Stephen Marley's Revelation: driven by a joy of spreading his message.

Eight-time Grammy Award-winning producer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, Stephen Marley, recently ended his successful, nine-week Revelation Part Two Tour, which took him to a wide variety of locations in Europe. The tour acted as a follow-up of his 2011 Grammy Award-winning album, 'Revelation Part 1: The Root of Life' which Marley describes as leaning more toward "an eclectic feel."
The seasoned Reggae artiste and second son of the legendary Bob Marley, proved to be a hit among the fans of the Reggae crooner in Europe. The nine-week journey began on Wednesday, May 16 and took the conscious Reggae star to various places in Europe that now have been left with the “Positive Vibrations” of the Marley clan.

Booked as his longest tour to date, the 46-city trod witnessed him in the territories of The Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and Italy. Revelations Tour Part Two, served also as a preview for the release of the follow-up album of ‘Revelation Part One’, which will be released later this year under the same name as the tour.

While on tour, the artiste expressed that, “I’m here to achieve a greater purpose and that is to portray a positive message through my music...It’s a joy to spread this message,” in an interview with WorldaReggae.com.

Joining him in achieving this purpose were the Bad So singer, Jo Mersa, who is also Stephen Marley’s son. Jo Mersa has been doing extremely well as an upcoming Reggae artiste venturing into a fusion of Reggae and Dancehall. The Jazz-Reggae Peace Train singer, Jasmin Karma also joined Stephen Marley and Jo Mersa on the tour and added a mellow vibe in keeping with her unique sound.

Wednesday, May 16 to Friday, May 18 witnessed Stephen Marley in the Netherlands, after which he appeared at four locations in France between Saturday, May 19 and Wednesday, May 23. For the remainder of May, the artiste performed to crowds fully engrossed in his music as well as among some talented artistes on festivals in Switzerland, France, Germany, Czech Republic and Hungary.

The busy, but dedicated Lonely Avenue singer kept in line with his consistent conscious vibes, which he distinctly calls “Rasta Vibrations” like his father.

Friday, June 1 to Saturday, June 30 met Stephen Marley in Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The artiste stuck with his Reggae roots and played his part in keeping Bob Marley’s music alive as he integrated his father’s music in all of his sets.

Between Sunday, July 1 and Saturday July 14, the star lit up the stage with the soothing Reggae tones of his Marley-Jamaican heritage. The culminating weeks did not see him lose steam, as he maintained the tour’s purpose and satisfied all his fans in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany and Italy.

In an interview with the Reggae.Be Magazine, it was also revealed that The Jamaican Reggae star made the time to greet his fans after his shows ended. Spain’s UMOTv compiled a wrap-up video of his performances in the Spanish nation, during which he expressed that, “Inspiration...you don’t have to think about it..it comes..and after you’ve been inspired, then you’ll know.”

Messages of positivity and subsequent inspiration are spread in his music; Revelation Tour Part Two accomplished Stephen Marley’s purpose as expressed through each review written and each interview staged. The Reggae representative successfully represented the genre and his legacy, and also landed on the front of Riddim Magazine, and headlined many newspapers during the nine-week dissemination of his message.

While Stephen Marley has built a formidable reputation navigating between genres, the 2011 Grammy Award winning album, Revelation Part 1: The Root of Life (Universal / Ghetto Youths) quickly rose to the top of the charts world-wide, marking a critically acclaimed return to Stephen Marley’s roots-reggae foundation.

Kartel faces November trial date in conspiracy case.

Embattled Dancehall superstar, Vybz Kartel faces a third trial date within a two week span as the prominent deejay faces a mid-November court appearance regarding obstruction of justice related charges.

With his murder trials set to begin on October 29 and November 5 respectively, Kartel was ordered to appear in court in November 12 where he faces a charge of perverting the course of justice. The trial was initially set to begin on Wednesday inside the Corporate Area Resident Magistrates Court in Kingston, but got pushed back due to the absence of the presiding judge as well as the non-disclosure of statements to the defense.

Kartel's long-time protégé, Vanessa 'Gaza Slim' Saddler and studio engineer, Andre 'Pim Pim' Henry are co-accused of perverting the court of justice in the matter. Both Saddler and Henry were granted bail extensions while Kartel was remanded into police custody.

Law enforcement officials slapped the charge on Kartel and his associates two months after Gaza Slim filed a police report at the Constant Spring Police Station, claiming that she had been robbed and gun-butted by Clive 'Lizard' Williams in Havendale, St. Andrew. Gaza Slim filed the report on October 29, five days after Vybz Kartel copped a murder charge as he and three other men are accused of murdering Williams at a Havendale residence last summer.

Kartel is slated to stand trial in the Clive Williams murder case on November 5.

Buju Banton changes lawyer, faces October sentencing date.

