Entertainment Update April 2008!

Dee Jay's Place Ban On Red Stripe

In a bold move of their own, some deejays in Jamaica are placing a ban on Red Stripe, which earlier in April announced they would no longer sponsor live music events facilitating "violent and antisocial lyrics".   In justifying their actions, artistes say one good turn deserves another, and their ban whether personal or otherwise, is simply an equal reaction.   One such artiste, Mavado, held nothing back telling the Jamaica press "If dem ban we, we jus' ban dem back bredren! Simple. I feel like if dem a pull out from we, we suppose to pull out from dem. Dat mean sey we weh a go dancehall an' a go party, we no fe drink no Red Stripe den. An nutten whe dem mek. Simple."   Similarly, female deejay Spice says a ban on Red Stripe would only be a fair response.  "I don't think dancehall should have nothing to do with Red Stripe either. If they should withdraw from dancehall, I think dancehall should withdraw from them and call it quits." she said.  On April 4, Red Stripe issued a statement saying its main sponsorship beneficiaries, the annual Reggae Summerfest and Sting stage shows, will no longer have its support.   "Over the years, however, a very negative trend of glorifying violence has crept into some of the music, causing much consternation among well-thinking Jamaicans and others at home and abroad. This has far-reaching and damaging implications for the industry and for the country as a whole," the release stated.   In arguing that dancehall is responsible for the popularity of Red Stripe, Mavado continued, "When yu have Sumfes' an Sting, an all a dese tings, people no come fi see Red Stripe. A Mavado an' Killer an artis' dem people come fe see. A we mek dis produc' so big y'nuh ... none a dem products no sell nowhere else like how it sell a Jamaica."   Recently, during a performance at Word Soun's at Liberty Hall, King Street, Kingston, poet and broadcaster Mutabaruka also showed his disapproval of Red Stripe's recent decision.  "We realize is not really violence dem agains', is homophobia," Mutabaruka said. "Because violence was in de music long time ... Is true de gay guys pull out dem a pull out too. We sey dem is very hypocritical."

The Big Apple is welcoming the 27th Annual International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) with open arms as New York's Governor David Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg call for New Yorker's to come out and support the IRAWMA's, and to recognize that day, Sunday, May 4th, as a day of reggae.  International superstars Shaggy, Ky-Mani Marley, Machel Montano, Billy Ocean, Buju Banton and Beenie Man are just some of the faces that will be seen and heard at the world-famous Apollo Theater during the 27th annual staging of the prestigious ceremony.  Grammy-winner Shaggy will walk the red carpet and grace the stage as his latest studio effort, Intoxi-cation, is nominated for Best Album of the Year.  He's also up for the Best Male DJ/Rapper award, and his song "Church Heathen" is nominated in the Best Song and Best Music Video categories.   Trinidadian soca star Machel Montano is nominated for the Entertainer of the Year award, Jamaican songbird Alaine is nominated for Best Female Vocalist, and U.S. Virgin Islands' native Pressure is nominated as the Most Promising Entertainer of the Year, bringing some true world flavas to this year's IRAWMA's.  According to IRAWMA's president Ephraim Martin, the list of performers and presenters also include Beenie Man, Ky-Mani Marley, Doug E. Fresh, Janet Hubert, Tarrus Riley, Freddie McGregor, Etana, Billy Ocean, Miss Jamaica 2007, Buju Banton, Macka Diamond, Lady G, Claudelle Clarke, Tony Rebel, Lady Ann, Dean Fraser, Winsome Benjamin, D'Angel, Queen Ifrika, Mutabaruka, Cecile, Junior Reid, Shelia Hylton, Dwight Pickney, and a soca mix featuring Hot 97FM disc jockey D. Life with soca songstress, Jadine.  International singer Billy Ocean will be inducted into the IRAWMA Hall of Fame, while Ziggy Marley and Jay-Z will each receive the Marcus Garvey Humanitarian Award for their charitable efforts this year.  Also don't miss the official IRAWMA after party at Club Touch in Manhattan following the awards ceremony, where patrons will be able to celebrate up close and personal with the stars.  Limited tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.com., 212/307-7171 or the Apollo's Box Office at 212-307-7171, or call toll-free: 1-877-9-reggae.

