling”) and several trap-influenced tracks such as “Run to Me” featuring Alandon. Raised in the volatile Red Hills Road area of Kingston, it’s Dre’s gritty firsthand observations that provide the album’s most riveting moments. Over a hazy trap-inspired rhythm track, Dre’s melancholy, deeply affecting vocals on “My City” deliver a bittersweet love letter to Jamaica’s capital, “where politicians every day dem import a strap and dem no care about the issues weh the voters got.”</p>
<p>“Kingdom” was written in 2014 about the Tivoli Gardens incursion, its sparse martial beat underscores the lyrics’ galvanizing spiritual call to arms: “I was living in a community that was affected dearly by that, a lot of innocent youths died, so I approached the song as we Rasta coming forward with Jah message,” Dre recalled. Equally haunting and likewise rhythmically stark, “Still Remain” remarks on the continual gang war in Kingston’s Mountain View community: “shotta spray like how the fountain spew, your door police will squeeze round ten through, stand over three man and found them blue.”</p>
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<p>“Many artists speak on these kinds of things but because of where I come from, it’s only a few that strike it and let me see that harsh reality where me say, this is what really happen, him not lying,” Dre offers. “That’s why today I can say ‘it was all a dream, I used to read Word Up! Magazine,’” quoting lyrics from Biggie Smalls. “I felt I lived that too, Biggie. Biggie’s long gone in the flesh, but his soul will forever live on because he never lied, he struck in that reality. That’s what Bob Marley did too, he never tried to pretty it up: ‘man to man is so unjust you don’t know who to trust,” Dre adds, quoting from “Who The Cap Fit.” “Bob never tell no lie, that is exactly how it goes today, too.”</p>
<p>Wyclef Jean recruited Dre for the remix to his song “Justice” a tribute to slain jogger Ahmaud Arbery, then offered Dre the remix for <em>Now I Rise</em>. “Bang Your Head” pairs Dre’s mother’s wise encouraging words with producer Winta James’ futuristic EDM meets hip-hop infused rhythm. The impressively sweeping musical scope of <em>Now I Rise</em> won’t outwardly be identified as roots reggae although Dre’s impassioned delivery and provocative statements extend the music’s revolutionary spirit with a sonic update for a new generation. “I don’t watch genre because reggae is not a beat for I,” says Dre, who like Tarrus and Protoje resists categorizations. “Reggae is the music that Rasta use to deliver the message of His Majesty (Ethiopian Emperor, Rastafarian Savior Haile Selassie I) and as a Rastaman, I message say burn (condemn) division, burn segregation, we are one people: I say no race, no color, so how am I going to say genre? As long as the message is speaking righteousness and love to the people, then the music is reggae for I.”</p>
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<p><a class="link rapid-noclick-resp" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/are-jamaicas-biggest-stars-leaving-reggae-behind?source=articles&via=rss" target="_blank">Read more at The Daily Beast.</a></p></div>Shaggy drops Life Lessons in sit down with Yendihttps://caribshout.com/blog/shaggy-drops-life-lessons-in-sit-down-with-yendi2020-12-01T13:19:14.000Z2020-12-01T13:19:14.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VatminI__is" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<h1><span style="font-size:12pt;">Shaggy drops some Major life knowledge! One of Jamaica's most successful artiste chronicles his journey.</span></h1>
<p><span style="font-size:8pt;"><em>See more interviews with Yendi on her Odyssey YouTube channel: <a href="http://https//www.youtube.com/results?search_query=yendi+phillips+odyssey" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=yendi+phillips+odyssey</a></em></span></p>
<h1 class="title style-scope ytd-video-primary-info-renderer"> </h1></div>Lovers Rock gives life to the joyful Black history of blues partieshttps://caribshout.com/blog/lovers-rock-gives-life-to-the-joyful-black-history-of-blues-parti2020-11-30T20:15:14.000Z2020-11-30T20:15:14.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8233640893,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8233640893,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="620" alt="8233640893?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
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<div class="css-1qvfpal" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:8pt;"><em><span class="css-l6t30p"><span class="css-nsq509">My mum disputes some details of McQueen’s retelling – notably the tactile dancing.’ Micheal Ward and Amarah-Jae St Aubyn (centre) in Lovers Rock. </span>Photograph: Parisa Taghizadeh/BBC/McQueen Limited</span></em></span></div>
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<div class="css-dcy86h">Story by: Micha Frazer-Carroll</div>
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<p class="css-38z03z"><span class="css-1r9pv9q"><span class="css-1ac5g5w">A</span></span><span class="css-38z03z">t the halfway mark of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/sep/17/lovers-rock-review-steve-mcqueen-small-axe">Lovers Rock</a>, the new Steve McQueen film set at a blues party in 1980, at least a hundred partygoers calmly sing an a capella song for five minutes straight. It is hypnotising and, like other moments in McQueen’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/nov/14/small-axe-the-black-british-culture-behind-steve-mcqueens-stunning-new-series">Small Axe</a> film series, which centres around British Caribbean communities in the 1960s to the 1980s, time feels momentarily like it has been<strong> </strong>stretched. Every person in that jam-packed room patiently sings the slow song from start to finish, and everyone knows the words: “But I’ve got no time to live this lie / No, I’ve got no time to play your silly games / Silly games!”</span></p>