Internationally acclaimed Dancehall/Reggae superstar, Buju Banton will continue his fight for freedom with new legal representation after axing his long-time lawyer in his ongoing drug case.

David Oscar Markus, who has been representing Buju since his initial arrest in December 2009, has been sacked by the Grammy-winning entertainer. The move was confirmed on Tuesday by Markus himself.
"I will always consider Buju my friend and my brother and I think of him every day," Markus wrote in an email to the Broward Palm Beach Times.

"It pains me that he is in prison. I truly hope that he gets some relief."
 
Buju Banton will now be represented by Mississippi-based lawyer and human rights activist, Chokwe Lumamba. Lumamba remains renowned for representing late, great rap superstar, Tupac Shakur as well as Black Panther member, Assata Shakur (Tupac's step-aunt).

Buju Banton's shift in legal representation comes weeks after his request for a new trial was turned down. This, after an appeal made on his behalf to overturn a conviction and subsequent 10 year sentence on drug charges was dismissed on a Georgia Circuit Court as it had been determined that there was sufficient evidence to warrant the ruling against Buju.

The upholding of said appeal also revived a gun charge that was originally thrown out by trial judge, James Moody. Following the rejected trial request, Judge Moody intimated that Buju Banton faces sentencing in his drug case and could be held in custody for an additional five years as a result.
Buju Banton's sentencing has been scheduled for October 30 in Miami.

Sean Paul Supports Snoop Lion's Transformation.

VIBE: Snoop Dogg has become Snoop Lion for 2012! What are your thoughts on that?

Sean Paul: I think it's great! He's doing what he feels to do. Now Snoop Dogg is the epitome of what the people call "gangsta rap, so big ups to him. He's sold millions; everybody knows his name. Everybody and their mom knows his name. Like my mom will be like, 'Oh, I like that song.' And I'm like 'Well what about it do you like?," and she'll say 'I don't know, I just love Snoop!' So he's a global phenomenon and for him to want to do reggae, let him do it, it's not like he's giving up on rap. He's just trying something different and people are talking [mess] about it and then can't even step on his shoelaces!

Like what happens in the music business is that you try to do something different and it takes a cutthroat person to try and kill them and their career. Do what you want to do! Talk about what you want to talk about! He's always been into reggae music, appreciated the culture. The people saying negative things are just hating.

That's another things about social media. It has watered down the feedback of what artists receive sometimes. People can play jokes on artists on Twitter and poke them, all kinds of stupid shit. You couldn't do that before. I don't really care what people have to say about Snoop. They haven't walked in his shoes. He went through a murder trial. He's done so much different shit. He helped to bring the Crips and the Bloods together. And people are sitting in their room, talking shit, I don't care about what they have to say. It's not [just about] what you've done, or what you're doing, it's about where you're at right now.

Mavado reportedly working on collaborations with 'Gaza' artistes, Snoop Lion.

Prominent Dancehall/Reggae singjay, Mavado might be seeking to prove that unity does exist between 'Gaza' and 'Gully' artistes after all as the self-professed Gully Gaad aims towards working with a pair of Gaza heavyweights.

According to reports, Mavado has communicated with highly acclaimed Gaza deejays, Tommy Lee and Popcaan regarding possible collaborations. A source close to entertainment website, Urban Islandz confirmed the exchanges, insisting that this move will help to encourage unity throughout the Jamaican music industry.

"The link was made through a third party and a popular producer in Jamaica…Mavado, Popcaan and Tommy Lee are the hottest artists in dancehall right now and we need unity in the industry. You never know you might just see a collab from Mavado and Kartel in the future," the source said.

Reports suggest that Mavado and Tommy Lee could soon record a joint effort for an upcoming Riddim while they also revealed that the We The Best Music Group recording artiste could feature on a track recorded by Popcaan as well as legendary rap star turned Reggae artiste, Snoop Lion (formerly Snoop Dogg).

"Snoop and Popcaan did a track in February for his reggae album Reincarnation and Vado did some voicing that may be on the track," the source said.
 
Mavado and former Portmore Empire leader, Vybz Kartel were former, long-time rivals as their high-profile beef between 2006 and 2009 stirred tons of controversy while evolving into one of Dancehall's fiercest battles. As a result, several diss tracks were exchanged between Kartel's 'Gaza' camp and Mavado's 'Gully' camp before the two leaders publicly resolved their issues in December 2009 with a press conference and subsequent peace concert.

As time subsided, both sides have seemingly quashed any lingering animosity and this latest item of news could serve as proof that the 'Gaza' vs. 'Gully' feud may indeed be a thing of the past.

Busy and Jr. Gong, Laid Back in the Kingston Town Remix.

Triple Grammy award-winning artiste, Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley, has entered 2012 with hit after hit including his collaborations. Adding to his booming catalogue of musical partnerships, the young Marley partnered with popular dancehall artiste, Busy Signal in Busy’s Kingston Town Remix. The singers, on Wednesday, July 11, released a fitting video via the popular site, YouTube.

