Veteran reggae artiste Spanner Banner's release of his most recent album I'm A Winner, in 2009, has revived his career. The baritone singer also said he'll be releasing the album's title track and a video shortly.
He may not command as much public attention like the current crop of young artistes, but Spanner Banner is still in his element as one of reggae music's front-runners. He made his entry into the music biz back in the 1980s with Life Goes On, produced by Winston Riley, and hasn't looked back since.
Now, after a quiet stint, Spanner Banner, whose brothers Richie Spice, Pliers, Snatcha Lion and Jah Mikes are all involved in music, revealed that he has a number of upcoming projects and also addressed the issue of his absence in music.
"Well, I wouldn't say that I was fully (absent). In January, I did Rebel Salute and I'm scheduled for several upcoming events, but it's just airplay that I'm finding problems with," he said.
The singer, whose career spans over two decades, has also signed a booking contract with Entertainment Konnections, which is a Negril-based company owned and operated by Ralston Barrett, a recognised personality in the local music industry.
Spanner Banner said he's optimistic about this partnership, and has already envision himself being blessed with show engagements in the near future.
"I can see endless possibilities. I'm already looking for more shows in the Caribbean and elsewhere. I put all my trust in this. That's what you get working with Ralston Barrett, who also happens to be my publicist," he added.
Spanner Banner said 2010 has been an okay year, but is confident this year will be of great benefit to his music career.
After last friday's destructive earthquake and tsunami in Japan, members of the entertainment industry have been lamenting with the country which they have had a close musical relationship with.
Now, the One Blood family, which consists mainly of Junior Reid, and his two sons Andrew and Wada Blood, has decided to show their support to the Japanese community through their weekly Japanese Thursday event held at Club View on Eastwood Park Road.
The disasters took place on the second outing of Japanese Thursdays and Reid has now opted to partner with Yumi, one of the many Japanese natives who frequent the club to give the proceeds of yesterday's event as well as next week's to the Japanese.
"The Japanese are probably the nation that support reggae music the most. We just want to show the Japanese that we are here for them. No, not just me Junior Reid and the One Blood family but the whole industry."
He continued: "As foreigners, you don't have no one else in the world who come to Jamaica to get involved in music like Japan. Nuh American, nuh Englishman can compare to them when it come to musical relations to Jamaica. Wi want them to know that the One Blood family respect, and love goes out to them. They support our music, so we affi support them."
They have also been constantly contributing to Haiti since the island was hit by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake last January.
The trio recently released the medley video for their songs, Nah Bow Fi Money and Roll Wid Mi Bredda on Notice Productions' Currant rhythm.
The video was done by overseas-based director Duke, who came to Jamaica specially for the video shoot which was done in areas across Kingston and St Andrew such as Half-Way Tree, Cassia Park, at the One Blood Plaza and in Waterhouse.
"Wi just a deal wid naturality cause naturality is beauty. Wi a deal wid family as usual. In the video wi a show the concept of the songs seh wi nah bow fi nuh money wi rather drive a old Nissan Sunny an yuh see mi a drive the Sunny," said Reid.
The video has thus far attracted over 54,000 views on popular hip-hop website worldstarhiphop.com after only two weeks of being released.
"We have even had videos that got 13 million views in no time. People from overseas have been calling me and asking who are the two young artiste that mi have in the video, dem seh dem bad! When mi a seh those are my two sons, them cyaan believe," said Reid.
Bomb A Drop, another artiste within the One Blood camp, is also aiming to further his musical career this year.
And as for the remainder of the year, Reid says, "A just more music."
Among the other events held at Club View include Look Out Tuesdays, Ladies Fridays and Dancing Neva Die on Saturdays, where a number of popular dancers frequent.
An Irish bagpiper and a Jamaican hip-hop artist seem an unlikely duo, but they've collaborated on a music video of reels and reggae filmed on the Emerald Isle.
Bronxites Brian McGuire, a banker by day and a piper with NY Metro Pipe Band, and Rally Bop, who mixes rap and hard-charging reggae, made "The Sound of the Bagpipe" after a Harlem-born music producer brought them together.
McGuire, 31, was having a drink in the Hudson Hotel bar last fall when he met Will Roberson, an independent producer whose clients range from French hip-hop group KDD to New Age artist Jean Michel Jarre and Jose Feliciano.
