Boomshots

Tag: Jah9

  • Boomshots 420 Playlist (2018)

    Boomshots 420 Playlist (2018)

    A Playlist with Smoking Hot Chalice Chunes 

    California was the first state to launch a program for the use of medical marijuana, with Proposition 215 in 1996. This was followed up with the groundbreaking Senate Bill 420 in 2003, to clarify the provisions for medical use and protect those with authorized medical prescriptions from criminalization. This gave way to the 420 movement that is celebrated on April 20 for cannabis culture. Now 29 states allow for the medical use of marijuana, while only 8 states (California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Maine, Florida, North Dakota, Arkansas and Montana) have legalized recreational use in the United States. On a Federal level, marijuana is illegal and viewed as a highly addictive Schedule I drug, with no therapeutic properties.

    Reggae music, as a genre, has always produced music with a high level of consciousness and significant social commentary. Throughout the years, there have been many marijuana anthems promoting freedom of choice, which are highly revered by smokers and non-smokers of this plant. On this 420, also Earth Day we hope to take you on a natural musical and mystic high with the Boomshots 420 Playlist.  Boomshots 420 Playlist After The Jump…

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  • PREMIERE: Jah9 ft. Chronixx “Hardcore (Remix)” Official Music Video

    PREMIERE: Jah9 ft. Chronixx “Hardcore (Remix)” Official Music Video

    Put Some Positivity Inna Your Thoughts More

    It’s been a few years now since this whole reggae revival thing jumped off (shout out to Dutty Bookman for coining the term!) and the excitement continues to build. Last March we saw the first collaboration between Chronixx and Jah9. Ever since the “Hardcore” Remix dropped (as featured on VP Records’ Reggae Gold 2K17 album) we’ve been looking forward to a visual interpretation of the tune and today BOOMSHOTS proudly premieres the official music video. Shot on location is São Paulo, Brazil by director Premier King, the video features Jah9 in various parts of the city with an all-female crew including members of the Feminine Hi Fi. posse. Additional footage was shot in California. Chronixx, who is currently nominated for a Grammy for Best Reggae album, joins Jah9 in the primary scene atop a city rooftop. “It was a long awaited pleasure for me to make my first visit to South America and Brazil,” says Jah9. “This has been calling to me for some time now and I was honored to connect with so many beautiful spirits and have the opportunity to work with some of the best local talent.” On meeting the director, Jah9 states, “we were fans of his work before we met him so when Premier King reached out about collaborating in Brazil it was just a matter of what song to choose. We are very happy with product of this collaboration and with all the seeds we were able to plant in Brazil.” Video After The Jump…
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  • WATCH THIS: Jah9 “Prosper” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Jah9 “Prosper” Official Music Video

    “Be Confident In All We Do And Say”

    Jah9 has just released the video for “Prosper,” the fourth video from her latest album “9.” The video directed by Samo Kush-I, was shot in black and white complete with a vintage 35mm camera feel, as Jah9 sings encouraging lyrics of spirituality and empowerment in a relaxed and calming voice. “Whatever is worth doing is worth doing to the highest level,” says Jah9. “And the time we spend in service to high upful endeavors serves to build. The chorus of the song is an affirmation, a mantra, a spell that can be used daily to empower. The outside world will seem less intimidating when we feel more empowered and less insecure about our value.” Video After The Jump…

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  • Kartel Tops Billboard 10 Best Reggae Albums List

    Kartel Tops Billboard 10 Best Reggae Albums List

    The best of times and the worst of times for lovers of Reggae Music

    For the second year in a row Billboard asked Rob Kenner, founder of Boomshots Media, to pick the 10 Best Reggae Albums of the year. The assignment was particularly significant in this year where Jamaican sounds were all over the airwaves, the pop charts and the Grammy nominations, except that most of the records were not done by Jamaican artists. You could hardly turn on the radio without hearing a half-hour block of dancehall-style tracks, all too often classified under misbegotten names like “tropical house” and “Caribbean bass.” With both Justin Bieber and Rihanna briefly sporting dreadlocks and Drake publicly referring to himself as “the don,” it would be difficult for longtime fans of the music not to catch feelings this year….Consider this list a crib sheet to catch you up on everything you missed while tropical house flooded the airwaves.  Full List After The Jump…
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  • WATCH THIS: Jah9 “Unafraid” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Jah9 “Unafraid” Official Music Video

    Lioness Order Lays Down The Law

    A lot of times when an artist starts to grow in popularity they tend to avoid rocking the boat and shun material that some may find controversial. That isn’t the case with Jah9 who has just released a video for the song “Unafraid,” which deals with the taboo subject of child molestation. When she sings “Nasty likkle teacher bwoy touching on my nephew, stirring up the dragon in my head,” the outrage is understandable. But lines like “Willing to stick a head ‘pon a fence” will definitely make some people uncomfortable. Boomshots reached out to the artist for some insight. “We’re not promoting violence,” she explained, “but we’re not promoting complacency about such a serious thing.” Video and Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Jah9 “Humble Me” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Jah9 “Humble Me” Official Music Video

    Sometimes Life Is More Than Meets The I

    “Humble Me,” the first single off  Jah9’s new album (titled simply  9), is not to be confused with Norah Jones’ tune of the same title. Where Norah’s song is about falling on your knees and begging the Lord for forgiveness, Jah9’s is about appreci-loving the majestic complexity of creation and exploring heretofore unseen spiritual dimensions of the universe. (A “Natural Mystic” if you will.) The Ras Kassa–directed video for the song, which premiered yesterday on Jah9’s official site, demands close attention. We see the artist/lioness strolling through an ancient rain forest in a blue dress adorned with elaborate jewelry. Gazing awestruck at the green canopy above, pausing to admire a tiny fern, or observing a parade of ants marching across a massive tree root, she begins “tuning into the frequency”—and, perhaps, seeing more than just a forest. As the divine order begins to reveal itself, the viewer begin to notice fleeting glimpses of geometric shapes—as rendered by animator Dayne Chike Morrison—which become more and more apparent until Jah9’s insights become our own. Remember when Bob advised us to “emanicpate yourselves from mental slavery”? This is what it looks like. Video After The Jump…

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  • Jah 9 Talks Yoga, Herbs and Holistic Healing: “This is no Devil Thing, This is Life!”

