Boomshots

Author: Boomshots

  • Damian Marley’s “Joint Venture” in the Ganja Business: “You’re not a Criminal for Smoking Herb”

    Damian Marley’s “Joint Venture” in the Ganja Business: “You’re not a Criminal for Smoking Herb”

    Gongzilla Sets Up Shop,  Forbes Takes Notice

    “It goes without saying that for marijuana the attraction is very natural,” says Damian Jr. Gong Marley in a new interview with Forbes magazine. “Damian Marley Invests in Marijuana Futures” reads the headline in the respected business publication covering the news about the reggae star’s joint venture with Ocean Grown Extracts. As part of their new start-up, Marley and Ocean Grown will be turning a vacant Coalinga, California prison into a medical marijuana manufacturing plant, which Ocean Grown will provide to dispensaries. “I want my kids to look back and be proud of me and say I didn’t sell my soul to earn a dollar, that is very important to me,” he told Forbes.  Continued After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Anthony Cruz “Where Would I Be” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Anthony Cruz “Where Would I Be” Official Music Video

    Giving Thanks For Guidance and Protection

    Anthony Cruz is one of those under-the-radar reggae singers whose understated excellence deserves more praise than it receives. We first noticed him when he was rolling with the 5th Element crew alongside Richie Spice and Chuck Fender (aka “The Poor People Defender). Although he can finesse a lover’s rock tune more sweetly than most, Cruz has always been at his best singing reality tunes. “Place Too Bloody” his combination with Buju Banton, and the Beres Hammond produced “Dem Block Di Road” on Harmony House’s “Feel Good” riddim are two outstanding examples. Yesterday Cruz released a new video on his official website revealing that his clean-cut look has been replaced with a ragga-ragga Rastafari image. In the song, produced by the legendary Bobby Digital, Cruz gives thanks for live, health, and strength—acknowledging that even when he feels he’s in “Cruz control” there is a higher power calling the shots. Dropping so soon after Jamaica’s close call with Hurricane Matthew, the message is as timely as the song is strong.  Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Nadine Sutherland “Never In Love” PREMIERE

    HEAR THIS: Nadine Sutherland “Never In Love” PREMIERE

    “Action” Star Is Taking It EZZ

    “It’s a woman’s empowerment song,” explains Nadine Sutherland of her latest release. “Basically, it’s saying Watch, listen and learn before you give your all.” Giving her all to reggae music since an early age, Sutherland signed with Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong label at a tender age and exploded to worldwide fame with her Dave Kelly–produced 1993 smash “Action.” Since that time she’s maintained her standing as one of Jamaica’s finest vocalists and also grown as a person. “I think as a grown woman I am hesitant to ‘fall in love’ or to give of myself as easily in  comparison to when I was younger,” she says of the song she cowrote, and whhose lyrics share the blessings of hard-learned life lessons. Today Boomshots proudly premieres the tune, produced by College Boyz and distributed by Zojak. “I guess I have become wiser because of having experiences with people who have ulterior agendas. So I’m an experienced lover whey know me ABC’s, me no run Inna nobody, me tek it EZZ’s.”Audio After The Jump…
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  • HEAR THIS: Sean Paul “Like This”

    HEAR THIS: Sean Paul “Like This”

    Mad People Ting Dey Should Know RRRRRR!!!

    Atlantic Records did Sean Paul a big favor by dropping him a couple years ago. What seemed like adversity at the time only helped prove his brand is strong regardless of label affiliation. Dutty Paul and his 11 million Facebook fans didn’t need a major cosign to make hits or get booked on big shows. And right now the dutty yute is kinda killin’ it. Ten years after he topped the Billboard pop charts with “Temperature”, the dancehall star returned to the top spot this year via “Cheap Thrills,” a collaboration with Sia that was the biggest song in the U.S.A. for much of this crazy summer of 2016, when the entire music marketplace felt like one big tropical house party. Meanwhile in Jamaica, Sean Paul’s “Crik Neck” tune with Chi-Ching Ching is popping on the street dance circuit. Now signed with Island Records, Sean linked with labelmate Ricky Blaze to cook up this hard-edged digital banger. “I grew up listening to Sean Paul so I was pretty excited to have the opportunity to work with him,” says Blaze, the producer responsible for Gyptian’s “Hold Yuh” and Ding Dong’s “Badman Forward” among other smashes. “It was an honor to work with him.” New tingz via our peoples at Mass Appeal. Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • The Making of Bounty Killer’s “My Xperience”

