Trap God Drops Today—You Have Been Warned
A$AP Ferg drops his debut album Trap Lord today and he’s all set to take the A$AP Worldwide movement to another level. He first caught our attention with his street banger “Shabba” and we just had to sit down and reason with him about his love for the dancehall emperor. (Turns out Ferg comes from a Trinidadian household and used to vacation in MoBay as a youth.) Since that time the buzz on Ferg has only gotten louder. Just the other day Fergenstein took the stage at the Trillectro Music Festival in Washington D.C. and pandemonium ensued. In other words, he shelled down the place. Trillectro nuh good again. Or as the capo Joe LaPuma observed on Twitter, “This is what a hit looks like.” Video After The Jump… (more…)
Author: Boomshots
-
A$AP Ferg Mashes Up Trillectro Fest in Washington D.C.
-
HEAR THIS: Sean Paul ft. Damian “Jr Gong” Marley “Riot”
Dutty Paul and Gongzilla Connect to Defend The Youth Dem
Opening with a rough tough King Tubby sample straight from the dungeons of dub, “Riot” quickly progresses to a fast-chatting dancehall raveup courtesy of Sean Paul and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley—two of dancehall’s most reliable hitmakers joining forces for the first time in history. And they’re not just talking about dancing and smoking, this tune’s all about delivering a simple message to the bigger heads: “Deal with the youth them right or else a riot gwine start.” An unfinished version of this track leaked earlier this week, but we’ve got the official mastered version. Audio After The Jump… (more…) -
WATCH THIS: Lee Scratch Perry “Chase The Devil” Live
Pipecock Jaxson Burns Out Satan With Adrian Sherwood on the Mix
It’s been more than 40 years since Lee Perry set up his Black Ark studio in Kingston, Jamaica, and the producer turned performer is still going strong. This spring the Red Bull Music Academy invited Scratch (backed by the mighty Subatomic Sound System) to rock Le Poisson Rouge in NYC with the UK dubmaster Adrian Sherwood on the mix. It turned out to be one of the best live Scratch performances in a long while. You can stream the whole show here, or just check out this particularly mind-bending number. Video After The Jump… -
Jah Cure at Reggae Sumfest: “Somebody Has to Sing For The Ladies”
Iyacure Bigs Up Beres Hammond “He is my idol, my mentor, my father, my inspiration”
“Somebody has to sing for the ladies them,” said Jah Cure in his pre-show interview backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2013. “So I chose that path after Beres Hammond as a youth. So yeah, the ladies them is my thing.” Just before taking the stage to close International Night, Iyacure sat down for an in-depth reasoning session with Boomshots correspondent Reshma B. He was clearly pleased to be sharing the stage with the great Jamaican soul man Beres Hammond, who produced Cure’s debut album Ghetto Life. “Beres is one of the greatest ever—trust me. Beres is the boss. Beres is my idol, mentor, my father, my inspiration—he is everything to me. He taught me how to use my vocals. Teach me a lot about the music business and how to handle myself and my business.” Cure was also happy to see the strong turnout for International Night, whose lineup of roots reggae singers rivaled the crowd for the previous evening’s Dancehall NIght. “Them say you can’t keep a good man down,” he said. “You can’t keep a good thing down. The real must come to life. People eyes are open every day. It’s more reggae.” And for Cure reggae music means singing about love. “A man speaks what’s in him. So when these other artists sing about gun, crime, violence, skin-out, bruk-out, that’s what’s in their mind. I sing about love, the struggle, peace—every time. I sing about the most love in the business. That means it’s the love within me that I bring out. The love within me I project to the world.” Fnally Cure spoke on the love he has for elders like Lee “Scratch” Perry, and says that he hopes to collaborate with the legendary reggae pioneer. “People always ask me if me and Scratch Perry are family,” Cure remarked. “I would like to do some work with him before we lose him. Cause this generation coming up right now we have to stand up and represent. The tree weh them plant, we ah pick the fruits weh them bear. So we haffi sow back some seeds too.” Video After The Jump…
-
HEAR THIS: Busta Rhymes “Twerk It” Remix ft. Vybz Kartel, Ne-Yo, T.I., Jeremih & French Montana
Bussa Bus And Friends Get It Poppin‘
Busta Rhymes has always repped for his Caribbean culture but with his new “Twerk It” Remix he’s taken things to a whole next level. Getting Vybz Kartel’s voice on the Pharrell-produced track was a nifty trick, and the Werlboss kills it. T.I. and French Montana spit dutty bars and even R&B thugs Ne-Yo and Jeremih sound right at home with the bashment vibes. Expect more yard flavor on Busta’s forthcoming album E.L.E.2. Audio After The Jump… (more…) -
A$AP Ferg NYC Listening Event
Ferg Previews Trap Lord And Yams Burns Out the Nonbelievers
Last night A$AP Ferg held a listening event for his new album, Trap Lord. The Darby NYC was ram-jammed with A$AP Mob members and hip-hop tastemakers. The album sounds crazy—from the street single “Shabba” to abum cuts like “Cocaine Castle” and “Fuck Out My Face”—and A$AP Yams had a few choice words for all those who did not believe in his vision. Damn it feels good to see people up on it. Video After The Jump… (more…) -
Tommy Lee and the Sparta Clan at Reggae Sumfest
