Boomshots

Category: Music News

  • Etana, Ed Robinson, Nadine Sutherland, Keisha Martin, Richie Lou and Nello Vibes Headline The Lawman Lynch Foundation Music For Life Benefit Concert

    Etana, Ed Robinson, Nadine Sutherland, Keisha Martin, Richie Lou and Nello Vibes Headline The Lawman Lynch Foundation Music For Life Benefit Concert

    Reggae Artists Come Together to Raise Money for Underserved Children

    On Saturday, May 5th, 2018, the Benjamin Banneker Auditorium, brought together a diverse crowd for a great cause.  Music for Life is a philanthropic event launched by The Lawman Lynch Foundation in 2008, in Jamaica. The original mission of this organization was to raise funds to benefit marginalized children pursue education. This mission expanded over the years to include,  scholarship provisions, nutritional and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs for students of the Caribbean.  More After The Jump…

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  • Rihanna Honored As Harvard University’s Humanitarian of the Year

    Rihanna Honored As Harvard University’s Humanitarian of the Year

    Robyn Rihanna Fenty Graciously Accepts Award on Harvard University Campus

    On February 28, 2017 students and faculty filled the Sanders Theatre at Harvard University. The gathering was held to honor musical artist, Rihanna for her philanthropy and exemplary compassion humanitarianism. More After The Jump…

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  • Anthony Cruz Mourns His Daughter After Violent Tragedy

    Anthony Cruz Mourns His Daughter After Violent Tragedy

    Singer Anthony Cruz mourns his only daughter’s untimely death

    Like most 15 years old girls, Shanice Cruz was dreaming about her future, excelling in school, enjoying life, friendship and love. However her  life was cut short due to senseless violence and this has been a disheartening tragedy for her father, reggae singer, Anthony Cruz and the reggae community at large.  More After The Jump…

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  • Cannabis Cup Band Honors Bob Marley

    Cannabis Cup Band Honors Bob Marley

    NYC Remembers The Tuff Gong with Annual Tribute Concert by Cannabis Cup Band

    On Saturday, February 4, 2017,  at  B.B. Kings’ Blues Club & Girll, the Cannabis Cup All-Stars Band (CCB) of all-stars, paid tribute to Bob Marley, one of music’s greatest legends.  The concert, in its 21st year,  exceeded expectations in terms of live performances and high quality instrumentation. Photos & Video After The Jump…

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  • Flex Masters: A Guide To Brooklyn’s Own Dancehall Hybrid Scene

    Flex Masters: A Guide To Brooklyn’s Own Dancehall Hybrid Scene

    Who’s Building The Best FDM Riddims Right Now

    It’s been over a decade in the making, but Brooklyn’s homegrown style of dance music is beginning to make waves outside of battle circles. Called FDM (short for flex dance music), the sound is a critical component of the flex dance culture that it grew up alongside. While the dancers were refining their styles into a distinct set of movements, producers were doing the same, creating their own sound fashioned out of a wealth of dancehall riddims and sound effects that would provide the soundtrack for major dance competitions. I went deep into the scene over at Pitchfork, so please go read that when you have time. Meanwhile here’s a quick guide to the producers (many of whom are also dancers) responsible for making the sound what it is today. This weekend, Boiler Room will feature its first flex dancer and FDM producer—a sure sign that big tings ah gwan—although they’re keeping the details a secret for now. They’ve also got more plans in the works for FDM later this summer, so this is just a starting point. We figured this would be a good time to provide some basic info about the scene before everything starts to blow up. Audio & Info After The Jump…
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  • Rihanna’s Fashion Forward Design

    Rihanna’s Fashion Forward Design

    Music and Fashion Icon Creates An Original Style For Puma

    As Puma’s Global Brand Ambassador and Puma’s Women’s Creative Director, Rihanna designed and customized variations of Classic Puma Sneakers. Her Suede and Platform Creeper sold out instantaneously and the sneaker brand saw a 40% rise in overall sales. In 2016, Rihanna took her creative direction to the next level, designing an original shoe for Puma, “The Trainer by Fenty.” Upclose Look At This Sleek Shoe After The Jump (more…)

  • Remembering J Capri

    Remembering J Capri

    The untimely death of a rising dancehall artist 

    The most difficult news to grasp is the untimely death of a young, ambitious, big thinker. These are words friends of Jordan Phillips aka J Capri use to describe her. She reminded most of a young Patra, she definitely had “crossover potential”. Her musical sound was a fusion of dancehall and rhythm and blues. It looked like the stars were aligned for this fairly new artist. Her music ignited on the  dancehall scene with collaborations with Sean Paul, Vybz Kartel, Konshens, Charly Black and other international artists. In these collaborations and her solo songs, J Capri held her own and captivated audiences with sultry vocals and vivacious live performances.

