Shepard Fairey & Dennis Morris Collab On A Special Bob Marley Print
This passed Saturday, March 29 renown photographer Dennis Morris opened his Bob Marley show at Known Gallery. To commemorate such an opening artist Shepard Fairy created a special Bob Marley print in his trademark stencil style. Visuals After The Jump… (more…)
Ragga Links With The Fireman and Kalonji And They Proceed To Blaze A Hotta Fire
Brand new foundation selection off Stephen “Ragga” Marley’s highly anticipated Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life. It starts out like a tasty roots rock groove with Stephen singing a hook adapted from his dad’s “Talkin’ Blues” and inviting the Fireman and Kalonji in to blaze a hotta fire. Then Ragga steps to the mic and unleashes some ol’ Papa Levi stylee fast-chat flow while dubstep mayhem breaks out all bout. In short, a #CertifiedBoomshot. Time to leggo the album nuh man! Audio After The Jump… (more…)
The Seminal UK Punk Band and the Producer Reason with The Reggae Girl About Town
Combat Rock was the last studio album by seminal UK punk band The Clash. Released in 1982, the disc contained two of the band’s biggest hit, “Rock the Casbah” and “Should I Stay Or Should I Go.” But 25 years later another cut from the album—the reggae-tinged cut “Straight To Hell”—would top the charts around the world. M.I.A. and her DJ Diplo sampled The Clash original to make “Paper Planes,” which became the biggest hit in either artists’ career. The track became so popular that Kanye West sampled the M.I.A. record to make another record called “Swagga Like Us,” which he performed on the Grammys with Jay Z, Lil Wayne, T.I., and a very pregnant M.I.A. It was kind of a big deal. Video After The Jump… (more…)
The Tuff Gong Turns 69 Today, So Lively Up Yourself
It’s that time of the year again. February 6, the day the King of Reggae was born in the rural village of Nine Mile in the hills of St. Ann, Jamaica. Had he not passed away in 1981 Bob would have turned 69 on this day. It’s a given to say that Bob has represented reggae music on a scale that no other individual has ever achieved. Decades later his music still lives and his face is still at the forefront of the scene. Here are 7 great ways you can feel a little bit of that Bob vibe today. (You know the 8th already—it’s now legal in Colorado.) Happy EarthStrong Bob Marley Continued After The Jump… (more…)
The Tuff Gong Brought In An Estimated $18 Million Last Year
“Not one of my seeds shall sit on the sidewalk and beg your bread,” Robert Nesta Marley proclaimed on his 1974 song “So Jah Seh.” And verily verily these words, like so many others he sang, have proven to be prophetic. Thirty-two years after passing away at the age of 36, Bob Marley is not just a legendary musician and a global icon of spirituality and human rights. Marley is also a powerful brand. As a 2011 Billboard cover story explored, the Marley estate is engaged in constant struggle to battle bootleggers seeking to cash in on Bob’s image and legacy while they have also developed a variety of their own businesses, from clothing lines to personal audio and beverages. And according to Forbes magazine’s latest ranking of “Dead Celebrities,” those businesses appear to be doing well. Forbes reporters estimate that the Marley estate brought in $18 million in 2013. He ranks as one of three musicians in the top 5, trailing Michael Jackson, who takes the top spot with an estimated $160 million in earnings (making him the year’s top earning celeb dead or alive), and Elvis Presley, who comes in at No. 2 with an estimated $55 million. (Not bad for a youth from the rural Jamaican village of Nine Mile who came of age in the streets of Trenchtown.) Rounding out the Top 5 are Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. For the full list head over the Forbes. But just remember the Tuff Gong will never die. Video After The Jump… (more…)
The Grammy-Winning R&B Star Is A Bashment Girl At Heart
Melanie Fiona is best known for heart-wrenching hits like “It Kills Me” and “4 A.M.,” which have made the soulful singer a major star among American R&B fans. The two-time Grammy winner grew up in Toronto as the daughter of first-generation Guaynese immigrants. Her Caribbean influences have always been clear to the educated ear, from her dramatic vocal delivery to specific songs like “Somebody Come Get Me,” which was released under her old nom-de-reggae Syren Hall, as well as “No Cigarette Smoke,” her smoldering duet with Stephen Marley. Melanie continues to flaunt her Caribbean colors on “All My Love,” a new reggae-flavored duet with Toronto soul singer Glenn Lewis. Listening to the song there’s no mistaking the fact that Melanie’s Caribbean roots run deep. So we thought it would be cool to ask her to pick her top 10 reggae and dancehall tracks. Her picks speak volumes about her musical taste, her artistic temperment, and (dare we say it?) MF’s wild side. Click through the gallery above to check out Melanie’s selections and then read her candid conversation with Reshma B. Video And Interview After The Jump… (more…)
The Miami-Born Jamaica-Raised Pop Star Picks His 10 Favorite Reggae Jams
Kington isn’t just Sean Kingston’s last name, it’s also the place where he spent years growing up. The young pop star was born in Miami and grew up in Jamaica where he used to kick it with reggae artists like Buju Banton as a youth. On his new album, Back 2 Life (in stores today) SK shows his Jamaican culture more than ever. He’s even performing in Kingston JA later this month. So we asked him to run through his 10 favorite reggae and dancehall tunes—and we’re not mad at his selections. And if you happen to be in Kingston JA this September 25, get ready to catch Kingston live in Kingston!