    Jah 9 Talks Yoga, Herbs and Holistic Healing: “This is no Devil Thing, This is Life!”

    Jamaican Warrior Goddess Vibes in the British countryside

    On a rainy day in Hainault Forest Country Park in Chigwell, Essex, Jah9 and her band performed at One Love, the UK’s No. 1 reggae and dub camping festival. Running through new songs like “Humble Me” and the warrior anthem “Unafraid” from her new album, which would be released on the mystical date of September 9, 2016 (2+0+1+6=9) a perfect convergence of 9s. “Every time we come to England we get more love,” Jah 9 told Reshma B in an exclusive interview. They spoke about the making of Jah9’s 9mm Vol 2 (“It’s not a mixtape,” she insists. “It’s groundings”) and the whole “Year of the 9” concept. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Jah9 “Fire Slaughter”

    HEAR THIS: Jah9 “Fire Slaughter”

    This Is Not A Mixtape; It’s A Numerological Revolution

    Listen closely and try to keep up: 9 is the sum of the digits 2 + 0 + 1 + 6. Ergo, 2016 is the year of 9. 9 also represents the ninth letter, I, which is not so much a letter as it is a fully-fledged concept bearing profound significance within Rastafarian philosophy, philology, and epistemology. There must be something about the number 9. Not to get all Deep Space Nine, but there are exactly 9 planets. 9 members of Wu Tang. 9 millimeters go bang. According to Jamaican custom, 9 days after someone passes away, his or her friends and family should kill the fatted calf—so to speak, more likely a curried goat—and celebrate the life of the dear departed in order to send him or her off good and proper. It’s called a “nine night.” Well today, Friday August 5, marks the 9th day since Janine Cunningham, better known to enlightened reggae lovers as Jah9, released 9MM Vol. 2, an 18-track project (definitely not a mixtape) which she describes as “Groundings in preparation for the arrival” of her forthcoming album 9, which is due to be released on… 9/9 of course!  Audio After The Jump…
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  • HEAR THIS: Jah 9 “Humble Mi”

    HEAR THIS: Jah 9 “Humble Mi”

    Tune in to Jah9’s Frequency

    A few months ago, Jah9 performed a new song for one of BBC 1Xtra’s Jamaica live sessions, voicing out at Anchor Studios in Kingston. The official version of the song is here and it’s evey bit as powerful as that version. “Try to be humble cause blessed are the meek,” Garnet Silk once sang. But there’s nothing meek about Jah9 when she’s plugged in to the source of the sacred. If this song is any indication her forthcoming album 9 is sure to be a scorcher. Audio After The Jump…
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  • Jah 9 Announces Summer Tour Dates

    Jah 9 Announces Summer Tour Dates

    From the U.S. to Canada, Europe to Africa

    Get those steamers ready. Jah9 is taking her powerful stage show on the road this Summer in support of a new album, set to drop when the weather gets hotter. If you haven’t caught the empress live & direct she is definitely a must-see. The new dates include stops in America, Canada, Europe, and Africa—with more dates to be announced. Keep up with Jah9 Online for updates and in the meantime, check out her latest video release, a live performance of “Humble Me” recorded by BBC 1Xtra at Anchor Studios in Jamaica. Videos & Tour Dates After The Jump… (more…)

  • Paying Tribute To The Crown Prince on “We Remember Dennis Brown”

    Paying Tribute To The Crown Prince on
    “We Remember Dennis Brown”

    Young Reggae Artists Pay Homage To The Crown Prince

    This February 1st marks what would have been the 59th birthday of the late great Dennis Emmanuel Brown, better known as the Crown Prince of Reggae. Having made his mark at Sir Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One as a child performer, D. Brown would go on to blaze a trail of soulful roots reggae, taking his sound to the top of the British charts in 1972 with “Money in My Pocket.” The singer recorded crucial cuts for many of Jamaica’s greatest producers including Lee “Scratch” Perry, Niney the Observer, Joe Gibbs, King Jammy’$, and Sly & Robbie. He passed away in 1999 but his music continues to play all around the world, with timeless lyrics like “Love and hate can never be friends” becoming immortalized in the popular vernacular. In 2016 V.P. Records has announced that they will be releasing a 2-CD tribute album entitled We Remember Dennis Brown. In the same spirit as We Remember Gregory Isaacs, the album will feature newer artists covering classic and rare cuts by the master. The first four songs in the double-CD set have been revealed. Lineup & Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Samory-I “African Daughter” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Samory-I “African Daughter” Official Music Video

    A Song With An Afrikan Standard of Beauty

    A Rasta Man was one of the first persons to question why  I  “relax the kinks” in my hair. I was at a lost for words and then I said ” Well to make it look smooth and groomed.” He broke into unbridled laughter and while I was happy to bring someone so much joy, the question lingered on my mind.  Then I realized I had no idea what my natural hair even looked like because I received my first “perm” at 9, and from there it was a six week ritual of “touching up” the roots. I was told that my hair was “too much, ” “too thick” and “difficult to manage.” Throughout the years, I added “color processing” and then “weaves’” became normal for me. More After The Jump… (more…)