The video has images of a Down Town setting, bringing various scenarios to life. The screenplay shows an appreciation for one of Jamaica’s many subcultures; a very chill yet hardcore vibe amid the frustrations of the time. It does not spare the viewer and accomplishes its intention; to bring a very ‘real’ aspect of the society to the forefront to educate viewers in addition to the already telling lyrics of the song.
Dameon Gayle directed the well-produced, high-quality video. The video goes so well with the song that listeners have to be reminded that the video was not shot during the voicing as it switches between the artistes and others in the studio, to live scenarios that bring the lyrics to life.

Remixing Alborosie’s song, Kingston Town, the two artistes give the song a slightly faster rhythm merged with two styles to complete a very ‘conscious’ song. The remix is a social commentary, as expressed when the young Marley sings, “Dem a war ova turf like nothing else matters, pity them nuh know life has much more to offer.” The song is also included on the track list of Reggae Gold 2012.

While the video creates a great amount of imagery, it also showcases a very amicable and equally laid back interaction between Busy Signal and Jr. Gong. Both performers present the opposite of the hardcore artistes they have portrayed themselves as through their music. The merge of the distinct talent of the Tik Tik Tok singer, Busy Signal, and the Affairs of the Heart singer, Damian Marley, has seen a pleasant merge of two unique styles. The track keeps in line with Damian Marley's hard-hitting reputation of doing songs and videos that tackle societal issues.

Damian Marley has had a busy schedule to match the recent barrage of hits added to the artiste’s repertoire. He has voiced alongside artistes like Cypress Hill and also International producer, Skrillex. His Reggae Sumfest performance lit up the stage on his birthday, Saturday, July 21, and followed by a performance at O2 in London Thursday, July 26.

The artiste has also been working closely with his family from Ghetto Youths International which boasts a collection of revolutionary artistes like Julian and Stephen Marley, Jo Mersa, Black Am I and Christopher Ellis. Since the start of the year, the label added reggae superstar, Wayne Marshall, to the collection of artistes.

Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley has been stirring up the reggae music airways since the release of his debut album, Mr. Marley, in 1996. The artiste is best known for his timeless hits It Was Written, Half Way Tree, Welcome to Jamrock, Road to Zion, The Mission, and others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbt29ckBqBo

Wayne Marshall doing new things with seasoned reputation.

Dancehall singjay, Wayne Marshall, has undertaken a variety of new efforts since the start of 2012. The Dancehall star recently produced a new track consisting of unique elements; a collection of hard-hitting dancehall acts for a hardcore song. He is also currently working on his upcoming album with his new family at the Marley-owned label, Ghetto Youths International.

The song, Go Hard, has gained the attention of listeners not only for the lyrics dropped on the punchy rhythm, but also the never-before-seen synergy of styles on one song. Go Hard hears the voices of fellow Ghetto Youths International compatriot, Damian Marley, alongside Sizzla, Assassin, Aidonia, I-Octane, Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel. According to Jamaican DJ, DJ Nicco, “the song sick….it shows that Wayne Marshall is able to promote and make unity possible in the Dancehall scene.”
Internationally acclaimed DJ, Gee Fus, says “Mi like it,” when asked to address the new single. He continued expressing that, “the song a guh hard for real…give you an old school vibe…the freestyling makes you feel like you’re at a stage show and the mic a pass roun’….yeah man, it bad!”

Wayne Marshall is currently working on his new album Sophomore which is being produced executively by Reggae superstar, Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley. He is enjoying the new environment thus far as expressed by the artiste in a recent tweet saying “Great Night in studio! Jr. Gong at the controls!” Marshall signed on to the Marley-owned Ghetto Youths International label is now exploring the new set-up.

In recent months, Wayne Marshall has released many new singles which include Wah Happen Afta, Rookie Love, Here We Go Real God Bless Country, Good Ole Wife and TGIF. The songs showcase a more mature Wayne Marshall who has been on somewhat of a musical honeymoon. These singles have created a steady ground of expectancy for the forthcoming album.

The artiste is currently on tour with the Ghetto Youths International family which includes Marley brothers, Damian, Stephen, Julian, as well as Christopher Ellis, Black Am I, and more. The tour entitled Respect Jamaica’s 50th took the family to Europe and saw them perform on Thursday, July 26.
Wayne Marshall has stormed the Dancehall scene from a young age, but released his debut album, Marshall Law, in 2003. Forbidden Fruit and Tru Story followed in 2004 and 2008 respectively. The singer has collaborated with a vast amount of Jamaican artistes like Sean Paul, Elephant Man, Beenie Man and Tami Chynn.

Konshens Collaborates With House Music Heavyweights Erick Morillo & Sympho Nympho.

