Boomshots

Category: Outernational

Crossover and outside of core

  • Best 2017 Reggae Album Grammy Nominations Announced

    Best 2017 Reggae Album Grammy Nominations Announced

    Jr. Gong, Chronixx, Join Two Repeat Contenders And One Newcomer

    Critics be damned! Year in and year out, people say this and that about the nominations for Best Reggae Album. It’s true that the UK MOBO Awards are more in tune with the streets. But this year The Grammys mostly got it right. Two of the very best reggae/dancehall albums of the year—Stony Hill and Chronology—were amongst the nominees announced this morning by the Recording Academy via Grammy Awards’ official website. Two contenders return from last year as well as a first-time noimnee. Full Details After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Jah Cure “Lion In The Jungle”

    HEAR THIS: Jah Cure “Lion In The Jungle”

    New Music From Reggae’s High Priest

    Jah Cure has been hypnotizing the soul of all who have listened to his universal healing voice, through putting out boatloads of romantic cuts and testimonials of inner city struggles, all done in his signature rasp. His records have shattered the global airwaves, and as he’d put it, “his only remaining goal for the rest of his life is to spread love and to promote peace and healing, universally through his music”  But what makes this new song particularly stand out from previous works is how commanding and strong it is. In some ways, it plays like the aural equivalent of a chest pound. Listening to the song, his authority yet humble duality sticks out and sees Cure making some strong claims, but finding comfort within the reverence of His Majesty as “the Lion in the jungle.” The shackles that defined his early career, with noted multiple run-ins with the law, sort of represented the themes his music was confined to. This is his new liberation, and its not just taking place in the music; it’s in his life as well. This new side of Jah Cure’s material will only fuel his new music overall vibe. Cure again! Audio & Video After The Jump…

    (more…)

  • World Clash Arrives In Canada As “The Superbowl Of Sound Systems”

    World Clash Arrives In Canada As “The Superbowl Of Sound Systems”

    Rumble Series Winners Get Their Shot At The World Title

    Irish & Chin shook the world when they announced the move of their preeminent sound clash brand, World Clash, to Canada. In an even bigger surprise, fans are now faced with a whole new formula for this famed 19-year-old event, which will see World Clash held on the winner’s home turf each year, instead of in New York. This long awaited event arrives in Toronto, Canada this weekend—Saturday, October 14,  home of defending champion King Turbo. Each staging of the preliminary Rumble Series in United States, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom and Germany have decided which hungry contenders  will take the World Clash stage to face off against King Turbo. With anticipation building throughout the year clash fans will converge to see Platinum Kids, King Attarney, Fujiyama, Platinum Cartel, and Northern Lights, in what has been dubbed “the super bowl of sound clash.” In typical Irish and Chin fashion they’ve upped the ante with the wild card entrant Poison Dart from Antigua, as the Caribbean representative adding to more excitement. A Rumble Series was not staged for the Caribbean, so this shocker has sparked a frenzy amongst clash fans! Story Continues After The Jump…

    (more…)

  • Mavado, Alkaline and Jahmiel are Dancehall’s MVPs

    Mavado, Alkaline and Jahmiel are Dancehall’s MVPs

    Three Stars Align to Change the Game

    Toronto’s Woodbine Shopping Centre and Fantasy Fair has never seen anything quite like this. Thousands upon thousands of Rexdale yutes—hood-fresh guys in their best kicks, chains, and jackets; bashment girls sporting multicolored hairstyles and dressed in garments ranging from skin-tight to see-through—flood the massive mall’s parking lot on Saturday, August 19 for Fresh Fest.