"We had a good conversation, and I gave him a card and said call me if you ever need a bagpiper," McGuire said.
"I thanked him," Roberson, 35, recalled with a laugh, "but I said to myself, 'I don't think I'll ever be calling him.'"
A week later, Rally called Roberson with a song that used an electronic bagpipe sound. "I said, 'I just met this bagpiper!'" Roberson said. "Let's use live bagpipe music."
So Roberson got the two musicians together, and a few weeks later, McGuire - wearing his red tartan kilt - was playing the pipes in a music video with Rally Bop in scenic spots in Dublin and Belfast, as well as the streets of Paris and Harlem.
"They sent me to Dublin, a cold place..." Rally raps in his island lilt, and McGuire skirls "Amazing Grace" and other Irish standards.
The video ends at the Giant's Causeway, the natural wonder of stone columns at the northern tip of Northern Ireland, as a rainbow curves over the sky.
"My Irish friends love the video," said McGuire, who lives in Riverdale.
McGuire was raised in Breezy Point, Queens, and went to Iona College on a bagpipe scholarship. In August, the NY Metro Pipe Band is set to compete in the world championship of pipers in Scotland.
Rally Bop, 28, whose given name is Rohan Wilson, came to the Wakefield section of the Bronx from Jamaica when he was 10 and began writing songs and performing as a deejay at 14. He has made numerous CDs and music videos.
Roberson, Rally and McGuire all wore Irish tweed caps as they raised a pint to toast Wednesday night's debut of the video at The Saloon on E. 84th St. in Manhattan. The video is also on YouTube.
"The Jamaicans and the Irish seem to get along well," McGuire said.
"We both enjoy a good pint of Guinness - and are not too fond of the British," Rally quipped.
Drake was warned, watch your mouth when you hit the stage at Brit Jam! But he didn’t heed his friend Mavado’s warning and narrowly avoided a criminal charge.
During a recent performance at Fantasy Island for the weeklong BritJam festival, Mavado brought on his friend Drake for a special guest appearance. Drake is currently an artist-in-residence at Jamaica’s luxury resort, GeeJam, where everyone from Gwen Stefani to Amy Winehouse have combined retreat and recording. But even though he was told to keep the language clean, Drake must have gotten caught up in the moment, when he said something like “Everywhere me go, me seh Jamaica to the blood clot world.” “Blood clot” being the definition of “indecent language” in Montego Bay’s local rule book.
Now in the past, MoBay authorities have charged high profile cuss-offenders like Snoop, Ja Rule, and even Jamaican acts like Beenie Man and Sean Paul. But according to Brit Jam insiders, Drake’s own guards grabbed him off the stage and pulled him away, so even though police were there, he avoided getting arrested.
Watch video of Drake’s interrupted performance with Mavado at Brit Jam…
Reggae star Smiley Culture has died during a police drugs raid on his home.
Sources said the musician, who found fame in the 1980s with hits including Police Officer, is understood to have died from self-inflicted wounds when officers swooped on his home in east Surrey.
The police watchdog has been called in to investigate the death.
Smiley Culture, real name David Emmanuel, appeared on Top of the Pops in the 1980s with singles including Cockney Translation and Police Officer.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "As part of an ongoing operation officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Serious and Organised Crime Command today attended a residential address in east Surrey to make an arrest.
"While they were at the address, an incident occurred during which a 48-year-old man died. Officers from Surrey Police attended the incident and it has been formally referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission."
The Independent Police Complaints Commission confirmed it was investigating.
In September last year, he appeared before magistrates charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine.
His 1984 hit single Police Officer was an autobiographical song of how he was caught in possession of cannabis but let off when the officer recognised him as a reggae artist.
Speaking about the hit, he told the Guardian last year: "My hit single Police Officer was a true story - the police used to take my weed. It was better than being arrested, and I made that into a hit."
Dancehall deejay Shawn Storm, correct name Shawn Campbell, was released last week after he was taken into police custody for questioning in connection with a robbery which occurred in St Andrew last month.
The artiste was released from custody after the complainant and the witness failed to turn up for the identification parade.
Contacted last night, Crime Chief for the St Andrew North Division, Deputy Superintendent Altemorth 'Para' Campbell, said each time the complainant and the witness promised to show up they didn't, and as a result the police was forced to charge or release the artiste.
