While
President Barack Obama headed home to
Hawaii for the holidays, Vice President
Joseph Biden headed to the Virgin
Islands for the second year in a row.
The Biden
family arrived at Cyril E. King Airport
on St. Thomas aboard Air Force Two just
before 1 p.m. Monday for a weeklong stay
in the territory, according to a White
House statement. “The airport was
temporarily closed for the arrival of
the vice president”, V.I. Port Authority
spokeswoman Monifa Marrero said Monday.
No public events are scheduled,
according to the White House statement.
At this time
last year, Biden and his family
vacationed at a private estate on Water
Island. They are expected to remain in
the territory through Jan. 3.
Also
travelling to the Virgin Islands for the
holidays, former President
Jimmy
Carter, his wife, Rosalyn, and 30
family members are staying on
St.
Croix
at The Comanche Hotel.
St
Croix Source
---------------------------------
Sunday,
Dec 20, 2009
Iyaz represents for the V.I. with his Hit Single “Replay”
Keidran
Jones better known by his stage name Iyaz is a singer and rapper from
the Virgin Islands. Iyaz was born into a musical family on St. Thomas,
U.S. Virgin Islands and grew up on Tortola, British Virgin Islands. His
song "Replay" reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2009. On
December 13, 2009 "Replay" peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top 40 chart.
Iyaz
studied digital recording in college and recorded "Island Girls", which
found radio success on the islands of Anguilla, St. Kitts, Nevis, St.
Thomas, St. Croix, St. Martin and Tortola. Iyaz was contacted by Sean
Kingston over his
MySpace and later signed a recording contract with Time Is
Money/Beluga Heights, a record label owned by Warner Bros. Records.
"Replay" was released as his first single. Iyaz stated plans to release
a second single and an album in 2010.
Watch "Replay"
Video
---------------------------------
Monday,
Dec 14, 2009
Authorities: Buju Banton negotiated cocaine
deal
MIAMI —
Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton is facing charges
that he attempted along with others to buy a large
quantity of cocaine from an undercover law
enforcement officer.
A U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit says
Banton, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie,
traveled to Sarasota last week to make the purchase
along with two others. The DEA was tipped off by a
confidential informant who agreed to wear a
recording device during the drug negotiation
session.
Banton,
36, faces a charge of conspiracy to possess with
intent to distribute more than five kilograms of
cocaine, which carries a maximum 20-year prison
sentence. Banton was being held at Miami's downtown
detention center Monday pending transfer to Tampa,
where the case is being prosecuted.
A bail
hearing was set for Wednesday in Miami federal
court. The attorney handling that for Banton didn't
immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.
According to the DEA affidavit, Banton contacted the
confidential informant last Monday about a possible
cocaine purchase. The next day, Banton and other men
met with the informant at Sarasota's La Tropicana de
Havana restaurant, where the DEA and local police
had set up surveillance.
Banton
allegedly arrived at the meeting in his silver Land
Rover with the license plate "Jah One," according to
the affidavit.
Eventually, the group went to a warehouse
authorities had outfitted with audio and video
recording devices to make the cocaine deal. An
undercover police officer pulled out one brick of
the 20-kilogram load, according to the DEA, and one
of Banton's associate's sliced it open with a knife.
Banton,
according to the affidavit, "instantly wiped the
blade of that knife with his finger and placed that
finger in his mouth in what appeared to be an
attempt to taste the cocaine." After two more
meetings at local restaurants between the informant
and Banton's associates, authorities arrested the
associates and then took Banton into custody
Thursday in Miami.
The
husky-voiced Banton has been a major star in his
native Jamaica since the early 1990s with brash
dancehall music and, more recently, a traditional
reggae sound. His career has been stunted in the
United States because of his attitude toward gays,
including songs "Batty Rider" and "Boom Bye Bye"
which glorify the shooting of gay men.
By Curt Anderson -
AP (Associated Press
writer Jennifer Kay in Miami contributed to this
report.)
---------------------------------
Friday,
Nov 20, 2009
Richest Dead Celebrity: Bob Marley
TORONTO (Fortune) - Bob Marley is about to challenge Elvis Presley and Michael
Jackson for the title of richest dead celebrity.