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  • HEAR THIS: Busy Signal “WhatsApp”

    HEAR THIS: Busy Signal “WhatsApp”

    Turf Prez Inna Soca Style

    Back in 1984 when Byron Lee and the Dragonaires created their classic hit, “Tiny Winey,” they could not have predicted that this song about a provocative dancer could inspire another soca tune, thirty-one years later. Busy Signal explains that he particularly enjoyed the tune’s exuberant narrative—as well as its infectious riddim—and wanted to create a song,  similar in  style. This gave rise to his recent release, “WhatsApp” which is getting heavy rotation throughout the Caribbean, particularly in Trinidad and Tobago. The lyrics don’t stray far from the topic of “wining, ” as in “Tiney Winey,”  but they also address the impact of social media on today’s society. The man stays busy—so it’s no surprise to hear another crossover hit from this artist.  Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • Eddie Murphy Roots Reggae

    Eddie Murphy Roots Reggae

    Edward Regan “Eddie” Murphy ranks as the 4th highest paid actor in the United States. Making people laugh out loud, comes second nature to this comedian. The actor from Bushwick, Brooklyn, even masters the art of playing multiple roles in the same movie; including fan favorite, “Coming to America.” He’s dabbled in music for years, but Murphy gets serious with  reggae in 2015.  More After The Jump…

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  • HEAR THIS: Gully Bop “Drop Mi”

    HEAR THIS: Gully Bop “Drop Mi”

    Everybody has love for Robert Lee Malcolm aka Gully Bop! In 2014, Gully Bop saw an exponential rise in his music career (a career that dates back to the 1980’s under the moniker Country Man), after recently becoming an instant, internet sensation. His newly found fame, arose from the viral replication of an amateur video of him freestyling. The “Body Specialist” even headlined at STING, in December 2014, with a performance that received rave reviews. The Jamaica Gleaner dubbed him “the fastest rising artist in the island’s history.” However, in recent music news, fans learned the devastating news that he was dropped from Claim Records for being  “disrespectful and hype.” More After The Jump…

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  • A Love We Can Feel: Respect To John Holt

    A Love We Can Feel: Respect To John Holt

    Early Sunday morning, Reggae Legend, John Kenneth Holt, died at the age of 67 in London. Even after collapsing onstage during a performance at this summer’s One Love Festival in the UK, he insisted that his health was fine and said “I’ll be back.” Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1947, he entered talent competitions at an early age, throughout the island. Holt recorded his first single, “I Cried A Tear,” a song about lies and heartbreak, in London, 1963. This melancholy first tune, foreshadowed numerous follow up hits. More After The Jump…

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  • HEAR THIS: Junior Reid “Undeniable” Mixtape

    HEAR THIS: Junior Reid “Undeniable” Mixtape

    Junior Reid drop Undeniable mixtape with remixes of his hottest Hip-Hop collabs

    “Undeniable” is the official Junior Reid mixtape brought to you by The Wu World Wide DJ Coalition mixed by their own selector “DJ Flipcyide”. The collection includes some of Junior Reid’s major collaborations with popular artists Fabolous, Bun B, Swizz Beats, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, and more. Born as Delroy “Junior” Reid, the roots reggae artist made a name for himself as the lead singer for Grammy award-winning band Black Uhuru. As an independent vocalist, Junior Reid has enjoyed crossover success with songs “One Blood” with The Game and “This Is Why I’m Hot” alongside rapper Mims and Jamaican emcee Cham. “Undeniable” is a fitting title considering the artist’s elaborate roster of top tracks. This collection of greatest hits is exemplary of his latest work with mainstream talent in Hip-Hop, Reggae, and R&B. Reid’s undeniable voice and signature chant is synonymous with over 30 years of Dub music and culture. Audio after the jump… (more…)