Interview: Sean Paul

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Interview: Sean Paul Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Sean Paul followed in his parents’ footsteps and became a professional athlete at the age of 13. But after eight years playing for the national water polo team, he gave it all up to focus on his music career. This turned out to be a wise move, [...]

Inner Circle reflects on ?State of da World?

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Inner Circle reflects on ‘State of da World’ Legendary reggae band Inner Circle is one of the acts confirmed for this year’s staging of Reggae Sumfest. The creators of Bad Boys - which later became the theme song for the television series, Cops - and the mega hit Sweat (A La La La La Song), are back [...]

Contagious - Tarrus Riley spreads ?sweet sickness? on third album

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Contagious - Tarrus Riley spreads ’sweet sickness’ on third album It’s early Tuesday evening at Grafton Studios in Vineyard Town, St Andrew. Tarrus Riley has just finished voicing a track, but that is not his only reason for being particularly upbeat. He is in the later stages of preparing his third album for an August release [...]

Dread in a Babylon

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Dread in a Babylon Jamaican legend U-Roy is now 67 years old and has never been busier. And after nearly 50 years in showbiz, the world is finally catching up to the Godfather of Jamaican Dancehall and American Hip-Hop, and giving respect where respect is due. “You just have to get good rest, keep your [...]

Recession Silencing the Music

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Recession Silencing the Music VP Records (VP) and the ‘Big Four’ record labels (Universal, Sony, Warner and EMI) continue to struggle with sales down figures as high as 20 per cent this year due to the economic downturn which seems to be silencing the music. All posted lower sales with VP charging that even its online sales, [...]

Uganda moves to reggae beat

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Uganda moves to reggae beat - Though Marley mania holds firm, new interests abound Though the global economic recession has flushed the fortunes of Jamaican products like alumina down the toilet, at least one signature export is thriving in transatlantic exchange. Reggae, a genre still synonymous with the deceased island singer Bob Marley, is alive and well [...]

Dressing the wounds of dancehall

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Dressing the wounds of dancehall In the article entitled ‘No Caribbean love for dancehall’ by Krista Henry in the May 10 issue of The Gleaner, the assertion that “Caribbean islands are putting a ’stop order’ on Jamaican artistes travelling throughout the region” is not only misleading but also divisive. Indeed, the observation that Jamaican songs are being [...]

Matisyahu keeps the faith while rapping

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Matisyahu keeps the faith while rapping Matisyahu, the devout Jewish rapper, is making the kind of journey he makes all the time between his music and his religion. On this recent Friday afternoon, that consists of walking through Manhattan from a voice lesson to prepare for Shabbat, the Jewish holy day of rest. For Matisyahu, [...]

Legends ready to rock TT

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Legends ready to rock TT With just one week to go before the show that will set the pace for all shows to follow in 2K9 and beyond, promoters of I Am Legend II, are rearing to go and eager to see the masses that will flock to the Queen’s Park Savannah next week Saturday. Shabba Ranks [...]

Vacant Metro Orlando homes leave neighbors feeling empty

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Vacant Metro Orlando homes leave neighbors feeling empty There’s a squiggle of yellow crime-scene tape on the ground and a notice from code enforcement staked to the front yard of the vacant, one-story brick home near Lake Jessamine in Orange County. The water in the backyard swimming pool is dark and scummy. Tim Repasky says the brick [...]

Reggae Builds In Asian Appeal

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Reggae Builds In Asian Appeal As NY1 marks Asian-American Heritage Month, the station profiles musical artists and their struggle to find mainstream success in the United States. NY1’s Jeanine Ramirez filed the first report on a Brooklyn reggae band. Yuichi Iida is a Japanese-born musician, but plays a West African drum in Brooklyn as the band leader [...]

Showcase: Bob Marley by David Burnett

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Showcase: Bob Marley by David Burnett David Burnett has published his first book, “Soul Rebel: An Intimate Portrait of Bob Marley in Jamaica and Beyond” (Insight Editions). It features the legendary reggae musician and his contemporaries, photographed first in Jamaica in 1976, then during Mr. Marley’s European tour in spring 1977. Mr. Burnett worked for Life Magazine [...]

Aswad reunites for Island?s 50th anniversary

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Aswad reunites for Island’s 50th anniversary Arguably one of the most prestigious record labels in the history of British music, Island Records has spawned countless artistes in its 50-year history. Founded by Chris Blackwell, the label is probably best known for bringing Bob Marley and The Wailers to international prominence.