<p class="css-38z03z">When the film aired on Sunday night on the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/bbc">BBC</a>, watching the characters sing the 1979 hit Silly Games felt<strong> </strong>very<strong> </strong>close to home, in part because Janet Kay, who sings the song, happens to be my “auntie” – a lifelong friend of my mum’s, rather than a blood relative. Silly Games was therefore a staple of my childhood; when I was growing up, Auntie Kay could always be persuaded to sing her former chart success at any birthday, christening or holy communion.</p>
<p class="css-38z03z">The song was part of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/nov/23/could-steve-mcqueen-small-axe-spark-a-lovers-rock-revival">lovers rock</a> genre, the post-Windrush lovechild of reggae and soul born in 1970s Britain. Silly Games was a hit at family parties when I was growing up, but it was only when I was much older that I learned the song wasn’t just a cultural touchstone in my family – it was one of the most famous lovers rock singles in history. As an adult, I started to understand its reach: I would meet Caribbeans who had grown up in Manchester, Birmingham or Scotland who had all sung the song at their family parties, too – with everyone’s mum, uncle and auntie trying to hit the notoriously hard-to-reach high note at the end of the chorus. I grew up on fables about the blues parties my nanny hosted at her house</p>
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<p class="css-38z03z">Many Caribbeans remarked on social media that seeing such a cherished tradition on screen felt personal – as did the setting of a legendary blues party. Usually hosted in someone’s basement, blues parties sprung up in the 1970s as safe refuges from Britain’s racist clubbing scene. As McQueen depicts, they were a mixture of an underground rave and a house party –<strong> </strong>any cash that changed hands was generally just enough to cover the costs of the makeshift <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/may/31/recording-west-indian-music-history-manchester">shebeen</a>.<strong> </strong>Lovers rock music like Auntie Kay’s often provided the soundtrack to these ritualistic house parties, which were all about sensual slow dancing rather than blowing off steam to pop or disco.</p>
<p class="css-38z03z">I grew up on fables about the blues parties my nanny hosted at her house in Hackney, east London, and those at other people’s homes that my mum spent her teenage years and early twenties attending. It would all begin in the morning: the host would spend the day painstakingly clearing out rooms, cooking for guests and getting a mammoth sound system in. The speakers were of crucial importance – and, after the party kicked off at midnight or 1am, attendees could find the right address by following the vibrations that crept along the street.</p>
<p class="css-38z03z">Once people arrived at the house, they would have to pay a small fee to get in, but it was worth it to find the sounds, smells and flavours of the homesick blues: curry goat, Red Stripe, wallpaper dripping with sweat and a syncopated bass line blasting from an 8ft speaker. Blues parties were places of celebration and togetherness – and crucially, the only place you could hear reggae and lovers rock, except perhaps for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/feb/23/reggae-dj-david-rodigan-my-name-was-adopted-by-a-kingston-gangster-hes-dead-now">David Rodigan</a>’s slot on Capital Radio.</p>
<p class="css-38z03z">Of course, Black spaces have always been threatened by forces outside our control. Blues parties eventually petered out, increasingly falling foul of the police due to noise complaints and licensing issues, while the mainstream clubbing scene opened up to Black audiences. By the late 1980s, they had come and gone – and today, their ghosts haunt areas like Dalston, which were once popular for blues parties but whose large basements are no longer home to Black families.</p>
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<div class="css-1gqsble">Generation next: the rising stars of Steve McQueen's Small Axe</div>
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<p class="css-38z03z">My mum disputes some details of McQueen’s retelling – notably the accents and the tactile dancing: “The art was to dance as close as possible without touching,” she told me as the film progressed. Others felt that sometimes stereotypes got the better of McQueen, who was only 11 at the time of the story. But it seemed that the millennial generation of Caribbeans in particular relished the plunge into nostalgia;<strong> </strong>and for those who have grown up on the stories of their parents, it was perhaps validating to see a lifelike depiction of historical tradition deeply mythologised yet under-documented in British history.</p>
<p class="css-38z03z">While it may not be perfect, McQueen’s film is a solid contribution to the ongoing project of archiving our histories, which – although it is easy to forget – are characterised by joy as well as struggle. In fact, blues parties perfectly illustrate how the two were intrinsically intertwined. Emerging from an era of “no Blacks, no dogs, no Irish”, Caribbean people carved out meaningful underground spaces to dance their blues away. Although these parties are no longer, the blues spirit lives on in oral histories, in films like McQueen’s, and in a room full of aunties reaching for that high note at the end of Silly Games.</p>
