WATCH THIS: Elephant Man “Skankers” Official Music Video PREMIERE
“Dis Yah One Yah Make The Dancer Dem Madd” “All of us put in work to try leave the ghetto,” said Elephant Man as he made his debut in the pages of VIBE back in April 1998. “That’s a feeling that really can’t leave you.” Posing in the photo shoot with an iced-out pachyderm pendant […]
Untold Stories: How Johnny Wonder Buss Bounty Killer
“Big Up Yourself Johnny Wonder” You don’t have to be a dancehall head to know Bounty Killer. He featured on No Doubt’s Grammy-winning pop smash “Hey Baby” and lit up Instagram this May during his epic Verzuz battle with Beenie Man. Arguably the most influential artist in modern dancehall history, Bounty Killer is thoroughly respected […]
WATCH THIS: Agent Sasco ft. Bounty Killer & Kabaka Pyramid “Loco” Official Music Video PREMIERE
“New Generation A Come Up Now” Ever since Sasco linked up with TeflonZincFence to create “Loco,” it was clear that this was a special record. Teflon’s stripped-down beat hit like blunt force trauma, inspiring the artist formerly known as Assassin to serve up some of his hardest lyrics since Hope River. While speaking from a […]
WATCH THIS: Toyé ft. Jada Kingdom “Attitude” Remix Visualizer
“I’m Not The Type To Play With” Born in Atlanta and raised in Nigeria, Toyé jump-started his career in 2018 when he began freestyling with friends in a recording studio. Before he knew it he was working with Ace Harris, the Grammy-winning producer whose resume includes work on Koffee’s Rapture, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V, […]
HEAR THIS: El Dusty ft. I-Octane “Vampire” PREMIERE
“Blood Dem A Seek Out Deh” Based in Corpus Christi, Texas, El Dusty is a DJ and producer who lets his ears explore widely and his mind float freely as he builds an encyclopedic sample library, preserving exquisitely eclectic moments drawn from a diverse catalog of presumably dusty vinyl, then chopping and pasting it all […]
WATCH THIS: TeeJay “Rags to Riches” Official Music Video PREMIERE
“UpTop Means Progress Overall” The first time TeeJay linked up with Boomshots he was chilling out in the Bronx, braffin’ as usual, having just returned from a shopping spree with some fresh gear. During a streetside interview, Reshma B asked him the meaning of UpTop. “UpTop means progress overall,” he explained as cars drove past. […]
Reasoning with Skillibeng “I’m Still Trying To Write My Best Song”
“New Flows Always” “Victory with an easy entrance” proclaimed Skillibeng on his dubplate for Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness ahead of the landslide victory in the 2020 election. Likewise, Skilli himself has been victorious this year in spite of the global pandemic, establishing himself as Jamaica’s new force, specialising in elevating lyrical standards. Seen by […]
WATCH THIS: Tessellated ft. Crayon “No Ansa” Lyric Video PREMIERE
“Lock Off The Phone” “No follow nobody,” advises Tessellated, the Kingston-born, L.A.-based songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist whose genre-bending creations include the 2017 Amindi K. Fro$t and Valleyz smash “Pine & Ginger” and Jada Kingdom’s breakout track “Banana.” His surging piano-driven “I Learnt Some Jazz Today” topped Billboard’s Jazz Digital Song Sales chart and appeared in […]
WATCH THIS: Stonebwoy “Blaze Dem Freestyle” Music Video
“Defend The Turf An’ Ting…” Stonebwoy had nothing much to prove when he and his entourage—known as the BHIM Nation—rolled up on a fleet of motorbikes this past weekend to a highly anticipated battle with Shatta Wale, his chief rival for the title of Africa’s Dancehall King. Stonebwoy has come a long way since his […]
What A Bam Bam! The Tune That Made Toots a Star
“Fight For The Right and Not The Wrong” The best singers don’t need too many words to make their point. Otis Redding could let loose with a sad sad song like “Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa” and get you all in your feelings. Bob Marley got pulses pounding with his “Whoi-yoooo” rebel yell. Gregory Isaacs melted hearts with nothing […]
Stefflon Don Speaks On Making a Dancehall “Move”
“Something Hype, Feisty & Rooted” Stefflon Don is getting back to her bashment roots with a new single called “Move,” produced by Troyon the dancehall hitmaker who crafted Sean Paul’s worldwide smash “Gimme The Light.” We linked the UK bad gyal who spoke on her latest release for Quality Control Music / Motown. “‘Move’ is […]
WATCH THIS: Skip Marley ft. Ari Lennox & Rick Ross “Make Me Feel” Official Music Video
“When it Hits You Feel No Pain” The voice you hear speaking on the haunting first track of Skip Marley’s debut EP Higher Place is that of his legendary grandfather Robert Nesta Marley, who once went by the nickname “Skip” himself. “Is something higher,” Bob says in an excerpt from a 1979 interview, seeking to […]