Toronto-based private-equity firm Hilco Consumer Capital has struck a management
deal with the Marley estate, which is expected to generate worldwide annual
sales in excess of $1 billion by 2012. That seems like a huge number, but by
some estimates the Marley name, sound, and image already generate as much as
$600 million in pirated merchandise.
"Marley is a strong global brand," says Mickey Goodman, a professional marketer
and professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. "He enjoys a
high level of awareness, and people feel positive about his music."
Major licensing agreements for the Marley brand are about to be launched in two
key areas: consumer electronics including headphones, docking stations, and
speakers and health care, which will likely feature skin-care products and
herbal supplements. Also in the works, according to Hilco, are deals for a
Marley-branded calming beverage, a video game similar to Guitar Hero featuring
Marley's songs, and a chain of restaurants celebrating the music superstar.
Could this be commercial overkill for the Rastafarian whose spiritual songs
about social injustice, hope, and redemption have become anthems for billions of
fans, from Marrakech to Tokyo, and will it alienate them?
This is not just about
money," says Jamie Salter, Hilco's chief executive. "We have
to believe in the people and products we partner with."
Salter adds that the Marley estate will have final say on
all business ventures, and that charities will figure into
the overall mix of Marley branding.
Licensing of dead
celebrities is an industry that has exploded in the last
decade, thanks in large part to the proliferation of
websites and blogs devoted to their memory. Typically, an
estate receives 10% to 15% of gross proceeds from a
licensing deal, which in this case will be divided between
Hilco and the Marley family.
The artist who
created such reggae hits as "One Love," "No
Woman, No Cry," and "I Shot the Sheriff"
fathered a total of 13 children, some out of
wedlock, and it's not clear how many are
included in the estate. Salter declined to
explain how proceeds will be divided between his
management company which also has an equity
stake in a number of high-profile brands,
including Polaroid, Sharper Image, and fashion
label Halston and the Marleys.
However, at a
conservative 10%, licensing fees from $1 billion
in annual sales should pull in about $100
million for Hilco and the Marleys. That tops the
latest figures reported for Presley ($55
million), John Lennon ($15 million), and Jimi
Hendrix ($8 million).
Michael Jackson who is worth more dead than
alive with an estimated $90 million in earnings
in the last 12 months appears to be Marley's
nearest rival for the richest-dead-celebrity
crown. However, much of Jackson's reversal of
fortune is due to a sharp spike in the sales of
his albums and merchandise in the weeks
following his death, as well as the one-time
success of "This Is It," a film documenting
rehearsals for shows he never performed at
London's O2 arena.
But the danger
of operating the Marley marketing machine in
overdrive is that it could irreparably harm the
natural mystic's image. Some brand experts now
view Elvis as more of a caricature than icon as
a result of overexposure.
For Sanjay Sood,
director of the Entertainment & Media Management
Institute at UCLA, there's one question to ask:
If Marley were alive today, would he want his
name associated with a particular product? "A
lot of artists would say 'no,'" says Sood.
"Otherwise, they would have done it when they
were alive."
Salter of Hilco
says the Marley brand has a long way to go
before reaching saturation, noting he also
considered doing business with the Dean Martin,
Marilyn Monroe, and Jimi Hendrix estates, but
settled on the Rastafarian from Trench Town,
Jamaica, because that's where he says he saw the
biggest potential.
There has never been a better time, it seems, to
be a dead celebrity or perhaps, more precisely,
the heir to a dead celebrity's name.
By Erik Heinrich, contributor
---------------------------------
Sunday,
Nov 15, 2009
Crucian Musicians Help Tempo Mark 4th
Anniversary
St. Croix played a major role Saturday when Tempo, the
pan-Caribbean music and entertainment television network, celebrated its fourth
anniversary with a star-studded concert. And it wasn't just in the thousands of
people who flooded Randall "Doc" James Racetrack for the all-night concert. The
most notable Crucian contributors to the festivities weren't in the audience,
they were on the stage. UMB Soldiers, Mada Nile, and Cherise King – all born and
bred on St. Croix – were among the 11 acts featured on the mainstage, leading up
to the headliner, Jamaican reggae/hip-hop fusion star Shabba Ranks.