    The Making of Bounty Killer’s “My Xperience”

    Remembering A Game-Changing Album Twenty Years Later

    All Eyez On Me. The Don Killuminati. Reasonable Doubt. The Score. It Was Written. ATLiens. Nineteen Ninety Six was an epic year for hip hop album releases. It was also a decisive year for dancehall breaking through to urban America. Twenty years ago this month, Bounty Killer released My Xperience on Blunt Recordings, a new joint venture between perennial reggae powerhouse V.P. Records and TVT Records, a New York-based indie specializing in “TV Tunes.” Featuring collabs with some of the biggest rappers and producers in hip hop—The Fugees, Mobb Deep, Raekwon, RZA, Busta Rhymes, Erick Sermon, Jeru the Damaja—My Xperience did that and more. The album truly changed the game for dancehall in the hip hop space. In an exclusive Boomshots interview, Bounty Killer calls it “the greatest album” of his illustrious career and shares his memories of working on the historic project. We also spoke with Killer’s then-manager Johnny Wonder, now the V.P. of 21st Hapilos Digital Distribution to share his experiences making My Xperience. Interviews After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: I-Octane “Hot Off The Press” Official Music Video PREMIERE

    WATCH THIS: I-Octane “Hot Off The Press” Official Music Video PREMIERE

    The Hot Ras Makes It Rain In These Brand New Visuals

    How would you prefer your paper? When you hustle every day, you’re gettin money every which way. I-Octane shows a strong preference for “new money hot off the press.” No bogus bills round here, just crisp bricks of notes delivered fresh from the mint. This paper-chaser’s anthem is a hidden gem off Troyton’s “Dancehall Bully” Riddim, already notorious for ushering in the war between two dancehall titans. The juggling, distributed by the mighty 21st Hapilos, has much more to offer than Mavado’s “Dem Run Een.” Aidonia, Demarco, and Charly Blacks, are among the other artists with a piece of the action, but I-Octane’s “Hot of The Press” has proven to be a standout cut. Today Boomshots proudly premieres the flosstastic visuals, directed by Jay Papworth, as I-Octane & his empress make it rain at their oceanside estate. Everything correck. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Jah Cure “Telephone Love”

    HEAR THIS: Jah Cure “Telephone Love”

    Cure Again

    Ever since returning from a successful Summer tour of Europe and dropping that “Rasta is passing through” video, Jah Cure has been hitting the studio hard. His Instagram feed shows off his work ethic, sipping lemon water and ginger juice in the morning, shuttling to and from the soundlab to build with “The Grammy team,” reasoning in the studio with ace producer Clive “Uglyman” Hunt. Today we enjoy the first fruit of his labors: a crucial lovers’ rock selection about the ins an outs of a long-distance relationship. “Good morning,” Cure sings as sweet as you please. “I see you missed my last calling.” (And don’t miss the extended dub mix soundbwoy!)  Sounds like Cure’s new album, which he’s been referring to as “Royal Soldiers,” is off to a strong start. Audio After The Jump…
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  • Ten Classic Rita Marley Tunes You Need To Stop Sleeping On

    Ten Classic Rita Marley Tunes You Need To Stop Sleeping On

    Half The Story Has Never Been Told

    The whole world knows the Bob Marley legend, but how many overstand the fact that his wife Rita is an accomplished singer in her own right? Alpharita Constantia “Rita” Anderson was born 70 years ago in Santiago, Cuba and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. She first met Robert Nesta Marley in the mid 1960s, when both were teenage recording artists at Sir Coxsone Dodd’s legendary Studio One, the “Motown Records” of Jamaica. Rita was lead vocalist for The Soulettes while Bob’s group was called The Wailing Wailers. The two would eventually get married and later tour the world, with Rita backing Bob as a member of his harmony section the I Three. Earlier this week Rita Marley was hospitalized after reportedly suffering a stroke. Our prayers go out to her family and fans around the world. In the meantime, let the music play. Audio After The Jump…
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  • Rico Tayla “Gunman Inna Uniform” PREMIERE