Uncle Demon Storms Dancehall Night—And He’s Rolling Deep
Tommy Lee was raised in the Flankers section of Montego Bay, so every time he touches the stage at Reggae Sumfest he gets much love from the hometown crowd. Last year was his first solo set on the Greatest Reggae on Earth, so this year Tommy had to tun it up by bringing along his whole Sparta Clan. Taking a leaf out of Di Teachas’ playbook, Tommy Lee is leveraging his talent to big up the next generation of dancehall stars. Just after he tore down Catherine Hall in his black facemask, spiked cape, and demonic red contact lenses, Uncle Demon took time out to kick it with Reshma B and introduce her to the Sparta Clan. Video After The Jump… (more…) -
WATCH THIS: Sean Paul “The Other Side of Love” Official Video
Dutty Paul Tells A Tale of Love That Didn’t Stick Like Glue
Sean Paul just dropped a video for “Other Side of Love,” one of two songs released thus far off of his forthcoming as-yet-untitled sixth studio album, due out later this year on Atlantic/VP Records. The song was co-produced by Benny Blanco and The Cataracs and the video was directed by Jon J. Video After The Jump… (more…) -
WATCH THIS: I-Octane Speaks on His Reggae Sumfest Performance
Octane Talks About Closing Dancehall Night at Sumfest
I-Octane has come a long way since he first hit the Digicel side stage at Reggae Sumfest five years ago. In the early hours of last Friday morning he was the closing act at Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, and although the sun was shining brightly by the time he hit the stage (with special guest artist Bounty Killer) the capacity crowd was still standing strong with him as he turned in a triumphant, career-making performance. As the crowd went home, Octane sat down with Reshma B to talk about the latest milestone on his mission to Conquer the Globe. [Photos and Video by Mark Shaw] Video After The Jump… (more…) -
Vybz Kartel’s Attorney Speaks on Not Guilty Verdict
Christian Tavares Finson Says The Werlboss’s Biggest Fight Is Behind Him
Hours after winning a decisive victory in Vybz Kartel’s two-year battle against murder charges, his lead attorney Christian Tavares-Finson sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss how Jamaican police have failed to prove their case against his client, and talk about his legal strategy for freeing the Worl’ boss. Next stop: a new bail application, and then the final criminal case in November. And once the criminal case is decided, Tavares-Finson says he and his client will be looking very carefully at a civil action to recover lost earnings during the DJ’s lengthy incarceration. Video After The Jump… -
PREMIERE: The Club Famous Riddim
How Portmore Night Club Drops A New Juggling Produced by Richie D
The newly opened Famous Nightclub in Portmore has linked with esteemed dancehall producer Richard “Richie D” Martin to drop a brand new juggling called the Club Famous riddim featuring new tracks from the Warlord, Bounty Killer, the Doctor Beenie Man, Voicemail, Stacious, Richie Loop and the “drunken master” Future Fambo. “The Famous riddim is a beat done with live drums and bass,” says producer Richie D. “I’ve always wanted to produce live music with an original dancehall (live stage show) kinda vibe. The riddim track was original named “stage show,” but after speaking with Gary Matalon about doing a track for Famous Night Club, we decided to rename it “Famous.” Bounty Killa’s song “Still Gamous” was the first song I wrote for the beat and the “Killa” killed it. Working with Fambo, Stacious, Richie Loops and Stein was an adventure—especially being off the production scene for a few years—all are very talented and great to work with. Beenie Man did a great job as well. Look out for other songs to be released on the Famous riddim soon. We’re also working on Famous 2 coming this Christmas.”
“KLE Group’s second nightclub concept is named Famous Nightclub,” says Gary Matalon, a partner in KLE Group. “Famous Nightclub is located in Portmore Jamaica. Its 12,000 square feet of amazing decor, light and sound. Since Cactus Nightclub, which closed over 10 years ago, there hasn’t been a premium, world-class club in this area. The concept was developed as a home for Jamaican music. Famous boasts the best in live entertainment including top selectors and artists as well as showcases upcoming talent.”
“We decided that a great way to embed our brand in the dancehall community would be contribute to the music directly,” Matalon said of the club’s decision to drop a riddim. The idea of leveraging our relationships with some of the greatest talent in the industry gives us a great opportunity to do just that. The songs on the Famous riddim will be great exposure and promotion for the club while the club provides a perfect platform to push the songs.”
Richie D prepared a special Boomshots mix especially for this premiere to show off all the new tracks on the juggling. Audio After The Jump… (more…)
-
WATCH THIS: Busta Rhymes ft. Nicki Minaj “Twerk It” Official Music Video
Bussa Buss and Barbz Inna Mad Sittin
Busta Rhymes and Nicki Minaj are two hip-hop stars who have consistently shown their love for dancehall culture. It comes out in little ways sometimes, a touch of slang here, a collabo there. So when the two of them linked up to make a straight-up dancehall record the results were explosive. And now here’s the video that tuns the whole thing up till it buck. Video After The Jump… (more…)