    Only a few minutes’ drive from Pearson International Airport, this venue sits in the working class Scarborough district of Ontario. Nearby neighborhoods like Rexdale have their fair share of government housing projects and experience more crime and violence than most of this relatively peaceful city. Putting on a dancehall show here means a lot to this community. Especially an outdoor concert featuring three of dancehall’s biggest stars—Mavado, Alkaline, and Jahmiel. Story, Photo & Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Elesia iiMura ft. Agent Sasco “Come for Me”

    HEAR THIS: Elesia iiMura ft. Agent Sasco “Come for Me”

    Dancehall Heat From Down Under

    Born and raised in Australia, Elesia iiMura  moved to Japan with her rock star father as a teenager. Making music was pretty much her destiny. Today Boomshots premieres Australian  artist ELESIA iiMURA’s new song “Come For Me.”  Produced by Travis Lee, ELESIA’s sultry pop vocals ride over the bouncy dancehall-fused beat and Jamaica’s own Assassin a.k.a. Agent Sasco delivers a powerful guest feature. Last year ELESIA and Assasin collaborated on his single “Crazy” and she played his love interest in the song’s video. A new visual for “Come For Me,” shot on location in Kingston, Jamaica, will soon premiere on MASS APPEAL For now, get familiar with the tune. Audio After The Jump…
    (more…)

  • Damian Marley Speaks on Jay-Z Collab and ‘Stony Hill’

    Damian Marley Speaks on Jay-Z Collab and ‘Stony Hill’

    Reasoning With Gongzilla

    Just before his big Stony Hill release event at the 40/40 Club in NYC, Damian Marley sat down with Reshma B for an exclusive discussion of his new album and his recent collab with Jay-Z. He reflects on the certified classic status of his song “Welcome to Jamrock,” breaks down the science behind his “Hunting Season” freestyle, explains the cause that makes rude boys “Roar,” and discusses his plans to bring “Medication” to the world. You don’t want to miss this one. Video After The Jump…
    (more…)

  • Chronixx Celebrates ‘Chronology’ at Celebrate Brooklyn!

    Chronixx Celebrates ‘Chronology’ at Celebrate Brooklyn!

    Reshma B Kicks It With The Chron Dada

    It still seems strange to call Chronixx’s album Chronology a debut. From Start a Fyah to Dread & Terrible to Roots & Chalice, the Steam Ministah has put in much work over the years. But last Friday, the artist’s first official album was released to digital streaming services everywhere and topped the iTunes Reggae chart. A fitting place to celebrate the moment was at the Celebrate Brooklyn! festival in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park where a massive gathering took place last night, filling the outdoor venue to capacity with many more listening outside. Chronixx and the Zinc Fence Redemption band rose to the occasion, delivering a blazing set of hits, punctuated with speeches like this one: “Dancehall was the only platform for artists who chose to talk the truth. Because every other music was purely entertainment, and the music coming out of the ghettos in the 1960s started to become very rooted in spirituality. The modern world didn’t like it, the radio didn’t play it, so you had people in Jamaica who created a thing called the sound system—which is still the only good system on this planet. Every other system shall fail. And the only system… Cause in the beginning was the word, and a word is a sound. So the sound system is the first system God create. You see it? And every other system shall fall and leave the sound system.” After a performance to remember, Chronixx sat down backstage to reason with Reshma B.  Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning With Estelle: “Reggae Is In My Soul”

    Reasoning With Estelle: “Reggae Is In My Soul”

    West London Singer Delves Deep Into Her Reggae Roots

    The first time most of the world heard about Estelle Fanta Swaray, she was collaborating with Kanye West on the Grammy-winning smash “American Boy.” That song, which featured Kanye spitting his best soundboy slang—”Here comes the number-one champion sound!”—appeared on her 2008 album Shine, along with a handful of straight-up reggae tracks, like “Magnificent,” featuring Kardinall Offishall. Although she’s often described as an R&B artist, this West London girl, the daughter of a reggae session drummer, has always been as musically diverse as the city she grew up in, freely exploring genres from grime to dancehall. “Come Over,” her collab with Sean Paul showed another side of her versatility. After fielding requests for years, she’s finallyembarked on a full-on reggae album, with production by the likes of Supa Dups. Our first taste of the project, a collab with Tarrus Riley called “Love Like Ours” is nothing less than remarkable. After her surprise appearance alongside Tarrus  at Groovin’ in the Park 2017, Estelle invited Reshma B to hop inside her black SUV for  100% real interview. No subject was off-limits. Video After The Jump…

    (more…)

  • DJ Khaled Drops New Video With Sizzla “I’m So Grateful”

    DJ Khaled Drops New Video With Sizzla “I’m So Grateful”

