Classic of Reggae Cinema Hits The Interwebs
This past August the Brooklyn Academy of Music hosted a festival of great Jamaican films including Theodoros Bafaloukos 1978 classic Rockers. Perhaps no other movie packs more legendary cameos and classic performance sequences into a slice of ’70s Kingston street life. In case you couldn’t make it to Brooklyn to catch this classic of reggae cinema on the big screen, fret not. Our peoples at Noisey have got the film streaming online for free, so you can catch Leroy Horsemouth Wallace and a cast of thousands on the laptop or mobile device of your choice. Video After The Jump… (more…)
Category: Jamaica
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“Rockers” Now Streaming Online
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WATCH THIS: Spice Says Donkey at Sting was Macka’s “Twin”
Check This Exclusive Post-Sting Interview With The Mad Gyal
The biggest battle at this year’s Sting was supposed to be Spice vs. Macka Diamond. But when the time came, Macka did not show up. So Spice would not be all alone up there on the big stage at Jamworld, she brought along a donkey wearing a wig. After the show she told Reshma B who the donkey was supposed to represent. Looks like the battle is getting hotter. Video After The Jump… (more…)
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I-Octane Gives Thanks & Praise
If Ungratefulness Cause Disaster, Octane Has Nothing To Worry About
When I-Octane sings, “You no see say we nice?” he’s not just chatting lyrics. The singjay’s been turning up the heat for years, but he made 2012 hot like ten fireside—dropping hits all year long in Jamaica, traveling and touring internationally, and launching his long-awaited debut album, album, Crying to the Nation. But just when it seems he can’t blaze any hotter, Octane turns up the temperature. When Reshma B caught up with Octane at Sumfest, he broke down all the reasons he has to be thankful. Like the songs says, “Me ting global, ah so de ting set.” Video and Audio After The Jump… -
Ziggy Marley’s Favorite Live Concerts
Ziggy Has See Some Nice Shows In His Day, But A Few Stand Out From The Rest
Just yesterday Ziggy Marley dropped his first live album in 12 years, Ziggy Marley In Concert (Boomshots premiered a track from it last week.) Ziggy has worked plenty of stages in the twenty-seven years since the first Melody Makers album was released, Play the Game Right. The show on the album, recorded in Boulder Colorado, was a benefit to support the non-GMO movement in Colorado. “It was a very exciting night and it was a good show,” he recalls. “People were into it and we were into it. It was nice vibes.” Read More After The Jump… (more…)
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WATCH THIS: Spice Interview “She Can’t Style Me, Lyrically or Physically”
The Mad Gyal Goes OnStage With Winford Williams To Talk Di Tings Dem
The Dancehall girl fight continues to escalate as Spice visits OnStage with Winford Williams, the same show where Macka Diamond recently vented frustration against various female artists including Lady Saw and another whom she would refer to only as “the black one.” (UPDATE: Macka has even released a diss song called “Kill the Black One.”) Though she says she considers herself “Black and beautiful,” Spice made no attempt to hide her annoyance with Macka. “Me haffi box her down, jook out her eye, and nearly take out the eye outta her head,” Spice recalled of a physical confrontation between the artists some years back. Though the guys get most of the attention with their so-called beef and lyrical clashes, Spice says the dancehall divas have some serious rivalries of their own: “The women dem inna the business, them fight ‘gainst them one another. It come in like crab inna barrel. If you put on a nail polish, and it look better than fi her own, them wan’ chop off your fingers fe it.” Wow. Spice goes on to recall her falling out with Lady Saw. But she says her and Tifa’s song “Why You Mad” was not written for anyone in particular. Well, not anyone that she cares to mention at the moment. Video After The Jump… (more…) -
WATCH THIS: Pusha T ft. Popcaan & Travis Scott “Blocka” Official Video
Live From Matches Lane, It’s The Wrath of Caine
Lots of rappers go to Jamaica to shoot videos. Very few go deep in the heart of Western Kingston like Pusha T did on this one. All the way live from
MatthewsMatches Lane, the PNP garrison where Zekes once ruled the scheme, Pusha kicks his ghetto metaphysics surrounded by bandana-faced bravehearts with chrome shotties. The gritty visual aesthetic is in keeping with previous Clipse and Pusha videos, only it’s transported to one of the most notorious blocks on Jamrock. Sure woulda been nice to hear more Popcaan on this track, but if Hotskull’s not already working on his own remix somebody needs to get him an instrumental like yesterday. Video After The Jump…
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Beres Hammond Interview: “There’s A Power Within Love Songs”
The Maestro Speaks On The State of Reggae Today, The Real Buju Banton, and His Own Musical Legacy