The UMB Soldiers, the 2008 Road March champions on the island,
have been performing all over the Caribbean and southeast U.S., from the
Pensacola Carnival to the Miami Carnival to the Atlanta Carnival -- it seems as
if there's a carnival, there's the UMB Soldiers. The band kicked off the
mainstage presentation, offering up a high-energy performance that fired up the
crowd streaming into the racetrack's infield. Feeding off each other and the
crowd's growing excitement, the band blazed through a 20-minute set, leaving
their fans calling for more. The band was particularly happy to perform for the
Tempo concert. "Tempo is everything Caribbean," said band member Lamarr Jacobs.
"It gives Caribbean bands a chance to compete on an international level." When
not traveling, UMB Soldiers have been recording an album, to be called "Touch
the Road." The album is being produced by member Mennis Knight, who said they
are down to the "fine tuning and touch up" stage, and hope to have it ready for
release by mid-December.
For Cherise King, the 2008 V.I. Idol Winner, performing on her
home island for Tempo was a double blessing. Tempo, she said, has given local
performers a platform for exposure they haven't had in the past. And performing
at home made it even better, she said. "I was really excited -- and the audience
was so warm!" she said after her set. After V.I. Idol, Cherise competed for a
slot on American Idol. Since then she has been touring extensively and hopes in
the next few months to begin recording an album. A singer-songwriter, she said
she has the material ready and is working on the details.
It was Crucian reggae singer
Mada Nile who really tore the house down,
blazing through her set. Stalking the stage, she
was in complete control of the racetrack and the
audience. In person she's no taller than about
5-foot-6 or so. But she commands the stage,
seeming to tower over the audience. She
attributed it to her youth, growing up on the
island. "I was always in school plays, and I've
never had stage fright," she said. "Being at
home makes it easier, but wherever I go, that's
how I am," she said. There are a lot of islands
in the Caribbean, and in the past a musical
artist would have a hard time visiting even a
small number of them enough to build a
following. Thanks to Tempo, she said, the
islands are more aware of the culture and
offerings from its neighbors. "They're doing
God's work, and they do it well," she said.
Following Mada Nile to the stage
were high-energy Puerto Rican salsa band N'Klabe,
reggae stars Gramps Morgan and Tarrus Riley,
soca star Iwer George, Jamaican dance hall diva
Ce'Cile, Jamaican singer Omari, and Ziggy
Rankin. Shabba Ranks was expected to begin his
set at about 4 a.m.
By John Baur - St
Croix Source
Tempo continues the
celebration with reggae artist Jah Cure when "Tempo Turns 4" in
Grenada at National Stadium Dec 19th, 2009.
---------------------------------
Wednesday,
Nov 11, 2009
Shabba-Mania Takes
Big Island by Storm
Shabba-mania officially broke out at
Henry E. Rohlsen Airport at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday when Jamaican-born
international music star Shabba Ranks arrived and started dancing down
the concourse.
Girls screamed – really, literally, girls screamed – media crowded
around, and tourists who thought they were arriving for a brief tropical
respite stared with bemusement at the scene, as Shabba sang, danced,
signed autographs and took pictures with fans.
Shabba is here to headline the "Tempo Turns 4" concert this weekend on St.
Croix. Tempo, the pan-Caribbean music and entertainment network, is marking
its fourth anniversary with a show that may draw as many as 12,000 fans.
Shabba was on island early to promote the concert and to take part in
another Tempo production, a new show planned for the network. Since its
inception Tempo has been dedicated to providing original, Caribbean-oriented
content, Morton said. During the days building up to the concert, Tempo will
film a segment on Shabba for its new show, "Inside the Rhythm."
During an airport press conference, Shabba
swayed and danced to his music, which was playing in the room, keeping a
non-stop monologue going—at times singing along with his lyrics, at others
adding
commentary over in the style of Jamaican "toasting," which is how he
got his start. All the while, fans danced in the background.
Born in 1966, Shabba became fascinated as a boy with the rhythms and music
of the dancehall. He began recording and by the late 1980s was one of
Jamaica's most popular artists. Scoring success in the United Kingdom, he
traveled there and Shabba-mania was born. He eventually became too big to be
confined to reggae, and developed his own fusion of reggae and hip-hop that
made him an international star.