Bounty Killer & Mavado Banned From Guyana

Deejays Bounty Killer and Mavado, have been banned from entering Guyana, the country's Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, has said.  A report from the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), quoted Rohee as saying that Bounty Killer, whose real name is Rodney Price, is known for his lyrics glorifying guns and bashing gays while Mavado is a security risk.  The Guyanese minister, speaking at a news conference, said the decision to blacklist the two Jamaicans was taken recently by the Bharrat Jagdeo administration after careful consideration of their track records.  Mavado, whose real name is David Brooks, was due to perform at a concert in Guyana the first weekend of May.  Rohee siad that his ministry has exercised a lot of patience with the organizers of shows and there were conditions set out under which the shows were to be held, but these were not followed.  Recently Bounty Killer  allegedly performed a number of his controversial songs during a show in Guyana.  Regarding Mavado, the Minister would only say that the artiste was a security risk and as such he too would not be allowed into the country.

Mother Cedella Marley Booker Laid To Rest

According to reports out of Jamaica, the mother of reggae icon Bob Marley, Cedella Marley Booker, will be laid to rest in Jamaica on Monday, April 28. Cedella Booker died in her sleep on Tuesday, April 8. She was 81.  The two-day activity, which begins on Sunday, April 27, will surround celebrating her life and achievements.   The services will commence with a public viewing at the National Arena, St Andrew, on Sunday, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.   The funeral will be held at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on Monday, commencing at 8:00 a.m.  At the public viewing , musicians and singers will pay tribute to her love for music and her achievements.    Following the ceremony at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the procession will then journey to Nine Miles for the interment.   She will be laid to rest in the garden next to her son's mausoleum.  Cedella Marley Booker has recorded solo and collaboration albums, performed in the US, Jamaica, Europe, Mexico and Africa, and authored a book, Bob Marley, My Son.   She is also well known for her philanthropy in Jamaica, the wider Caribbean and in South Florida. In Jamaica, she adopted the basic school at Nine Miles in St Ann, which has been renamed the Cedella Marley Booker Academy. She was also associated with Rhoden Hall Basic School and Eight Mile Basic School, both in St Ann.  Mrs. Booker and her son Bob Marley were both born in Nine Miles.

Esco Making A Consistent Mark

ESCO has been busy in the studios recording with a wide range of Dancehall producers as well as focusing on his own production efforts for his newly formed 1-1-1 Productions.  Some of Esco’s new songs receiving wide airplay in Jamaica include;  “Don’t Hail We” from Jamaica's DJ Sunshine’s all new GHETTO WUK Riddim, “Bust A Whine” a one off from Esco’s 1-1-1 Productions, “Wow” from Natural Bridge Record’s SEA BREEZE riddim and “Dun Dem Credit” featuring Fresh from Seanizzle’s CREEPA riddim.   Further, Esco has been making a consistent mark within the Soca community.  First, with releases as a part of the former group Leftside & Esco and more currently based on some of his own collaborations.  Some of the new Soca tunes Esco has recorded include; “Wine Of My Dreams” on the Response Riddim produced by Johann Seaton of Sel Construction and “All Day RMX” with Shurwayne Winchester and Johnny King.  Esco even joined Shurwayne Winchester to perform their song in front of an excited Soca crowd in Jamaica during the Carnival season a few weeks back. Esco is in the prep stages of shooting a few videos in the next couple of weeks and has plans to work with Jamaica’s most esteemed international video director Ras Kassa.  Not only is he focusing on creating support for several quality songs he’s got playing but he’s also been in the recording studios with producers like Jam 2 which has resulted in the all new “Pride Fi Di Girls” on the Record Shop Riddim.  Of course, he’s got several songs playing locally in Jamaica and in worldwide reggae markets such as; “Don’t Hail We”, “Bust A Whine” and “Wow” from Natural Bridge’s latest Sea Breeze Riddim.  Esco is one of the artists scheduled to perform at the upcoming UMA Awards (Urban Music Awards) taking place at the Reggae Beach venue on April 26th.   The UMA’s are being televised in several countries including; Barbados – CBC, France, England – Channel U and BBC Free, Jamaica – CVM and RE TV, Japan – Bap TV and US on BET J.   The winners of the UMA Awards are being selected by the general public via a voting system on their website: http://www.urbanmusicawards.net, where artists likee the dancehall group TOK are nominated.  To listen to some of Esco’s new material such as the songs “Don’t Hail We”, “Wow”, “Dun Dem Credit” and “Control Dis Ting”, you can visit his myspace page at:  http://www.myspace.com/itsesco

