Boomshots

Category: Roots & Culture

  • WATCH THIS: Chronixx x Eesah “Perfect Tree” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Chronixx x Eesah “Perfect Tree” Official Music Video

    Chronixx x Eesah Engage in a Melodic Steam Session

    Chronixx opens with horns blazing, as he rides effortlessly over the beat from Black Star’s “Respiration” exhaling words of righteousness: “High grade never hurt nobody. Let herb be free on earth nuh daddy.” You’ve guessed it: it’s another ganja anthem, but this one requires a higher meditation to fully comprehend the meaning behind the “Perfect Tree.” Let’s begin with origins of Rastafari and the Legalize It movement. Bob Marley and the Wailers advocated for the legalization of herbs for the masses. Peter Tosh was a vocal proponent of green living throughout the ’70s. Before the Wailers, a man by the name of Leonard Howell built the Pinnacle as a sustainable community in colonial Jamaica with an economic base of agriculture and yup, marijuana. Video After The Jump…

    (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Chronixx x Federation Sound “Roots & Chalice”

    HEAR THIS: Chronixx x Federation Sound “Roots & Chalice”

    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…)

  • Reasoning With Rassi Hardknocks About “Legal,” A Reggae Song for the Movement

    Reasoning With Rassi Hardknocks About “Legal,” A Reggae Song for the Movement

    In Comes A Brand New Marijuana Anthem for 2016

    The stink of Marijuana vapors is creating a cloud cover that commands our attention. For the first time since the 1913 Ganja Law, which was strictly enforced by the island’s government, the citizens of Jamaica now have the opportunity to use recreational marijuana. Whether one smokes or not, the whole concept of legalizing the infamous green leaf  highlights the mainstreaming of the Marijuana Movement.  Audio & Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • Micah Shemaiah: The Man, Music and Message

    Micah Shemaiah: The Man, Music and Message

    Interview with The Original Dread

    During Yaadcore’s recent sets in New York at Downtown Top Ranking with Deadly Dragon Sound at The Delancey  and Sattama Sundays with Stateside Revolution at Bar 13, he played several Micah Shemaiah tunes that ignited the dance floor with skanking and flickering of lighters. Based on the audience response to his music, we interviewed The Original Dread and discovered that this artist has a breadth of experience which impacts his music and message. Interview After The Jump…

    (more…)

  • Jah Cure: The Cure

    Jah Cure: The Cure

    Jah Cure’s third studio album, The Cure (VP records), holds steady at the number 1 spot on the Billboard Top Reggae Album Chart, for one month since its release on July 10.  On this new album Jah Cure’s superb vocals are presented with multiple lyrical themes. In addition, Jah Cure said he worked hard to step up the production on this album, in an effort to improve the quality of his overall sound.  He provided a creative platform for up and coming producers like Justin “Jus Bus” Nation, Llamar “Riff Raff” Brown, Christopher “Sketch” Carey and Trevor “Baby G” Washington. He also sought the expertise of  top of the line producer, Maurice “Clive” Hunt.

    Album Review After The Jump… (more…)

  • FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Phillip Fraser “God of My Righteousness”

    FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Phillip Fraser “God of My Righteousness”

    Reggae Music Legend in the Mecca of Music and Culture, Brooklyn

    The sun was shinning bright as I walked along New York Avenue, in Brooklyn, New York. I was greeted by a Rastafarian King, left hand over the heart,  wearing a sunny yellow hat with a  polo to match. I tipped my black shades to take a closer look at the face of the person greeting me and it was the living legend himself, Phillip Fraser!  He was shocked that I recognized who he was. I said “Great music is great music!” Known for albums  like “Come Ethiopians” (1974, Freedom Sound Label), “Back to Africa” (1978, Different Records, original recording with Busta Riley, Winston Riley’s brother) featuring Earth and Stone, “Blood of the Saint” (1983), “Never Let Go” (1991, Razor Sound Records), “Phillip Fraser: Sharp Like Razor” (1993, Razor Sound Records),  “More Phillip Fraser” (2015, Razor Sound Records) and a plethora of complication albums and productions. If you appreciate roots reggae and lovers rock, you have to know this artists’ anthology of music. Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • Jah9: Jazz on Dub

    Jah9: Jazz on Dub

    Roots Reggae Queen, Jah9 is all set and ready to deliver a Holistic Dub Experience to her New York fans at Milk River Restaurant & Lounge tonight!

    Jazz and Dub blends together for a musical massage with an extraordinary sound. The slow sound waves of dub, allow the lyrics to ride over the beat, in a synchronized fashion. This speed enables the listener to focus on the lyrics, so it comes as no surprise that, Janine “Jah9” Cunningham, entitled her East Coast Tour, “Jazz on Dub.” The tour to promote her debut album, “New Name” hits Brooklyn, New York tonight. More After The Jump…

    (more…)

  • Top 10 Johnny Osbourne Selections

    Top 10 Johnny Osbourne Selections

    The cold frost of winter, makes for the perfect season, for hot chocolate in the form of 10 decadent songs  from the living legend, Johnny Osbourne.  With a career that spans over 50 years, and music still in high demand, “The Godfather of Dancehall” created a plethora of songs for music lovers to indulge in. More After The Jump…

    (more…)

  • Flashback Friday: Chuck Fenda “Gash Dem and Light Dem”

    Flashback Friday: Chuck Fenda “Gash Dem and Light Dem”

    Roots Reggae music did not always get a warm and friendly reception, as it is receiving today. In 2006, Leshorn Whitehead aka Chuck Fenda, was a voice for the people with his song, “Gash Dem and Light Dem.”  However the fiery tune was cited by the Broadcasting Commission and consequently banned from the local radio stations in Jamaica. More After The Jump…

    (more…)

  • Mystic Reflections with Hempress Sativa

    Mystic Reflections with Hempress Sativa

    Kerida Chaka Johnson aka Hempress Sativa, followed in the path of her father, Albert “Ilawi” Johnson’s (original selector for Jah Love Muzik) musical footsteps to become a singer/songwriter. However, she’s clearly her own entity, with a deeply spiritual mind and focus.   More After The Jump…

    (more…)

  • The RootsMan Riddim Roars

    The RootsMan Riddim Roars

    Its hard to believe the RootsMan Riddim, mixed by Maticalise and produced by Overstand Entertainment, is two years old. In conjunction with the lion paws of artists that used it as a canvas for musical surrealism, the riddim continues to roar. In this article, Boomshots Magazine features 5 high caliber songs on the RootsMan Riddim , still trending heavily on social media in 2015. More 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…

    (more…)