HEAR THIS: Stylez “Whine Fi Me (Don’t Stop)” PREMIERE
The Yawdie Aubrey Mashes Up The 86 Riddim In comes a fresh cut from Juss Kool Productions brand news “86 Riddim” a timeless hardcore dancehall riddim that just dropped today as a timely reminder of what the game’s been missing. Many years in the making, the riddim’s title is something of an homage to Dave […]
NO LONG TALK: Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor on the Red Bull & Guinness Decade
Dancehall’s First Podcast Hits #10 In Fine Style To commemorate the series tenth episode, Man Like Marvin Sparks drew for the decade’s defining producer, Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor. 2016 marks ten years on from his classic breakthrough riddim, Red Bull & Guinness. The riddim boasted voicings from Vybz Kartel, Wayne Marshall and Sizzla to a […]
HEAR THIS: Kabaka Pyramid “Accurate” Mixtape DOWNLOAD
Walshy Fire & Kabaka Pack ‘Nuff Fire If your summer was missing a proper mixtape that perfectly blends dancehall riddims with hip-hop instrumentals, this Major Lazer-stamped soundclash between Bebble Rock’s Kabaka Pyramid and the mighty Walshy Fire is right up your alley. Kingston’s Kabaka doesn’t shy from any banger that Walshy throws his way, coasting […]
Mixpak Wins Red Bull Culture Clash
A Big Assist From Popcaan & Drizzy Drake Friday night at London’s O2 Arena four sound systems representing Dancehall, Hip Hop, UK Garage and Grime battled before a 20,000 seat venue for the 2016 staging of Red Bull Culture Clash. Wiley’s Eskimo Dance and UK Garage All-Stars featuring So Solid Crew had the place rocking […]
WATCH THIS: Rakim Bigs Up Stephen “Ragga” Marley: “He’s Keeping It Lit For The Next Generation”
The Making Of Revelation Part 2 “Doing a song with Rakim, I couldn’t do it lukewarm,” says Stephen “Ragga” Marley. “It still did haffi rock heavy.” The song in question is “So Unjust” the third track on Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life. The long-awaited sequel to Ragga’s Grammy-winning 2011 album Revelation Part 1: […]
Vybz Kartel Tops the Charts & Claims His Crown on “King of the Dancehall”
The World Boss Backs Up The Big Chat “So all my time just gone?” Vybz Kartel intones at the start of the tenth track on his thirteenth album, King of the Dancehall. “All these years—them waste it. If me rob every watch inna the jewelry store, me can’t get back the time.” This is the […]
RIDDIM UP: The “Different Eyes” Juggling
A Warm & Easy Reality Set Featuring Jahmiel, Vershon, Sizzla & Delly Ranx Over the past half century or so Jamaican music has evolved through so many different styles and sounds that it can sometimes be hard to discern the various strands of musical DNA. From mento and calypso to jazz and bluebeat on through […]
WATCH THIS: Pritty Di General ft. Pamputtae “Sidung” Official Music Video PREMIERE
“Don’t Fall In Love,” Some Say, “Stand In Love.” But Sometimes You Have To Sidung Dancehall culture celebrates the female form to the max. The bigger the better seems to be the rule—and as bare as you dare. Far from being “sex objects,” strong women like Pamputtae and the dancers in this video are very […]
Flex Masters: A Guide To Brooklyn’s Own Dancehall Hybrid Scene
Who’s Building The Best FDM Riddims Right Now It’s been over a decade in the making, but Brooklyn’s homegrown style of dance music is beginning to make waves outside of battle circles. Called FDM (short for flex dance music), the sound is a critical component of the flex dance culture that it grew up alongside. […]
HEAR THIS: Protoje “Can’t Feel No Way” DOWNLOAD
New Music From Diggy British! First things first: Protoje’s debut album Ancient Future was a masterpiece. The fact that it did not receive a Grammy nomination was a grievous oversight, but then again the Grammys have a long history of fuckry. Ancient Future joins a distinguished group of reggae albums that were slept on by […]
Reasoning with Beenie Man: “The music is Jamaican; the problem is, America can make it too.”
The Doctor Talks Drake, Popcaan & Kartel “Drake from Canada—Beenie Man from Jamaica—dah one yah a murda! Zagga.” When Drake’s album Views dropped at the end of April, Popcaan fans were surprised to hear a new voice on “Controlla”—a vintage Beenie Man sample appeared where Popcaan’s lyrics used to be. With Drake’s album topping the […]
Super Cat Confirmed for Reggae Sumfest 2016
The Don Dada Will Headline Reggae Night Super Cat will make his Reggae Sumfest debut on July 23, 2016, headlining the festival’s Reggae Night in Montego Bay, Jamaica. “Our headline act on Saturday night—which is Reggae Night—will be none other than the Don Dada himself,” said Josef Bogdanovich, CEO of Downsound Records, which took over the […]