<p class="css-38z03z">• Micha Frazer-Carroll is a columnist at the Independent</p>
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</div></div>Legendary Reggae Singer Toots Hibbert, Frontman of the Maytals, Dies at 77https://caribshout.com/blog/legendary-reggae-singer-toots-hibbert-frontman-of-the-maytals-die2020-09-14T11:57:43.000Z2020-09-14T11:57:43.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7926732252,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7926732252,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="600" alt="7926732252?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
<p><a id="auto-tag_toots-hibbert" href="https://variety.com/t/toots-hibbert/">Toots Hibbert</a>, an influential and veteran Jamaican ska and reggae singer and founder of the band the Maytals, has died. He was 77. The cause of death is as yet unclear, though he had been recently tested for Covid-19.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tootsandthemaytals/posts/3980868711929519" target="_blank">statement from his family released on Sept. 11</a> reads: “It is with the heaviest of hearts to announce that Frederick Nathaniel ‘Toots’ Hibbert passed away peacefully tonight, surrounded by his family at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.</p>
<p>“The family and his management team would like to thank the medical teams and professionals for their care and diligence, and ask that you respect their privacy during their time of grief.”</p>
<p>The youngest of seven children, Hibbert’s parents were both Seventh-Day Adventist ministers and he grew up singing in church. He moved to the country’s capital of Kingston as a teenager and formed the first version of the Maytals in the early 1960s. Over the following 10 years the group recorded with a series of producers that reads like a reggae hall of fame: Coxsone Dodd, Prince Buster, Byron Lee, Leslie Kong — and reeled off Hibbert compositions like “Bam Bam,” “Sweet and Dandy” and “54-46 That’s My Number,” which was inspired by a mid-‘60s prison term he served for marijuana possession. </p>
<p>Hibbert was one of the early proponents of reggae in the late 1960s and scored a hit with the song “Do the Reggay.” In fact, he is often credited with giving reggae its name when he christened the 1968 song.</p>
<p>He was a contemporary and friend of Bob Marley’s, and for several years both were signed to Island Records. Speaking with the Jamaica Observer in 2018, Hibbert spoke of sharing bills with Marley’s band, the Wailers, in their early days. “Sometimes the Maytals would close, sometimes The Wailers would close the show. We had no problems, no professional jealousy, we were all very good friends,” he said. “Out of all of us though, me an’ Bob were very good friends. It was out of one of those conversations that I did the song ‘Marley.’ He was telling me that he was going to be a dreadlocks Rasta an’ I laughed an’ said, ‘I want to be a comb-locks’ Rasta like Selassie I,’ an’ he laughed, just like the words in the actual song,” he said.</p>
<p>The two both had hits with different songs called “Redemption Song,” featured on his first album for Island, “Funky Kingston.”</p>
<p>“When I did ‘Redemption Song’ in 1972, it went number one [in Jamaica],” Hibbert recalled. “Marley said he would do a ‘Redemption Song’ as well. He used a similar rhythm but different lyrics.” Marley’s version of the song appeared on the final album released during his lifetime, “Uprising.”</p>
<p>Also in 1972, Hibbert appeared in the groundbreaking film “The Harder They Come,” which starred Jimmy Cliff. His 1969 song “Pressure Drop” was featured on the film’s soundtrack and was covered by the Clash in 1978, introducing Hibbert to thousands of new listeners.</p>
<p>A seemingly permanent presence in reggae music, Hibbert continued to tour and record through the decades, appearing on Willie Nelson’s 2005 album “Countryman” and covering Radiohead’s “Let Down” for a collection of reggae Radiohead covers. He even joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers onstage for a performance of “Louie Louie” during a 2011 New Year’s Eve party in St. Barts thrown by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.</p>
<p>In 2013 he was injured when a thrown bottle hit him in the head during a performance in Virginia. He missed several shows but ended up asking the judge to give the young man who threw the bottle a light sentence. “He is a young man, and I have heard what happens to young men in jail,” he wrote in a letter to the judge. “My own pain and suffering would be increased substantially knowing that this young man would face that prospect.” The man received a six-month sentence.</p>
<p>Hibbert was hospitalized just days after the release of his and the Maytals’ first album in more than a decade, “Got to Be Tough.” The album was co-produced by Zak Starkey, and features contributions from Starkey’s father, Ringo Starr, as well as Ziggy Marley, Sly Dunbar and Cyril Neville (read <a href="https://variety.com/2020/music/reviews/toots-and-the-maytals-got-to-be-tough-album-review-1234751899/"><em>Variety</em>‘s review</a>).</p>
<p>“I’m very proud of what I’ve done and the love I’ve given,” Hibbert told Rolling Stone of the album. “But it’s getting harder and harder to give the love the people need, and they need it now more than ever. No time to waste.”</p>