Asked what he has planned for
Saturday, he replied, "Music. Music. Much More music. Great
entertainment."
The singer, who rose from the Kingston ghetto of Trenchtown, said he has
"never given any trouble to the law, never been in no trouble, never
stopped moving progressively." He thinks he can be an inspiration to
young people today.
"God has blessed me with this voice … I'm an instrument of God, and an
instrument for progressive movement," he said.
At the same time, he scoffed at the notion that he's a hero, especially
in Jamaica where he is still tremendously popular.
"Teachers are heroes, doctors are heroes, policemen are heroes," he
said. "People who do what they can for the betterment of others are
heroes. I'm a singer."
By John Baur - St
Croix Source
---------------------------------
Monday,
Nov 9, 2009
Jah Cure Releases Official Statement
Kingston Jamaica:SoBe
Entertainment/Danger Zone Recording artiste Jah Cure has Just returned
from performing at the show dubbed ‘It’s Cure Again’ in Trinidad and
Tobago. Jah Cure’s trip to Trinidad and Tobago was not without incident
however, as an unscrupulous promoter made efforts to prevent him from
performing.
On
Saturday
November 7 while staying at the
Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain Jah
Cure was greeted by
police officers along with the unscrupulous promoter who claimed
that Jah Cure owed him money. The promoter with whom Jah Cure has worked
with in the past was in negotiations with Jah Cure for another
performance but negotiations broke down.
In order
to settle the matter Jah Cure and members of his management team
accompanied the promoter and the police to a
nearby police station where the promoter's deposit was returned.
The artiste was not arrested as reported by some media outlets and was
able to fulfil his confirmed date at Guaracara Park on the same night.
Jah Cure performed to over ten thousand people.
Jah Cure
wishes to thank all his
Trinidad and Tobago fans who came out to support him and
guarantees them that despite this incident he will return to the twin
island republic. Jah Cure and his management team would also like to
commend members of the Trinidad and Tobago police force for their
professionalism in dealing with the matter. Jah Cure is now home in
Jamaica preparing for his upcoming dates in St Kitts, Barbados and
Grenada.
Source:
Alykhat PR
---------------------------------
Friday,
Sept 18, 2009
Romain Virgo Dominates Caribbean Charts
Romain Virgo
has claimed stardom as his birthright and continues to shine with
consistent dominance of charts across the Caribbean through his soulful
reggae ballads. With hardcore dancehall remaining the most sought after
genre for many young Jamaican musicians, this powerful vocalist
continues to display maturity and dexterity in the varied musical
package he creates for fans.
Loved by listeners young and
old, and inspired by reggae greats, Virgo released the hugely popular
tune This Love in 2007. The next year, the talented singer and
songwriter released singles such as Cyaan Sleep; Time Tuff
(a cover of Toots and the Maytals original); Love Doctor and I
Wanna Go Home. This year he continued with the release of Alton
Ellis medley, Who Feels It Knows It and Murder, a song
which focuses on the troubling issue of crimes being committed against
our children.
As testament
to Romain's dynamism, these releases have charted locally and
internationally. Cyaan Sleep grabbed the number 1 spot on the
RETV Charts. Recently the single moved to the number 2 spot on
Suriname's 96.3FM Radio SRS's charts and made the US Virgin Island's
chart (WSTX FM 100); I Wanna Go Home made Hot 102's Top Reggae
Singles for 2008 and went to 11 on St. Croix, US Virgin Island's Charts
while Cyaan Sleep shot to number 1 where it stayed for two weeks
on the St. Croix, US Virgin Island’s Charts (WSTX FM 100). I Wanna Go
Home had great success in the UK where it went to 7 on their New
Style Radio chart. The song's video made it to 4 on the Video Alley
Reggae Top Ten Chart.
His youth has
not prevented him from displaying a high level of social consciousness
which is reflected in the song Murderer. Now 19 years old, Romain
wrote this song in response to the high rate of brutal crimes being
committed against our children. Romain is particularly disturbed at the
horrifying aspects of the local crimes committed against the youth.
"Crime against
children is a concern not only in Jamaica, however since the start of
the year crimes against children have increased dramatically in Jamaica.
