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  • HEAR THIS: Sizzla “I’m Yours” PREMIERE

    HEAR THIS: Sizzla “I’m Yours” PREMIERE

    JonFX Takes Kalonji To The World

    New York dancehall producer Jon FX established his name with hard-hitting remixes like the classic “Gun Session / Survivor” mashup featuring Kartel, Akon, Sizzla and Shabba Ranks. His latest release—Sizzla’s “I’m Yours,” which Boomshots proudly premieres today—proves that he’s also a first-rate producer capable of presenting hardcore Jamaican talents like Kalonji with an international-radio-ready sound. Wouldn’t mind seeing this squeeze into “Tropical House” radio rotation. Audio After The Jump…
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  • Real Dancehall Crossover Hit of the Year: Charly Black “Party Animal”

    Real Dancehall Crossover Hit of the Year: Charly Black “Party Animal”

    In The Year Of Tropical House, One Actual Jamaican Tune Did Break Through

    Dancehall style ruled 2016, but dancehall artists? Not so much. Sure, Sean Paul had a great year thanks to his chart-topping “Cheap Thrills” collab—plus standout tracks with Major Lazer and Tory Lanez. Popcaan continued to reap the rewards of the Unruly/OVO alliance while making noise in Jamrock and the hardcore dancehall diaspora—along with heavy hitters Alkaline and Kartel. But all year long there was really just one Jamaican hit that managed to break all the way from the streets of Kingston to heavy rotation on the worldwide airwaves. The song that elbowed those Rihanna and Justin Bieber joints out of the way to make a space for real dancehall was “Party Animal” by the Top Trelawney General himself, former Bass Odyssey selector Charly Black. It’s been more than two years since Charly voiced the big tune on Kurt Riley’s “Jambe-an Riddim,” and it still has the girls flipping like a Flip-a-Gram all over the world. (Despite the fact that the video on Charly Black’s VEVO channel gets the best line of the lyrics wrong!) The track’s fusion of dancehall, Latin, and soca vibes caught on big in South American markets like Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, allowing Riley to license “Party Animal” to a French company, P2S Records. From there he struck a distribution deal with Universal Music’s Latin division, which led to a  Daddy Yankee remix and, we can only hiope, mucho dinero. As Mr. Black himself might say, “Whoah!” Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Boss of the Year: Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley

    Boss of the Year: Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley

    Junior Gong Is Changing The Game In More Ways Than One

    On “The Struggle Discontinues,” a track from Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley’s  forthcoming album Stony Hill, Gongzilla offers a thought-provoking critique of reggae’s long history as “sufferer’s music.” As the tune puts it: “I don’t wanna sing a song that says ‘the struggle live on’… when will we overcome?” It really should come as no surprise that the artist who gave us hits like “Set Up Shop” and “Hard Work” is all about self-determination and economic advancement. “What we need in reggae music is business visionaries,” he says. “We have a lot of creative, artistic visionaries.” With that in mind, 2016 was a massively successful year for Bob Marley’s youngest youth. His Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise completed its third annual outing, selling out an even bigger vessel than ever before. While the cruise has inspired a few imitators—the sincerest form of flattery—WTJRC has been hailed by Billboard as “the genre’s premiere event.” With the 2017 lineup already announced, cabins are filling up fast. Meanwhile, Damian Marley also announced a foray into the booming herb industry—partnering with Ocean Grown Extracts, which recently acquired an abandoned prison in California which is being converted into a ganja grower—a potent symbol of poetic justice. The company has also entered a “joint venture” with Tru Cannabis to open a medical and recreational dispensary across the street from the NFL stadium in Denver—offering a new way to help keep Bronco tailgaters a “Mile High.” Don’t get it twisted—Jr. Gong’s main focus remains music, as evidenced by the anticipation for Stony Hill , the follow-up to his classic, certified Gold, double-Grammy-winning album Welcome To Jamrock. But it’s also true that rather than playing along, Zilla’s determined to change the game. “I’m working toward killing the struggle,” says Marley. “Not killing people’s ambition to better themselves, but killing the feeling that you have to be a struggler.” In recognition of his transformative power moves in 2016, Boomshots names Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley the Boss of the Year. Photos And Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise Crossword Puzzle Playlist 2017

    Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise Crossword Puzzle Playlist 2017