Sizzla's Rise To The Occasion IV A Success

Sizzla Kalonji's Rise to the Occasion IV held on Saturday, April 19th at Temple Hall Estate in Stony Hill, in celebration of his 32nd birthday, was indeed an occasion to be remembered, as it may have broken a record time for a stage show to run through it's many artists.  Although a successful and incident-free event, the warning and mention of the time constraint was like a recurring decimal throughout the night's proceeding.  After Turbulence took the stage in a burst of energy at around 1:05 a.m. declaring, "I could have been one of the most notorious", and being recalled to perform the crowd's favorite Ex-Girlfriend, MC GT Taylor announced, "because of the time constraint thing, the 2 o' clock thing, we were told to just go straight to the bands."   Natural Black stepped up quickly to declare that his girl was Far From Reality, but paused to get a burning issue off his chest.   "Di cultural artiste dem nah live good, dem a spread bear positive message an a live fup," he declared before jumping back into his set onstage.   At 1:30 am, Judgement Yard artiste Junie Platinum came and chanted "Jah is my keeper", while Lady G asked "whe di woman dem whe know sey nuh gyal cyan tek off yuh p?"  There was no time for a pause, as each artiste came and performed quickly.   Lutan Fyah took to The Battlefield, child star Dada had the audience going when he declared "my daddy cyan touch mi like nuh gyal pickney, afta mi nuh Britney", while Cocoa Tea chanted "Babylon yuh throne gone down." Cocoa Tea even offered a little freestyle about the early cut-off time, which the crowd enjoyed, as he sang, "how show fi done 2 o' clock, dis haffi gwaan til' daylight - how dem fi stop Temple Hall show 2 o' clock?"   Louie Culture was later called onstage by Cocoa Tea and Culture immediately went for a number of his hits from the early '90 including Hills and Valleys and Ole Before She Young.  The Monster Empire also injected a burst of energy onstage, before making way for the Gangster for life, Mavado at 2 a.m., when MC Nuffy introduced him to the stage.  Mavado took the stage to screams and cheers as he declared I'm On The Rock.  After touching a few more songs, he too paused to give a reminder, "remember the time ting and di time is running."   He then quickly picked up his Chiney K and told what 'The gangsta life is like' before looking to The Brown Bottle.   Mavado was, however, not allowed to leave the stage before performing Money Changer, and he also said, "yow Jay Z sey mi fi tell uno dis," as he did a portion of the rapper's section of I'm On The Rock.   The likes of Einstein, Zumjay and others gave brief performances before making way for the man of the hour, Sizzla Kalonji, who took the stage at 2:20 a.m. to dimmed lights and a chanting audience.   Sizzla, who came to 'Smoke di herb an get a humble thought' later paused to add his reminder about the early lock off time. "Dem sey a 2 o' clock but yuh done know, wi a gwaan bun di fire," Sizzla declared as he jumped right back into his set on stage, with songs like Simplicity. Another pause, but this time to address a burning issue, Sizzla said, "wha day yah mi deh pon a plane coming from New York an mi si inna di papa dem sey homosexuals give Jamaica deadline. All a who bun byman push up uno hand in di air," he shouted as he sang, "No, no, no, no way!" Sizzla then went on to perform a slew of other hits like Rastaman Don't Apologize, Dry Cry and Rise To The Occasion.  He was later joined by Spragga Benz on stage who declared, "A Rasta run di world", the Twin of Twins also came and made it clear, "wi nah trus nuh rising star" and Hollow Point and others also had a taste of the action on stage.   Sizzla's 'Rise to the Occasion IV' was indeed a success and patrons were left with no complaints except for the early ending.