It is sickening to hear the things done to our children and as an
artiste, I have something to say about it and if I can change at least
one person, with my music then that's an accomplishment for me because
the children are our future, and without them, the future of our country
is uncertain," the young songwriter says. "I am trying to reach out to
the murderers, but not only the murderers but those who rape and molest
children," he continued.
Romain is
happy that this recently released single is getting good airplay from
most local stations as he believes this will help to get the message
across to those who are abusing children. Due to its popularity, he
believes the song will make the local charts soon. Plans are under way
for the imminent production of the video for the single to help cement
the message and complement the airplay.
The young
songwriter is currently pursuing a Diploma in Music Performance at the
Edna Manley School for the Visual and Performing Arts with a major in
voice and a minor in keyboard. After this he will move on to the
bachelor's degree.
Courtesy of Headline Entertainment (JA)
---------------------------------
Thursday,
Sept 3, 2009
Four-Time Grammy Nominated Reggae Star Buju
Banton's US Tour Is On
Reggae artist and icon,
Buju Banton will kick off his hotly anticipated Rasta Got Soul US
Tour on September 12th in Philadelphia. We are disappointed by the
hasty cancellation of a few shows by Live Nation/House of Blues and
Goldenvoice/AEG, but fans will be happy to know we have over 30
confirmed shows that are definitely playing and we are working to
replace the canceled dates. Now our team is primarily concerned with
setting the record straight on the grossly inaccurate portrait of
Buju
being painted by certain organizations and systematically relayed to the
masses and the media.
Buju Banton was all of
15-years-old when he wrote "Boom Bye Bye" in response to a widely
publicized man/boy rape case in Jamaica. It was not a call to violence.
The song was re-released on a popular dancehall rhythm in 1992 and
caused a huge uproar after receiving commercial radio play in the
States. Following much public debate back then, prominent gay rights
leaders - and Buju decidedly moved on. For the record, it is the only
song he ever made on the subject - and he does not perform it today.
Those who have followed Buju
Banton's musical journey and have actually listened to his extensive
catalog, know of his development into a world-class singer, songwriter
and performer who can quietly sell out such prestigious venues as the
Theater at Madison
Square Garden in New York and Brixton Academy in London. He
does not advocate violence. There has never been a shred of violence at
any of his live shows. In fact, he commonly preaches against violence -
against all people.
Buju's consistently positive
messages of peace, love and enlightenment have never been lost in the
music. His 1995 Grammy-nominated album 'Til
Shiloh marked a spiritual and musical
transformation that yielded the classic narratives "Untold
Stories," "Wanna Be Loved" and "Murderer," which
personified the horrific increase in gun crimes in Kingston's
inner city.
His Grammy-nominated Inna Heights (1997) garnered him
numerous comparisons to the late, great Bob Marley.
Long before Hollywood raised
its collective consciousness about Darfur, there was Buju Banton wailing
about the genocide happening in "Sudan" on 1999's Unchained Spirit.
His Friends For Life (2003) and Too Bad
(2006) projects were both acknowledged with Grammy nods for Best Reggae
Album. Buju's latest Roots Reggae opus, Rasta Got Soul
(2009), has already been welcomed with critical acclaim in the US,
Europe and Japan.
The artist's love for
humanity is not just demonstrated in words but also in deeds. Twelve
years ago he responded to the AIDS crisis in Jamaica by launching
Operation Willy, an organization focused on raising monies for HIV
positive babies and children who lost their parents to the disease. For
three years he served as a celebrity spokesperson for Upliftment
Jamaica, a US-based non-profit committed to working with underprivileged
youth back home.
Yet none of these personal and professional accomplishments matter much
to a gay lobby hell bent on destroying the livelihood of a man who has
spent an entire career making amends -- his way. Sadly, their 17 year
fixation on waging war against one artist has prevented them from
turning this initiative into a larger, more fruitful discussion that
could perhaps effect real change
Courtesy of
Gargamel Music, Inc.
---------------------------------
Wednesday,
Sept 2, 2009
Sean Paul debuts atop Billboard Rap Album
Charts, sells gold in France
Sean Paul
might be in Switzerland, but that won't stop his fourth studio album,
"Imperial Blaze" from continuing to blaze fire on the Billboard
charts in the US. The album, his first in four years, has debuted at #1
on the Billboard Rap Album charts, toppling the likes of Eminem,
Fabolous and Twista to top the charts.
