Boomshots

Category: UK

  • WATCH THIS: Lady Chann & Shizzle “Supathug Freestyle” Video

    UK Bashment Queen Teams Up with Shizzle For Vicious New Video
    ChannShizzle

    When I first heard this girl I felt I could crap my pants at any moment from hearing her chat, and things ain’t really changed on that front! So when this video turned up in my DM inbox I knew I needed to take some personal time out to deal with it. Chann always keeps it real & being a tough cookie hasn’t kept her from keeping feminine and sexy. When Chann and her bredren Shizzle recorded this track over the classic Neptunes beat for her latest mixtape Dun Dem Season: The Trilogy it was decided then and there to shoot a video for it—and how glad are we that she did?!? Chann Is a girl who never forgets who’s been there for her and where she came from. Her loyalties go deep, but don’t sleep. She can take you out with a verse if she has to and its seems like she’s “addressing a few issues” on this one. (“Nuttin’ long.”) Hate is the new love, and we might not know exactly who Chann’s chatting to, but I’m sure they know who they are. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • BBC 1Xtra Tells The Sting Story

    Reshma B Reports From The World’s Greatest One-Night Reggae Show – Sting 2012
    BeenieManSting

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  • HEAR THIS: Slew Dem “Playground Vocal”

    UK Grime Posse Spits Hot Fire Over A Chopped & Screwed Dancehall Riddim
     
    The East London grim collective gets all greezy over Spooky’s “Playground” instrumental, a slowed-down sample of 2 Hard’s classic dancehall riddim the Playground, made famous on Sean Paul’s “Infiltrate” and Beenie Man’s “Who Am I.” UK Grime + JA dancehall = musical murderation. Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • 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…

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  • WATCH THIS: Lady Chann “Feel Calm” Video

    Lady Chann Reminds Us How Love Really Feels

    When you think of Chann you think, “what lyrics is she murdering now?!” Back when we reasoned with her in the summer she spilled the beans on getting into it with the girls, bad choices of boyfriends, how she went from a Baby to a Lady—and then some! Last month the UK’s finest dancehall Lady released part 3 of her mixtape trilogy “Dun Dem Season,” and vouching from personal experience the launch showed her at her best—on fire—and witnessing her doing her thing LIVE is a whole next experience. The girl sure can spit some lyrics but she forgot to tell us she has a sweet voice too! Singing over the riddim for Gyptian’s “Hold Yuh” she tells a tale of a man who’s down for his lady no matter what—and how that makes her feel. If you ain’t got the track already download it below. In the meantime, check out the visuals for “Feel Calm.” Sit back & take the edge off—we all need to do that sometimes. Video after the jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Stylo G Speaks On “Press Up”

    UK Yardie Swagmaster Pays Tribute to his Father, Dancehall Legend Poison Chang

    Stylo G’s “bringing back the wuk” in a tribute to his father, the late great dancehall star Poison Chang. Stylo’s always had a knack for catchy tunes, but this one sounds like it means more to him than most. So we had to holler at him to find out about the classic bedroom move that’s creating such a fuss. This boy always seems to be in the studio so if he’s playing as hard as he’s working you know some pressing up is going on in between his sheets! Stylo took a break from recording to bless us with another Boomshots exclusive. He spoke about memories of his father when he was growing up in Spanish Town Jamaica. It’s clear how much he misses his dad but also clear how much Chang inspired Stylo’s own musical career. ”I’ve always wanted to remix my dad’s track,” said Stylo, who’s moved to forefront of the UK dancehall scene since the release of his smash hit “Call Me A Yardie.” We’re sure Poison Chang would be proud. Oh, and he also says his dad was all about the ladies—so there’s no question how Stylo got his swag! Audio And Interview After The Jump…

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  • David Rodigan Resigns From KISS FM After 22 Years

    Legendary Radio Broadcaster Steps Down, Citing “Marginalization of Reggae Music”

    “I write this today to inform you that I have resigned from my position as a broadcaster on KISS FM,” David Rodigan said today in a statement published on his official website. Rodigan has been a fixture on KISS FM since the London pirate station became a legit broadcaster. But the station’s recent decision to move his reggae show to a midnight slot has pushed him past the breaking point. “I’ve been with the station for 22 years, shared some wonderful times with many fantastic artists and members of staff and it’s with great sadness that I’ve come to this decision,” the reggae radio pioneer said. “Due to their continued marginalisation of reggae music into the twilight zone of radio scheduling, it has left me no option but to make a stand for my passion and the music I love so dearly.” The real question now is—what will be his next move? Full Statement And Video After The Jump…

