“Dreams To Remember” Happy Birthday Toots
Memories of A Legend On His Earthstrong “Ready?” asked the drummer. “Yes sir!” Toots Hibbert replied. The year was 1968, and Toots and the Maytals were about to make history at Federal recording studio in Kingston, Jamaica. The drummer, Winston Grennan of Beverley’s All-Stars, counted off “1, 2…” and the band began to play […]
Murda She Wrote October 2020
Unruly Boss Covers Reshma B’s Column on Tidal At the end of each month, the Reggae Girl About Town rounds up the top tunes for her “Murda She Wrote” column on Tidal. If you’re looking for October’s wickedest selections, you’ve come to the right place. This month’s lineup features certified Boomshots by Popcaan, Chronixx, Spragga […]
Tune For Tune: Breaking Down Bounty & Beenie’s Verzuz Battle
Jamaica Won, The Culture Won—no doubt about it—But Which Selections Won? Why was this night different from all other Verzuz battles? Streamed live from Kingston, Jamaica, the Memorial Day “Soundclash Edition” of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s flagship IG Live series was easily the most exciting and entertaining yet, as well as the first to […]
PREMIERE: Raging Fyah “REBEL”
Ah No If Nor Because Raging Fyah, one of the fastest rising roots reggae bands from Kingston, Jamaica, are moving from strength to strength. The Grammy-nominated ensemble just leaked a new single produced by Llamar “Riff Raff” Brown for Nebilus Records. The riddim is warm and easy, the melodies bright and the mesaage is righteous. “The […]
Music Is A Mission:
David Rodigan Speaks His Mind About Today’s Sound Clash Culture
Will Sir RamJam’s Recent Soundclash On The Sea Be His Last? UK radio presenter David Rodigan has been described as the “outside world’s greatest ambassador of Jamaica’s musical heritage.” He’s been honored with an MBE by the Queen of England for his contributions to British broadcasting and recently published his memoirs, entitled My Life in […]
AFJ x Busy Signal raise $350K for Jamaica
This past Monday night Busy Signal blew away the annual Hummingbird gala crowd with a performance that got every single attendee shaking it out on the dancefloor as the Turf Prez threw down classics from “One More Night” to “Watch Out For This.” The American Friends of Jamaica is a charitable organization founded in 1982 […]
Busy Signal To Headline The American Friends of Jamaica Gala In NYC
The Turf Prez Represents Yard A Foreign The annual Hummingbird Gala hosted by The American Friends of Jamaica will take place this Monday 23rd October at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle. This year all attendees will have the pleasure of a live performance by the Turf President, Busy Signal. Supporting the foundation’s […]
HEAR THIS: Cham ft. O “Get Drunk”
Reasoning with Cham: ”No! We never pay! We lawless.” Whenever the artist who gave us classic cuts like “Ghetto Story” connects with his year-to-year sparring partner Dave Kelly of Madhouse Records, you can expect something wicked. The second official track (after the boasy “Money Wine“) off Cham’s Lawless album just premiered on MASS APPEAL. “Get Drunk” is a sexy, fun, […]
Vybz Kartel Appeal Moves Forward
Gaza Fans Rejoice But There’s Still A Long Road Ahead Gaza fans are celebrating at today’s news that Vybz Kartel and his co-defendants have been granted “leave” to pursue his appeal. His Lawyer Tom Tavares-Finson told the Jamaica Observer that this was an important step in the case. “It’s the first but critical step in the appeal process,” […]
Reasoning with Sly Dunbar: “I’ve Seen All The Changes”
The Master Drummer Turns 64 Today Perhaps the most celebrated drum and bass duo in history—regardless of genre—Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare were both accomplished studio musicians before they met in the mid 1970s. “You know that record that goes ‘I am the magnificent!’?” says Dunbar, speaking of Dave & Ansel Collins’ 1971 smash “Double […]
Real Talk With Tanya Stephens: “I’m Telling The Truth—That’s The Only Thing I Know”
Maybe You Can Handle The Ride—But Can You Handle The Truth? It may be true that women are far and few between in the reggae industry. But there’s no disputing the fact that Tanya Stephen is one of the best in the business. And not the good for a female—she’s one of the greatest songwriters […]
HEAR THIS: Tifa “Stay Away” Mixtape
Tificles Sprays Them Haters With Lyrical Aerosol “Guess that’s why they mad when Tifa win.” If there’s anyone who has never been afraid of addressing her haters then you gotta give the title to the princess of dancehall. Over the course of her career, Boomshots have had many reasoning sessions with Tifa, and she always […]