Julian Marley urges ?Awake? on third album

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Julian Marley urges ‘Awake’ on third album Though primarily a roots reggae album, Julian Marley delves into several other genres on his latest project, Awake. On the album, due out May 26 through Ghetto Youths/Universal, there is a marked difference between the feel of two adjacent songs on the same topic, the slow, bare-bones (musically) Just In [...]

SKNVibes.com: St. Kitts, Nevis, Entertainment Center, News, Reviews, Shows, Photos, Music and more

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Devon ‘Troublesum’ Smith - a new face to reggae music Would you give up everything to follow your dream even if you did not have a concrete plan but was driven only by what you believe is your destiny? Well, one individual from neighbouring Jamaica has done that. He is the island’s new reggae artiste, Devon Smith, [...]

Ziggy Marley gets in some ?Family Time?

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Last week Ziggy Marley released an album of music for young people called “Family Time.” The album has a whole crowd, including his mother, Rita, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson and Jamie Lee Curtis. He will play a show for kids in L.A. as part of a “What Is Reggae?” day June 6 at Club Nokia. They say [...]

Tami Chynn Heats Up Blue Beat

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Tami Chynn Heats Up Blue Beat In a polka dot ensemble, Kingston-bred Tami Chynn serenaded a hot crowd with old and new hits in the second performance of the Unplugged Series at Marguerite’s Blue Beat last Thursday evening on Gloucester Avenue in Montego Bay, St James. Fans cooled down to Chynn’s soothing ballads amid the blazing spotlights [...]

Dancehall?s ?First Ladies? making their mark

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Dancehall’s ‘First Ladies’ making their mark For years Lady Saw represented as the ‘Queen of the Dancehall’ but now the ‘First Ladies’ are taking control of the music and representing for their various labels. In the last few months, the title of ‘First Lady’ has been growing in numbers with the women stepping up in the [...]

Nas and Damian Marley on their ?Distant Relatives? collaboration

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Nas and Damian Marley on their ‘Distant Relatives’ collaboration Nas and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley recorded one excellent single together, “Road to Zion,” in 2005. As much as I enjoyed hearing the N.Y. rap legend and the reggae scion play off each other’s styles on that track, though, I never guessed that they would be following [...]

Next Generation Dancehall Tour Excites Up North

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Next Generation Dancehall Tour Excites Up North With little over a week to go before the big ‘Next Generation Dancehall Vibes: Part One’ tour kicks off in North America, artistes Spice, Kiprich, Konshens and Laden as well as their fans are already stoked up with anticipation for the events. The tour which begins in Boston, Massachusetts, at [...]

Best of both worlds delivered reggae on a platter

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Best of both worlds delivered reggae on a platter Of the endless string of Jamaican music imports landing here every other month for local entertainment, the presence of Freddie McGregor and Tarrus Riley was a rare blessing; a combination of fresh and enduring reggae sounds worth soaking up. As the legendary McGregor navigated his “Big Ship” into [...]

A little Jamaica blooms in the heart of the desert

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A little Jamaica blooms in the heart of the desert There’s no greater disciple of reggae music in Las Vegas than Stan Rankin T. He writes reggae music. He fronts a reggae band and has released six reggae CDs. He owns a reggae record company — Patois Music — and a reggae store — Caribbean Lifestyle, 1151 [...]

Marley?s a Legend on iTunes

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Marley’s a Legend on iTunes Bob Marley’s album Legend continues to top iTunes reggae charts in every major reggae market except Japan. Downloaders in 17 of the 22 listed countries are buying Marley’s 1984 album above any other reggae album on iTunes, arguably the Internet’s most popular online music store. Marley tops the iTunes chart in the [...]

Dancing up a storm

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Dancing up a storm Jamaica is a musical country, an auditory mecca of sound and soul. While this jewel of the Caribbean may be world famous for her Bob Marley beats, a trip there proves Jamaican music isn’t confined to reggae alone. Dancehall music, loosely defined as high-energy rap with a Reggaeton rhythm, is extremely popular among [...]

Patrons sit out dance moves

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Patrons sit out dance moves As more complex dance moves are created, patrons have been reduced to mere spectators in the dancehall instead of active participants. Patrons danced more during the days when the late dancer Bogle did his suave moves, as the steps did not require much energy and were easy to follow. However, in the [...]
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