With the current surge in house music on the international scene, prolific house music DJ/producers Erick Morillo and Sympho Nympho have commissioned dancehall/reggae artiste Konshens for their latest project.

The high riding Jamaican dancehall star is featured on the club banger Murder the Dance Floor which is already causing ripples among fans of house music.

The house track contains elements of reggae and dancehall and Konshens' ultra cool vocals provide the gateway to fun and pure pleasure for die hard house music fans.

Erick Morillo gained prominence on the international music scene and various Billboard and international music charts in the early 1990's with hits he produced for the Strictly Rhythm label. These include Can You Feel It and the monster hit I Like to Move It which he produced under the pseudonym Reel 2 Real fronted by the Mad Stuntman from Trinidad.

The house music legend later established his very own Subliminal label which produced hits for a number of house music artistes including Jocelyn Brown and Deborah Cooper.
Subliminal Records which also produces for Sympho Nympho is one of the most revered house music labels across the world.

Konshens' foray into house music is just another dimension of his versatility as a recording artiste.
Following the success of the track Jamaican Dance in Europe, Konshens is fast developing a fan base at crossover outlets not only stateside but across the globe.

Bob Marley receives new Grammy award.

Reggae music's greatest icon has posthumously captured another accolade after receiving a new Lifetime Achievement Award Grammy recently.

Legendary Reggae singer, Bob Marley earned a replacement version of the same lifetime achievement award that he initially copped in 2001. According to reports, Recording Academy personnel recently visited Jamaica and later noticed that the original version of Marley's lifetime Grammy had been damaged; thus, leading to the decision of creating a new rendition of said award.

Bob Marley's eldest son and fellow Reggae superstar, Ziggy Marley recently accepted the award alongside his sister, Karen Marley following a Recording Academy screening of the popular documentary, Marley at the Los Angeles Film School on Sunset Boluevard in Hollywood.

According to Neil Portnow, the Grammy Recording Academy president and CEO dubbed Bob Marley's music as 'song of faith, devotion and revolution.'
 
Bob Marley has earned several posthumous awards since dying of cancer at the tender age of 36 in 1981; being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001, just to name a few.

Young Lion continues to push Dancehall/Reggae to higher levels.

Dj Young Lion from BBC 1Xtra presents his new weekly Dancehall Reggae Bashment show podcast.
Now in its second week following a huge worldwide following, the first episode featured an interview with Potential Kid where he cleared up the rumours and stories that first broke here on Outaroad.com about his former management taking money from U.S promoters and not telling him.

The podcast is being seen by many in the industry as a breath of fresh air, as Young Lion not only pleases the most hardcore set of dancehall followers but also geniously attracts new audiences to the genre.

"For years people from all over the world have constantly been requesting a regular mix cd or podcast from me. I could never understand why ... I am not the kind of person to crown myself, its always a better feeling when that crown is given to you by authentic music followers. When I play music I'm in my own world so I just do me. I don't have time to copy or follow trends." says a humble Young Lion when asked why its taken him so long to start his podcast while being one of the most popular dancehall djs in the UK.

Young Lion's weekly Dancehall Reggae Bashment show aka DRB can be downloaded via his website at www.DJYoungLion.com
And also on iTunes with free weekly subscribtion at
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/young-lion-dancehall-reggae/id492291786?i=118766474

BBC Radio 1Xtra Dancehall Mixshow,
Thursday nites 1am till 4am

www.djyounglion.com
@Younglion21
www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/younglion

Zimbabwe: Assassin Misses Target . . .

Reggae fans will quickly forget Assassin's first foray into Africa for the lethargic performance he gave on a breezy wintry night at the Harare Gardens but will be recollecting the lasting images of a fiery Lady Squanda and an inimitable Sniper "General" Storm.

For those who attended Winky D's flawless performance at the Samsung Galaxy Pocket launch at Red Fox Hotel in which he used a live band, C&A Entertainment's insistence on bringing reggae artistes without a band has not gone down well with many music fans in the country.
For long the company responsible for bringing Elephant Man and Mavado to Zimbabwe has been getting away with "murder".

Distinctly flaccid, Assassin's set was poor; largely pedestrian and only livening up towards the end.
The use of back tracks made Agent Sasco look ordinary, Dadza D had more energy than that and maybe that is what led to one fan grabbing the Jamaican chanter's shades, the only thing to remember him by, but certainly not his performance.

The bouncers must also be told that they do not hit a thief in the manner they did when police could have just arrested him, embarrassing it may be but they do not pulverise a human being like that.

The importance of a live band has never been understated; C&A Entertainment should get advice from the likes of Shumba Instrumentation, fellow promoters, who have always gone the distance in bringing artistes and their bands. In an instance that has not happened they have roped in Transit Crew.

The idea being live performances are different from studio works, some of our local DJs struggled for the "One Drop" like when Jiggaz was performing. Back tracks give the impression of child's play; put Assassin on stage and play his riddims and people will jump seemed to be the assumption.

