Wayne Marshall, Christopher Ellis, Black Am I and Jo Mersa Storm the Strictly Boomshots Show
Just before the Ghetto Youths crew shelled down SOBs, they passed through Radio Lily to nice up the Strictly Boomshots show. Jo Mersa, Christopher Ellis, Black Am I, and Wayne Marshall passed the mic around like a coconut chalice. Everybody took a hit—little bit of interview, little bit of freestyle, and a whole heap of vibes. You know how the crew do. Audio After The Jump…
The Mad Gyal Talks Kartel, Hip-Hop Collabos, and Twerking
Year in and year out, one of the most reliable standout performers at Reggae Sumfest Dancehall Night is Spice. Her entrance is always amazing, but this year she really out did herself. You may have heard how she took the stage in 13-inch heels AND inside a giant plastic bubble. Lady Gaga eat your heart out. It was all good until she took a tumble off those heels and hit the stage with a bump. But you’ve got to love Spice for keeping the show going without a hitch. Backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2013, Spice chatted with Reshma B about how her grand entrance went wrong, and RGAT reminded her that these sorts of things happen to everybody—ever supermodels like Naomi Campbell. And of course the show must go on! Spice and RGAT also spoke about her hit single “Twerk” and how the dance is a great way to stay fit. Spice went on to fill RGAT in about her sexy new single and video “Come Inside.” She also spoke about why she brought a Vybz Kartel lookalike onstage and how she would be happy to collaborate with the World Boss when he comes home. Finally Spice shares her international collab wish list: Who do you think made the cut? Video After The Jump…
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…)
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…)
A Rare Interview with the Trap Lord
A$AP Ferg’s summer scorcher “Shabba” has set the streets of NYC on fire—and the mad music video featuring the whole A$AP Mob and Shabba Ranks himself has everybody wondering why a youth from Harlem decided to pay homage to Shabba. The A$AP Mob is known for their ’90s nostalgia, and who was a bigger dancehall star in the early 90s than Shabba Ranks? And of course if you listen to A$AP Rocky’s hit “Pe$o” you can hear the dancehall influence runs deep amongst the mob. But still Ferg’s connection to Shabba runs even deeper. Born into a Trinidadian family, Ferg used to visit Jamaica as a youth. Boomshots’ own Reshma B sat down with Ferg for an in-depth discussion of “Shabba” and a preview of Ferg’s debut album, Trap Lord. Video After The Jump… (more…)
UK Bashment Sound Represents For The Damsels of the Dancehall
The Heatwave are known for getting the ladies lively in London town. Now they’ve created a 100% bashment mixtape designed to harness the awesome natural resource known as ‘Gyal Power.’ From outernational superstars like Adele, Grace Jones and Amy Winehouse to UK femcees like Ms Dynamite and Lady Chann to Jamaican dancehall damsels like Lady Saw, Spice, Macka Diamond, Tifa, Tanya Stephens, Marcia Griffiths, Cecile, Sister Nancy and more. Smart guys know it’s all about the girls. And if you don’t know, you need to download this mixtape urgently. Audio & Downlioad Link After The Jump.. (more…)
Chris Stein and Debbie Harry Chat Reggae on the RBMA Couch
Our peoples at the Red Bull Music Academy just posted the video of Blondie’s lecture at RBMA 2013 in New York City. Chris Stein and Debbie Harry, founding members of the legendary NYC punk/rock/rap/reggae fusion band, dropped science about how the innovative band came together in the 1970s. Reshma B got on mic to ask about the making of Blondie’s No. 1 smash hit, “The Tide Is High,” a cover of the The Paragons’ rock steady classic. Video After The Jump… (more…)
Agent Sasco Says His Phone Started Burning Up on Leak Day
If you aren’t living under a rock, then you know that today Kanye West’s album Yeezus hit stores. And if you read this blog, you know that Yeezus is Kanye’s most dancehall-flavored project yet, with four of ten tracks including vocals by dancehall artists—not to mention the occasional “Dutty Wine” mention. Where most of the tracks are sampled vocals, one Jamaican dancehall star actually spit a new verse on Yeezus. His name is Assassin aka Agent Sasco, and we had a chance to reason with him earlier today. Audio & Interview After The Jump… (more…)
How Stylo Created His Own Sound, And Where He’s Taking His Movement Next
Reshma B and Stylo G conclude their epic 3-part interview at the offices of 3Beat Records in West London with a discussion of what it takes to make it as a UK dancehall artist. “When it’s not made in Jamaica you don’t get the love fully,” Stylo admits. Still he found a way to turn the challenge to his advantage by tapping into the UK underground and sticking to his own unique sound. (Purchase his latest release, “Soundbwoy” here.) “You can’t be shy,” Stylo explains. “It’s good to be a risk-taker.” Although some of his forward-thinking movements have been ahead of the curve, Style has always been a leader rather than a follower. He’s always had the utmost confidence in his vision, and in the team around him. He speaks on the importance of linking with like-minded producers like Adde Instrumentals—who produced his hit “Summer Is Back“—So Shifty—the beatmakers who supplied the riddim for “Press Up,” Stylo’s tribute to his father Poison Chang—and Dre Skull—the Brooklyn-based producer who checked him during the last Notting Hill Carnival to create a banger that will soon be setting the streets on fire. With Stylo it’s all about next-level movements—find out what territories he’ll be conquering next. Video After The Jump… (more…)
Who’s On Chronixx’s Collabo Wish List? Some of the Names Might Suprise You
Chronixx believes musicians carry a serious responsibility both to their fans and to their own music and culture. In this fifth and final edition of his candid conversations with Boomshots, he talks about the responsibility of reggae musicians, and names some artists he’d like to collaborate with—and let’s just say some of the names are pretty unexpected. Video After The Jump… (more…)
How Chronixx Built A New Roots Reggae Movement
In one of Chronixx’s many recent hit songs, “Beat and a Mic,” he talks about the basic building blocks he needs to make music. But making music is one thing, building a movement like the young roots reggae star has built over the past year is something else again. In the latest edition of our series of interviews, Chronixx explains how he leveraged the worldwide web and social media to spread his music and message without spending a whole heap a dunsa on marketing. Aspiring artists take note. Video After The Jump… (more…)
Chronixx Is Not a One-Dimensional Artist, As You Can Hear In His Eclectic Productions
Chronixx is not just a singer and songwriter; he’s also a producer. In fact his breakthrough hit “Behind Curtain” was self-produced. In this third edition of his candid conversations with Boomshots, he talks about his electic approach to reggae production and why he draws inspiration from Yeezus. Video After The Jump… (more…)