Videos After The Jump… (more…)
Sean Kingston’s 10 Favorite Reggae Songs—PLUS His New Tune w Busta Rhymes
Ever since Sean Kingston first burst on the music scene as a teenage pop sensation with a runaway debut hit “Beautiful Girls,” we’ve been hearing how he grew up in Jamaica and his music was influenced by reggae. As hard as we listened we never really heard much evidence of that influence beyond song titles like “Fire Burning.” But that seems to be changing with his new album, Back 2 Life, SK’s first full-length project since he sustained serious insuries in a jet-ski accident. The first indication was the lead-off single “Shotta Luv” feautring 2 Chainz. And then we stopped by his record-listening in NYC and heard a straight-up dancehall track featuring Busta Rhymes. Sean seemed to like it so much he played it like three times in a row. The next day we asked him to run down his ten favorite reggae and dancehall tracks—and we are not mad at the selections. He even says he wants to work with Shabba Ranks! So hit the jump to learn the half that’s never been told about Mr. Kingston. Videos After The Jump… (more…)
The Big Ship Family Sails Through The Strictly Boomshots Show
Last week’s show was an epic two-parter. No sooner had Mr. Easy vacated RadioLily on his way to a Brooklyn studio session than we got word that the Big Ship crew was in town. Of course Di Captain and Chino had many moves to make, but they found time to drop anchor at Houston and Sullivan for some late night reasoning and a couple of freestyles too. Listen to Chino spitting hot fire over the Duck riddim, and listen to Freddie McGregor talking about the construction of Big Ship studio and what he learned from Bob Marley at Studio One. Audio & Video After The Jump… (more…)
Searching For The Next Uprising Talent
There’s no denying the influence Bob Marley had on rising up de people. Even after life, his music continues to inspire countless listeners and musicians alike and now the Marley family is paying it forward with the Marley’s Music Uprising Band Search. In conjunction with Sonicbids, 25 bands across the States have been selected with the help of Cedella and Ky-Mani Marley for the chance to perform at music festivals and lay a track at Tuff Gong Studios. Nearing the summer’s end, voters will have the final say as to who gets this once in a lifetime opportunity. Read More After The Jump…
Chronixx Says He’ll Never Resort To Gimmicks In Order To Get A “Buss”
In his tune “Odd Ras” Rising reggae star Chronixx, pokes fun at artists who would seemingly do anything to “Buss.” In this second of five candid conversations with Boomshots, Chronixx lists the things he would never do to hype up his career. He also speaks his mind on the state of reggae music. “It’s a shame that Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and Dennis Brown are still the greatest names in reggae,” he says. “After so many years we should have more youths to stand up beside them.” Video After The Jump… (more…)
The Raw UnCut Verson Of One Of Bob Marley & The Wailers Hardest Tunes
With tomorrow, April 13th making it 40 years since arguably one of the most important reggae albums ever released, we here at Boomshots dug in the crates and pulled out the original cut of “Concrete Jungle” off the 1973 ground breaking record “Catch A Fire.” What most would notice at first is that the original doesn’t feature Wayne Perkins’ iconic guitar intro and three cord octave. A little bit of history here, Chris Blackwell the then founder of Island Records pegged Perkins’ to do overdubs of “Catch A Fire” to make it sound more Rock in an attempt to appeal to more audiences. Like most of the tracks on “Catch A Fire,” “Concrete Jungle” was recorded well before Bob and The Wailers were signed to Island. Take A Listen To Reggae History After The Jump… (more…)