<p>On Sept. 2, it was revealed that <a href="https://variety.com/2020/music/news/toots-hibbert-stable-coronavirus-1234755740/">Hibbert was in stable but serious condition</a> in a private medical facility in Jamaica. He was tested for Covid-19, although the results have not been announced.</p>
<p>Hibbert is survived by his wife of 39 years, Miss D, and his seven of eight children.</p></div>It's Gonna Be Real Dancehall!!!https://caribshout.com/blog/it-s-gonna-be-real-dancehall2020-06-27T12:23:00.000Z2020-06-27T12:23:00.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}6374762482,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}6374762482,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="6374762482?profile=original" /></a></p>
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<p>Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley will be the executive producer of Bounty Killer’s upcoming album.</p>
<p>The Warlord made the revelation during an interview with radio disc jockey <a href="http://www.nikkizlive.com/dnz-blog/one-on-one-with-bounty-killer-music-life-maturity/" target="_blank">Nikki Z</a> recently. According to Bounty, the album comes 18 years after his 2002 album, <em>Ghetto Dictionary,</em> which was released by VP Records.</p>
<p>“Now its 2020 and I am working on an album also. So I am building up the fire and gassin up di place… I am not done; I am not dead. I am ready again. And, it has been like 18 years I put out an album 2002. The Ghetto dictionary; that’s my last album. That’s two generations actually, so it’s overdue- way past overdue, so I am working on an album with Ghetto Youths,” he said.</p>
<p>“Junior Gong is gonna be the executive producer. So it’s gonna be something to listen to. It’s gonna be the real dancehall. I’m gonna remind them what dancehall is. Some people don’t remember what dancehall is and what the real foundation is… so we gonna take them to the real hardcore,” he explained.</p>
<p>Bounty, yesterday, <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/2020/06/24/news/bounty-killer-and-agent-sasco-tease-dancehall-fans-with-a-deadly-collab.html">shared a photo</a> outside the Marley family’s legendary <em>Tuff Gong</em> studio in Kingston, with dancehall artiste <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/artists/agent-sasco">Agent Sasco</a>, formerly Assassin.The pair teased fans with an upcoming “deadly” <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2020/06/sasco-killa.jpg"><img class="i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content" src="https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2020/06/sasco-killa-900x600.jpg" alt="" /></a>Bounty Killer and Agent Sasco</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Bounty Killer said he was in no rush to complete the album, as that was not his style.</p>
<p>“In music, we have no time, no date. It’s when the music say its time. Because you don’t give yourself deadline in music; never do dat. Just make music come as inspiration. Das why I haven’t put out an album in 18 years. Cause I never look at no time like ‘yow a 10 years now enuh or 15 years, because everybody bukking me u and saying yow, is nearly 20 years,” he said.</p>
<p>Bounty Killer has released several studio albums since he burst onto the dancehall scene in the early 1990s. The last one, <em>Ghetto Dictionary: The Mystery</em>, which was released by VP Records in January 2002 featured 20 tracks including hits such as <em>Sufferah</em> featuring <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/artists/wayne-marshall">Wayne Marshall</a>, <em>Mystery</em>, <em>High Grade Forever</em>, <em>Pot of Gold</em> featuring <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/artists/richie-stephens">Richie Stephens</a>, <em>Arrow</em> and the title track <em>Ghetto Dictionary</em>.</p>
<p>The superstar has long spoken of the high regard which he has for the <em>Youngest Veteran</em> whom he has described as exceptionally brilliant, while Marley himself always refers to the artiste as a ‘legend’.<a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2020/06/damian-marley-bounty-killer.jpg"><img class="i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content" src="https://www.dancehallmag.com/assets/2020/06/damian-marley-bounty-killer-900x600.jpg" alt="" /></a>Damian Marley and Bounty Killer in 2017.</p>
<p>Last August, Damian made it known that he would love to produce tracks for Bounty Killer, whom he said he first met while in his early teens. He told the <a href="http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/splash/who-s-next-_173091" target="_blank">Jamaica Observer</a> newspaper at the time that he loved the Killer’s music, and that the Seaview Gardens native always looked out for him from his teenage days.</p>
<p>Both men, along with Eek-a-mouse, had also collaborated on the hit track <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOs4iT_I9eU" target="_blank">Khaki Suit</a>, from Damian’s Grammy-winning <em>Welcome to Jamrock</em> album, back in 2005.</p>
<p><a class="amp-hidden" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOs4iT_I9eU" target="_blank"><img class="i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FOs4iT_I9eU/hqdefault.jpg" alt="Damian Marley,Bounty Killer & Eek A Mouse - Khaki Suit" /></a><iframe class="i-amphtml-fill-content" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FOs4iT_I9eU?enablejsapi=1&amp=1&playsinline=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p>Damian is no stranger to being an executive producer, having produced <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/artists/third-world">Third World’s</a> Grammy-nominated album titled <em>More Work To Be Done</em> last year as well as <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/artists/kabaka-pyramid">Kabaka Pyramid’s</a> <em>Kontraband</em> in 2018, </p>