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  • WATCH THIS: Sincere ft. Popcaan- “Love We Bad” Video

     From London to Kingston, It’s All About The Girls

    Up-and-coming UK artist Sincere has teamed up with dancehall hitmaker Popcaan for the single, “Love We Bad” off Sincere’s forthcoming album, Sincerely Yours. The sexy video was shot amidst the lush scenery of Jamaica and of course, features the lovely ladies of the island displaying their dancehall moves. Looks like Sincere and Popcaan had a good time shooting this one. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Giants of Lovers Rock

    Fresh From London: Reshma B Interviews Janet Kay, Carroll Thompson, Peter Hunnigale, and More Reggae may have been born in Jamaica, but these days it’s a worldwide phenomenon. And the first place it spread was toEngland, where Jamaicans abroad created their own unique sound that came to be known as Lovers Rock. One of the first tunes to establish the sound was Louisa Mark’s “Caught You In A Lie” recorded in 1974 when the girl from West London was only a teenager. Smash hits like Janet Kay’s “Silly Games” and Carroll Thompson’s “Hopelessly In Love” kept the excitement building. It was a London thing, soon to be adopted all around the world. Japanese fans idolized the London girls and even the big boys from the Island—including legends like Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, and Sugar Minott—adopted the lovers rock sound. And the movement continues in 2012, with new voices like Lovella Ellis, daughter of the late great Alton Ellis stepping up to keep the legacy alive. On October 27th the IndigO2 hosted the Giants of Lovers Rock Part 4, bringing together some of the finest vocalists in England, singing of love and heartbreak and everything in between. Reshma B served as guest host, and she took us backstage for an all-access tour. What’s not to love? Video Interviews After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Reasoning With Mr. Williamz

    Reshma B Interviews The UK DJ Who Says He Runs England

    Ever since we heard Mr. Williamz shocking out on Green Lion’s “More Spiritual” riddim we were impressed with the way he brought the foundation dancehall style over up-to-date 2012 riddims. Furthermore, we were intrigued by some of the bold claims he made on the track “We Run England,” particularly his anecdote about the Queen giving him a foot massage. So we made a few inquiries and soon Boomshots UK Correspondent Reshma B had the chance to sit down with Mr. Williamz at West London hotspot Beach Blanket Babylon. He kicked an exclusive freestyle, and talked about which part of the world the girls know how to “sit down steady.” Video and Audio After The Jump…

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  • WATCH THIS: M.I.A. Speaks At MoMA PS1

    Maya Opens Up Her Laptops And Talks About Her Artistic Journey From Arular to Matangi
    Just after Hurrican Sandy wreaked havoc on New York City, M.I.A. blew into town for a artist chat at the Museum of Modern Art’s PS1 Performance Dome in Queens. The event was supposed to be a discussion of her new book, but due to the storm copies were in scarce supply. Maya did offer signed prints for sale, donating a portion of the proceeds to Hurricane Sandy victims. M.I.A. spent a little bit of time speaking about her new album, Matangi, which will not be released in December but will feature green parrots and a newfound sense of spirtuality mixed with a touch of get-back at all the haters. But the bulk of her talk was a free-wheeling stroll through three laptop computers that she used to create her last three albums. Like so many UK underground musicians M.I.A. has always had a generous portion of reggaematic and spacey dubwise sounds in her audio mix. Boomshots first spoke with her back in 2005, and we’ve always had a soft spot for her roots rock rebel spirit. At MoMa she spoke about her early work as a London video artist (often making awesome clips of herself dancing), her progression to more politically charged stencil art, and why she keeps falling in and out of love with the Internet. Video After the Jump…

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  • HEAR THIS: Gappy Ranks & Busy Signal “Money Finger”

    Time Fi Make Di Paper With Gappy Ranks & Busy Signal

    UK Dancehall artiste Gappy Ranks calls upon Busy Signal to aid him with his latest release “Money Finger.” The catchy tune, produced by Wundah features the duo trading various anecdotes about money – “Big figga can’t count wit no finga,” listen after the jump. (more…)