Sean Paul is also sitting comfortably atop the Billboard Reggae Album
Charts, ahead of a Bob Marley compilation, Ziggy Marley's "Family
Time", and VP Record's "Reggae Gold 2009".
This is his first time atop the Billboard Rap Album charts, and his second time on
the rap charts overall. Sean Paul's third studio album,
"The Trinity", peaked at #3 on the rap charts in 2005
after selling 107,000 copies in its first-week of release, breaking a
record for the largest single week sales by a reggae artist in SoundScan's history
(note: one week earlier Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley set the same record
selling 86,000 copies of "Welcome To
Jamrock" in his first week). Sean Paul is also the first Jamaican artiste to top
the Billboard Rap Album chart.
"Imperial Blaze" is heading for international success, debuting
at #1 when it was released in the dancehall-hungry Asian nation of Japan
last week, selling upwards of 50,000 copies in its first week. He topped
the Oricon Weekly International Album Sales chart, the first time he has
done so, and is holding his own on the Billboard Canadian Albums, France
Albums, and European Albums with positions #5, #8, and #20 respectively.
It is has also been certified Gold in France.
Aside from those charts, "Imperial Blaze" is also #3 on the
R&B/Hip Hop Album Charts, #12 on the Billboard 200, and #9 on the
Digital Downloads charts.
"Anytime a song or an album makes it on a chart I get excited, and now
to be able to top the Billboard Top Rap Album charts is something that
I'm especially excited about. Not because it's the Billboard charts, but
because it's a dancehall album. It's made in Jamaica by Jamaicans. So I
didn't top the Billboard Rap Album Charts, Jamaica did," said Sean Paul
from Switzerland.
Courtesy of Headline Entertainment (JA) & Shantyvibes.com
---------------------------------
Wednesday,
July 1, 2009
Today Is International
Reggae Day !
Today is being celebrated as International Reggae Day,
the day on which the world is invited to celebrate the best of Jamaica's
music and creativity. With the goal of uniting people through music, IRD
integrates media and technology each year as it highlights the power and
impact of Jamaican music and reggae culture globally and honors
important contributors to the growth and development of Jamaica's most
invaluable export - its music. (Jamaica Observer)
WSTX FM 100 the Virgin Islands only 24 hour Reggae Radio
Station celebrated the day while paying tribute to the “Crown Prince of
Reggae” Dennis Emmanuel Brown. July 1, 2009 marks the 10 year
anniversary of the passing of D. Brown. Disc Jockey Troy Brown kicked off
his radio program with “Mr. Brown” by Ed Robinson and “Gone
Too Soon” by Richie Stephens & Dennis Brown. “Gone Too Soon
is a great tribute song”, said Troy, “I saw Richie Stephens & Freddie
McGregor perform the song on St Croix in 2005”. Troy also played a
remake of “If This World Were Mine” by Anthony Cruz & Dennis
Brown followed by other greats like “Here I
Come”.
---------------------------------
Tuesday,
May 5, 2009
28th Annual International Reggae and World Music Awards, Sunday May 3, 2009
2009 IRAWMA Winners
Bob Marley Award for Entertainer of the Year:
Beres Hammond
Recording Artist of the Year: Mavado
Best Male Vocalist: Tarrus Riley
Best Female Vocalist: Queen Ifrica & Etana (TIE)
Best Song: Mavado - "So Special"
Best Album: Etana -"Strong One"
Best Crossover Song: John Legend & Buju Banton - "Can't Be My Lover"
Best Gospel Song: Stitchie & Elephant Man - "What A Mighty God"
Best Female D.J./Rapper: Queen Ifrica
Best Male D.J./Rapper: Beenie Man
Best New Entertainer: Serani
Best Calypso/Soca Entertainer: Alison Hinds
Best Reggaeton Entertainer: Daddy Yankee
Best Latin Entertainer: Shakira
Best Compas Entertainer: Nu-Look
Best African Entertainer: Alpha Blondy
Best Soukous Entertainer: Awilo Longomba
Best Hip Hop/R&B Entertainer: Lil Wayne
Outstanding Contribution to World Music: Wyclef Jean
Most Outstanding Stage Personality: Machel Mantano
Best Music Video: Stephen & Damian Marley - "The Mission"
Best Poet: Mutabaruka
Most Educational Entertainer: Morgan Heritage
Most Outstanding Show Band: Machel & HD Band
Most Consistent Entertainer: Calypso Rose
Most Promising Entertainer: Lutan Fyah
Most Improved Entertainer: Tanya Mullings
Best Instrumentalist: Dean Fraser
Best Backing Ban: New Kingston Band
Most Popular Selector: Stone Love
Concert of the Year: Irie Jamboree
Promoter of the Year: Sumfest
Producer of the Year: Steven McGregor
Songwriter of the Year: Beres Hammond
Award for Spiritual Service through Music: Lutan Fyah
Community Service Award: Ziggy Marley, U.R.G.E.