<p>In the meantime, the One General told Nikki Z that he is not interested in new phenomena like streaming.</p>
<p>“I don’t know about dem tings. I don’t pay attention to streaming. I was here before di internet, and I don’t get too into di net. I was here before di microwave; I was here before color TV just came out. I was here before cable; I was here when TV signing off. So I am not into all that internet fad,” he said.</p>
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<p class="artist-tags"><strong>In This Story:</strong> <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/artists/agent-sasco">Agent Sasco</a>, <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/artists/bounty-killer">Bounty Killer</a>, <a href="https://www.dancehallmag.com/artists/damian-marley">Damian Marley</a></p>
</div>Jamaica begins process to get reggae inscribed on UNESCO cultural heritage listhttps://caribshout.com/blog/jamaica-begins-process-to-get-reggae-inscribed-on-unesco-cultural2016-02-09T18:16:29.000Z2016-02-09T18:16:29.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}3665148020,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}3665148020,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="3665148020?profile=original" width="740" /></a></p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align:center;"><em><span class="font-size-1">PRINCIPAL DIRECTOR OF THE CULTURE AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES POLICY DIVISION IN THE MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND CULTURE, DR. JANICE LINDSAY, SAYS A COMMITTEE WILL PREPARE THE DOCUMENTS NEEDED SO REGGAE CAN BE LISTED.</span></em></p>
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<p><strong>KINGSTON, Jamaica, Tuesday February 9, 2016 </strong>– Jamaica’s Ministry of Youth and Culture is moving to have reggae inscribed on the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.</p>
<p>Principal Director of the Culture and Creative Industries Policy Division in the Ministry of Youth and Culture, Dr. Janice Lindsay, says the ministry has set up a committee to prepare the documents expected to be submitted in March 2017.</p>
<p>“We have so far had one meeting. It has been a robust meeting. Essentially, the discussions have been about how we describe reggae when we put forward that nomination file,” she disclosed on Sunday.</p>
<p>Dr. Lindsay said the global appeal of reggae was why it should be inscribed on UNESCO’s list.</p>
<p>“We need to protect that distinctive history of reggae as an intangible heritage and we need to do this before someone else presents the elements in some other form as theirs,” she stressed, adding that the move would have far more bearing on future generations.</p>
<p>“[The young ones], 50 years from now, would not have forgiven us if they lived to read in bits and pieces that there was a music emanating from our country and that it was lost over time, because there was no proof of the origin and distinctiveness being uniquely Jamaican.”</p>
<p>Dr. Lindsay argued that important stories of Jamaica’s music must be safeguarded “since it is the only sure way of protecting the integrity of the music.”</p>
<p> </p></div>Sizzla leads August Town revivalhttps://caribshout.com/blog/sizzla-leads-august-town-revival2015-08-01T00:29:36.000Z2015-08-01T00:29:36.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}3665146506,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}3665146506,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="3665146506?profile=original" width="504" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span class="font-size-1"><em>BY RICHARD JOHNSON Observer senior reporter johnsonr@jamaicaobserver.com</em></span></p>
<p>SIZZLA is working to bring cultural and historical awareness within his August Town community through his Sizzla Youth Foundation.</p>
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<p>The artiste is spearheading month-long celebrations for the August Town Emancipation Birthday, commemorating 177 years since the St Andrew community was officially established.</p>
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<p>"It is paramount that we remind the youths of the community where they are from and the rich history and tradition which they must uphold. They must be aware of the strong links to the fight against slavery as the original settlers in these lands came from the Mona and Papine plantations... so we just need to re-education the community so they know where they are coming from so as to chart the course forward," said Sizzla.</p>
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<p>The celebrations started Wednesday with a peace march through August Town.</p>
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<p>Other events include the unveiling of a wall dedicated to renowned August Town spiritual leader Alexander Bedward. This takes place tomorrow.</p>
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<p>A Senior Citizens Day is scheduled for August 2. August 6 is Bedward Day at the Bedward Temple in the community. The Greater August Town Violence Prevention Day is set for August 13, while the World of Reggae Concert featuring Sizzla and friends is at the UWI Bowl, Mona, on August 16.</p>
