With Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and the Cayman Islands the latest countries in the region to record cases of COVID-19, two events in Tobago and St Maarten have joined the list of those that will not be taking place this year. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Kelvin Jack revealed that the Tobago Jazz Festival has been cancelled. A day after Loop wa... »
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 ... »
Rap superstar Lil Kim recently underwent a series of new plastic surgery procedures, according to new social media reports. And yesterday, MTO News obtained pics of Lil Kim’s new and improved face and body. Social media reports say that Kim recently had a Brazilian Butt Lift, and some new lip injections. Lil Kim, real name Kimberly Denise Jones, is one of the greatest female rappers in histo... »
NBA legend delivered a touching tribute to late NBA champion Kobe Bryant during Monday’s memorial, which left him and many others in floods of tears. “Maybe it surprised people that Kobe and I were very close friends. But we were very close friends. Kobe was my dear friend, he was like a little brother,” Jordan said during part of his speech. “Everyone always wanted to talk... »
Reggae Boyz striker Darren Mattocks faces two felonies in the USA, international media has reported. The 29-year-old will face the court accused of making a false, fraudulent, or incomplete insurance claim and another count of theft by deception in Carroll Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. According to court documents seen by media, the complaint against Mattocks was first filed on Decemb... »
Soca superstar Machel Montano invited thousands of fans to watch him get married in a grand finale concert. Machel Montano is well known for his annual concert event in Trinidad called Machel Monday. The exciting yearly extravaganza that has been ongoing for the last decade came to a ceremonious close this week when Machel hosted the final staging and ended with a wedding on stage in front of his ... »
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 ... »
Does Koffee have a new collaboration in the works with Kendrick Lamar? Rapper Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest artists in his genre and of his time. Many other artists, both young and old, aspire to work with the “Loyalty” rapper at some point in their career, and Jamaica’s 19-year-old koffee is no different. The reggae artiste recently said in an interview that she has met Kendrick Lamar and... »
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 Barbados Immigration Department has denied any wrongdoing or mistreatment of a Jamaican national who was detained last month at the Grantley Adams International Airport in that eastern Caribbean island and is now awaiting deportation. The attorney representing the Jamaican man, Kivesi Andrae McPherson, has reportedly indicated that a lawsuit against the Barbados government was being considered... »
CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) – St Lucia Saturday denied a cruise ship with more than 3,000 passengers on board entry in the Castries Harbour after health authorities confirmed that some passengers were experiencing respiratory tract infections. But the Department of Health & Wellness denied reports that there may have been cases of the deadly coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that has killed more than 200 p... »
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... »
Michelle Obama stays winning, as she joins her husband as a winner of a Grammy Award. Barrack Obama, the 44th president of the United States of America, laid the foundation by copping two separate Grammy wins for the same category. His first win was back in 2006 for the recording of “Dreams From My Father,” he followed up that win in 2008 with the recording for “The Audacity of Hope.”His wife and ... »
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. »
Nicki Minaj’s brother Jelani Maraj was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for child rape. Niky Minaj’s elder brother has been in and out of court for the last four years after being arrested in December 2015 on child rape charges. The shocking charges stemmed from allegations that he sexually assaulted his 11-year-old stepdaughter at the time. The disturbing details emerged during the 2... »
Koffee just made history by becoming the youngest solo act and only female ever to win a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. The day we all knew would come is finally here, and Jamaica is celebrating a huge win for one of its biggest superstars. Koffee, whose real name is Mikayla Simpson, just won her first Grammy in the category of Best Reggae Album for her “Rapture” EP. The 19-year-old reggae star is ... »