It was reported that Storm and a group of men allegedly robbed a fruit vendor en route from the Follow Di Arrow stage show last month.
Fans of Ragashanti have been voicing their disapproval since the Broadcasting Commission issued directives that Ragashanti Live be taken off air effective today.
Yesterday, the Broadcasting Commission sent out a release stating that the show, which is hosted by Dr Kingsley 'Ragashanti' Stewart and aired weekdays between 1 and 5 p.m, be removed from Nationwide News Network (NNN). Since then, fans of the host and regular listeners of the show have been expressing shock at the news.
"OMG wat am I going to listen to now? Yuh know how mi bruck my neck fi come from school jus fi listen 'Raga Show'. Mi feel it to mi heart," one listener said on the social networking website, Facebook.
"Uncle Raga, please don't be disheartened at the fact that they have succeeded to an extent. Uncle, this is your time to shine. Who God bless let no man put asunder. Uncle, I think you should do your mix-up an blenda shows dem every weekend now, maybe at Centerstage or sup'm," another added.
Others had suggestions of possible changes to the show.
"Uncle Raga, start streaming live over the Internet and publish a magazine each week with mix-ups that were called in from the previous week as well as those people will send in via whatever means. This way you can reach the masses," the comment said.
Some people said daytime radio will change drastically as a result. While others suggested protesting his removal. A page called 'Leave Ragashanti Alone' was also created yesterday and already has more than 1,200 fans.
Although there were some people who were disappointed, others rejoiced the news.
"I agree with booting Ragashanti, he needs to have a nighttime slot like Uncensored and Dear Pastor," one person said on Twitter.
Another said: "I dunno why Nationwide even took up Ragashanti on their station."
The release that was sent by the Broadcasting Commission yesterday said: "The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica has directed the management of Nationwide News Network Limited to immediately discontinue transmission of the radio programme 'Ragashanti Live' in its current daytime slot, that is, effective Tuesday, March 15, 2011. The station has also been required to take the necessary steps to bring its programming into conformity with its public service broad- casting licence and the applicable broadcasting regulations."
It added that the commission issued the directive after receiving numerous public complaints over the last two months and following its own review of NNN's programming between February 7 and March 2. It also noted that NNN has been cited by the commission for at least 18 serious breaches of its licence and of the broadcasting regulations.
The release also stated that the host was found to regularly engage in and encourage callers to voice scandalous, derogatory and insulting remarks which, according to the regulations, should not be transmitted from any sound broadcasting facilities of radio licensees "at any time". In addition, it said that the programme was also found to be largely dedicated to explicit and detailed discussions by the host and by some callers of adult sexual activity and situations, unsuitable for unencrypted daytime listening, especially by children.
THE STAR tried to get in contact with Ragashanti but was unsuccessful. But on his show, while receiving support from his listeners yesterday, he said: "I don't want Nationwide Network to get into any trouble for me. I will be okay. A life! This nah guh be the end of me, and it will not be the end between me and them."
In addition, the management of NNN has since said it is seeking legal advice as it prepares to respond to a directive from the Broadcasting Commission.
The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) has directed the management of Nationwide News Network (NNN) Limited to immediately discontinue transmission of Kingsley 'Ragashanti' Stewart's popular call-in radio programme, 'Ragashanti Live'.
In a statement this afternoon, the BCJ said that it had decided to take action following after receiving numerous public complaints over the last two months and after having conducted its own review of NNN's programming during the period February 7 to March 2. Transcripts of the offending programming was also supplied to the media.
Ragashanti Live was held to have breached regulations by transmitting material that includes: profanity; may be harmful to children; is likely to incite violence or criminal activity or lead to a breach of the peace; and that which is malicious, scandalous or defamatory matter. NNN was also held to violate part of its license agreement which requires its to encourage positive values and attitudes.
"As a result, Nationwide News Network Limited has been cited by the Commission for at least 18 serious breaches of its licence and of the broadcasting regulations," said the BCJ.
NNN has also been warned that it could have its license revoked should it fail to comply with its terms of license.
The Broadcasting Commission has warned Nationwide News Network (NNN) Limited that if it fails to take the specified remedial measures and or fails as a station to maintain the required public broadcasting standards, it risks a recommendation by the Commission that its licence be suspended," said the BCJ.