Indeed, in the latter part of his set the fans did but that can be placed on his own versatility as an artiste.
It is certainly cheaper to bring top reggae acts as one-man bands but it also gives the impression that a promoter is out for a quick buck.

Chronixx...The Messenger Of Good Music.

Reggae in Jamaica is NOT dead. While it may sell more worldwide, generate more non Jamaican artist than local; Reggae, through artist like Protege, Kabaka Pyramid, Iba Mahr, and many more; trod the road of Reggae in 2012. Amongst these storytellers of culture, finds a prodigy that's never recorded on vinyl or seen the greats (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh) perform live. His name is Chronixx and he is a soldier of the new generation.

At a mere age of 19, he forgoes the slackness of dancehall, the hypeness of skin out videos, for a more simplier style. With a mix of roots & culture, a dash of lovers rock, and the passion of a wide eye youth, he creates his uniquely authentic sound.

After an introduction to the Reggae scene last year, with his single "Behind Curtain", Chronixx musical journey has quickly flourished. Within the past year he has performed (gracing the stage with acts like Leroy Sibbles, Kabaka Pyramid, Protoje, Kelissa, and Infinite) in fourteen parishes, opened for Rebel Salute, and can be weekly at many live jam sessions and shows. From Jamaica to South America, Europe to Africa, Chronixx has conducted hundreds of interviews, most notably he's been featured on College Lifestyle 2012 season and most recently L3 (Canada) and Riddim (Germany) Magazines.

Alongside his label Zinc Fence Records, Chronixx released the video for "Warrior" which has reached on video charts worldwide including holing the number 5 position on MTV Africa Dancehall charts and just recently finished a project with Swedish producers Lance-o-lot and Partillo productions ("They Don't Know").

While many of his growing fans aren't native English speakers, the love for his music is so strong, that fans are reaching out (via youtube) to request copies of lyrics, so they can be translated, and fully grasp the meanings. Says one french fan, "My mom loves Rain Music so much, she would just love to sing properly"

When asked recently about the overwhelming response his music is garnering Chronixx simply replied "It is a promise in fulfillment. I'm doing Jah work and Jah is drawing people to my music. I am a messenger of good music.". Yes, indeed he is, and while it's just one voice out of many, this one, through the art that is Reggae, is destined to be heard.

Emperor Shabba Ranks Triumphs in the Studio with "War!"

Since his performance at the 2012 staging of Reggae Sumfest in beautiful Montego Bay, Jamaica, Shabba Ranks has been on fire in the performance arena, and in the recording arena.
Teaming up with one of Jamaica’s hottest younger generation producers, Calibud (Son of legendary producer Bobby ‘Digital B’ Dixon), Shabba recently returned to the studio to record the powerful song “War.”

Performed on the rebuilt riddim used to back Bob Marley’s song of the same name, Emperor Shabba Ranks denounces war of all types including psychological and physical, and appeals to the powers that be to keep the war away from his people. Turning to his community, Shabba calls for us to unite in order that his people to be uplifted. Using the song’s punch line to emphasize his point, Shabba simply asks “Ah who win the war; the police in the jeep or the soldiers in armored cars?”

Recorded live at the family’s recording studio on Ron’s Road in June in Kingston, Jamaica, Shabba expressed how happy he is with the outcome of the recording. “I’m very pleased with the song,” said Shabba. “I look forward to adding this song to my performances when I perform for fans.” In addition to Shabba’s satisfaction with the song, several artists in the Reggae and Dancehall fraternity have been touched by the riddim which has led to the decision to make a full riddim including the vocals of Cali P, Tarrus Riley and General Degree. “I’m very excited about the War riddim,” said Calibud. “This is a riddim that will help to unite the people and tell the world how great we are. This will be a great riddim.”

Bobby ‘Digital B’ Dixon, who has kept a watchful eye over his Son and the project, agrees that this riddim is “ready for the world” and is very proud of his Son including his musical accomplishments.

Tifa to launch new video & special performance at Behind the Screens.

Fresh from her recent performance at Reggae Sumfest Dancehall night, dancehall diva Tifa is set to deliver a special performance at the weekly Behind the Screens series at Usain Bolt's Tracks & Records on Tuesday August 14.

The Digicel brand ambassador will be delivering her well known hits along with some of her newer material.
The video for her hot new single Hold On will be launched at the series.
Hold On was directed by Ruption from the RD Studios camp, was shot at the Sunshine Amusement Complex in New Kingston. The song was produced by Conroy Forte for Washroom Entertainment and is featured on the Poolside rhythm.

Tifa had previously worked with Forte on Swaggin (WTF) featuring Wayne Marshall and Fambo and Certified Diva featuring Tami Chynn.

The video for Hold On features cameo appearances from some of Tifa's friends from the entertainment fraternity.