'2 Gran' Bartley

Jamaican Promoters Cannot Survive With Midnight & 2am Curfew

Promoters of weekly street dances have said that they are unable to survive under the current new conditions regarding enforcement of the Noise Abatement Act.   A number of them have been feeling the pinch in their pockets, as many have recorded losses since the police began to enforce the 2 a.m. cut-off time. One promoter, who declined to have his name published, says, "With the Noise Abatement Act, there are things that promoters and people in general still don't understand. During the week, the permit says until 12 o' clock and on Saturday it goes until 2 o' clock."   He says some promoters and patrons in general are still of the opinion that it is all dances, even during weekdays, that attract the 2 a.m. lock off time.   "So we, as promoters, are still catering for the 2 a.m., but by 12, police coming to lock off the dance," the promoter said.   He added, "Now, it is left to the discretion of the police, some might give you a run and some might not. Now, we as promoters are losing, we can't afford to advertise anymore, we selling less than half the liquor and lose a significant amount of patrons who come after 12."   But for Dutty Fridaze promoter, Wayne '2 Gran' Bartley, although he has been losing big since trying to adjust to the early cut-off time, a new obstacle recently presented itself.  2 Gran says, "There will be no more Dutty Fridaze until further notice."   According to the Dutty Fridaze promoter, "tru di violence wey gwaan inna di area di odda day, the police are not granting any permits right now because their hands are full. But although the violence is not up at our side (in Fletcher's Land), it is in Southside and Tel-Aviv, it's one division. But everybody should not have to suffer." "Fi di past two months now, mi have a heavy loss. Although wi nah depend on the money, we need videos, so like when they (police) come 1 o' clock, dem kill di video, and for the past four weeks, the video ting get a blow, an a it wi use fi mek di people dem a foreign si wah gwaan, si di dancers an can sen fi dem eat a food," he said. Meely, one of the promoters for Passa Passa says, "Di people dem nuh fully adjust to the new time but for three weeks straight we lock off regardless. But dem start come out because by 1 or 2 a.m., we had a descent crowd and when it just started, we didn't get much people."   Another promoter of a weekly street dance said he would like to propose that all dances be locked off at 2 a.m., both during the week and on Saturdays.   He says, "Di 12 o' clock not going to mek it, we prefer to have a 2 a.m. lock-off time all throughout, because 12 o' clock is ridiculous. And furthermore, all of Jamaica don't know this and they are already used to the 2 a.m. lock off."

 

April 17th - Report by Tieno Evans - Jamaica:

Stone Love Sound Owner Calls On Police To Leave Selectors Alone

In Jamaica, veteran selector and owner of Stone Love Sound System, Winston 'Wee Pow' Powell is calling on police to not arrest sound system selectors when sessions run over the 2 a.m. end time.  Powell says the selectors are just employees of the promoters and that it is the promoters' who should be held accountable.   According to Powell, "the policemen are going around and locking up the sound system selectors. The latest one occurring in Dunkirk, where they locked up a sound man for breach of the Night Noise Act."   "There is no way, especially when we are playing in certain type of areas, that we can take it up on our self an say lock off. It's the promoter! Just like me, I have a weekly event, Weddy, an we taking it back to an earlier time," Powell said.   Powell says there is already a general agreement among sound system selectors where, "basically, everybody feels the same way in which we normally comply (with the law) and when it reach certain time, we tone down the music.  But the police, too, they are enforcing this Noise Abatement Act sometimes in areas where the noise doesn't bother anybody."   Over the past few weeks, at least two sound system selectors have had problems with the law. David McNaughton, a music selector was arrested while he operated the Jam Rock Disco at a dance in the Bryden Street area of East Kingston and another selector, playing for a sound called Qwalitex, was reportedly arrested at another street dance called 'Froggy Saturdays' in the east Kingston area.  However, the police say they are taking a zero tolerance approach to night noise.  Commissioner of Police, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin said, "the matter of night noise is distressing not to just me personally, but to those people who have to suffer underneath it, and we have to put a stop to it."  Under the Noise Abatement Act, it is an offence for a person to sing or play any noisy instrument at any time of the day or night so that the sound can be heard beyond a distance of 100 meters and can be reasonably capable of causing annoyance to persons in the vicinity.