Below is the CVM On Stage interview with Winford Williams that set the social media world on ablaze. It was almost impossible to keep up with the tweets that occurred during the interview. You can see for yourself what all the fuss was about.
The energetic duo, RDX, who are know for their multi-colored hair, is never short of time and words of wisdom for their fans and foes alike. Since making their debut on the dancehall music scene with hit songs such as Everybody Dance, Dancers Anthem, Skip To Ma Lou and Movements they have managed to spread dancehall music to di 'Worl'!
Renigade and Delomar have both come a long way since they emerged as the 'dancers' deejays' in 2005.
However, with determination and some skillful dancers by their side they have definitely succeeded. They encourage youths to follow their dreams even though life might take some detours before they get to their final destination. Both have spoken of their challenges both at home and in the industry.
They recall the times when they would go to the inner-city community of Waterhouse to voice their songs; much to the dismay and disapproval of their mothers. Leaving their jobs as graphic designer and sales representative, they took to the stage to show the world how the popular Jamaican moves are done.
With their infectious verses and foot flashing dances RDX gives the people music they can move to, though they jokingly admitted: "We a nuh dancer, but we can dance fi save wi life."
Fresh from performances in Guadeloupe and Guyana, where they performed along with their "flagship dancer" Bermuda Kid to sold-out crowds, RDX says that "the promoters in Guyana said it was the first time 10,000 patrons had stayed to see a performance despite the rain and mud", and the fans surely were not disappointed.
They call themselves ambassadors for dancehall music; a title they feel every dancehall artiste should adopt, as their influence locally and internationally goes further than the music they make. "As artistes we need to realize that what we say and do has a powerful influence on those who listen to our music; for good and bad. RDX grew up seeing violence around us so we chose to record and produce positive music that will make people feel good and have fun."
On Thursday, March 10 from 4pm-6pm VP Records recording artiste, Protoje will be in South Florida for an in-store autograph signing at the VP Records Retail store located at 6022 SW 21st St. in Miramar. Fans will be able to stop by and pick up a copy of his latest album and receive a free poster and other free giveaways.
Protoje's latest album, Year Itch features the smash hit single, Rasta Love featuring Ky-Mani Marley.
Grammy-winning Jamaican reggae singer Buju Banton wants to be released on bond while he appeals his conviction of conspiring to set up a cocaine deal in 2009.
Banton's attorney, David Markus, filed a motion Tuesday in Tampa federal court saying the singer's celebrity makes it impossible for him to flee and hide. Banton also has already surrendered his passport and he was electronically monitored when he was released on bond in November.
Banton was taken back into custody last month after a jury convicted him of two drug charges and one gun charge. Markus says the singer faces at least 15 years in prison.
Markus also asked the court for a new trial. Banton's sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
Interview with art collector Douglas Reid, owner of Grosvenor Galleries in Kingston Jamaica.
by guest video blogger Berette Macaulay from SeBiArt
For almost 25 years now, Grosvenor Galleries has been a fixture on the art landscape in Kingston, Jamaica. Collector and owner, Douglas Reid, has exhibited works from Jamaica's finest established artists to our new and emerging intuitives and art school graduates. Douglas always seeks works that depict our beautiful landscape, our people and culture, but also creations from the unlimited imaginations of our artists, in paint, photography, sculpture, video art, and installations. It has been his interest to expose the public to works not often seen in other spaces -- those that are risky, edgy, or groundbreaking, "I think we distinguished ourselves early on as a gallery that was willing to show much less "main stream" art....that which was much more experimental....to raise awareness...and broaden the spectrum of what...is available to us."
His feelings on Jamaican art have committed him to this quest, stating that though we accomplish so much in pushing barriers,we still seem to be bounded in that we shy away from the duty to report, chronicle, or document our history and experiences. In the last 10 years he has taken on this duty himself, by collecting the ubiquitous hand painted street dance signs nailed up on our JPS light posts around Kingston and Portland. Never exhibited together as an artistic statement, his collection is now on view at Grosvenor Galleries.
Grosvenor Galleries 1 Grosvenor Terrace, (off Constant Spring Road just across the gully bridge from Manor Park) Opening Hours: 10am -- 5pm Tues -- Sat Tel: 924- 6684 Fax: 931-5569 Email: grosvenorgallery@cwjamaica.com jamaicanart@hotmail.com
Music by Rootz Underground & Capleton and Yami Bolo