In the days leading up to Tifa's scheduled performance at Behind the Screens, mobile giant Digicel and Smirnoff both sponsors of the series will be doing daily promotions on their Facebook and Twitter pages where fans can win prizes.

The Behind the Screens series has already featured performances from the likes of Professor Nuts, Beenie Man, Queen Ifrica, Romain Virgo and Tanya Stephens among others

Bugle's Musical Journey Chronicled On New Mixtape Tilted 'Psalms'

Dancehall artiste Bugle has released a mix tape entitled Psalms. The project which features 43 tracks is a journey through the artiste’s decorated career.
In a release to the media, Bugle whose real name is Roy Thompson said there was some significance to the title of the project.

"I think Psalms is one of the most informative chapters of the Bible so based on the content of this mix tape, I chose the word Psalms as the title", Bugle explained.
Psalms was produced by Sean 'Razz' Cousley from the turntable/selecting duo of Razz and Biggy.
Feedback to Psalms has been quite overwhelming.

"The feedback has been positive and the fans enjoy the tracks that they hear. They have been asking me about my album so I just wanted to give them something to keep their ears in gear until they get the official album and to let them know that my standard of music hasn't dropped. I am still doing great music so they don’t have to wait until they hear a song from Bugle on the radio or in the dance enjoy what I have been working on. They can listen to the mix tape at their own convenience", Bugle explained.

The Daseca/Major Links recording artiste revealed that the mix tape features guest appearances from a number of his friends from the music industry.
Among those who appear on Psalms are Dillinger, Etana, Vybrant, Jahmiel, Proppa Fade, Ding Dong, Blak Diamond and Oriel.
He reinforced that the concept behind the project is to keep his fans up to date on what he has been working on lately.

Aside from the release of the mix tape, Bugle has been quite busy working with some of the top producers of the day including TJ Records, Daseca Productions, CR203 Productions, Notice Production, Romeich Records, UIM Records and Frass Records.
Among his recent singles are Jah Be with You, Life Span, Only Human Live My Dream, and Rave til a Morning.

Free download of the mix tape is available at www.razznbiggy.com

Stein Steams Up the Summer, Launches Website & Shoots New Video

Jamaican dancehall artist Stein steams up the summer with the launch of his sleek new website, www.steinmusik.com.

The official site is Stein's direct link for media, bookings, radio and DJ drops, and dubplate requests. It also connects his audience directly with all his social sites. But mainly, the website offers up his catalog of music, with all songs titled and in one place, for the first time.

Stein also recently shot the video for his latest single, "Wheel It Off," produced by Chimney Records on their Money Box Riddim. The video is directed by Stein's long-time video collaborator, Andre "Silence" Dixon, and is set against the tantalizing backdrop of Miami Beach, Florida.

"I've been back in Jamaica recording music day and night for my debut album, All Or Nothing, due out early next year," reveals Stein. "I took a brief break to shoot a video because sometimes you need the visuals in addition to radio support. So I'm trying to get my music out there to the fans, in every way I can."

This has proven to be a sizzling summer for Stein. Earlier this summer, he embarked on a U.S. promo tour in the New York, Boston, and Connecticut areas, blazing his brand and building his name with the masses. He also joined hip-hop heads such as Maino on a New York City school tour, to spread the message of peace to high school students. Stein now plans to extend his outreach to students in Jamaica and across the Caribbean.

Grammy Winner Performs for The Maia Chung Autism & Disabilities Foundation in the US.

Grammy Awardee Billy Ocean performs to help raise funds for The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation at "JAMROCK TRINIDAD 50" - at the Hammerstein Manhattan Centre in New York USA Friday August 3-2012.

David "Squeeze" Annakie who staged the event through his Biolife Energy Systems Solutions a part of the Link Up Media Group stated that part proceeds from this event will go towards the Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation in Jamaica; whichhe adopted as a cause to support this May 2012, when the Foundation had closed due to its inability to do it outreach without funds - which had ceased coming in due to the recession.

David "Squeeze" Annakie the editor in chief of JAMROCK Magazine and CEO of the Linkup Media group of companies under which JAMROCK Magazine falls said "he decided to invite both Maxi and Billy to be the headlines acts on the show mainly because of the music they have done over the years along with the wealth of experience they have had in catering to audiences the world over."

The MC for the night's proceedings was the United States based Kingsley "Ragashanti" Stewart now based at New York's WVIP 93.5 FM Link Up Radio - a part of the Link Up Media Group owned by Jamaican US based millionaire Davis Squeeze Annakie

Themed around Jamaica and Trinidad gaining Independence in the same year, Annakie says 1962 was obviously a paradigm shifting year for both nations, as well as a time when major social and political change was taking place in the region.

On midnight August 6, 1962 for one small Caribbean island the Union Jack (The British flag) was lowered and the black green and gold flag representing an independent island for the first time was raised.
This island was Jamaica the third largest island in the Caribbean.

