Boomshots

Category: Video

  • WATCH THIS: Timberlee “Shmurda Freestyle” Video

    WATCH THIS: Timberlee “Shmurda Freestyle” Video

    The Man Dem Say She Body Well Shampoo Squeaky

    Remember Timberlee, the dancehall chica who made you “Bubble Like Soup” in a pot? She’s the latest to jump on the beat to Bobby Shmurda’s “Hot Nigga” with a fiery freestyle. Although the dancehall artist confirms that she’s “definitely not changing my musical style,” she does want to serve notice that “you can expect anything and everything from Timberlee.” She even made a guerilla-style video of the hip-hop freestyle, complete with a closing monologue from some dude at the end rambling ’bout “butter bean and dem ting deh.” See me? Not really. But the tune bad still. Keep an eye out for the Jamaican dancehall damsel supporting her new “Beat It” mixtape with shows in NYC, Florida, and the Virgin Islands. There’s also a “mini South American tour” planned for January because move haffi mek. Go get that shmoney gyal. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Ini Kamoze “Hill & Gully Ride (Remix)” Music Video Teaser

    WATCH THIS: Ini Kamoze “Hill & Gully Ride (Remix)” Music Video Teaser

    You Better Hold On Good

    The original Hot Stepper (aka the “Lyrical Gangsta”—Murdera!) links up with Jamaican producer Kareem Burrell of XTM Nation (son of the late great Fatis Burrell, founder of the legendary Xterminator label) for this 2014 update of a classic Fatis production, first released 30 years ago. Today we get the first look at the animated video, which bears a major resemblance to a certain laser-beam-toting superhero who terrorized the Caribbean, cannibalizing the indigenous cultures therein. Hey, the only way to save the universe from pirates is more piracy. Watch the ride—and hold on good. Video & Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • Who is Shifta?

    Who is Shifta?

    Born In Jamaica, Based In Miami, Ready For The World

    Dancehall is undergoing a changing of the guard right now with new talent bubbling up from the underground  to the top of the game faster than ever. One of the new names to catch our eye and our ear is a youth called Shifta, whose music combines dancehall energy with warm and easy pop appeal. His single “Do You Wanna,” produced by Timeless Music, is making waves already on Miami radio (check the behind the scenes video shoot footage below). And his latest release, on TJ Records “Drink Up” Riddim, features his frequent collaborator, Che’Nelle, a Malaysian-Australian singer who’s had major success in Japan. The Reggae Girl About Town (@RGAT) recently caught up with Shifta at Miami’s Circle House Studio to hear about his deep dancehall roots and his plans to shift the game into overdrive.  Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Spice & Vybz Kartel “Conjugal Visit” Official Music Video

    Spice & Vybz Kartel “Conjugal Visit” Official Music Video

    Prepare Yourself For Romping Shop Part Few

    It’s been quite a while since Spice and Vybz Kartel hooked up. So much has changed in the six years since their smash hit “Romping Shop.” That sexy selection became one of the biggest international hits for both artists, even as it created a furor in Jamaica leading to strict new radio airplay regulations and sparking debates about free speech and censorship. Fast forward to 2014 and  TJ Records has brought the hitmaking duo together for a “Conjugal Visit,” which will be released on Spice’s highly anticipated EP So Mi Like It on VP Records this December 2014. Directed by Xtreme Arts and shot on location in Kingston, Jamaica using a skillfully selected cast of orange-clad extras, the video premiered yesterday on WorldStarHipHop, where it racked in over 1.7 million views. Hit the jump to see what all the excitement is about. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: I-Octane “What a Way We Shattin'” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: I-Octane “What a Way We Shattin’” Official Music Video

    The Shot Heard Round The Globe

    As mentioned in the latest Mass Appeal cover story, “Gunman World,” Jamaican music has a long tradition of songs in which a metaphorical gun salute is the highest form of praise. The title of I-Octane’s latest track, “What a Way We Shattin,” voiced on DJ Sunshine’s “Wul Dem” riddim, roughly translates to a Khaled-esque boast along the lines of “We The Best.” And Octane is more than capable of backing up his big chat. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Black-Am-I “In The Ghetto”