  

St. Kitts Music Festival

 

John Legend, The Mighty Shadow, Calypso Rose and Busy Signal will all be joining Billy Ocean at the St. Kitts Music Festival which is carded for June 26-28.  Local Road March Champions Grand Masters as well as acclaimed Jazz performers Phil Perry, Brenda Russell and Tom Scott will be performing.  According to St. Kitts Music Festival Marketing and Promotions Consultant Clement ‘Juni’ Liburd the full roster of artistes will be released on April 29th during a Music Festival media launch in St. Kitts. Meantime, plans are also in place to promote the 12th annual hosting of the event regionally as well as internationally.

 

Jamaican Artists Deposit Their Albums In National Library Of  Jamaica

 

Artists Cocoa Tea, Anthony Cruz, Tony Rebel and Queen Ifrica made history in Jamaica on April 15th when they made legal deposits of their respective albums with the National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) in Kingston.  The artistes complied with the Legal Deposit Act which was passed in Jamaica in 2002. This act named the National Library the Principal Legal Depository into which copies of publications of all kinds produced in Jamaica for public distribution, lease or sale must be deposited.  Under the Legal Deposit Act, one copy of all audio-visual materials and two copies of all printed publication must be deposited within a month of publication. Failure to comply with the act is an offence for which a publisher/producer may be fined up to $50,000. The Legal Deposit Act also stipulates that each depositor is entitled to receive a sum equivalent to the production cost of each item deposited.

 

 

JamRock ReggaeFest Slated For June 14th

 

The 11th Annual JAMROCK Reggaefest, dubbed "Jamming in the City", is set to hit the Hammerstein Ballroom 311 W 34th Street, New York NY in full speed on Saturday, June 14th, 2008. Doors open at 6pm and show time will be at 7:30pm.  The 11th Annual JAMROCK Reggaefest will showcase some of the most requested performers in the industry! Performers include:

KY-MANI MARLEY
DEMARCO
BEENIE MAN
ETANA
CHRISTOPHER MARTIN
SANCHEZ
THIRD WORLD

 

Bill Cosby Enters The Rap Arena

Bill Cosby officially enters the rap game in May with the release of his long-promised album "Cosby Narratives Vol. 1: State of Emergency."   According to the Associated Press, the 70-year-old outspoken opponent of profanity-laced, misogynistic rap has put together an effort that blends his concepts and stories with a hip-hop, pop and jazz soundtrack.  His album is "the opposite of what I think is the profanity for no particular reason, the misogyny for no particular reason," he said. "It really looks at the frustration and the anger that a young man may have."    Assembled by Cosby's longtime musical collaborator Bill "Spaceman" Patterson, "Narratives" contains rhymes that are provided solely by guest rappers.   "I do not rap on any of these things. I wouldn't know how to fix my mouth to say some of the words," Cosby said.   The subject matter?   "The value of an education. The value of respecting one's self and ... giving (listeners) a chance to raise their self-esteem and confidence," he said.     Cosby made the album as a companion to his 2007 best-selling book, "Come on, People: On the Path from Victims to Victors." And though he doesn't expect the CD to be a huge hit, it won't be his last hip-hop venture. "We can do even better," he said. "The next one will be even more cheerleading."

Trinidad Launches 'Rapso Nation' Booklet

 

April is Rapso month in Trinidad and Tobago and Tuesday, April 8th saw the official launch of a booklet entitled Rapso Nation, at the National Library on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain.  The booklet, which is written with the intention to inform those ignorant about the art form, is a comprehensive text on the significant work done by the rapso community during the years, its beginnings and its plans for the future.  

