Buju Banton wants release on bond pending appeal

(via The Miami Herald)

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.

Grosvenor Galleries - Interview With Owner, Douglas Reid

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

Protoje performs with Ky-Mani Marley for the first time

$100,000 Olympic Games seats!

(via The Jamaica Observer)

Jamaicans have already started making serious inquiries about securing tickets for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, but the prices for good seats inside the Olympic stadium could dampen their enthusiasm.

The seats, ranging in categories from AA to the lowest E, will cost Jamaicans a high of $100,000 to as little as $2,760 at today's exchange rate.

Rates posted online by the games organisers show that persons wishing to watch the blue riband men's 100-metre final on August 5 from a premium AA category seat will have to fork out £725.

Those seats, however, will only be available on two other dates — August 10 and 11 when the much-anticipated men's and women's sprint relay finals will be held.

Seats in the next category, A, are going for £420 each which, at today's exchange rate, works out to approximately J$57,900. The other seats on the three premium days are priced at £295, £125 and £50.

It appears though that not many Jamaicans are fully aware of the costs, as the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) has been receiving numerous queries from individuals and firms about buying tickets.

"The demand is great," JOA executive member Don Anderson told the Sunday Observer. "The demand is greater than we've seen for any other Olympic Games, for obvious reasons."

Anderson's reference was to Jamaica's dominance in the sprint events at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in which Usain Bolt shattered both the 100m and 200m records and contributed to Jamaica's 4x100m team breaking the record in that event and winning gold.

Jamaica ended the games with a record six gold, three silver and two bronze medals. The following year, at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany the island's athletes continued their medals plunder taking a record seven gold, four silver and two bronze.

Both performances filled Jamaicans with great pride and set the stage for next year's Olympic Games, scheduled for July 27 - August 12, with track and field fans relishing the sight of Bolt and his Jamaican colleagues again taking on the world's best athletes.

At the time the Sunday Observer spoke with Anderson he had not yet seen the London ticket prices, however he recalled that the most expensive seats in Beijing were in the US$160 range.

Anderson said that the JOA's ticket agent, Cartan Tours — which has been working for the JOA since the Sydney Olympics — will know in another few weeks how many tickets the JOA will receive to onsell to Jamaicans wishing to attend the games.

"Every national Olympic association gets an allotment of tickets," Anderson explained. "We will know by about mid-March what our allocation will be."

He said that representatives of Cartan Tours were in the island about three weeks ago talking with individuals and groups. "People have been suggesting that we try to get all the Jamaicans together in one section of the stadium," said Anderson, who added that each day he receives e-mails from people wanting to know when the tickets will become available.

Jamaica's men's 4x100 metre team proudly display their Olympic Gold medal during the Beijing Games in 2008. From left are Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell.

Buju Banton found guilty in cocaine case

Grammy-winning reggae singer Buju Banton was convicted Tuesday of conspiring to set up a cocaine deal in 2009.

A federal jury returned their verdict after deliberating for 11 hours over two days on the fate of Banton, who won a Grammy last week for best reggae album for his work entitled "Before the Dawn." He was found guilty of three of the four charges he faced.

The 37-year-old Banton remains wildly popular in his native Jamaica, and his trial was packed with supporters that included other well known reggae artists.

The singer, whose given name is Mark Myrie, was on trial on accusations that he conspired with two other men in setting up a drug deal in December of 2009.

Prosecutors argued during trial that Banton portrayed himself as a broker of drug deals in several conversations with a confidential informant. Defense attorneys countered that he was simply a "big talker" trying to impress the informant, but that he wasn't involved in any drug deal.

Banton was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and using the wires to facilitate a drug trafficking offense. He was acquitted of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

Much of the case hinged on meetings and phone calls that were video and audiotaped by the confidential informant, who was working with the Drug Enforcement Administration — and who made $50,000 in commission after the bust.

In one video, Banton could be seen tasting cocaine in a Sarasota warehouse on Dec. 8, 2009 — but he was not present during the actual drug deal on Dec. 10 that led two others to be arrested. Those two men later pleaded guilty.

This is Banton's second trial. A jury deadlocked in his first trial last year.

Kartel says his conscious songs are not played

(via The Jamaica Star)

Deejay Vybz Kartel feels that his conscious songs aren't getting enough airplay, similar to his other sometimes more controversial songs.

Speaking to THE WEEKEND STAR recently, the deejay, born Adidja Palmer, commented, "Di media nah gimme nuh credit fi di reality, social conscious songs me do. Dem jus highlight the negative. Me do Mr Babylon addressing the squatter land issue in Trelawny, dem nah play it. Me do From Me Born Me Been Sufferin, dem nah play it. Me do Fallen Angel, dem nah play it. Me do Yeah Though I, dem na play it."

The controversial deejay explained that he doesn't understand why these songs wouldn't get airplay like his songs that are more party, relationship or controversially based.

He added, "Me put the same lyrical effort inna dem jus as how me put it in Cakesoap and Benz, so me nuh know. Me even do the video Yeah Though I and dem nah even play it pon TV. I want to know why they aren't getting played. Because I can't fathom why."

According to Kartel, his recent conscious songs were released towards the end of last year and earlier this year. The deejay recently returned from Trinidad with Portmore Empire members Popcaan and Sheba, which he says was a success. He is currently promoting the release of his latest products Gaza dog tags, belt buckles and T-shirts which are currently available on the market. He will be releasing his 'Addi's' sneakers soon.

RDX releases new 'Movements' video - New album due this summer

(via The Jamaica Star)

Multiple award-winning Jamaican dancehall duo RDX recently released the video for their latest single, 'Movements'.

Scenes of the video were shot in sections of Kingston and at the Aphrodisiac nightclub in Portmore, St Catherine, under the direction of noted film-maker and director Rick Elgood.

In an issued release, the members of RDX, Renigade and Delomar promised their fans an exciting and fun-filled video saying, "We put a lot into this video and we're confident that the fans are going to love this one."

This is the third time that the duo has worked with Elgood. He directed their Dancers Anthem and Bend Over music videos in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

The song Movements was produced by Equiknoxx. It has been enjoying steady rotation on local radio and in the dance halls. The video features cameo appearances from a number of dancers, including Bermuda Kid, Dance Xpressionz, Famous Face, the Cullo Squad and Chekkers Dancers.

Additionally, RDX is preparing to release the follow-up album to their 2008 Universal Japan effort To the World.

"Our second album is coming out in the summer and it's going to be on Jamdown," said Renigade.

Among the latest singles from RDX are Girl Turn Around (Ballaz Productions); Bike Back (Twelve9 Records); Hold and Squeeze (Black Sheep); Who Deh Deh (Apt 19 Music); and You and Me (Equiknoxx).

The video for Movements alsopremiered on TVJ's 'Entertainment Report' recently.