Jimmy Cliff was indicted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame this week (check out how psyched he looks in all the vids)! Wyclef Jean introduced Cliff, repeatedly calling him “The Godfather”:

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via Grievous Angel:

[My] dj mix of dub-pon-dub riddim excursions, all in a grime / dubstep friendly 140bpm format. In a way it presaged the remix album that’s forthcoming on Keysound, where I remixed the whole of the Blackdown and Dusk album and mixed it together.

Get The Grievous Angel Mix Here

Those who know reggae’s history, know that Niney the Observer is deeply rooted in the evolution of its sound. Niney came up from the streets with a rebel sound and attitude at a time when recording studios were accessible to the people for the 1st time. (Similar to independent labels sprouting up to reduce dependency on the majors…) Niney launched the Observer label in 1971 with “Blood and Fire” which in turn influenced the music of Big Youth, Burning Spear, The Wailers and more. (I credit Niney for the change in The Wailers’ sound when it became more militant, rebellious and dark – my favorite era of Wailers music.) Niney has worked with many of reggae’s most recognizable names like Lee Perry, Dennis Brown, Beenie Man and Freddie McGregor (father of Steven di Genius McGregor who’s killing it in dancehall today).

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GREENSLEEVES RELEASES ‘THE JOURNEY – THE VERY BEST OF SIZZLA’ THE ULTIMATE CD/DVD COLLECTION OF THE REGGAE ICON’S MOST PRIZED WORK AVAILABLE JUNE 26, 2008
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RICHIE SPICE’S LATEST ALBUM GIDEON BOOT DEBUTS AT #1 ON REGGAE BILLBOARD CHART
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REGGAE SOUNDS TAKE OVER GRAND THEFT AUTO IV AIRWAVES
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Press release about Etana and the release of her debut album on June 26th:
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A Heatwave mash-up of General Levy and Lily Allen titled “Mad LDN”:

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DJ Don Letts compiled a wicked collection of tunes for Dread Meets Punk Rockers Uptown from his vast collection of reggae and dub 7-inches. The album is a veritable soundtrack to London’s legendary Roxy Club circa December ‘76 – April ‘77, where the Pistols, Clash and Banshees were known to kick it while Letts spun irie tunes. Dread Meets Punk Rockers Uptown features 16 tracks by King Tubby, Culture, Jah Stitch, Horace Andy, Lee “Scratch” Perry, U-Roy, Junior Murvin and many more.

The album even includes the apocalyptic Culture song “Two Sevens Clash”:

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The lyrics are en francais but the story told is universal. Here is the mini-movie for Admiral T’s “Ti Moun Ghetto” on the Guardian Angel Riddim:

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I live in the kind of haus where random zines and propaganda often appear and disappear like time-traveling nomadic visitors. This week, an issue of Cyclic Defrost from January 2005 appeared on the kitchen table. Cyclic Defrost, one of the most exciting and well produced zines on experimental music culture, is based in Australia; and the fact that I picked up an issue from January 2005 and thought it was something fresh will attest to how ahead of the game their content is. This particular issue featured an interview with DJ/Rupture about his travels, his music, his influences, etc. A Boston-native who was living in Barcelona at the time of the interview, Rupture is an extremely active experimentalist who mashes everything from world music to breakcore and makes it sound good. Rupture recently teamed up with one of NYC’s hottest producers, Matt Shadetek, to form the multi-media platform that we often Big Up on this site: Dutty Artz. ([More →])

David Katz, a music journalist and Lee Perry’s biographer, wrote a good review of the reggae book that I contributed to: “The Reggae Scrapbook”. The review was published in Riddim Magazine in Germany. Riddim was briefly published in english, distributed in the US and immediately became my favorite publication about reggae music. Many of the dub and dancehall artists I wish I had space for in the Reggae Scrapbook are regularly featured in Riddim. Unfortunately, the publishers halted the american edition and haven’t returned to it yet, so you can only get the magazine in german. Roger Steffens was kind enuff to email a copy of this review to me, so I thought I should publish it here for those who would otherwise never get a chance to read it. If you do speak german and you love reggae music, I highly recommend Riddim Magazine. In the meantime, here is David Katz’ book review of the Reggae Scrapbook by Roger Steffens, Peter Simon, Roy Sweetland and me, Molli Fire! ([More →])

Kat DeLuna and Busta Rhymes – “Run The Show” from 9 Lives:

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 →])

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 →])