    HEAR THIS: Black-Am-I “In The Ghetto”

    Life Rough Rough Rough Rough Rough But The Music Sweet

    Striaght out of Nine Mile, birthplace of the King of Reggae, comes a new recruit to the Ghetto Youths Intl’ crew, Black-Am-I. You may remember his standout cuts “Modern Day Freedom” and “Samson Strength,”‘ but the rootical Rasta singer is just getting started. His latest release is a demand to ease the suffering of ghetto youths through the healing power of music. “More dance fe keep,” sings Black-Am-I over an energetic, upbeat riddim track. Between this tune and Jr. Gong’s “Hard Work,” we are definitely looking forward to the  “Set Up Shop Vol 2” anthology. Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Mavado “My Own” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Mavado “My Own” Official Music Video

    “Cars A My Own, House A My Own”

    The visuals for the Gully Gad’s tune “My Own”—off ZJ Liquid’s big bad Good Book riddim—dropped this weekend. The latest video from We The Best Films features Mavado and Dj Khaled poppin’ bottles of Ricky Rozay’s Belaire bubbly, while flossing beside what might just be Mavado’s own Lamborghini. There’s also a brief clip showing Mavado and Vybz Kartel sharing a laugh together during their famous meeting with the Prime Minister of Jamaica to call a truce in the Gully vs. Gaza feud. The use of this clip is particularly intriguing since it was recently reported that Mavado visited his one-time friend turned musical rival in prison. Even before the verdict in Kartel’s trial was handed down, Mavado told Boomshots his fans should “Pray for Addi.” Since then there’s even been rumors that the two might release a collaboration—but that’s another story for another day. Right now just check the visuals and reflect on how far a youth from Cassava Piece has elevated himself. Video After The Jump…

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  • Reasoning with DJ Khaled: “I’d Love to Make a Record with Bounty Killer and Mavado”

    Reasoning with DJ Khaled: “I’d Love to Make a Record with Bounty Killer and Mavado”

    Live From We The Best Studios in Miami, Khaled Talks Mavado, Killer, and Rinses Some Dubs

    You already know that all DJ Khaled does is win, win, win no matter what, but did you know the founder and CEO of We The Best Music, who has produced some of the biggest anthems in the history of hip-hop, has deep roots in the dancehall soundclash game. Long before he got down with Terror Squad or YMCMB or became president of Def Jam South, the Miami-based hitmaker was cutting dubplates and flying down to Jamaica to compete in clashes like Fully Loaded. Boomshots made the link with Khaled from those days so you dun know our interview is gonna be different than all the rest. Reshma B went deep with Khaled, discussing his work with Mavado, his deep roots with Bounty Killer, and how he’s navigating the friction between the Gully Gad and the Warlord. Khaled even dips into his dubplate collection to brandish some exclusive tunes for the Boomshots massive. Videos After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with Lee “Scratch” Perry, The 2nd Chapter: “Too Much Weed, So I Get Crazy”

    Reasoning with Lee “Scratch” Perry, The 2nd Chapter: “Too Much Weed, So I Get Crazy”

    Scratch Shares His Thoughts on Sex, Ganja, and the Illuminati

    When we last caught up with the Upsetter, he was sharing his thoughts on music—both his latest releases, and his seminal early recordings at the Black Ark. Of course, Scratch being Scratch, the conversation also veered into related topics such as Duppies, the true racial identity of God, and his everlasting battle with the Devil. Just hours before the man called by many names (including, notably, Pipecock Jaxon) take the stage at Brooklyn Bowl with Subatomic Sound System as part of the annual Dub Champions Festival, we proudly present the second installment of Reshma B‘s exclusive interview—in which the living legend/mad genius talks about what sort of girl he does not want to see in his bed—and names one in particular who would make him “vomit.” Scratch also admits that he was once addcited to marijuana, a fate that he hopes his fans will avoid. In fact, he says too music music and/or fire and/or weed in his head made him crazy. “They want to find out whether it’s me singing or the ganja singing,” he says. “It’s better when me sing. If the ganja can sing, it ah go take you to a height that you can’t come back.” The ReggaeGirlAboutTown even convinces Scratch to remove his remarkable hat and show her what’s inside. So fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a wild ride. Videos After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Jah Cure “Life We Live” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Jah Cure “Life We Live” Official Music Video

