Macka B Drops Science At Rebel Salute:
From Vegetarianism to Marijuana Reform to Mosquito-Borne Viruses—Not To Mention “Bop and Chin”
The UK Lyrics Machine Was In Rare Form at Rebel Salute 2016 We’ve said ti before and we nah stop say it—when it comes to booking a fresh lineup of artists, Rebel Salute rules every time. Where else are you going to get a full set from Macka B? Faithful listeners of Mutabaruka’s Cutting Edge […]
DOWNLOAD: Randy Valentine “Radio Music” Mixtape
The Singer Ternt Rappa Now Valentine’s Day may be coming up, but don’t you ever try to put Randy Valentine in a box—not even a heart-shaped box. On his first mixtape, Bring Back the Love (which was downloaded over 50’000 times), RV voiced over classic reggae instrumentals from the “foundation” era of reggae. Yesterday the […]
No Long Talk: Daddy Ernie On Freedom of Choice: “Who Want Vex, Vex!”
Host of UK Radio’s Superjam Reflects On His Legacy If you weren’t in London from the ’90s, you may not be aware of Daddy Ernie or the power of his radio show, SuperJam. As he says: “Who’s Daddy Ernie? Some black DJ who used to be on a station in Brixton that everybody used to wear big gold chains and […]
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 […]
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 […]
Chronixx & Dre Island Shock Out In Central London
Zinc Fence Redemption Rock Out In A NeoClassical Courtyard Overlooking the River Thames As Chronixx and his trusty Zinc Fence Redemption band continue stampeding through the UK on the Reparations Tour, certain moments seem to stand out as obvious milestones. This weekend’s historic performance at Somerset House, a landmark neoclassical building in central London just […]
UB40 & Nature Rock the Royal Botanic Gardens
Veteran British Band & A Rising Jamaican Star Shine At England’s Kew The Music Fest It’s been more than 30 years since the British reggae supergroup UB40 dropped their breakthrough album, Labour of Love. These cover versions of classic Jamaican rock steady and reggae tracks—songs like “Red Red Wine” and “Cherry O Baby” and “Johnny […]
WATCH THIS: Fuse ODG “Top of my Charts” Official Music Video
The UK Afro-Beat Star Drops Some Straight Lovers Rock Born in Ghana and based in London, Fuse ODG champions a musical wave known as AfroBeat in the UK, but to island ears it sometimes sounds a lot like reggae music. On this particular track—which hits stoees next week—he’s taking it straight to Jamrock by way […]
HEAR THIS: Krept & Konan ft. Jeremih, Beenie Man & Popcaan “Freak of the Week” Remix
Di Playground Riddim Ah No Play Play Ting South London grimesters K&K serve up hip hop and grime on their new mixtape The Long Way Home. The breakout single, featuring DJ Mustard on the beats and Chi-town singer Jeremih on the hook, has a definite dancehall flavor—inspired by the mighty Playground Riddim—which inspired Beenie and […]
Drake Brings Out Skepta to Shutdown London’s Wireless Festival
Drizzy Is The Latest Superstar to Link With Boy Better Know According to NME, Drake brought out London grime MC Skepta to perform “Shutdown” during his set at London’s Wireless Festival in Finsbury Park July 3rd. OVO affiliate Partynextdoor joined Drake on one song as did iLoveMakonnen, who performed ‘Tuesday’ with his new label boss. However, the biggest reaction was […]
WATCH THIS: Cadenza ft. Stylo G & Busy Signal “Foundation” Official Music Video
UK 2 JA Link-Up Inna Real Rock 2o15 Stylee Back when Cadenza was an intern at Gee Jam Studios in Port Antonio, he was inspired to update the classic Studio One instrumental “Real Rock.” Not that he was the first to have this idea—and he surely won’t be the last. But his version boasts some […]
Randy Valentine Is “Still Pushing”
The UK Singer Won’t Let You Pass Him By “We still a push, we still a try,” Randy Valentine wails on the title track to his EP Still Pushing. “The gideon train is coming and mi cyan let it pass mi by/And when my well is running dry I don’t sit down and cry/We still […]