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<p>The month's activities are completed by the Back-to-School Family Affair and Treat at the UWI Bowl on August 30.</p>
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<p>According to Sizzla, his foundation which was founded in 2010, wants residents and persons from outside August Town to be aware of the good that has, and can come from, the area.</p>
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<p>"We want to eradicate violence from August Town. This can only be achieved by instilling values which stress Africa and education. We must rejuvenate the minds and with that we can achieve much," he said.</p>
<p> </p></div>Reggae Singer Breaks from Tour to Honor the U.S. Secretary of Statehttps://caribshout.com/blog/reggae-singer-breaks-from-tour2010-10-14T00:38:13.000Z2010-10-14T00:38:13.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}3665134079,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" /></p>
<p>Duane Stephenson and U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, meet in Washington, D.C. during a World Food Program award ceremony on October 5, 2010.<br /> WASHINGTON, DC - Reggae singer/songwriter Duane Stephenson was recently invited by the World Food Program (WFP) to perform in honor of the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton. The event took place at the George McGovern Leadership Award ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, October 5. <br /> Stephenson was at the tail end of his U.S. tour with the Wailers, and the two parties previously teamed up for a song that manifested a partnership with the WFP. "The Wailers and I are partners with the World Food Program," says Stephenson. "Our song 'A Step for Mankind' has helped to spread the message of the need for more action in addressing the issue of world hunger."<br /><br /><br /> Duane Stephenson and U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, meet in Washington, D.C. during a World Food Program award ceremony on October 5, 2010.<br /><br /> Stephenson was thus invited to perform at the ceremony that included political dignitaries and social activists from around the world at the prestigious event, where Secretary Clinton was presented with The George McGovern Leadership Award for her work to curb global hunger.<br /><br /> Stephenson reveals he is humbled and excited by the experience. "It's so inspiring to be in the company of global politicians and dedicated corporate partners who share the same values and aspirations to eradicate hunger," states Stephenson. "Food is a common bond that unites every single life form on this planet, we all require it to live, yet a billion people each night go to bed hungry and 25,000 of them die."<br /><br /> Stephenson disclosed his work with the World Food Program will continue as he sees the issue of world hunger as one that is very important to him. "I was happy to be there to see Secretary Clinton get this award as she has fought for this issue for years now. Hunger affects a billion of our brothers, sisters and children in 80 countries. This award will bring added attention and raise awareness of the issue."<br /></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}3665134195,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" /></p>
<p><br /> Duane Stephenson with World Food Program Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, and Ian Barrett (son of Ashton "Family Man" Barrett of The Wailers).<br /><br /> Duane Stephenson just wrapped up touring the U.S. as the opening act for the legendary Wailers, and promoting his sophomore album Black Gold, released by VP Records on September 28, 2010. Black Gold is the highly anticipated follow-up to Stephenson's debut album From August Town, which was released by VP Records in 2007 and was hailed as one of that year's best reggae albums.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}3665134151,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" /></p>
<p><span class="bodyCopy"><strong>Ian Barrett, Hunter Biden (son of U.S. VP Joe Biden) and Duane Stephenson.</strong></span></p></div>Richie Loophttps://caribshout.com/blog/richie-loop2010-04-16T00:34:40.000Z2010-04-16T00:34:40.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}3665130601,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" width="721" /></p>
<p>At 23 years old, one of the newest rising artist Richard ‘Richie Loop’ Webb, has begun to make his audience sit up and take notice as he makes strides toward solidifying his name in the music history. With a budding catalogue, the singer, songwriter and producer, who already has three singles in rotation on radio within the Caribbean and abroad. Born and raise in the parish of Clarendon, Richie Loop attended Clarendon College but has always had a love affair with music and all that it embodies. An entertainer at heart, he dabbled in dancing and acting as a child. Later he pursued studies in Information Technology at Excelsior Community College and upon completion, worked at Gumption Recording studios as a composer. It was while working at the studio that he received the name Richie Loop. Wanting to further his growth, he ventured to Gal A Rush Recording Studios, where he spent five months fine tuning his craft. During that time he was afforded the opportunity to work with veteran reggae artist Derrek Morgan. It was while working with Derrek Morgan that Richie Loop got his big break when he was approached by Robert Livingston CEO of Scikron Entertainment, also known as Big Yard Music Label, and was instantly