 

Memorial Service for Mother Cedella Marley Booker

A special Memorial Service will be held Tues., April 15, from 7 PM to 10 PM, inside the Garden House at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida. Fairchild is located at 10901 Old Cutler Road in south Miami-Dade.  Affectionately known as Mother Booker, the celebration of love and music will honor her life and achievements, and will provide the opportunity for her many South Florida friends, fans, and family members to bid her a fond farewell.  An artist in her own right, Cedella Marley Booker recorded solo and collaboration albums, performed in the U.S., Jamaica, Europe, Mexico, and Africa, and authored a book, Bob Marley, My Son.  Grounded in faith and Rastafari, Cedella Marley Booker showed the world a peacefulness and love that she openly shared with everyone who surrounded her. In the spirit of Bob Marley, Mother Booker founded Movement of Jah People, an organization that benefits the underprivileged in South Florida and the Caribbean.  Among Mother B’s achievements is the adoption of the Nine Mile Basic School in St. Ann, Jamaica, where she and Bob Marley were born and laid to rest, now called the Cedella Marley Booker Academy. She is also associated with Rhoden Hall Basic School and Eight Mile Basic School in St.Ann.  Cedella Marley Booker is survived by son Richard Booker, daughters-in-law Rita Marley and Sharien Fogle-Booker, daughter Claudette "Pearl"  Livingston, nephew Jimmy Brown, 14 grandchildren, and 49 great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Cedella Marley Booker Academy. Please make checks payable to the Nine Mile Charitable Foundation at 5800 Sunset Drive, Miami, FL 33156.

Miss Jamaica Universe Controversy Over Winner

According to OuttaRoad online, mixed emotions ripped through the National Indoors Centre at the prestigious Miss Jamaica Universe 2008 when the judges announced Doneika Plowright as the first runner-up. When Ms. Plowright, who was the crowd’s favorite, was no longer in the position of going home with the crown tension brewed in the audience, especially after April Jackson was handed the crown by last years’ winner Sara Redwood.  The ever present Eurocentric and Afro-centric look again played on the emotions of the crowd, many of whom was biased towards the contestants they believed look more like a typical Jamaican woman.  According to Yvette, an avid fan of the competition: “mi did want the girl with the afro (Doneika Plowright) to win because it would be fitting for Sara Redwood to hand over the crown to her because she looks more like a Jamaican.”   The angry patron went on to say, “Everytime a some long hair girl them give the crown.”   Another patron who gave her name as Lolita shared similar sentiments as Yvette. “The long hair girls them always winning, sometimes mi feel that the public votes don’t count. April is a nice black girl yes, but mi did want the afro hair girl fi represent Jamaica, she argued.  Eventually someone was found who agreed with the judges’ decision. According to Germaine and his wife Ruby: “Most of the patrons here were just caught up with the girl afro hair instead of looking for quality and awareness. Come on, this is not how you judge contestants who are going to represent your country on an international platform. I personally believed that April Jackson is the right contestant to wear the crown.”

 

Red Stripe Withdraws From Negative Dancehall

Red Stripe has blown the whistle on negative dancehall which glorifies violence, and has finally announced that it will no longer be sponsoring live dancehall events like Reggae Sumfest and Sting, of which it was a major sponsor. Many are calling for other beverage companies who are the main culprits in bankrolling gangsta performances to follow Red Stripes pro-life stance.  Red Stripe says it can no longer support artistes who unapologetically and defiantly promote violence, misogyny and bigotry in their music.   A statement from Red Stripes reads: "It is our hope that our action will cause the proponents of this destructive trend in local music to stop and take stock of the negative impact of their actions on the society and seek to make a change. Red Stripe looks forward to the time when good sense will prevail and we can see a return to improved quality and standard of music that all Jamaica can be proud of. At that time we will review our position."

 

Mavado Denied Entry Into US

There has been a series of disappointments for dancehall artiste David Constantine Brooks, more popularly known as Mavado, but the latest came recently when he was denied entry when he arrived in New York on Thursday, April, 10th 2008.  Mavado, who had been apprehended in Jamaica recently on gun-related charges, only had his travel documents returned to him a few days ago, as they were ceased under a court order.  However, due to his recent troubles in Jamaica, Mavado says the New York authorities have denied him entry into their country.   "Dem sey dem get it sey mi Visa cancel an' mi wanted inna Jamaica, suh mi a sey how mi fi wanted inna Jamaica an' mi jus' a come from Jamaica. Suh dem a sey dem haffi guh sen mi back an' check it out," Mavado said in an interview with THE STAR in Jamaica. "A three show mi did fi do ova deh (in New York), but dem (the promoters) jus haffi understand di vibe cause mi nuh own plane or airport."   However, Mavado says he will not allow his recent troubles to get him down.