For me, it started with Full Attention. Hugh Beresford Hammond’s first album for V.P. Records began with a drum roll and a saxophone tendril that laid the foundation for the textured tenor to plead his case with a lady who didn’t seem to know he was alive. It was full-on lovers rock reggae with R&B and soul sensibilities made by a man who dreamt of crooning like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. The music was accessible—at least more so than the Sugar Minott, Burning Spear, and Culture records that spun in my New Jersey home on Sunday mornings over cornmeal porridge. Beres may not have had any honorific titles laid onto him, like the Crown Prince of Reggae, but for my money he’s every bit as legendary as any of the greats that came before him.You can start with his voice, which is as strong as it is soulful and soothing. When he belts out a tune, even when his grainy vocals are pushed to the limits, it feels effortless. The voice works with the music to emphasize the words, always telling a story about real people, inflecting meaning where there previously was none. Hammond sings like he’s wrenching the emotion from each word. My mother once told me one of her favorite songs was “Ain’t That Loving You” by Alton Ellis until she heard Beres sing it. On the other hand you can start with his songwriting. The best Beres Hammond songs distill relatable situations and feelings into clever, meaningful couplets wrapped in sticky melodies.
Relevancy is a tough coin to spin for a lot of artists, but throughout his thirty-year career Beres has managed to glide his distinctive voice through the dancehall revolution, partnering with wicked up-and-comers like Buju Banton. In high school, when all my friends were blasting Sean Paul’s Alton remix, I was hanging tough with “Who Say.” Hammond has lasted while maintaining his trademarked effortless cool. That’s why it was such a thrill to speak with him about his latest album One Love, One Life. To me, he’s like the reggae version of Jay-Z—so it’s fitting that he’ll be performing with The Roots tonight on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and that he’ll take the stage tomorrow night at Barclays Center, the home of the Brooklyn Nets. Sure, many great artists have come before him, but to paraphrase Hov: No one’s been this good for this long, or this pop or this hot, with so many different styles. For that reason, Beres Hammond will continue to have my full attention. Interview After The Jump… (more…)
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HEAR THIS: Busy Signal “God Me Say”
Busy Speaks On His Incarceration, And Makes A Point To Burn Out Demons From Early
It seems that not a day goes by without Busy Signal dropping another heatrock in our inbox. But today’s tune stands out above for several reasons. First, it’s the most detailed account of Busy’s incarceration yet—aside from the refrain “Jailhouse no nice, bare chink and lice”—Busy speaks on his legal strategy (“Waive the rights to me extradition, caw me know me an innocent man”) as well as his decision to go straight home to Jamaica after his release rather than putting in a little work Stateside first (“Me couldn’t wait fi the damn plane land; me freedom worth more than gold and diamond.”) Apparently Busy enjoys an open rapport with Riff Raff Notice, the same producer responsible for his sexy homecoming tune “Jail Juice.” The other thing that jumps out on this song is the fourth line: “Me no mix up with no evil nor no demon.” Was that intended a warning shot at Tommy Lee? Guess we’ll have to wait until Sting to find out for sure. Audio After The Jump… -
WATCH THIS: Snoop Lion “Reincarnated” Extended Trailer
Check The Brand New Trailer For The Film That Tells How The Dogg Became A Lion
Earlier this week, the Snoop Lion documentary Reincarnated was screened for a small group of media at the Sony headquarters in midtown Manhattan. After seeing the movie in full, an old Wailers lyric came to mind: “Half the story has never been told.” It may seem strange to see a gangsta rap icon from the LBC saying Jah Rastafari and singing over reggae beats. Some have even called it a gimmick. (And when Snoop released his “Hot Pockets” video with showers of pepperoni raining from the sky, it was hard to argue with them—unless there’s an ital version of Hot Pockets on the way.) But despite the apparent contradictions, don’t make up your mind until you see this film, which will hit theaters in 2013. Snoop’s visit to Alpha Boys School in Kingston, freestyling over a live version of “Rockfort Rock,” or his impromptu session with Cutty Corn in a hole-in-the-wall studio near Tivoli Gardens (not to mention his Mind Gardens project) puts this whole Snoop Lion thing in a new light. And as for his baptism as Berhane in a Niyabinghi temple (seen above), well you’ll have to judge for yourself. Who says you can’t teach an old Dogg new tricks? Video After The Jump…
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Reasoning With Bay-C from T.O.K.