offered a contract. Richie Loop describes his experiences with Robert Livingston as a critical learning process in his career as a singer, songwriter, composer and producer. He goes on to say, "In my daily musical walk, I am able to learn from one of the greatest manager/producer of all time and continue the legacy of Scikron Entertainment." My main focus is to work on improving my skills by incorporating new styles of beats (a fusion of dancehall, disco, rock and hip hop) and songs that people will enjoy." One of the biggest riddim that consumed the airwaves in late 2009 to date the ‘Brainstorm’ rhythm produced by Richie Loop and D-Lynx, and has followed-up with ‘Maad a Road’ and ‘Sweat Shop’ rhythms. Additionally, he has produced songs on two of the rhythms he brought to life namely - ‘She Wants It Good’ on the ‘BrainStorm’ rhythm and ‘Gal Whine’ on the ‘Sweat Shop’ rhythm. The production of such captivating rhythms have not only gained Loop media attention but it has also allowed him the opportunity to work with notable artists such as Shaggy, Christopher Martin, D-Lynx, Iceman, D-Major, Ce'cile, Voicemail, Red Fox, Lukie D, Tony Matterhorn and upcoming female dancehall artist Rae Tay. In February 2010, Richie Loop stepped behind the mic and voiced what is setting it self up to be a party anthem, ‘My Cupp.’ The single has been an instant catch that garnered attention from radio, disc jocks and various media outlets. This multi-talented phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down as he hopes to work with other Jamaican artists as well as international acts.</p></div>Una Morgan Makes Break-Through Progress With New Solo Albumhttps://caribshout.com/blog/una-morgan-makes-breakthrough2010-03-02T00:00:00.000Z2010-03-02T00:00:00.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}3665129432,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" width="450" /> Photo by: GBurkeImages</p>
<p>Una Morgan is the sole female sibling of the Reggae band of this decade, Morgan Heritage. Despite having ten studio albums under her belt with her family band, having performed for stadium-sized audiences across the world, and having garnered much of the success and longevity that many artistes can only hope for, Una took a step back from the limelight in 2006. “I wanted to take time to recreate and develop myself physically, mentally, and spiritually.” </p>
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<p>During this time she also focused on building her production company, SIA Entertainment, strengthening family ties, improving her physical health and connecting with her spirituality. As a true performer, however, Una could not sit back idly. Now as a solo artist she has developed with her own distinctive sound. Una Morgan’s signature sound is a blend of Reggae, Dancehall, Pop, Hip Hop and Soul fused to be appropriately called Raggasoul.</p>
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<p>With this distinctive sound, an excellent voice, and great studio production, Una’s single ‘Giving’, produced by Lenky ‘Diwali’ Marsden (producer of Sean Paul, Nina Sky etc.) perfectly captures her sound. She is also excited about her contribution made on the ‘Tribute to Haiti’ track produced by the great Handel Tucker (producer of ‘Close to You’ and ‘Just a Little Bit Longer’ by Maxi Priest, ‘House Call’ by Shabba Ranks and various hits with Sly and Robbie and Beenie Man).</p>
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<p>Una is also working with acclaimed local and international producers on her debut solo album. She is very excited about working with multi Grammy Award winning producers Commission Gordon (credited with work for Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone), a collaboration that was set up by Rubikon ENT, who list Gordon among their clients. Her solo album presents collaborations<br /> with established and new names in the industry. On her album, she worked with other established producers and writers, such as Stephen McGregor, Jimmy Cozier, and Taj from the 90’s group The Boys. Una has also returned to her hometown of Springfield, Atlanta to work with rising stars such as Kiana India, ME, and producer “X”.</p>
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<p>To address the rumors, Una ensures her fans that her solo venture is not signaling the breakup of Morgan Heritage. “We always knew that we would build as a group, use that foundation to take things to the next level, and then come back to the family.” You can even find some more Morgans on the credits, with brothers Mr. Mojo and Gramps assisting in mixing and production, a true testament to the strong bond that keeps their<br /> family together.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}3665129975,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" width="300" /></p>
<p>Una performing in Charlotte, NC. Photo by: GBurkeImages</p>
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<p>Looking to fully capitalize on her groups’ international success, Una has recently signed to Gary George Inc. (GGI) and Rubikon Entertainment management companies to use their pooled wealth of resources for management and legal services to propel her development. Rubikon is a UK-based management and legal firm that provide management and legal & business affairs to a slew of prominent artistes and producers amongst other entities.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Miss Morgan, even though blessed, has not let her accomplishments go to her head. She remains humble and has made it her personal mission to use her celebrity status and music to champion issues such as health, weight management, self-esteem, and other issues plaguing women around the world. “I’m very concerned that many young women today are doing things to please everyone else. We need to work on being one with the Creator first, and I hope my music can inspire young women to do that.”</p>
