Royalty In NYC: Jesse Royal and The King Suns at SOBs
The Palace Pickney Delivers An Emancipation Message During Bob Marley EarthStrong Weekend Not many artists can fill SOBs on a snowy winter night with temperatures in the twenties. But Jesse Royal is not just any artist. So this past Monday night, his first time performing at the legendary night club he had a toe-to-toe, overflowing […]
HEAR THIS: Steel Pulse “Put Your Hoodies On (4 Trayvon)”
Handsworth Revolutionists Still Asking: “Does Not Justice Stand For All”? [Photograph by Dennis Morris] When Steel Pulse first burst out of Birmingham in 1975, they were the most militant reggae group in England. Their debut album, Handsworth Revolution set a tone of uncompromising rebel music with tracks like “Ku Klux Klan.” The band would sometimes throw […]
WATCH THIS: Steel Pulse “Paint It Black”
Steel Pulse Debuts A Track In Honor Of The Rosa Parks Incident As Well As Our 44th President Never ones to shy away from the political, Steel Pulse debuts a track to honor both the 100th anniversary of the Rosa Parks incident and our comander-in-chief Barack Obama. The song also has deeper meanings, as Steel […]
Buju Celebrates Grammy Win
Before The Dawn Honor Lifts Spirits As The Gargamel’s Trial Resumes Although Buju Banton was not able to attend the Grammy Awards ceremony yesterday in Los Angeles, the reggae star—who is still confined to Florida—celebrated his win to the fullest. A member of Buju’s security team was startled when he heard shouting from Buju’s hotel room in […]
WATCH THIS: Meta & The Cornerstones “Cornerstone”
Roots Rock Reggae Straight Outta Senegal By Way of Brooklyn The realest video we’ve seen in a long while comes from Senegal-born Meta Dia and his BK-based ensemble The Cornerstones. Refreshing, upful, truthful in so many ways. But it’s not for the ADD generation. Got to give this one time…
Steel Pulse: Tribute To The Martyrs, 1979
From Handsworth to Haiti—The Song Remains The Same On this MLK Day, let us pause to reflect on the words of the man who sacrificed his life to the struggle for equal rights and justice: “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the […]
Reggae Grammy Rewind
“Reggae Get The Grammy.” All These Years Later… do you still feel happy? “They nominate five ah we,” Yellowman chants over a bouncy Junjo Lawes riddim track. “Steel Pulse Black Uhuru and me / Peter Tosh and also Jimmy.”