Dancehall artiste Oneal Byran, better known as Elephant Man, is currently being investigated on the basis of false declaration to immigration, following his return to Jamaica. A whistleblower in the form of an immigration worker sounded the alarm to the public by releasing a recording describing what the Elephant Man allegedly did. The public immediately called out the deejay for his actions, prom... »
KINGSTON, Jamaica — President of the opposition People’s National Party (PNP), Dr Peter Phillips, has reached out to the Government of Cuba for Jamaica to access the anti-viral drug Interferon Alpha 2B, which is said to be among 30 such drugs being used in the fight against the COVID-19 virus in other jurisdictions. This drug is being used in 14 other jurisdictions in Asia, Europe and South ... »
Jamaica’s carnival celebrations have been postponed by six months to October as a safety measure against the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the island. Kamal Bankay, Chairman of the Carnival in Jamaica stakeholders committee, made the announcement on Friday, after the number of COVID-19 cases in the island quadrupled overnight to eight. Bankay said the road march, originally s... »
Dancehall veteran, Lady G, is carrying out the finishing touches on her tell-all book chronicling her 30-year musical journey, which is set to be released before the end of this year. According to Lady G, the book, which has no definitive title or release date as yet, will reveal what she describes as the “good and bad side” of the music business. Nevertheless, she says she wants readers to walk a... »
BY HOWARD CAMPBELL Observer senior writer Roy “DJ Roy” Walters of Irie Jam Radio (third from left) with (from left) Kabaka Pyramid, Christopher Ellis and Vershon at Tuff Gong studios in Kingston. Irie Jam Radio conducted a series of artiste interviews as part of its Reggae Month activities in Jamaica. A four-man team from Irie Jam Radio in Queens, New York, visited Jamaica in February to report on... »
Pharrell Williams and Buju Banton might have some new music on the way. The late 90s and the early 2000s were glorious times for both hip hop and dancehall music. Big facts. The era produced timeless tracks that are still bumping in the clubs to this day. While the artistes are the ones who are usually praised in the public domain, it is the early grunt work of other persons such as the producers ... »
Social media personality Amari “DJ Mona Lisa”, known for her tumultuous relationship with dancehall star Gully Bop, is calling it quits with the deejay. Why? She has given her life to Christ. “I am over Gully Bop. He is not trustworthy but I will always care about him,” she said. She got baptised over two months ago after going through a particularly rough patch in her life. “I ... »
ounty Killer appeared OnStage with Winford Williams where he donated $250K to dancehall pioneer Junior Byles, through his . During his time on-air, the veteran dancehall artist talked about a very important issue that is often neglected among the fortunate – giving back. Bounty Killer brought along with him to the TV interview, famous old school reggae artist Junior Byles. The reggae singer who is... »
Veteran Dancehall artiste Spragga Benz has explained the reason why he has maintained a low profile on Jamaica’s music scene over the last several years. According to the 50-year-old, since the killing of his son in 2008, he became very uncomfortable with the events that took place in the wake of that event, noting that he felt his life was in danger. “Career did always alright. Mi did just haffi ... »
The Bob Marley Foundation, led by Cedella Marley, has engaged in another partnership with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), aimed at assisting with marketing and sponsorship generation for the national men’s team, the Reggae Boyz, in their quest to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. According to JFF president Michael Ricketts, the JFF had been engaging in discussions with Cedella, who h... »
Vybz Kartel is not yet a free man, so the story that has been circulating is a hoax. The dancehall deejay’s attorney is dispelling rumors that the DEEJAY’S APPEAL VERDICT has already arrived in his favor. Over the last few days, rumors have been circulating that the “Any Weather” deejay had come out of the other side of the storm. People received false reports through the grapevine that his ... »
Bob Marley would’ve been 75 years old, if he was still alive. The new animated video for Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” which was released by his estate yesterday, has been receiving rave reviews from fans of the Reggae legend, who would have turned 75 today. The images featured in the video were drawn by French artists Octave Marsal and Theo De Gueltzl, to aid in telling the song’s story o... »