<p>The Raggasoul songstress, Una Morgan, hopes that with her new album, entitled ‘Just Me’, she can show her evolution in music, life, and spirituality, while continuing to uphold her family’s legacy.</p>
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<p>Source: Gary George Inc/SIA Entertainment</p></div>Elephant Man warms up Charlotte with performancehttps://caribshout.com/blog/elephant-man-warms-up2010-02-28T16:30:00.000Z2010-02-28T16:30:00.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}3665129436,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" width="225" /> GBurkeImages Photo<br /> On CIAA weekend in Charlotte, NC. Elephant Man provided his many fans with an entertaining concert at the Neighborhood Theater. The event put on by Brightworks Promotions was well attended and Elephant Man had his fans especially the women rocking to his favorite beats. </p>
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<p><br /> To see many more photos of the concert and fans visit: <a>gburkeimages.com</a></p></div>Jamaican Reggae Legend Willie Stewart Jams With Students At Broward Centerhttps://caribshout.com/blog/jamaican-reggae-legend-willie2009-12-11T02:02:22.000Z2009-12-11T02:02:22.000ZCaribShouthttps://caribshout.com/members/CaribShout<div><p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}3665128670,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" /></p>
<p>Students from Winston Park Elementary and Parkway Middle School participated in the Arts Inspire... workshop. FORT LAUDERDALE – The Broward Center for the Performing Arts, designated as the county’s first international cultural embassy by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, has given students a passport to other cultures through its interactive “Arts Inspires…” annual workshop, which has featured artists such as Romero Britto and Pablo Cano. Recently during “Arts Inspire… Jamaican Rhythms," percussionist Willie Stewart led a drumming workshop for 60 fledgling musicians from Winston Park Elementary and Parkway Middle School. Stewart, who has performed around the world and with legendary performers such as Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, Bob Marley, Quincy Jones, Sting and Michael Jackson, educated students on the influence and impact that Africa has had on Jamaica’s people, rhythm/music and culture. The workshop was presented by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and the School Board of Broward County with participation by the Jamaican Consulate. “With a significant Jamaican community in South Florida, we are pleased to partner once again with the Broward Center to educate, celebrate and promote Jamaican culture to local students,” said Consul General Sandra Grant Griffiths of the Jamaican Consulate. The Abdo New River Room of the Broward Center was the backdrop for the workshop, where students were first introduced to percussion instruments from around the world. They then focused on musical concepts such as rhythm, timing and beat; tonality and harmony; performance techniques; and the role of percussive music forms in ritual and culture. The workshop culminated with a performance by Stewart and the students, who demonstrated the rhythms they learned during the workshop to an audience that included School Board of Broward County members Maureen S. Dinnen, Phyllis C. Hope, and Benjamin J. Williams; The Honorable Sandra Grant Griffiths of the Jamaican Consulate; and representatives from the participating schools. “The School Board of Broward County is committed to educating the total child,” said Maureen Dinnen, of the School Board of Broward County. “The arts are a critical component of our educational programming, kindergarten through 12th grade. In the workshop, we saw students energized, excited and inspired to meet and learn from Willie Stewart. We are proud to participate in such a rewarding program that offers our students enriching and memorable educational experiences.”</p>
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<p>L-R: Maureen S. Dinnen, School Board of Broward County; Willie Stewart; Sharon Brooks, Broward Center Director of Education. More than two million students have attended educational programs at the Broward Center through the nationally award-winning Student Enrichment in the Arts partnership program with the Broward Center and Broward County Public Schools. The two organizations also collaborate on initiatives which encourage literacy skills among pre-school and elementary school children. “Collaboration has always been central to the Broward Center’s mission. Our partnership with Broward County Public Schools allowed us to create the “Arts Inspires…” program, which connects talented artists in our community with our students and helps them learn about the rich mosaic of cultures we enjoy in South Florida,” said Broward Center President and CEO Kelley Shanley. “I am delighted that the event focused on the tapestry of cultures that have influenced Jamaican music – and highlighted the richness of Jamaican culture. Our partnership with the Jamaican community, which started with the Jamaican Consulate in Miami and continues to grow, has allowed us to bring many exciting Jamaican events to the Broward Center.”</p></div>