    Rico Tayla “Gunman Inna Uniform” PREMIERE

    From Charlotte to Kingston, Too Much Blood Ah Run

    “Another mother bawl when she see her son,” sings Rico Tayla in his new song, “spread out in him own blood on the ground.” As each new day seems to bring another horrific news report about police officers abusing their authority and killing the very people they are sworn to serve and protect, Tayla’s tune reminds us that there are good cops and bad cops all over the world—but some police are just plain bad news. With a system in place that protect its own, the problem is deep-rooted. “In every society worldwide those who don’t have power are always abused,” says the singer. “In some countries it is who have money and who don’t. In some it’s about color or race while in others it’s by religion. But the police or any other military force always abuse those in the society that aren’t considered important.” The tune hits iTunes tomorrow, but Boomshots is proud to premiere it today—because the way things are going, 24 hours might be too long to wait. Audio & Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Jah9 “Humble Me” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Jah9 “Humble Me” Official Music Video

    Sometimes Life Is More Than Meets The I

    “Humble Me,” the first single off  Jah9’s new album (titled simply  9), is not to be confused with Norah Jones’ tune of the same title. Where Norah’s song is about falling on your knees and begging the Lord for forgiveness, Jah9’s is about appreci-loving the majestic complexity of creation and exploring heretofore unseen spiritual dimensions of the universe. (A “Natural Mystic” if you will.) The Ras Kassa–directed video for the song, which premiered yesterday on Jah9’s official site, demands close attention. We see the artist/lioness strolling through an ancient rain forest in a blue dress adorned with elaborate jewelry. Gazing awestruck at the green canopy above, pausing to admire a tiny fern, or observing a parade of ants marching across a massive tree root, she begins “tuning into the frequency”—and, perhaps, seeing more than just a forest. As the divine order begins to reveal itself, the viewer begin to notice fleeting glimpses of geometric shapes—as rendered by animator Dayne Chike Morrison—which become more and more apparent until Jah9’s insights become our own. Remember when Bob advised us to “emanicpate yourselves from mental slavery”? This is what it looks like. Video After The Jump…

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  • WATCH THIS: Morgan Heritage “Selah” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Morgan Heritage “Selah” Official Music Video

    Around The World In Four Minutes and Fifty Seconds

    Having grown up between Massachusetts, Brooklyn, and Jamaica, the children of reggae singer Denroy Morgan were blessed with the opportunity to experience different ways of life in different places on earth. As they evolved into the Grammy-winning reggae supergroup Morgan Heritage, their career took them all over the planet. “The world is more beautiful than you know,” sings Peetah Morgan on “Selah” a hard-hitting reality track off Overstand Ent’s Mile High riddim (distributed by 21st Hapilos). “So much beauty my eyes behold, so much in school they never told.” Although their new video features stunning aerial shots of cities and natural wonders all over the globe, don’t mistake this for some kinda international flossing spree. The Morgan family drops knowledge over Winta James’ tough rub-a-dub riddim, exposing centuries of mental slavery and putting the truth-telling power of reggae music on full display. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Shenseea “Jiggle Jiggle” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Shenseea “Jiggle Jiggle” Official Music Video

    Debut Video From Dancehall’s New Girl On The Block

    Brandishing a criss baseball bat customized with her Twitter handle, Shenseea and a crew of twerktastic dancing girls take over an automobile scrapyard and basically wreck shit. That’s the plot summary for “Jiggle Jiggle,” the latest addition to the burgeoning subgenre of bruk-out dancehall videos. And so what if it’s not all that different from other booty videos? As a wise man once said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”—or, in this case, smash it with a baseball bat. An RD Studios production, “Jiggle Jiggle” is Shenseea’s first music video, a visual interpretation of the likkle-but-tallawah young artist’s breakout hit, produced by Romeich Entertainment and distributed by 21st Hapilos. Shenseea stands out from most of the other tough-talking dancehall damsels through sheer intensity. “Me lyrically bad!” she asserted in a recent IG post. “Yeah me lyrics dem EXPLICIT, Punch lines so refine like the sand when u sieve it.” So when she says “Keep up!” you’d better believe she’s not just talking to her lover. Video After The Jump… (more…)