This is how Beenie Man’s Best Reggae Album Grammy Award became the gift that keeps on giving. On a reflective note in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Billboard.com scoured their archives, harking back to the early 2000s, with a weeklong celebration of the iconic and historically rich year in music. The first listing to be released featured staff picks of their 100 greatest songs of the 2000s, w... »
The dancehall community is reacting to Vybz Kartel losing his appeal case, and some fans are now blasting his defense attorney, Valerie Neita-Robertson. Social Media erupted last night when it was announced to the public that the results of Vybz Kartel appeal would be revealed on Friday, April 3, 2020. Fans went crazy, predicting the best outcome and how they would react if the deejay were release... »
Vybz Kartel suffered a crushing defeat as the Appeal Court handed down its verdict today. The day has finally come for Vybz Kartel to hear his fate, and though his appeal was basically denied, he might be out sooner than initially thought. Attorney for incarcerated deejay Vybz Kartel was on the receiving end of a vital phone call today from the Court of Appeal. According to the judge, he is allowi... »
Incarcerated dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel will hopefully be a free man soon. Breaking news interrupted our typical day to announce that there has finally been some development in Vybz Kartel’s appeal case. The deejay is reportedly scheduled to appear in court tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. to hear the final verdict. It has been a long-awaited decision for the dancehall star who stood trial for ... »
Famed reggae radio station Irie FM is currently off the air. Irie FM is one of Jamaica’s leading radio stations whose mantra is fixated on the promotion of authentic reggae music. Sadly some listeners, both users of the FM band and those who connect through the station’s paid platform reported hours of dead air, which resulted from an internal strike. The strike was initiated on Tuesday evening fo... »
Vybz Kartel found himself in serious trouble after correctional officers searched his prison cell and uncovered a cellphone, which is a banned item. Vybz Kartel fans are running to his defense as authorities launched an investigation following news that he was live on Instagram. It’s no surprise that “Kartel” was trending on Twitter all of last night. What else would you expect after the incarcera... »
Elephant Man is looking at some possible jail time for lying to Immigration about COVID-19 A few days ago, dancehall deejay Elephant Man took to social media to share his side of the story about what happened at the Sangsters International airport that eventually led to him being sought after by the Minister of Health and law enforcement. Elephant Man also apologized profusely in his videos for fa... »
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... »
