What did Mavado once say about tryin to steal from him? Oh yeah, it’s the chorus to “Dreaming” and he repeats it twice every chorus:

I was dreaming that I’m floating on a thousand dolla bill
And if you touch my paper
And crush my dream up
Then you gonna get kill

So, Wud Was Dis Guy Thinkin? ([More →])

When I heard that Beenie Man was meeting Alicia Keys to rehearse their AMA performance, I assumed they would be performing the remix that Beenie Man did of her song “No One.” Instead, the performance erupted into a red hot dancehall party! What an incredible surprise! Well, if you were left wanting to hear the remix still, you can listen to it here: ([More →])

When asked to describe the sound of The Bug, Kevin Martin responds, “Beats, Bombs, Bass, Weapons, Congestion, Space, Concussion and Seduction.” !!Sounds Beautiful!! Martin [the man behind the bug] has refined an arsenal of tuff tunes (with Flowdan and Warrior Queen passing the mic) and wicked remixes (for Ghislain Poirier and Thom Yorke of Radiohead) into dangerous dubplate killahs! Perhaps the don of toxic dancehall finished construction on his urban-legendary soundsystem and now makes distorted ragga dubs on a barricade of bassbins instead of a pair of studio monitors! “Poison Dart” is The Bug’s most recent weapon of choice: a staggering riddim made razor-sharp by Warrior Queen’s defiant tongue. It’s a heavy tune that aches to be played BiG and LouD in an open space where the bass can unfurl into the wide wobbling synths that decay into long echoes.

HearingTest has the brand new video for “Poison Dart” and details on the remixes by Skream, South Rakkas Crew, Stereotyp and a Flowdan version that will accompany the originals to be released in December. I’ve even posted Warrior Queen’s lyrics for “Poison Dart” which aim Warrior’s wisdom at young shottas inna de dance. If your native tongue is more patio than patois, these subtitles might help. ([More →])

A love song to Julie’s babylons by fave youth correspondent (Ali G) and Mr. Lover Man (Shaggy)…

Ali G is insanely clever. (Don’t be fooled by the low-brow character he portrays in this video). He possesses the ideal combination of charisma, satire, intelligence, wit, insight and pure niceness that’s necessary to get away with the ridiculous situations he sets up. I can never get enuff, so I’m dropping this video into the archive for endless enjoyment.

BOOYAKASHA! Respek!

Alicia Keys stole the show at the American Music Awards on Sunday night by turning it into a dancehall party! She invited reggae legends Junior Reid, Beenie Man, Chaka Demus & Pliers on stage for a medley of BIG TUNES! Keys kicked off with her new hit, “No One,” but then switched gears into a dancehall medley with Junior Reid singing his smash hit “One Blood,” Chaka Demus and Pliers adding their biggest number, “Murder She Wrote” and Beenie Man came out with his “Who Am I?” Most viewers probably had no idea what hit them (but enuff in the live audience did - the crowd roared when airhorns introduced Junior Reid to the stage), but this 5 minute performance shows a deep love and respect for Jamaican music and a few of its biggest players! ([More →])

This track isn’t brand new, but I wanted to post it up anyway because I’m grooving on it again since last week’s “I’m So Hood” remix. This is two of dancehall’s most controversial deejays, Busta Rhymes and Shabba Ranks, with Akon keeping things smooth on “Clear The Air”:

It’s been a long time dream of mine to see Pato Banton in concert. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love Pato’s collaborations with Mad Professor (Mad Professor Captures Pato Banton and Mad Professor Recaptures Pato Banton), but it’s a Big Big Love and Respect. So, when I discovered he would be playing in SF in September, I immediately bought tickets. That’s right, I supported the hard-working bands instead of using my press connections to gain free entry. Jammin to Pato Banton backed by Mystic Roots was worth more than the depreciated american dollars that I spent on tix! It’s been over 20 years since he released his first album with Mad Professor at the controls, yet it’s still one of my favorite albums. I had no idea what to expect from the show, I just wanted to see this reggae idol up close and personal. My giddy excitement tripled within 5 minutes of Pato Banton grabbing the mic! ([More →])