Similarly exactly twenty five (25) days later another island raised their flag too on August 31, 1962 joining Jamaica in becoming an independent nation after being under British rule for centuries. This island was Trinidad and Tobago.

Over the past nearly fifty (50) years since both islands gained independence they have grown as nations with a wide diversity of culture, their people have excelled in various fields both locally and internationally.
This year marks the Golden anniversary of their independence from British rule.

As a result JAMROCK Magazine a premier glossy lifestyle publication with a distinctly Caribbean-American flair; based in New York decided to join in celebrating the 50th year of independence of these two islands by staging “JAMROCK TRINIDAD 50”, on Friday August 3, 2012 at the Hammerstein Manhattan Center in New York.

Maxi Priest who is British born is of Jamaican parents. His musical career began with him singing on the South London reggae sound system Saxon Studio International.

Priest’s first major album was the self-titled Maxi Priest (1988) which, along with his cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World", established him as one of the top British reggae singers.
He is one of only two British reggae acts (along with UB40) to have an American Billboard number one: "Close to You" in 1990.

A duet with Roberta Flack, "Set the Night to Music", also reached the American Top Ten in 1991. His duet with Shaggy in 1996, "That Girl", was also a hit in the United States, peaking at number twenty.
In the latter half of his recording career, Priest has favored working alongside other artists, both established and up-and-coming. He has worked with Sly & Robbie, Shaggy, Beres Hammond, Jazzie B, Apache Indian, Roberta Flack, Shurwayne Winchester, Shabba Ranks and Lee Ritenour.

With a career that spans well over two decades, Maxi Priest is a music icon and veteran veteran. Having recently released the best of album, Maximum Collection, the much-loved British reggae star hopes the offering acts as a “point of reference” for the younger generation, who may not be familiar with his multitude of hits.

Billy Ocean born Leslie Sebastian Charles in Trinidad and Tobago to Grenadian parents moved to Romford, Essex, England with his family at the age of eight.
Ocean's musical influence came at an early stage, as his father was a musician, and realized he was in line to follow those ambitions as he was growing up.

During Ocean’s teenage years, he sang regularly in London clubs. He released his first single in 1972 on Spark Records as Les Charles. Billy took his stage name from the Ocean Estate, Stepney, where he was living at the time. In 1976, he recorded his first album, Billy Ocean, with its first single release, "Love Really Hurts Without You," charting at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and number 22 in the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100. He enjoyed club success from the songs "Are You Ready" and "Stay the Night" from the album City Limit. More successes followed including "L.O.D. (Love on Delivery)". He also wrote and composed songs for other artists. In 1981, he scored the U.S. R&B chart with "Nights (Feel like Getting Down)".

Ocean's greatest success began with releases, during 1984, of the album "Suddenly" and its main single, "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)."

The song won Ocean the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 1985 Grammy Awards. The album's title track also became a success, peaking at #4 in both the US and the UK and the song "Loverboy", while also being a #2 US success in 1985 was also featured in the very first scene of the popular UKBBC One TV series, Casualty, in 1986.

In 2002, the University of Westminster in London awarded Ocean an honorary doctorate of music. In 2004, "Caribbean Queen" was re-released as a digital single for its 20th anniversary, shooting up to #25 on the Billboard digital singles chart and garnering radio play across the US and UK.
A remix of the single by Will.I.Am was released in 2005, and it later appeared on Pitchfork's "Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s" countdown, at #87.

In October 2007, Ocean commenced his first UK tour in over 15 years.
In 2010 he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the MOBO Awards and became a Companion of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in 2011.
Both Maxi and Billy have excelled in the music industry doing numerous tours worldwide and spreading their message of love and positivity through music.

Other acts on the “JAMROCK 50” concert include the legendary Tinga Stewart and Ritchie Stephens.

Neville “Tinga” Stewart’s musical career began in 1969 with his first recording “She Is Gone”, a duet with Ernest Wilson of the Clarendonians.
Tinga was also the lead vocalist for a group called the “Wildcats” and performed at some of the leading nights spots in Kingston.

He has teamed with the likes of the “Fab Five” band and “Byron Lee & Dragonaires”.
Tinga’s success continued in 1974 when he won the Festival Song competition with the song “Play the Music”.

He also wrote the following year’s winning Festival Song “Hooray Festival”, sung by his brother.
In 1981, he was voted the most popular artiste in Jamaica and sang “Nuh Weh Nuh Betta Dan Yard”, which catapulted him into the international spotlight.

He has performed all over the world and has received numerous awards including a “Lifetime Achievement Award”. His current album titled “Ready to Grove” was released in 2004 and tracks from that album are still on the worldwide charts.

Tinga’s longevity, talent and professionalism continue to take his brand of reggae music to higher international heights.