    Much has been said about a “roots revival” going on in Jamaican music at the moment. Artists like Chronixx and Protoje and Jesse Royal have created much excitement with their fresh take on reggae music, but let’s not forget that these talents have built upon the efforts of elder artists who have been putting in work for a longer time to make sure that the roots would never fade away. Jah Cure is one such steadfast soldier on behalf of classic reggae music. Groomed by the master music maker Beres Hammond, Cure has grown into a major talent whose live shows are second to none. The first single from his forthcoming album, The Cure—a dubby, dreamy take on the immortal “Heaveneless” riddim, produced by ‘Sketch’ Carey for Iyacure Productions—became an instant hit on the sound system circuit. Cure mentions Bob Marley’s name in his lyrics, which might be ill-advised for the average reggae singer. But Cure is anything but average, and he’s in rare form on “Life We Live.” Today we proudly premiere the music video, most of which Cure spends riding in the back of a pickup truck while life unfolds everywhere around him. There’s nothing flashy about this video, but it might just be the most inspiring three and a half minutes you spend today. So let it play and live your life. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with Monty Alexander: “The Party Don’t Stop”

    Reasoning with Monty Alexander: “The Party Don’t Stop”

    The Jamaican-Born World-Renowned Jazz Pianist Celebrates His Reggae Roots

    In the jazz world, Monty Alexander is recognized as a master pianist. In the reggae world, he is respected as a pioneer of Jamaican music, having played keys on countless crucial selections alongside such masters as Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso, and Ernest Ranglin. Whenever he takes the stage, Monty loves to blend the best of all his musical traditions into a sublime blend of sounds and styles—and always staying open to working with new upcoming talents and what’s happening now. Just before opening “Jazz Around the West Indies,” his five-night stand at Dizzy’s Place inside Jazz at Lincoln Center NYC, Monty Alexander took time out to reason with the Reggae Grl About Town, reminiscing about his formative years as a session musician for the pioneers of Jamaican music, and explains why he considers Bob Marley to be a jazz man. Videos After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with Lee “Scratch” Perry: “The Black Ark Preserve Life and It Kill”

    Reasoning with Lee “Scratch” Perry: “The Black Ark Preserve Life and It Kill”

    “I think the devil is a goat,” and other thoughts of a living legend.

    Whether you prefer to call him a madman or a genius, there’s no doubt that Lee “Scratch” Perry is a living legend. The man who gave the Wailers their “Natural Mystic” and pushed the frontiers of dub music at his Black Ark studio has never lost his creative mojo, even at the age of 78. Next week he will host his first New York art installation, followed by a live performance at Brooklyn Bowl with Subatomic Sound System as part of the annual Dub Champions Festival. In the first installment of Reshma B‘s exclusive interview with The Upsetter aka the Super Ape aka Pipecock Jaxson, he talks about two of his most recent collaborations—the Vibes EP, a collaboration with the Swiss musician Iguana, and the Back on the Controls project for which the London-based Rolling Lion team recreated all the exact recording equipment and techniques used at the Black Ark. “The Ark of the Covenant is a spirtual vibration,” scratch explains. “Ancient spirits speak… Everything is spirit. Because God is a spirit and Satan the devil also is a spirit. But Satan need competition.” In part one of the interview, find out why Scratch sprinkles white rum inside the studio before beginning a recording session. And in the second installment, discover who Scratch was taking revenge on when he built his own studio, The Black Ark, and find out how it had so many awesome powers: “It produce rain, whirlwind, hurricane, tidal wave, thunder, hailstone, earthquake, and it preserve life and it kill. It cripple, it cramp, and paralyze.” Videos After The Jump… (more…)