Marcus Garvey Humanitarian Award: Shaggy
Best Song in Tribute to Barack Obama: Cocoa Tea - "Barack Obama"
SPECIAL: Int'l Reggae & World Music Hall of Fame/Lifetime Inductee:
Clive Hunt, King Short Shirt, Sweet Honey in the Rock
SPECIAL: Master of the Caribbean Award: Mighty Sparrow
SPECIAL: Martin's International/Inter-Culture Award of Honor:
Granville Straker
SPECIAL: Award for Contributions to Music, Arts & Culture:
Hon. Olivia "Babsy" Grange
SPECIAL: Producer's "Respect" Award:
Usain Bolt
SPECIAL: Awards of Appreciation for Contributions to Music Industry:
Owen Dalhouse, Brigadier Jerry, Road Int'l & Heavy D
-------------------------------
Friday,
April 17, 2009
Obama hype takes over Trinidad and Tobago
Patricia Philliphs holds a bag with the face of President Barack Obama while
she attends a cultural show for participants of the 5th Summit of the
Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Thursday April 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Ariana
Cubillos)
Port of Spain - Obama-mania has struck Trinidad and Tobago like a
hurricane - though the Caribbean country is set to host 34 country leaders from
across the Americas, residents only seem to care about US President Barack
Obama.
"I would like to shake his hand," said Trinidadian Shanti
McKenzie. McKenzie was clad in a T-shirt with Obama's face. "It's a good thing
that he's coming, I wish he was our new prime minister here." Like many of her
compatriots, McKenzie is convinced that Obama "will be a great change" for Latin
America and the Caribbean. "I hope he can also bring a change in Trinidad", she
gushed. Shanti made her way toward the centre of Port of Spain, stopping at some
of the many street stands selling all kinds of Obama-themed souvenirs.
Beyond T-shirts, badges, stickers and poster-sized inauguration photographs of
the US president and his wife, Michelle, are on offer. Indeed, local media have
expressed disappointment that the first lady did not join her husband for the
OAS meeting.
Arestes Belford is selling more up-to-date memorabilia, including photographs
with the coats of arms of Trinidad and the United States and a reference to the
Summit of the Americas. Belford expects the island to give a warm welcome to all
its guests but admits that there is special anticipation for Obama. "Trinidad is
a welcoming place. That is our symbol", he said. "It is for everybody, but the
thing is that (Obama) is the star of the show."
Belford is from Trinidad and Tobago but currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
He could not miss an occasion like this to travel to his native country. "It's
the first black (US) president and the first one to come to Trinidad in a very
long time. I can't remember the last US president who came to Trinidad," he
said. Behind Belford, the giant screen over a fast-food restaurant between
adverts showed music videos from local artists that are dedicated to Obama.
Albert, another man who sells Obama memorabilia on the street, is in no doubt.
"The big boss is coming, the big boss. After God, he's the boss," he stressed.
"The world respects Obama, we also do". Beyond the international echo of the
presence of the first black US president in Trinidad and Tobago, Albert rejoices
about its more mundane aspects. "In Trinidad, we need many things getting done,
and nobody listens to us. Now Obama is coming, and we are getting everything
done, the streets," he said. "I wish he would come every 6 months, then
everything here would be very nice".