    Across

    1. Popcaan

    2. Iba Mahr

    5. Sizzla

    6. Big Youth

    10. Cocoa Tea

    11. Chino McGregor

    12. Bounty Killer

    14. Spice

    15. Damian Marley

    16.Cham

    17. Freddie McGregor

    DOWN

    1.Busy Signal

    2. Stephen McGregor

    3. Luciano

    4. Tanto Metro & Devonte

    5. Pressure

    8. Jah Cure

    9. Richie Spice

    12. Inner Circle

    13. Stephen Marley

    16. Raging Fyah

  • R.I.P. Sting: The End of an Era in Dancehall

    R.I.P. Sting: The End of an Era in Dancehall

    Remembering The Greatest One Night Reggae and Dancehall Show on Earth

    When the history of dancehall music is written, 2016 will go down as the year when mainstream stars took over the worldwide pop charts using Jamaican styles and sounds. It will also be remembered as the first Boxing Day in over three decades that went down with a staging of Sting. Sad to say the legendary stage show that has seen some of the most talked about performances—and lyrical clashes—in dancehall history is no more. Just three years after celebrating Sting’s 30th anniversary with a star-studded lineup that included the return of the Don Dada Super Cat, American artists 2 Chainz and Wyclef Jean, and an epic clash between Lady Saw and Macka Diamond, Sting founder Isaiah Laing has called it quits. Despite pledging in years past that “if I am alive there will be Sting,”  Laing made it official on Jamaican television’s popular show OnStage, saying that Sting has not made money in several years—despite significant investment from the likes of Josef Bogdanovich, who has since moved on to revamp another great Jamaican festival, Reggae Sumfest. Laing and his longtime partner Heavy D further noted that the artists who are big enough to draw a crowd are not willing to perform on the show. The clashes that made Sting a sort of musical heavyweight bout eventually came to be its undoing. Who can forget the time when Popcaan had to shove Blak Ryno off the stage because the other artist was “somehow” given a live microphone and allowed to rush the stage during Popcaan’s solo set back in 2012? These types of antics eventually take their toll on artist loyalty. Whether Sting will ever come back is anybody’s guess. Talk of a gospel festival sounds like a major departure from the hardcore format we have come to know and love. For the sake of those who don’t know—and the pleasure of those who do—Boomshots takes a moment to remember the best Sting had to offer. Memories After The Jump… (more…)

  • Artist of the Year: Popcaan “Nah Idle”

    Artist of the Year: Popcaan “Nah Idle”

    2016 Was The Unruly Boss’s Biggest Year, As Papi Showed The World How To Over Dweet

    Earlier this week Popcaan dropped the official music video for “Nah Idle,” a tune produced by Mini for UK-based E5 Records that pretty much sums up the Unruly Boss’s amazing year. “We nuh beg people, so no bwoy can style me,” Andrae Hugh Sutherland sings in the video as a focused schoolboy does his best to concentrate inside the unruliest classroom imaginable. Way back in February Popcaan posted to his IG a prayer that he wrote when he himself was a schoolboy. “God is real and he did answer that prayer I pray to him a long time ago🙏🏼 #givethanks.” Around that same time Popcaan also released a web documentary called “Abundant Life,” which revealed a whole new side of the artist once known as the “Raving King” as he read from Psalms 40 and 59 above the sound of a crackling fire and the beat of Niyabinghi drums: “I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined to me and heard my cry. He also brought me out of the horrible pit and out of the miry clay. He set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song into my mouth…” Since that time what a year Popcaan has had: high-profile collabs, soundtracking Nike advertising campaigns, watching Bolt celebrate his Olympic gold with Popcaan’s tune “World Cup,” celebrating his second consecutive MoBO win for Best Reggae Act with a live performance in Scotland, rocking OVO Fest in Toronto, starring alongside Drake in a short film, winning the Red Bull Culture Clash with a custom dubplate of “One Dance.” While it’s true that Popcaan’s vastly superior version of “Controlla” was omitted from Drake’s album Views, so was Jay Z and Kanye West’s version of “Pop Style.” While Kanye ranted about the decision, Popcaan held his peace. Of course Unruly fans were disappointed on the morning the Drake album finally dropped, but while they were busy filling @ChampagnePapi‘s IG with 🍿🍿🍿 emojis, Popcaan was filling their ears with a brand new banger called “Over Dweet.” Although Popcaan’s Instagram seems to depict a mostly carefree life, none of the blessings he enjoys came easy.  Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Breakthrough Artist of The Year: Jahmiel

    Breakthrough Artist of The Year: Jahmiel

    When A Great Man Rise… Recognize

    Ever since the days when Sugar Minott strung up his Youth Promotion sound system, reggae music has been about who’s got next. This year the answer was clear, as we witnessed the emergence of a fresh voice that had been crying out for a few years now, but which suddenly became indispensible, as if it had been, and would be, around forever. A voice for the ages. Jahmiel rose to prominence on the strength of a record released in late 2015 entitled “Gain The World,” Showing no signs of losing his soul, the youth Jahmiel dropped gems like “Where Were U” and “Great Man,” investing dancehall music with wisdom beyond his years as he blended the rock-solid reasoning of roots reggae with the freshest digital rhythm tracks. Somehow he accomplished all this without sounding preachy or cliché. Citing Sizzla and Buju Banton as early inspirations, Jahmiel’s sound is utterly his own and his future is wherever he wants to take it. Sing out youth—we’re all listening. Audio After The Jump…
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  • Unsung Hero of the Year: Sister Nancy

    Unsung Hero of the Year: Sister Nancy

    What a Bam Bam!

