Bob Marley’s eldest son Ziggy Marley explains why he famously said he is not black. Ziggy Marley recently wrote on Facebook that he is not black and received some backlash for it. I should also note that he also said he is not white either. According to the reggae legend, some fans just misunderstood what he said and the broader messaging that he was conveying. If he is not black or white, then wh... »
Vybz Kartel right-hand producer Linton “TJ” White gives an update on his new album. Last week, Vybz Kartel hinted on Instagram that he is dropping some new music sometime soon. The incarcerated deejay was pushing back at rumors that he has slowed down his new music releases until a verdict is reached in his appeal case. Kartel also used the hashtag #thecometiscoming to promote a new song with Sanc... »
Sean Paul and Usain Bolt have thrown their star powers behind climate change. The dancehall star and the track and field legend were named ambassadors for a new climate change initiative in the Caribbean put together by a coalition of global organizations, including the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank and Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). Sean Paul and Usain Bolt joined Virgin Atlantic... »
BY HOWARD CAMPBELL Observer senior writer After one year off the airwaves, veteran broadcaster Gil Bailey is back on New York radio. Since June, he has hosted the two-hour Gil Bailey Show on Saturdays on WNSR 620 AM, starting at 7 am. He also broadcasts daily on gilbaileyradio.com. Bailey is a pioneer of Caribbean radio in the Big Apple, having started at WHB1 in 1970. He also co-host The Gil and ... »
Is Vybz Kartel murder victim, Clive “Lizard” Williams, living overseas or is he dead? Earlier this month a few of the jurors from Vybz Kartel murder case spoke out about the hardships they’ve faced with since the 2014 trial. At least three of the 11-member jury are now living overseas, and one female juror confirmed that she placed into witness protection. The revelation renews conspiracy that Cli... »
Beenie Man digs deep into his pocket and donates $300,000 to the sickle cell unit at UHWI. Dancehall artists including Shaggy, Bounty Killer, and now Beenie Man, have taken on a vested interest in helping out the health sector in Jamaica. Beenie recently pledged $300,000 to the Sickle Cell Unit at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in St Andrew. The funds will help the hospital with... »
Vybz Kartel’s new photos from prison are causing quite a stir among dancehall fans. Urban Islandz obtained these new photos of Vybz Kartel behind bars in a recent family day visit. A number of the dancehall legend’s friends including Sikka Rhymes and Gaza Slimatic visited the deejay at the Spanish Town prison last week. Some of the Gazanation fans are questioning the validity of the images while a... »
BY HOWARD CAMPBELL Observer senior writer Never one to shy away from hard work, Yellowman is one of dancehall/reggae’s true road warriors. On Friday, he hits the stage for a second time at the Blackbird Ordinary in Miami, Florida, having performed there last night. Prior to this he was a headliner at Rototom Sunsplash in Benicassim, Spain. Yellowman has maintained that hectic pace for almost... »
Vybz Kartel murder case jurors are stepping forward to speak about how their lives have been affected since the 2014 trial. A second juror is now saying his involvement in the controversial trial uprooted his life too. Vybz Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, is currently awaiting a verdict for this appeal case. His lead attorney, Tome Travares-Finson, is now questioning the timing of these ... »
Vybz Kartel’s lead attorney Tom Tavares-Finson is questioning the credibility of a juror who claims she is in the witness protection program. A female juror contacted the Gleaner over the weekend claiming that she was forced to go into witness protection because she is in fear for her life. Tom Tavares-Finson has shared his reaction by raising the same question that most of us have. The Queen’s Co... »
Beenie Man has broken his silence on his alleged involvement in legendary dancehall dancer Bogle’s death. Last week, another legend in the dance world, Labba Labba, made some damning allegations against Beenie Man whom he said is responsible fpr Bogle’s death. The dancehall legend is making it clear that he has nothing to do with the dancer’s death. This is not the first time that Beenie ha... »
One member of Vybz Kartel murder trial jury says that the case destroyed her life to the point she contemplates suicide. Vybz Kartel appeal case is still in the hands of the courts, and now two jurors from his murder trial are speaking out. Four years after the controversial trial of dancehall icon Vybz Kartel, two members of the jury are speaking out on how the case affected their lives. The two ... »