Source: DPA (Germany)
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Wednesday, April 15, 2009
GARGAMEL MUSIC TURNS FIVE
Indie Reggae Label Marks Anniversary By Going Green -
Gargamel Music, Inc. celebrates our 5th year operating in the United
States by going green! Originally launched in Kingston by CEO Buju Banton back
in the late 90s, the label is proud to do our part for the environment by
kicking off a fresh line of recycled products starting with the new Buju Banton
album, Rasta Got Soul, which drops in North America next week Tuesday, April
21st. The date also marks the 43rd anniversary of the late Emperor Haile
Selassie's historic visit to Jamaica in 1966.
Art Director, Darhil Crooks of Foundation Design Studio, explains his creative
vision for the new album. "Now that we're in a digital age, everything about the
CD as we know it has become disposable. Album art has been reduced to a small
icon on whatever mp3 player you use," he explains.
Darhil remembers exploring his parents vinyl collection as a kid and getting
absorbed in the artwork. "That tactile feeling has been lost," he admits, "but I
felt it was important that we brought that back with Rasta Got Soul. People
throw away jewel cases now and I really wanted to bring back the feeling of
vinyl when the music and the imagery were inseparable."
Working with a striking set of black and white images shot by esteemed celebrity
photographer, Jonathan Mannion, the design itself is rather minimal. "My goal
was to showcase Mannion's work and give the album a classic, clean look. Not too
busy. Raw and real," Darhil adds. "I just took it back to basics in the same way
Rasta Got Soul is taking it back to the roots."
----------------------------------
Tuesday,
March 31, 2009
3 Found Guilty in 2007 Killing of Reggae Star in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG — Three men accused
of murdering the South African reggae star Lucky
Dube were found guilty here on Tuesday, just
hours after two of them tried to bolt from
custody on the way back to their trial.
Mr. Dube (pronounced doo-bay)
was an internationally famous musician, and his
murder during a botched carjacking in October
2007 once again brought the appalling rate of
violent crime in South Africa to the world’s
attention.
A recording artist with a strong
social conscience, Mr. Dube, 43, had worked with
Peter Gabriel, Sinead O’Connor and other Western
artists. He often sang about the evils of crime,
of houses broken into and bullets fired, wanting
criminals to see their misdeeds through the eyes
of their victims. He was killed while dropping
off his two teenage children at his brother’s
house in Rosettenville, near downtown
Johannesburg.
Mr. Dube left behind a wife and
seven children. After Tuesday’s verdict was
read, his wife was too emotional to talk with
reporters, but his son Thokozani, who had
witnessed the crime, said, “We can now have
closure.”
More than a dozen armed officers
oversaw the proceedings after two of the
defendants earlier tried to escape while guards
transferred them from a truck to the courtroom
basement. One prisoner hit a policeman in the
face with a brick, according to a police captain
quoted in a local news account of the episode.
Warning shots were then fired, and the
defendants were subdued in a scuffle. They
arrived in court with their heads bandaged.
The three convicted men, S’fiso
Mhlanga, Mbuti Mabe and Julius Gxowa, will be
sentenced after a hearing where mitigating
evidence can be presented. The death penalty has
been banned in South Africa, though the Dube
case has been cited by those who want its
return.
The nation’s homicide rate,
while declining, is among the worst. In 2006, it
was about eight times more than the United
States’ and 20 times higher than Western
Europe’s, according to Antony Altbeker, a
criminologist. Electrified barbed wire surrounds
many of the finest homes in Johannesburg. South
Africa exceeds international norms in its number
of police officers, and by some estimates there
are more than four times as many private
security guards as police officers, with most
companies promising their clients “armed
response.”
Criminologists have long puzzled
over not only the nation’s high crime rate but
also the unusual amount of homicide and torture
that accompanies burglaries and carjackings.
Mr. Dube had been driving a
late-model Chrysler luxury sedan. According to
the trial testimony of Mpho Maruping, who knew
the accused men, they had been looking for just
such an automobile the day of the crime.
The three men did not realize
that they had killed someone both famous and
widely beloved until they read the newspapers
the next day. They had thought their victim “was
a Nigerian,” Ms. Maruping said.
ShantyVibes.comwebmaster Troy &Cruzan
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