    Boomshots sends a special year-end shout out to Dancehall’s Original Muma, Sister Nancy. Alongside featured artists Rihanna and Swizz Beatz, Nancy is the unsung hero of “Famous” by Kanye West, one of the year’s biggest tunes, nominated for two Grammy Awards. For well over a minute of the 3:16 track, Nancy’s voice plays on repeat, the melody slightly pitch-shifted to match RiRi’s, but otherwise unaltered from the 1982 album cut that made her name famous. Big up yourself Muma Nancy. Watch for an in-depth profile coming soon! Video After The Jump…
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  • Reasoning with Garfield “Chin” Bourne: “Authentic Sound Clash Culture is in Jeopardy”

    Reasoning with Garfield “Chin” Bourne:
    “Authentic Sound Clash Culture is in Jeopardy”

    Keeping Sound System Safe From The Culture Vultures

    As co-founder of Irish & Chin, one of the most respected reggae promotion companies in the world, Garfield “Chin” Bourne has left his mark on the music industry and popular culture as a whole. He is the founder of SoundChat Radio and a range of media ventures, but Chin may be best known as a leading advocate of sound system culture at a time where hardcore soundclash audience is aging, and the appropriation of dancehall culture is not limited to international artists reworking Jamaican rhythms to hit the pop charts. The rise of EDM music and the success of the recent Red Bull Culture Clash highlight the impact of Jamaican sound systems on worldwide pop music, even as the originators of the culture who are still active tend to be marginalized.  Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • Soundbwoy Burial of the Year: Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise’s Soundclash at Sea

    Soundbwoy Burial of the Year: Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise’s Soundclash at Sea

    Keeping Soundclash Culture Afloat

    There are many reasons to love the Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise—the performances, the fans, the total immersion in what the one and only Shinehead has likened to a “Rub-a-dub Disneyland”—but WTJRC’s unfailing support of sound system culture may be the best reason of all. A plethora of legendary sounds—from King Jammy’$ to Stone Love to Metro Media, Bodyguard, Black Scorpio, Bass Odyssey, Downbeat The Ruler, Renaissance Disco, and Mighty Crown—have juggled on board Damian Marley’s cruise over the years, presenting reggae and dancehall music with an intensity of feeling and cultural correctness that no normal disc jockey or cyber playlist could hope to replicate. Moreover, for the past two years WTJRC has presented the world’s first ever Soundclash at Sea, showcasing the excitement of  top-ranking battle-tested selectors going tune for tune in a musical death match with support from respected clash promoters Irish & Chin. Exposing international reggae fans to authentic hardcore sound clash is important for many reasons, especially at a time when Red Bull’s Culture Clash can fill 20,000 capacity arenas. So as Boomshots continues our 2016 Year in Review, we have to acknowledge the rise of the Soundclash at Sea, which is both a burial and a resurrenction of sorts. Video & Photos After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Isha Blender “Tonight” Official Music Video PREMIERE

    WATCH THIS: Isha Blender “Tonight” Official Music Video PREMIERE

    Everton’s Daughter Is All Grown Up

    Isha Blender, daughter of the great Everton “Blend Dem” Blender, was born in Clarendon surrounded by musical vibes. Now she’s ready to step up with her debut album Epiphany, whose very title represents a great revelation. As the artist puts it: “I feel like I am at turning point in my career and life, where it’s time for me to officially, fearlessly share myself with the world. This record is a piece of my heart, gift-wrapped for all lovers of good music.” Today Boomshots TV proudly premieres a crucial lovers’ rock selection off —musical thing called “Tonight.” Voiced on a rendition of the classic “Queen of the Minstrel” riddim and produced by UK production house Solid Empire, it’s a fitting introduction to a bright new talent. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • This Year’s Best Dancehall Christmas Songs

    This Year’s Best Dancehall Christmas Songs

    Reshma B Selects The Sounds To Get Your Holiday Party Poppin’

    The Reggae Girl About Town’s new Murda She Wrote column just dropped on Pigeons & Planes, and it’s right on time to help your Christmas jam tun up: “There’s nothing better than Christmas in Jamaica—not just because the balmy Caribbean weather beats a polar vortex every time, but because Jamaicans love Christmas with a passion. The parties start in early December and run all the way through the top of the new year… and the most festive thing of all is the music. Over the years, thousands of reggae Christmas tunes have flooded the internet, but here are Murda She Wrote’s picks for the hottest this year. Full List After The Jump… (more…)