Video After The Jump…
Rising reggae singer I-Voltage livicates this tune to all the hard-working people who hustle every day to put food on the table and support their families. The ones who create their own job, cause they know they’re not gonna tief and rob. From the bag juice man to the high grade and grabba, from Coronation Market to Arcade—you can’t knock the hustle. Video After The Jump… (more…)
Songs For Deep Thought and Meditation
The color is purple, signifying a richness in color or potency. Purple lyrics have a wealth of consciousness that takes you to higher heights. Most of the songs were selected for purple lyrics or purple live performances in studio or concert that etch an indelible mark on the canvas of the mind. Playlist After The Jump… (more…)
Mr. Vegas Makes A Public Appeal On Behalf Of Jamaica’s “Natural Order”
Mr. Vegas celebrates his beloved homeland in his latest video “Gi Wi Back Wi Sweet Jamaica,” paying homage to the rich heritage and natural beauty that still exists in this jewel of the Caribbean Sea. Images of the North Coast, local attractions, and lavish beaches that were once the playground of all Jamaicans—and have since fallen into the hands of multinational investors attracting tourist dollars with visions paradise. After enjoying mainstream success abroad, the international reggae superstar returns to the Land of Wood and Watr to make a public plea to please conserve Jamaica’s national treasures before it is too late. Video after the jump….
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The Gargamel Tells His Fans To Be Patient—A Boomshots Exclusive
It’s been 7 years since Buju Banton was incarcerated due to an extremely problematic federal drug case, and his voice has been sorely missed within the reggae industry ever since. The Grammy-winning artist responsible for classic albums like Til Shiloh and Inna Heights recently sent a message to his listeners exclusively via Boomshots. “Give a shout out to the fans for me,” said the DJ, who is scheduled to be released from prison in December 2018. “Tell them I send my love and I tell them: Do not be distracted by all the things that are taking place around them because it is designed to throw them off kilter.” Full Statement After The Jump… (more…)
Maybe You Can Handle The Ride—But Can You Handle The Truth?
It may be true that women are far and few between in the reggae industry. But there’s no disputing the fact that Tanya Stephen is one of the best in the business. And not the good for a female—she’s one of the greatest songwriters Jamaican music history, full stop. Tanya has written some of the baddest tunes ever and has never let herself be pigeonholed into other peoples perception of what an artist should be. Whether singing about taking another woman’s man or exploring other sensitive real-life situations, Tanya continues to keep it all the way real, bringing her listeners along wherever her imagination takes her. After two decades in the game she’s still growing as an artist, and we still haven’t found anybody to rival her talent. During the latest Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise, she blessed Boomshots with an in-depth interview with no subject off limits, from sex to religion to general stupidness and why she doesn’t like to clash. She even shared her true thoughts on marriage—”whoever decided that marriage should be an institution should be instituionalized!”—despite the fact that she is currently married. Tanya will be performing at SXSW during this year’s Irie Jam x Boomshots SXSW Reggae Showcase. Whether you’re in the house or not, take a moment to get to know one of the most fascinating minds around. Just make sure you fasten your seatbelt, cause this is going to be a wild ride. Videos After The Jump…
W&R Projects x Irie Jam x Boomshots Link Up To Make Music History
Launching as a regional music festival in 1987, SXSW (pronounced “South By Southwest”) has grown by leaps and bounds to become one of the biggest cultural events in the world—expanding to a nine-day marathon encompassing Film and Interactive as well as Music. Major motion pictures like Neighbors, 21 Jump Street, and Bridesmaids as well as the TV series Girls have premiered and secured distribution deals at SXSW. Major digital startups like Twitter and Foursquare debuted at SXSW. But music is the lifeblood of the festival, with over 28,000 artists participating last year, from unknown hopefuls (John Mayer and James Blunt are just two of the future stars to be discovered at SXSW in years past) to bonafide megastars (Kanye West, Prince, Lil Wayne and Jay Z have all performed there in recent years). One area that has been woefully under-represented at SXSW has been Reggae. But this year, W&R Projects have linked with Irie Jam and Boomshots to represent reggae and dancehall music to the world at this influential gathering of media tastemakers and industry power-players. Details After The Jump… (more…)
Poppy Goes Farrrrr Out In His New Visuals
