WATCH THIS: Jada Kingdom “Budum” Official Music Video PREMIERE
“Them call me Muma Heavy” The Jamaican expression for someone who is not afraid to speak what’s on their mind is that they “nuh tek back chat.” That phrase describes Jada Kingdom perfectly. While she often speaks in a gentle voice, her words can be as soft as water or as hard as rockstone. “Full […]
WATCH THIS: Kabaka Pyramid “Nice Up Di Dance” Official Music Video
Nice Up Di Dance When I asked Clement S. Dodd, the founding father of the Jamaican music industry, which of his many recordings he was proudest of, the producer known as Sir Coxsone paused and stroked his white-whiskered chin. ”There is so much, getting back to ‘One Love’ and ‘Simmer Down,’ ” he said, mentioning […]
Koffee Opens Up About “Lockdown”
“Where Will We GO?” There’s still a lot of time left in Summer 2020, but on this last day of July we are declaring Koffee’s “Lockdown” Boomshots official 2020 Summer anthem. Produced by Dane “Raygad” Ray from the Unruly camp, the song finds Koffee asking all of the questions everybody in the world is asking […]
Junior Gong Pon Di Strong
Reasoning With Zilla 25 Years Ago Damian Marley was never intimidated by great expectations. Born on this day in 1978, the youngest son of Robert Nest Marley did not hesitate to follow in some very large footsteps, entering the music industry at an early age. He started out singing in a group called The Shepherds, […]
Vybz Kartel Speaks Of Dons and Of Divas
Crocodile Skin Sneakers Little known fact: the very first post on Boomshots.com went live February 10, 2009. The title? “Don’t Ramp With Kartel.” Adidja Palmer and Grace Hamilton’s smash collab “Rampin Shop,” an X-rated excursion on Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent” version, was taking the streets by storm and had the internet spinnin’ like a satellite dish—just […]
Buju Banton Covers VIBE x Boomshots Collab
A VIBE x Boomshots Collab: Redemption Songs Jamaica’s Undefeated Champion Returns “Forward ever,” the late great Jacob “Killer” Miller used to sing. “And backward never.” Reggae music has always been about forward motion, the movement of Jah people, up from downpression and forward to Holy Mount Zion, because freedom is a must. Still, every once […]
Bounty & Beenie on Verzuz: Jamaica’s version of ‘The Last Dance’
What Could Top This Legendary Moment? The VERZUZ series led by Swizz Beats and Timbaland has been an oasis in the midst of a pandemic. Week after week, music lovers have enjoyed the nostalgia, the spontaneous comedy, and the opportunity to bring the proverbial roses to their favorite artists. The anticipation was at a […]
Dre Island Elevates With Debut Album ‘Now I Rise’
“We rise to the top… cause we know what it takes” “We rise to the top,” Dre Island sings on “We Pray,” his massive collab with Popcaan, “cause we know what it takes.” Building on that theme of musical and spiritual elevation, the multi-talented musician—singer, deejay, songwriter, producer, and pianist—has just released his debut album […]
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 […]
The Art of War: Bounty Killer Verzuz Beenie Man
Dancehall Icons Speak on Rivalry & Respect Ever since the whole Swizz Beatz and Timbaland created social media battle platform Verzuz wave kicked off, bringing a much-needed spark of joy and excitement to the dreadful pandemic grind, those of us who love and respect dancehall music and Jamaican sound system culture have been asking ourselves […]
WATCH THIS: Kemikal “Gwaan” Music Video PREMIERE
Enigmatic Equiknoxx DJ brings “Gal power from the man dem” We always take time out to check the vibes from Equiknoxx co-founders Gavin “Gavsborg” Blair and Jordan “Time Cow” Chung. Today we’re proud to premiere a brand new release from Kemikal, an enigmatic artist whom Gavsborg describes as “a lab experiment between Big Pun mixed […]
WATCH THIS: Sean Paul “Back It Up Deh” Official Music Video PREMIERE
Peep SP’s IGTV Interview With Reshma B As the first—and only—dancehall artist to appear on the cover of VIBE magazine, Sean Paul has been making history and breaking down musical barriers throughout his career. The Grammy-winning hitmaker has collaborated with some of the biggest stars in urban music, from Beyoncé and Rihanna to DMX and […]