Aretha Franklin, the legendary queen of soul music, is dead at 76. Earlier this week news broke that she was gravely ill and is in hospice care following a long battle with cancer. A family source confirmed with CNN that Aretha Franklin died on Thursday morning at 9:50 a.m. at her Detroit home. Family and close friends surrounded her at the time of her passing. Her longtime publicist, Gwendolyn Qu... »
Beenie Man is once again under scrutiny for his alleged involvement in dance legend Bogle’s murder. Another dancehall dancing legend, Labba Labba, thrust Beenie Man back into the spotlight by revealing that the dancehall king paid hitmen to kill Bogle. For those of you who don’t know that backstory, Bogle, whose real name is Gerald Levy, was shot and killed by men on motorcycles on January 20, 200... »
Bounty Killer went HAM on Mavado while praising Vybz Kartel on Instagram last night. One Gullyside fan decided to take it up upon himself to ask dancehall legend Bounty Killer why he never posts photos of Mavado and gives more shout-outs. The question came up after Killer posted an old flyer of himself and Vybz Kartel dated back to 2004 when the Gaza deejay was just stepping out. Grunggaadzilla ca... »
Ninjaman continues to do his charitable work for his community even from behind bars. Before going to prison, Ninjaman was very active in his community with a lot of charitable initiatives. So it was a big blow to his community when he was handed down a life sentence for murder in December of last year. Rather than focus his entire attention on his legal troubles, Ninjaman is instead putting on a ... »
Alkaline made his first live television performance in the United States on Fox 5 in New York. The dancehall hitmaker performed his 2012 smash hit single “Formula” in front millions of viewers in the Big Apple area on Thursday. Alkaline will be performing at the Six Flags Caribbean Concert in New York this weekend for a day and night event. Bunji Garlin, Patrice Roberts, Kes The Band, and Lyrikal ... »
Ninjaman is plotting his appeal, but it hinges on the outcome of Vybz Kartel’s appeal verdict. While Vybz Kartel awaits the outcome of his murder case appeal, Ninja Man is plotting his appeal, and his next move could depend on the court’s ruling on his dancehall counterpart’s case. The Gazanation deejay’s highly publicized appeal caase wrapped in the Jamaican court system last month, but the judge... »
Vybz Kartel’s former business partner Corey Todd wife, Shemara Todd, was shot in Kingston on Friday. Businessman/promoter Corey Todd’s wife, Shamara is currently hospitalized in critical condition after being shot multiple times by gunmen on a motorcycle on Friday afternoon. The shooting incident took place along Washington Boulevard while Mrs. Todd was driving a Mercedes-Benz SUV. One eyewitness ... »
The Jamaican music fraternity is mourning the loss of another legend Irvin “Carrot” Jarrett. Carrot Jarret died on Monday after being found unresponsive at his home in St. Andrew. The legendary reggae musician was pronounced dead at the Andrews Memorial Hospital in St Andrew. Third World founder Stephen “Cat” Coore was one of the first persons to confirmed Carrot’s dead. Other band members includi... »
Spice is threatening to sue VP Records over her album release. It’s been more than a decade since the dancehall community has been waiting on an album from the new queen Spice. The dancehall diva shed some light on the status of the album of the album in a rant on IG. The “Sheets” deejay says VP Records is holding her album hostage and now she is threatening to go to court to have the long-awaited... »
There is a tense atmosphere over Vybz Kartel’s camp as the dancehall star awaits the appeal court’s verdict. The three-judge panel in the Jamaica Court of Appeal is now deliberating the case presented before them by the defense and prosecution. The court aired arguments from both sides over a one and a half week span including some bombshell revelation about prosecutorial misconduct and perceived ... »
Sean Paul has opened up about Demi Lovato’s recent overdoes and his own struggles with recreational drugs. Demi Lovato made headlines last week when she was rushed to the hospital after going unconscious due to a drug overdose. The pop star has been battling substance abuse for years and was very open about it. In fact, she recently released a song about her relapse leading fans to become worried ... »
Beauty queen and model Yendi Phillipps has joined the ranks of persons in popular culture who have become baptised Christians. A video of the charismatic beauty taking the plunge appeared on social media on Saturday, with her standing in a pool between two males, who later baptised her to the sounds of cheers. Prior to the baptism, a tearful-looking Phillipps is heard giving thanks to God. “I̵... »
Was the “fine fine” text message evidence in Vybz Kartel case sent three days after Lizard’s murder. One of the prosecutors in Vybz Kartel‘s case, Orrett Brown, says the controversial chop up “fine fine” text message was sent three days after the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. Defense attorneys and prosecutors row in court earlier this week over the validity of a text message sent from a Black... »