You know the tune—it’s the biggest hit off Justus JA’s “Life Support” Riddim, the one where Popcaan says he doesn’t trust friends, because “Mankind nuh trustable.” The Unruly Boss is normally a pretty sociable guy, but as he explained in an exclusive phone interview, life experience has taught him to be cautious. “There’s so much people weh sometime you would take out your heart and give them it,” he says, “and those are the same people who will turn ‘pon you.” But when people let him down, he adds with a laugh, “my weed is around.” And really that’s no joking matter. “Certain of my problems, ah just me and me weed go through them,” he adds. “Me just smoke weed and overcome obstacle.” In the video, which premiered today on Complex, Popcaan can be seen communing with nature in a field full of sticky icky. You know what they say, a friend with weed is a friend indeed. Video After The Jump… (more…)
Maximum Sounds Wraps Up Something Strong
Carving out a niche in the sweet spot between uptempo roots and modern vintage dancehall, Frenchie’s Maximum Sounds imprint has emerged as one of the most consistent sources of quality reggae music. He just blessed up with a megamix of his latest juggling, a warm & easy midtempo bubble entitled “Blueberry Haze.” As the title suggests, you might want to wrap up a draw before you take in this preview of a juggling that includes standout performances by veterans like Christopher Martin & Mr. Vegas as well as fresh voices like Randy Valentine and Vershon. And no, you’re not too high—Tairo is actually singing in French. Audio After The Jump… (more…)
Girl I’ll Tropical House You
After all the teasers, snippets, and Snapchats the video for Rihanna’s most unabashedly dancehall track ever drops today, same time the tune touch the No. 1 spot. Our bredren Paul Parris called Riri and Aubrey the Queen and King of Dancehall, which might be overstating the case, but we feel the fire of his argument. Point being that Tropical House shit is dead. Please have the decency to call it what it is: dancehall. By now we all know the song was co-produced by Drake’s very own Boi-1da, Sevn Thomas and Partynextdoo—three youths from T-Dot who looped up Pot of Gold’s “Sail Away” riddim and took the track behind “Badman Nuh Flee” to the top of the pops. The video is appropriately twerktastic and bangs even harder with DJ Autograph’s remix underneath. Pree this. Video After The Jump… (more…)
Steam Ministah Links Federation Fam To Give Us The Fullness
Chronixx and the Federation family had a musical meeting of the minds to create this amalgamation of wicked instrumentals past & present. The 60-minute mix includes well known tracks “Like A Whistle,” “Alpha & Omega,” and “Tenement Yard” to warm up your ears to a familiar beat. The heavy drum and bass breakdown stampedes in on “Spanish Town Rocking” (inspired by Mr. Levy’s crucial Channel One selection) as Chronixx executes a sound inna dancehall stylee. “Queen Majesty” is a top selection with a smooth melody that the ladies will be sure to love. Chronixx dominates the microphone as an emcee and singjay with special features from Eesah on “Perfect Tree”, Dre Island on “Puppy Nose”, Kelissa on “Best Love”, and Kabaka Pyramid on the title track Chalice & Roots. “Dem haffi wait likkle while for mi first album…” Chronixx ends the mix with a proclamation that leaves us wanting more. Behind the steam, the music disappears from whence it came, deep into the tallest peaks of Jamaica’s lush green dreams. Audio After The Jump… (more…)
Another Video From The Reggae Family’s Grammy-Winning Album Strictly Roots
As one of reggae’s most enduringly and successful veteran acts, Morgan Heritage is known to be in a category by themselves. From their Grammy winning album Strictly Roots they’ve redefined roots reggae yet again; with their upbeat hit “Wanna Be Loved,” featuring Rebelution’s front man Eric Rachmany. Shot on their landmark 2015 Catch A Fire US tour, the music video was directed by Morgan Heritage and Emmylou Mai, capturing various vignettes of their sold out performances and positive vibes, all in chromatic black and white. Watch closely to catch the various reggae superstar cameos, as this is definitely an anthem of enduring love, unity and upliftment. Video After the Jump… (more…)
Agent Sasco Links Protoje & Chronixx, Returns To The Roots
Yesterday Assassin aka Agent Sasco released Theory of Reggaetivity, his first album in over 10 years. The 14-song set shot straight toward the highest regions of the iTunes reggae chart, landing just below Bob Marley’s Legend, which is appropriate for the dancehall DJ’s first all-reggae project, which he describes as “my musical study of the principles of reggae music.” Conceived in Europe and recorded between Los Angeles, New York, and Kingston, JA, Theory of Reggaetivity features production by the likes of Sting International, Chimney Records, Silly Walks Discotek, Diggy British (aka Protoje), Niko Browne, The Drum Keyz, Theo Butler, MLMG, Sound Cheq, and W. Thompson. We first heard this gravelly-voiced lyricist ripping up the Diwali Riddim and trading bars with Spragga Benz and Vybz Kartel back in the early 2000s. More recently he’s become hip hop’s best kept secret weapon [LINK], making guest appearances on massive albums by Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West. Boomshots caught up with him the night after Kendrick featured his voice in a live performance on the Grammy Awards broadcast, and chatted about why he decided the time was right to make this decisive move forward to the roots of Jamaican music. Interview After the Jump… (more…)