Rygin King and U Roy Collab on “Stop That Train”
New Generation Meets Foundation “Me get a dream last night,” Rygin King sang, flashing across the stage at Reggae Sumfest 2018, “and the dream tell me things ah go change.” At that precise moment, three years ago this July, the young reggae star’s life changed forever. Rygin was chosen as one of three Montego Bay […]
Blessed Earthstrong Super Cat
Big Up The Wild Apache Every Time On this day in 1963 a dancehall legend was born in the Kingston neighborhood of Cockburn Pen. The child of a Black mother and an Indian father, William Anthony Maragh was given the nickname Wild Apache by his lyrical mentor Early B the Doctor. He is best known […]
Reasoning with Daddy U Roy The Original Dancehall Teacher
Paying Respect to a Pioneer of Deejay Music The race is not for the swift, but who can endure it. And Jamaica’s foundation deejay Daddy U Roy is still setting the pace. Ewart Beckford, O.D., known to lovers of Jamaican music as U-Roy aka Daddy U Roy the Teacher, passed away last night at the […]
Watch The Documentary ‘Studio 17: The Lost Reggae Tapes’
New Doc Tells the Truth About Jamaica’s Recording Industry Lee “Scratch” Perry has seen it all. The notoriously eccentric reggae producer, vocalist, and visionary has created classics with artists ranging from Bob Marley & The Wailers to The Clash and The Beastie Boys. A literal living legend, he may be the only person on earth […]
Buju Banton’s ‘Til Shiloh’ Marks 25 Year Milestone
Reasoning With The Gargamel On The Making of a Classic Before Buju’s landmark album Til Shiloh was released in 1995, he stopped by the VIBE offices to give me a preview. We shut the door of my office, popped a cassette in the stereo, and burned a spliff in the middle of the day while […]
“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 […]
HEAR THIS: Dennis Brown “No Man Is An Island” PREMIERE
Unreleased Classic off Fatis Tapes In The Oven Vol. 2 When a young Dennis Emannuel Brown made his way to Jamaica’s legendary Studio One, he sang songs that laid the foundation for his legacy as the Crown Prince of Reggae. One of the earliest gems he cut for Coxsone Dodd was “No Man Is An […]
Beres Hammond’s Mission: “To Shed Some Happiness In Some Dark Corners Of Your Mind”
Jamaica’s Number One Soul Man Speaks On His New Album Never Ending There’s an old saying that “Music alone shall live.” With that in mind, the title of Beres Hammond’s latest album rings true, even if the man who makes these amazing songs—as he has done for decades on top of decades—is in fact a […]
Tetrack: Never Too Late to Get Started
Classic reggae album sees reissue, featuring early work of Carlton Hines Forty years have provided more than enough perspective to confirm the name Augustus Pablo as a standard bearer in the world of dub reggae. With a catalog of over 40 albums and 200 singles, Pablo rates among the great artist-producers (musicians who ran their […]
HEAR THIS: Dennis Brown Special DJ Center Earthstrong Mix
Tunes, versions and dubs from the Crown Prince In honor of what would have been Dennis Emmanuel Brown’s 60th birthday this past Wednesday, February 1st, the homie DJ Center put together a crucial megamix that goes heavy on classic rub-a-dub era. We’re pleased to share it with you to provide some heartical vibes for your […]
HEAR THIS: Willi Williams ft. U-Roy “Miss Cutie Cutie”
Foundation Artists In Action Singer-songwriter Willi Williams’ 1979 hit “Armagideon Time” is forever enshrined in the reggae canon. Perhaps the most famous song on Studio One’s immortal Real Rock rhythm, Williams’ original was covered by seminal UK punk band The Clash that same year. Now the foundation singer has teamed up with the godfather of […]
Reasoning with Jack Scorpio: “Good Music Come In Like The Bible”
Heartical Words of Wisdom From the Founder of Black Scorpio Sound System And Record Label Among the many icons, legends and superstars we were able to link up at Irie Jam’s recent 23 anniversary celebration concert was elder statesman Jack Scorpio of Black Scorpio sound. A giant in the industry and among men, this powerful […]