Boomshots

Tag: Rebelution

  • 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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  • American Reggae Acts Dominate 2017 Grammy Nominations

    American Reggae Acts Dominate 2017 Grammy Nominations

    Three Out of Six Nominees Are Based in the U.S.A.

    Earlier today The Recording Academy announced the 2017 Grammy Award nominations. Beyoncé topped all nominees with nine nods while Drake, Rihanna, and Kanye West snagged eight each. Rihanna & Drake’s dancehall cut “Work” was nominated for Record of the Year, although Drizzy’s chart-toppers “One Dance” and “Controller” were snubbed. Tory Lanez’s “Luv”—based on Tanto & Devonte’s dancehall classic “Everyone Falls In Love”—was nominated for Best R&B Song. Sia’s No. 1 single “Cheap Thrills”  featuring Sean Paul was nominated in the Best Pop Duo Performance category. As usual the Reggae category was full of surprises, with three of the five nominations going to U.S.–based acts.   More Details After The Jump…
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  • WATCH THIS: Rebelution “De-Stress” 360° Video Live at Red Rocks

    WATCH THIS: Rebelution “De-Stress” 360° Video Live at Red Rocks

    California Reggae Posse Rocks Colorado

    Sure they have a bassist named Marley, and that can’t be a bad thing for a reggae band—right? But way back when they were students at the University of California Santa Barbara, the members of  Rebelution probably never imagined that twenty years later they would be touring the world and topping the Billboard reggae charts—becoming basically the most popular reggae band in America. How did it happen? Well, things just kinda fell into place. In fact, the band’s latest album just happens to be called Falling Into Place. In case you’re not up on Rebelution, peep this virtual reality experience from a 2015 concert at Red Rocks in June 2015. (You can navigate around the video using the arrow keys.) And if you like what you hear, hit up their official site for tour info—they tour a lot. During Rebelution’s latest tour stop in NYC, Boomshots caught up with the guys. This band is so big, we could only fit three of them in our camera lens. Fortunately we also got a nice shot of Marley’s bobble-head doll, because it’s only right for him to be represented too. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Unified Highway “My Space” Official Music Video PREMIERE

    WATCH THIS: Unified Highway “My Space” Official Music Video PREMIERE

    New Music & Visuals From Eric & Amp

    First things first, this is not a social media song. “There’s two words and no dot com,” says  vocalist/guitarist Eric Rachmany (also the frontman for Cali roots band Rebelution) of the latest release from Unified Highway, his collaborative project with renowned producer, DJ, and remixer Amp Live (formerly of Zion I). The duo’s self-titled debut on Audible Collision / Strange Focus Records embodies a fusion of reggae, electronic, hip-hop, alternative, and soul. “This song is kind of like inviting everyone into our vibe, the vibe we were feeling,” says Amp. “Me and Amp got together and we said ‘Let’s do this project’ and that was the first thing that came to mind,” Eric adds. “It just felt like an intimate guitar riff. I felt like the song was just asking me to sing about the mood, about being in my zone.” Unified Highway’s first song, “Stand Proud” ft. Keznamdi and Tahir Panton, premiered on Mass Appeal, who hailed both its conscious lyrics “unification of reggae basslines and dance-ready drum loops.” Since then they say the response has been “overwhelmingly positive” and when the album drops in March there are plans for live shows. “This album is actually pretty diverse,” says Eric. “Every song is a little bit different from the other, so we are excited for people to hear the diversity. Honestly, I’m not saying this to brag or anything but I really feel like this project is groundbreaking. It’s different from anything I’ve ever heard or been a part of… It’s weird, usually I don’t like listening to myself, but I thoroughly enjoy listening to this album. We do this for the fun of it and we want to keep on doing it. It’s a really fun collaboration and we’re really stoked that Boomshots is picking it up and promoting it.” Enough long talking let’s get into that space.  Audio & Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with SOJA’s Jacob Hemphill: “If I die tomorrow, at least I got to do this tonight”

    Reasoning with SOJA’s Jacob Hemphill: “If I die tomorrow, at least I got to do this tonight”

    Lead Singer of America’s Top Reggae Band Chats About His Ambition To Follow Bob Marley’s Footsteps

    Tonight in D.C. SOJA will celebrate the release of their latest album, Amid the Noise and Haste. The band has developed a massive international following since being founded in Arlington, Virginia 1997. During a recent pass through NYC, SOJA lead vocalist Jacob Hemphill chatted with Rob Kenner about how he and his friends fell in love with reggae and decided to start what’s become one of the biggest reggae bands in the world. “When I was a kid I grew up in Africa,” he says. Based on his observations there, he says, “I thought black people are happier than white people.” Eventually he came to a larger realization: “Life is not about accumulating crap.” Instead of doing “the reggae move” (“girl song, weed song, etc”) he decided to “do the Bob Marley” and try to change the world. “If I squander this opportunity,” he says, “that’ll be the biggest mistake of my life.” The new album—whose thought-provoking title is taken from Max Ehrmann’s Desiderata—was produced in conjunction with dancehall selector turned pop hit maker Supa Dups, and includes features from Damian Marley, J Boog, and Michael Franti among others. Hemphill says he sees SOJA as distinct from the “California Roots” movement, and speaks of an ambition to be bigger than the genre of reggae, not unlike Bob Marley. Speaking about the group’s perception in Jamaica and the rest of the world, Hemphill said “We haven’t been [to Jamaica yet],” he says, “but those guys have so much love for us.” He also speaks on his sense of mission. “If they shoot me, it’s gonna be 20 times bigger than it ever was before they shot me… If I was to die tomorrow, at least I got to do this tonight.” Video After The Jump… (more…)