Bay-C Squashes T.O.K. Breakup Rumors, Explains Jr. Gong Collabs, And Bigs Up Snoop Lion
Ever since 1999, when they dropped “Eagles Cry” on Dave Kelly’ Xtra Large label, T.O.K. brought has a completely fresh sound to dancehall, merging Jamaica’s great tradition of male harmony groups with the cutting-edge digital dancehall sound. They went on to become a dancehall supergroup, blazing a trail of hits around the world—and becoming bonafide pop stars in Japan. T.O.K. has not released an album since 1999, and they have pursued solo projects in recent years, but Alistaire “Alex” McCalla, Craig “Craigy T” Thompson, Xavier “Flexx” Davidson, and Roshaun “Bay-C” Clarke are still very much united, as Bay-C makes clear in this exclusive Boomshots interview. During a recent trip through London, the ReggaeGirlAboutTown caught up with the deep-voiced DJ in the studio and they sat down to reason about a wide range of topics, from his latest collaboration with Christopher Ellis “Don’t Change Ur Number” to his work with Damian Marley, Tarrus Riley, and Wayne Marshall and his thoughts on Snoop Lion and the Americanization of Jamaican music. Video After The Jump… -
Pusha T Shoots Video In Kingston
Behind The Scenes Flicks From The “Blocka” Video Shoot
Long before “Mercy,” we knew Pusha T loved that dancehall sound. Remember his verse on the “Half On a Baby” remix with Vybz Kartel? Last week, Pusha and his crew took a trip to Kingston, Jamaica for the video shoot of “Blocka,” the Young Chop–produced single of his upcoming Wrath of Cain mixtape. We hear there’sanother big dancehall starPopcaan featured on the track, whichdebuts soonis hard as f**k. While you let your imagination run wild, check out some exclusive behind-the-scene photos of the shoot. Photographs After The Jump… (more…) -
HEAR THIS: Cecile “Upgrade”
Yummy Mummy Hots Up The Corner Shop Riddim
There’s plenty of fish in the sea—and according to Cecile there are some better ones. Apparently! Looks like the Yummy Mummy is back to her bad gyal self. This tune on finds her on the prowl for a man who “want the key to her likkle padlock.” She’s not just hotting up 21st Hapilos’ crucial Corner Shop riddim, she’s causing a four-alarm fire. Cecile’s advice to the guys is straight up: “No need to stay if you aint getting enough.” The facts, as she lays them out, are this: it’s a 10 to 1 girl-to-man ratio. So there’s no need to go to jail for a girl when another one is just round the corner right? Not sure if this is a tune for the boys or the girls but it’s definitely a reminder for both sides: Guys ‘if it nah work so jus move on then’, girls don’t sleep on your duties because if your man come across a girl like Cecile he might just ‘Upgrade’! Audio After The Jump… (more…)