As the world enters a new decade, Barbados remains as the Caribbean country with the most powerful passport. The Jamaican passport, on the other hand, continues to be among the lowest ranked in the region. According to the 2020 Henley Passport Index ranking, Barbados reigns for another year as the most powerful passport holder in the region while positioned globally at number 24 with its visa-free... »
The paucity of indigenously owned and operated airlines in the country, was among the reasons used to support the launch of Oriole Limited, a Jamaican airline venture that the operators have said will transform and revive the domestic and Caribbean airspace. The full operation of services to be provided by what the operators say will be a domestic low-cost carrier (LCC) is expected to commence nex... »
Bounty Killer seems to be on a mission to help in curbing domestic violence, by reaching out to Jamaican men with a well-reasoned message. The Poor People Governor posted a minute-long video on his Instagram page recently where he tackled the social problem which been plaguing Jamaica for years but further highlighted by a spate of murder-suicides and killings of women by enraged ex-lovers, over t... »
A tsunami warning is in effect for Jamaica following the massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck in the Caribbean Sea between the island and neighbouring Cuba on Tuesday. A tsunami warning is also in effect for Cuba and the Cayman Islands. According to Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to 1 metres or 3 ft above the tide level ... »
A strong earthquake rocked Jamaica in mid-afternoon on Tuesday. The quake, said to have been measured at 7.7, sent shockwaves across many areas, including in sections of the Corporate Area in Kingston. A number of corporate entities quickly went into evacuation mode as part of their procedures for such eventualities. There is so far no report on any damage from the earthquake. »
Popular dancehall dancer Bumpa lost her life after a dangerous stunt went horribly wrong. The dancehall community is mourning the death of another of its members. Popular street dancer Bumpa died on Thursday (January 23, 2020) after sustaining serious injuries to her neck while performing a dangerous acrobatic dance move. Video footage of the incident has been circulating on social media since yes... »
Congratulations to Usain Bolt and Kasi Bennett, who are expecting their first child! Usain Bolt is about to be a proud father soon. The famous couple made the announcement in A-list fashion with a gorgeous pregnancy reveal photoshoot. In the beautiful pictures that they shared online, Kasi was styled in a stunning multilayered red dress that accentuates her beautiful bump. The images taken by prof... »
Marion Hall, formerly Lady Saw, is building a massive church as she gets ready to start preaching. Marion Hall, previously known as the Queen of dancehall Lady Saw is on her mission to spread the word of God all over Jamaica, and she has recently landed equipment to help her on the journey. The evangelist was speaking to the Jamaican Star when she revealed her plans and progress since leaving the ... »
Vybz Kartel’s senior defense attorney has a good feeling about the deejay’s appeal case. As the incarcerated dancehall icon anxiously awaits his appeal verdict, so does his lawyers. Valerie Neita-Robertson, one of the senior attorneys on Vybz Kartel’s case said while it’s taking a while to hear back from the court, she believes it is “a very good appeal.” The Court of Appeal indicated in a l... »
Jamaica’s Minister of Entertainment, Olivia’ Babsy’ Grange, has announced that her Ministry has collaborated with the Ministry of Tourism to develop a Reggae Month App. The app allows interested event promoters of all genres of Jamaican music, whether Mento, Ska, Dub, Rocksteady, Reggae or Dancehall to add their own events, and will also enable music lovers to keep abreast of all the respective sh... »
There are growing concerns for the safety of veteran dancehall deejay Michael May better known as Flourgon, following the recent news of his court settlement against popstar Miley Cyrus. Flourgon and his legal team filed a US$300 Million lawsuit against 27 yer old pop singer Miley Cyrus. The dancehall deejay claims that Cyrus used lyrics from his 25-year-old track “We Run Things” without getting p... »
According to the Sustainable Development Index (SDI) which assesses the “ecological efficiency of human development”, Jamaica is ranked 23rd in the world; but it is the island’s immediate neighbour, Cuba, that is ranked number one, globally. The English language socialist newspaper, the Morning Star, recently carried a story featuring Cuba’s top position on the index, and highlighted t... »
Vybz Kartel says prison is one of life’s best teachers, as well as, heart-breaks, empty pockets, and failures. Vybz Kartel seems to be growing tired of the inside, and he’s using social media as his outlet. The incarcerated dancehall deejay has been a lot more vocal lately about the injustice he is facing with his criminal trial, more specifically his case with the court of appeal. Since Vybz Kart... »
