HEAR THIS: Raekwon x Kabaka Pyramid “Be Inspired”
The Chef Connects With Baka Over Walshy Fire’s Production— Accurate! Any time you can get two of the world’s greatest living lyricists on one track for the first time, that’s a win. On “Skew It On the Bar-B” Andre 3000 and Raekwon brought A-Town and Shaolin together and the result was historic. On the fresh […]
WATCH THIS: David Bowie ft. Tina Turner “Tonight” Live
Ziggy Stardust Inna Rub A Dub Style In 1984, after his massively successful album Let’s Dance, and the subsequent Serious Moonlight Tour, the late great David Bowie went to Quebec, Canada to work on a follow-up album. “It was rushed,” he said later. “The process wasn’t rushed; we actually took our time recording the thing; […]
WATCH THIS: RDX “Foot A Talk” Official Music Video
RDX Gets The Whole World Dancing RDX is an abbreviation for Research Department Formula X, a high explosive developed by the U.S. military that’s more powerful than TNT. But today we’re talking about RDX the Jamaican dancehall duo, aka Renegade and Delomar, whose explosive catalog of high-energy tunes has made them a favorite of the […]
HEAR THIS: Allan Kingdom ft. Chronixx “Fables”
St. Paul Spitter And Spanish Town Stepper Join Forces In a Quest for Truth When Kanye West features you on a track alongside Paul McCartney and Theophilus London, that’s what is known as a “good look.” Just ask Allan Kingdom, a Canadian-born African youth (mom from South Africa, dad from Tanzania) who’s now based in […]
HEAR THIS: R. City ft. Adam Levine, Agent Sasco, Popcaan, Kardinal Offishall & Bunji Garlin “Locked Away” Dancehall Remix
USVI x JA x TNT x TDot Link Up On This Mega Refix Over New Year’s weekend, Shaggy & Friends annual fundraiser went down in Kingston, Jamaica with the usual star-studded guest list—hailing from yard and abroad—all to raise funds for Jamaica’s Bustamante Hospital for Children. (That “one ticket = one life” slogan is no […]
“Sorry,” Not Sorry: A Justin Bieber Remix Rewind
Biebz x Skrillex Have The Dance On Lock Ever since the “Tropical House” track “Sorry” dropped last October, it’s been going HAM in the dancehall. If the ragga drum patterns didn’t tip you off, then those New Zealand bashment girls in the official video—Ladies of ReQuest joining forces with the Royal Dance Crew—must have driven […]
HEAR THIS: Popcaan “Where We Come From” Heatwave Remix
Unruly UK Refix Pon The Golden Hen Riddim It’s been a minute since we heard from our peoples across the pond, but the Heatwave just popped three new refixes into our inbox. As usual, we’re sharing the best bits straightaway. If you’re like us, you’ve kept the title track to Popcaan’s Where We Come From […]
Jah Cure Talks Grammy Nomination, Freedom for Buju & The Life He Lives
Reshma B Reasons With Iyacure Pon Di Cruise Nobody had more fun on this year’s Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise than Jah Cure. The World Singer is always appreciative when he gets the chance to reach an international audience, particularly since visa issues have prevented fans in the UK and the USA fr0m seeing him […]
Reasoning with Joss Stone: “I’d Never Offend Someone Intentionally, But It Happens”
UK Soul Singer Recalls The Roots Of Her Reggae-Infused Album After becoming the youngest female solo artist to top the UK albums chart in 2004, Joss Stone sued her record label EMI, and formed her own Stone’d label in 2010. She lives in Devon with her four dogs and records pretty much whatever kind of […]
Billboard’s Best Reggae Albums of 2015
Boomshots Selects The Year’s Essential Reggae Discs As reggae lovers mark the 70th anniversary of Bob Marley’s birth, the music that the Tuff Gong spread around the globe has come full circle. While dancehall permutations from Major Lazer to Justin Bieber reverberate throughout pop culture, and Brits from Joss Stone to Keith Richards try their […]
The Biggest Riddims of 2015
Who Run The Place? Johnny Wonder, CEO of 21st Hapilos, Counts Down The Year’s Top Juggling When pressed to identify his most influential rhythm track or “riddim” of all time, the late Clement S. “Coxsone” Dodd chose the “Real Rock.” And Downbeat ought to know, half a century ago his house band, Sound Dimension, laid […]
WATCH THIS: Lady Bee & Noise Cans ft. Mr. Vegas “Bucka” Official Music Video
Mr. Vegas Puts the “V” in “Versatility” Clifford Smith, better known to reggae and dancehall fans worldwide as Mr. Vegas, put the V in versatility. Earlier this year, he released the critically acclaimed Lovers Rock and Soul album, an excursion into vintage reggae. After that he dropped a classic ’80s-style dancehall track (set to King […]