Best of the Best 2008!!

South Florida's premier music and lifestyle promotions company, Rocker's Island Entertainment, in association with Massive B Sound System, Inc., and title sponsor REBEL MIX, are extremely pleased to announce the addition of dancehall legend Super Cat to the line up of Best Of The Best 2008.

Miami's longest running Memorial Weekend reggae concert, Best Of The Best 2008 will jump off on Sunday May 25th at Bicentennial Park (1075 Biscayne Blvd.) in bustling downtown Miami. "We all grew up listening to Super Cat," says Rocker's Island CEO Joseph "Budafuco" Louis, "so this is a huge honor for us to bring him down to Florida for our annual event." The occasion will be Mr. Cat's first outdoor park show ever in North America.   Born and raised in the rough and tumble streets of Cockburn Pen in Kingston, Super Cat aka the Wild Apache bumrushed the dancehall fraternity of the mid-1980s with a spree of hits like: "Boops," "Mud Up," and "Sweet For My Sweet." He was one of the first Jamaican deejays to bust in the US market and signed a major label deal with Columbia records in the early '90s, enjoying success with several smash hits including "Dem No Worry We," "Don Dada" and "Dolly My Baby."   Super Cat also helped pioneer the fusion of Hip-Hop and Reggae and R&B and Reggae, regularly collaborating with then-rising stars P. Diddy, Heavy D, Mary J. Blige and Notorious B.I.G. Over the years, his trademark vocal style and lyrical pattern have been adopted by many deejays to follow, most notably multi-platinum Pop artist Sean Paul, who can credit the Cat as a major influence.  The original don dada joins a stellar list of artists already confirmed for this year's event, including Buju Banton aka Gargamel, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Sizzla, Junior Reid, Barrington Levy, soca king Machel Montano, Tarrus Riley, Mavado, Etana, Dean Frasier, Assassin, Serani, Bling Dawg, Shifta, Demarco, Bugle, Screechy Dan, Rockefella and Dilly Chris.  Best Of The Best 2008 will be hosted by Bobby Konders and Jabba, DJ Khaled, Jamusa, Ron Burke, Tony Matterhorn, 800-Bungie, Walshy, Mr. Slater, DJ Roy and Steelie. Doors will open at 1:00pm sharp. Stage show kicks off at 2:00pm and ends at 11pm. Additional 2008 sponsors include Island TV, Mixx 96, Irie TV, Hot 97, Air Jamaica, The Marriott Biscayne Bay, RA Travel, Gargamel Music Marketing.   FOR BOOTH/VENDOR INFO: Call 305.438.9488. Space Is Limited!

 

Jah Patriot Shown Love After Devastating Fire

Despite the recent tragedy of his house burning down to the ground ....Jah Patriot the warrior gave it all he got during his performance at Portland Splash on Saturday, March 29th where he had fans singing along to his hit songs "Man A Warrior" and  "Honorable".  Fans and artist just couldn't get enough of the energy coming from Patriot.  Just ask the King of Fire CAPELTON who joined Patriot on stage during his encore performance of "Honorable" and endorsed the artist to the audience as the Unseen Fire Patriot!!    In a recent interview Jah Patriot said " I never know mi have so much fans untill after my house burn down three weeks ago, people see mi in the street and singing mi song dem telling me how the words of "Giving It All" and "Honorable" mean to dem and showing mad love as they came out in full force to support I last Saturday night"  Patriot's new single "Looking For Love" is now in full rotation on all radio stations in Jamaica and also in full rotation on Vibes 24/7 online: www.westindiantimes.net/vibes247.htm and spinning on the Caribbean Connection every Sunday with Lady Cham & Ras Imeka on Hot 91.1fm in Virginia, US and simultaneously on Vibes 24/7.