The ska scene mushroomed in Jamaica in the ’50s and ’60s, with acts like Derrick Morgan, Desmond Dekker and Prince Buster at the fore. The genre was birthed as early producers and sound system operators like Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd sought to...
Eight years ago, Singaporean artiste Masia One was a ghostwriter in Hollywood working for some of the biggest names in rap and hip hop, including Dr Dre, Pharell and The Game. This was not exactly architecture, in which she holds a bachelor’s...
Singer and musician Richie Stephens is upping the ante on his mission to popularise Jamaican music in new spaces and places. Alongside his Ska Nation band, the trailblazer toured Europe last year and exposed ska music in countries like Italy, where...
As thousands of revellers take to the streets of Kingston today for Carnival Road March, halfway across the world in Singapore, Suka Suka Sundays – a free reggae street party and jerk festival – will already be in full...
It was a real birthday I-lebration for reggae elder statesman Bunny Wailer (Jah B) as fans and loved ones gathered at Rebel T International’s HQ in Kingston on Saturday night for his 72nd birthday. The last surviving member of the three most famous...
When esteemed music producer Michael ‘Mikie’ Bennett talks about veteran deejay Shabba Ranks, his eyes light up. The two first met in 1988 after Ranks completed a recording session with producer Lloyd ‘King Jammy’ James, and Bennett said he...
On meeting singer Lvna, one cannot predict the artistic powerhouse that awaits, based on her demure nature. The Gleaner caught up with UIM’s first lady at the studio’s base in Kingston, where she said she had spent the past two years moulding a...
Thief in the Night, the upcoming debut album from producer-turned-artiste T’Jean, speaks volumes to his musical journey and mission. Widely known as a producer affiliated with Grafton Studios, UIM Records and his own label, Izreal Records, T’Jean...
Branding in the music industry is not a new concept. From personalised fan clique names to slangs and signature colours, there are many ways, besides the music, which artistes distinguish themselves. For the past two years, fans of Runkus have...
Jamaica’s sound system industry has endured many changes since its development in the 1940s, from evolving audio formats to rising dubplate and operational costs. Many sounds have fallen by the wayside as a result of this, but, three decades after...
It has been proven throughout musical history that a song’s recording date bears little significance to its full potential. Earth a Run Red, a one-drop single depicting social conditions, was a 1998 production recorded by Richie Spice that only hit...
At the core of some of reggae and dancehall’s biggest hits are esteemed recording studios, but beyond the property owners are the people responsible for building the spaces where the magic is made. Martin Mitchell is one such person who has played...
If there is one thing for sure about Keiva di Diva, it is that she is the life of any party. This proved true when she pulled a full house to her 40th birthday party celebration last week at the Rhythm Bistro Lounge in St Andrew. The dancer-turned-...
There is an ethereal mystique about Ras-I’s Crazy Over You. The jazz-laced production, which incorporates blues chords, impregnated by brass instruments, also features poetic contributions from artistes Runkus and Royal Blu. Co-produced by his Ras-...
A Grammy Award is highly revered as the ultimate milestone for many musicians, even 61 years after the event was birthed. The category Best Reggae Album was formalised by the Recording Academy in 1992, but some Jamaicans still believe a dancehall...
Every year, Jamaicans wait with bated breath to hear the winner of the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album, either through traditional media or online sources. This is the case as the award is given during an untelevised pre-ceremony, along with...
Gregory Isaacs is notably one of Jamaica’s premier reggae singers. His expansive catalogue includes Mr Cool, the 1996 album which earned him his first Best Reggae Album Grammy nomination as a solo artiste. He would earn three more nominations in...
Advancement in technology at the turn of the new millennium has offered more ways in which artistes can expose their talent. Entertainers can even act as their own distributors thanks to social media and digital platforms like Itunes...
Reggae singer Queen Ifrica is no stranger to singing about race. Her catalogue includes Black Woman,Mi Nah Rub, and her latest, Colour of Rejection. Produced by Poye ‘Buka’ Robinson, Queen Ifrica sings about the plights of...
Grammy-winning superstar Buju Banton has promised to deliver an energetic 90-minute set at the Kingston leg of the Long Walk to Freedom tour on March 16.The artiste, who has not performed in Jamaica for nearly a decade, promised fans in a recorded...