This video is hilarious! It’s obvious that the Vice chick is clueless about dancehall or Jamaican culture. In fact, she sounds like she just moved to the city last week! But, if it weren’t for her, we might not have gotten Ele’s explanation about why he wears so much bling. Scope the video of Elephant Man in the Bad Boy studio, recording his album Let’s Get Physical and chatting with Vice TV… ([More →])

Revolutionary radio dj, musician and champion of reggae music Mikey Dread was diagnosed with a brain tumour and is undergoing chemotherapy. Dread is legendary for his late-night radio show on now defunct JBC Radio in Jamaica and he has been a huge force in reggae music history and Jamaican music culture. Last year he celebrated his 30th year as The Dread At The Control, dubbed so for his radio show that championed local ska, rock-steady and dub music at a time when the airwaves were dominated by american motown, RnB and pop music. His broadcast showcased new music by local artists, which led to growing respect and recognition for the music and the studios creating it. ([More →])

Need a jolt of energy? Want to shape up for this weekend’s festivities? The “Energy God” himself wants to Pump You Up! Elephant Man created a series of dancehall exercise videos that will heat up your day - so jump out of that chair and press play! ([More →])

All right Cure fans! It’s been a minute since Curefest took place and now the videos and reviews are flowing like rain! I’ve run round cyberspace, gathering links and videos of the three day festival at Trelawny Stadium (Big Ups To Don and Kizzy for the help!). What we have here is only the beginning, there will be more videos uploaded and more reviews published in the next few weeks. I will continue seeking them out and linking to them here. As I publish more roundups like this one, I will link to them at the bottom of this page. They will also show up as fresh posts in the reggae and news sections. So, you might want to bookmark this page or subscribe to the reggae RSS feed to get the updates. Now on with the show! ([More →])

Mavado is turning out to be the Jamaican artist of the year! His debut album on VP Records Gangsta For Life The Symphony of David Brooks blazed up the charts this summer and continues to win new fans with its dance-friendly rhythms and heartfelt lyrics. But despite his tuff exterior, the Real McCoy has a heart of gold. Now he’s sharing some of that gold with the Jamaican community, especially the youth. I’ve been receiving reports this week of a new charity organization that Mavado created in order to connect the island’s public schools to the information super highway. Mavado recognizes the importance of internet access in public schools to enhance education. ([More →])

South Rakkas Crew has joined forces with Mad Decent (Diplo’s record label) and is set to release a full-length LP of bumpin choons! Their sound is a unique mixture of dancehall, hip hop, electro and Miami bass and they are set to release their debut album, The Mix Up on Mad Decent on October 29th. ([More →])

Wayne Wonder just launched his new album FOREVA with a big record release bash in NYC. It was a star-studded party with friends of the musician like Shaggy, Mr. Vegas, Assassin, Red Fox and Rayvon who all took part in some improv freestyles for the occasion which totally won over the crowd. ([More →])

There are two genres where tweens can get famous despite not being old enough to drive or drink: grime and reggae. So many of today’s hottest grime producers are between the ages of 14-19 (is it any wonder Wiley felt like it was time to retire after a decade in the scene?) and plenty of reggae artists grow up in a household with studio access and are producing hits by the time they are hittin double digits. Many reggae fans remember a toddler Stephen Marley dancing on the side of the stage during Bob Marley concerts, Stephen McGregor has been producing tunes since the age of 5 and being featured in magazines across the globe when he was 15-17 years old. So, it’s clear that genius is recognized and appreciated at any age in these musical cultures. Therefore it should not be much of a surprise when people hear about the up and coming Jamaican sensation known as Javaughn. The 14-year old is also called Javaughn Genius because of his child prodigy talents in reggae music. ([More →])