God Bless Jamaica
“Anyone who’s ever had a great time in Jamaica, give ten dollars, give one dollar. Anything you can. But do it right now.” —Sean Paul Hurricane Melissa had a catastrophic and devastating impact on Jamaica, making landfall as an extremely powerful Category 5 storm, the strongest in the island’s recorded history. The entire island was […]
The Genius of Scratch Perry
“The Black Ark preserve life and it kill. It cripple, it cramp, and paralyze.”
Reasoning With Cocoa Tea
“A lot of people say to me, ‘Bwoy, Cocoa Tea, you should have been bigger,’ I don’t worry about that… After humility come the glory.” There’s an old song that says, “Music alone shall live.” Lovers of reggae music received an unwelcome reminder of this fact early Tuesday morning when the beloved Jamaican vocalist Calvin […]
K Queens: Dancehall Royalty
Dancehall’s Regal Twins Discuss Their Career and Their Collaborative New Single Twin sisters, Kaydine and Kerrine Francis, K Queens, have sung in close harmony from a young age. Sharing the stage for over a decade, K Queens have earned dancehall’s highest ratings. Their latest single “Jamdown Ranking” produced by Sugar Bear, on Rayvon’s GTC […]
Anthony Cruz Mourns His Daughter After Violent Tragedy
Singer Anthony Cruz mourns his only daughter’s untimely death Like most 15 years old girls, Shanice Cruz was dreaming about her future, excelling in school, enjoying life, friendship and love. However her life was cut short due to senseless violence and this has been a disheartening tragedy for her father, reggae singer, Anthony Cruz and […]
Boomshots Big Up: “Who Nuh Know Bella?”
Who’s That Gyal? She’s lived life as a coked-out fairy with wings, launching into lanes of Oliver living legends, youtube rude and insta-famous. While Majah Hype remains ambiguous as to his indigenous, comedic lioness Bella Blair is unapologetic about her Jamaican genetics. She has been punching it on the Internet with the likes of “Poonchie,” […]
Kingston Nights: A Jamaican Street Dance Photo Essay
Robert Cooper Photographs What Real Dancehall Looks Like Right Now “I started listening to dancehall during the late ’80s,” recalls photographer and videographer Robert Cooper, who’s covered the Hartford, CT dancehall scene for some time. “I began photographing dancehall parties and concerts 8 years ago, and began writing about dancehall also, so being able to […]
Vybz Kartel or Buju Banton: Which Show Would You Attend?
Imagine: Two Big DJs, One Night Only—The Choice Is Yours If you’re a reggae and dancehall fan then you know some of the music’s biggest stars are stuck behind bars. While Busy Signal and Jah Cure have happily come home, Vybz Kartel and Buju Banton are still in captivity. And even though The World Boss […]
WATCH THIS: Noah Landale “Jamaica” Official Music Video PREMIERE
The Rising Of A New Voice Out of JA By Way of The UK Dividing his time between London, England and his Jamaican birthplace, singer Noah Landale has developed a cosmopolitan approach to reggae that encompasses various influences and has a multi-generational appeal. His current single “Can’t Let Go,” produced by London-based Andre Solid for […]
WATCH THIS: Kelissa “Best Kept Secret” Official Music Video
Kelissa McDonald “Best Kept Secret” Video Celebrates Her Earthstrong and Women’s History Month Big up to Kelissa, one of the Caribbean’s favorite rising talents of the reggae revival. You may remember this lovely young empress from her Vogue feature on Jamaica’s resurgence of conscious music. Lately, this African queen has taken a break from touring […]
HEAR THIS: Chronixx x Federation Sound “Roots & Chalice”
Steam Ministah Links Federation Fam To Give Us The Fullness Chronixx and the Federation family had a musical meeting of the minds to create this amalgamation of wicked instrumentals past & present. The 60-minute mix includes well known tracks “Like A Whistle,” “Alpha & Omega,” and “Tenement Yard” to warm up your ears to a familiar […]
Luciano Headlines Rockhouse Foundation Benefit
The RockHouse Foundation Raises $232,000 in 2 Hours for the Youths The Rockhouse Foundation hosted its Annual dinner and live auction on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at Joe’s Pub in New York City. Paul Salmon, Chairman of the RockHouse Foundation, welcomed guests and discussed the symbiotic relationship between the Rock House Hotel’s philanthropic arm, RockHouse […]