    Kalonji and Khaled and Asahd Giving Thanks and Praises

    If you’ve been following DJ Khaled since before his Snapchat days, you know that he’s been deeply immersed in reggae and dancehall culture for years. If you’ve been paying attention since the days when he used to compete in sound clashes like Fully Loaded, you know Sizzla is one of his favorite artists. When Boomshots paid a visit to his studio not long ago, he proudly played his collection of Sizzla dub plates. If you’ve been following his Snapchat lately, you know he’s been in the studio with Sizzla working on a song called “I’m So Grateful,” which apparently moved him to tears while he was working on it, and which happens to be the opening track of his highly anticipated album Grateful, which drops tomorrow. Earlier this evening Khaled posted five consecutive Instagram video clips, revealing the music video for that song. Big up Khaled for representing a true hardcore dancehall artist like Sizzla.  Video After The Jump…
    (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Mr. Vegas “Terrorist In A England”

    HEAR THIS: Mr. Vegas “Terrorist In A England”

    Prayers For Manchester And A Plea For Unity

    Like so many people all around the world, Mr. Vegas was deeply upset by the recent terrorist attacks in Manchester and London. He decided to channel his anger into a song and here it is, over Steely & Clevie’s version of the classic ‘Far East’ riddim. Originated by Jamaica’s ace saxophonist Roland Alphonso at the legendary Studio One, and recorded by producer Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd, the “Far East” was brought to further fame by Barry Brown’s classic song ‘Far East.’ Steely & Clevie’s version dates back to 1989 when they recorded a string of singles for their own Steely & Clevie label, including the hits ‘Stop Loving You’ by Freddie McGregor and ‘Spanish Harlem’ by Richie Stephens.  Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • PREMIERE: Noise Cans ft. Jesse Royal “No War”

    PREMIERE: Noise Cans ft. Jesse Royal “No War”

    The Small Axe Don’t Want No War No More

    “Part carnival, part incantation, and pure celebration,” is the way Dim Mak Records describes the collision of Bermudian tradition and futuristic production that is Noise Cans. Today BOOMSHOTS premieres “No War” a new track from the forthcoming album Masquerave.  “I would love for ‘No War’ to be an anthem for the times we are living in,” says COLLAS, the Gombey-masked mystery man behind Noise Cans. “My goal was to add a joyful approach to a serious time in hopes that people understand and listen to the message. Music is the one thing that brings us together, I’m just here trying to do my part.” Tune in to the signal. Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • The Worst of the ‘Best Of The Best’ Instagram Comments After Epic Mavado Fail

    The Worst of the ‘Best Of The Best’ Instagram Comments After Epic Mavado Fail

    How Them Fi Deal With The Gully Gad So?

    This past Memorial Day Weekend the Best Of The Best music festival put on their 11th annual stage show at Miami’s Bayfront Park. Just like every year the show kicked of in the early afternoon and went on until midnight presenting many of “the best of the best” acts in the reggae and dancehall fraternity. Over they years BOTB has brought some amazing musical moments. However this year’s show ended on a rather sour note. When midnight rolled around without Mavado—the show’s headliner—setting foot on stage to perform. Acts billed for this year’s show included the likes of Jahmiel, Spice, Konshens, Aidonia and Christopher Martin—not to mention veteran acts like Barrington Levy, Mad Cobra, Josey Wales and Brigadier Jerry. However the Gully Gad’s non-performance was a major disappointment to say the least. During the final hour of the show, MC and promoter Jabba paced the stage as Mavado’s band tried to set up as the final moments ticked down. Then at just a few minutes to midnight he called Mavado to the stage, then after a few moments returned to the stage to announce that due to Miami Police and  curfew regulations Mavado would be unable to perform. Confused?! Most of the thousands of patrons in the park were definitely unhappy. (One eyewitness spotted a heated argument going down backstage after the unpopular announcement.) Everybody including artists, promoters, and fans and patrons (who paid as much as $170 for VIP tickets) wasted no time taking to social media to vent their frustrations. Team Boomshots was in the park too. Here’s how the drama unfolded. More After The Jump… (more…)