Richard “Ritchie” Stephens another act on the “JAMROCK 50” show hails from Westmoreland, Jamaica often described as the man with the soulful voice his musical career began nearly three decades ago.
Since then he has released 17 studio albums, his latest compilation “God is on my side” was released in May this year.

Ritchie has won numerous awards over his many years of being involved in music and has already copped five (5) awards since the beginning of this year for his contribution to music.
In the early 1990s, Stephens was a part of the twice Grammy Award winning act Soul II Soul, has recorded at Motown. He has also produced records on the VP label and has his own label, Pot of Gold Records.
Apart from his involvement in music Stephens was rewarded the Jamaican Governor-General's Achievement Award for contributing to civic, social and recreational projects in and around his native parish of Westmoreland in 2006.

Ritchie like Tinga, Maxi and Billy brings to the “JAMROCK 50 “show his immense experience as an artiste over the years who has and continues to influence the populace with positive and conscious music that can be appreciated by all.

Snoop Dogg credits Bob Marley for 'Lion' transformation.

Internationally acclaimed rap star, Snoop Dogg has reinvigorated his career by morphing into a full-fledged 'Lion' and credits Reggae music's greatest product for his transformation.
Set to release his first Reggae album entitled Reincarnated, Snoop Lion has remodeled his musical approach in recent months; moving from the hardcore gangster raps he became renowned for into a more peaceful zone through efforts like La La La, the first single off Reincarnated.

In an interview with MTV earlier this week, Snoop Lion credited Reggae icon, Bob Marley as one of the pioneers who helped him change his musical style; also citing Beres Hammond, Peter Tosh. Gregory Isaacs and Bunny Wailer as inspirations that helped guide him towards forming his new persona.
In fulfilling his mission to become a legitimate Reggae presence, Snoop Lion travelled to Jamaica after receiving a blessing from Bob Marley's son, Rohan Marley. During his trip to Jamaica, he recorded material for Reincarnated while also recording footage for a documentary focused on the Rastafari Movement.

According to Snoop Lion, Reggae music gave him the ideal outlet to meditate and find solace.
"My early memories of Reggae music were always a room full of smoke and just the way you danced to it. It was seductive and sexy and it was grown, then underneath it all, it had a message to it," he said.
"You can hear the message in some of the songs. You can hear the positivity and the strength and the struggle."

This past weekend, the official trailer for Snoop's Reincarnated documentary was released. Additionally, the movie will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

Sean Paul stamps dominant Jamaican sound in international airways.

Grammy award-winning artiste, Sean Paul, continues to wave the Jamaican flag high, stamping his dominant Jamaican sound in the international airways. The Dancehall superstar is currently promoting his new album, just completed his summer tour, has a hit song on Reggae Gold 2012, will be performing in Las Vegas soon, and is slated to perform at the upcoming Nottinghill Carnival.
Sean Paul is currently promoting Tomahawk Technique - his fifth studio album. The collection is predominantly hybrid dancehall as the dancehall flavour has been merged with hip hop, pop and techno tempos shown respectively in the album’s hit singles How Deep is Your Love, She Doesn't Mind and Touch the Sky. Tomahawk Technique is also home to more hit singles like Got 2 Luv U, Wedding Crashers and Dream Girl, all of which have videos depicting various aspects of the artiste’s personality.
For this album, Sean Paul worked alongside Future Fambo, DJ Ammo, Kelly Rowland and Alexis Jordan. Got 2 Luv U and She Doesn’t Mind have shared the number one spot in Switzerland and Austria and are among the top 10 singles in other countries.

On his summer tour the Got 2 Luv U singer dazzled fans in France, Bulgaria, the UK, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Sweden and Switzerland between Thursday, June 21 and Sunday, July 8. Media personnel were able to interview the artiste after some of his performances, and on one such occasion, after his performance at the Summer Jam festival, he expressed that “Summer Jam is one of my favourite shows in Europe…mi still love it…I enjoyed myself.” The artiste did extremely well and has received raving reviews from each performance he did on the tour. During the tour, Sean Paul had his first performance ever in Bulgaria and represented himself well.

Sean Paul’s She Doesn’t Mind is the first track on the 20th edition of Reggae Gold. This is a symbolic accomplishment as he has not only released his most recent body of work amid Jamaica 50, but his hit single has been included in the collection of tracks that have gained a lot of recognition since 2012. The CD also boasts big artiste names like Cham, Konshens, Damian Marley, Busy Signal, and others.
The How Deep is Your Love singer will perform in Las Vegas between Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22, after he performed in the city on Saturday, May 12.

The performer continues with his busy summer in being slated to perform at the Red Bull Music Academy’s annual Nottinghill Carnival on Monday, August 27 in Nottinghill, London.

The artiste has voiced many well-liked, cross-over Dancehall tunes like Gimme the Light, Like Glue, I’m Still In Love, Get Busy, Baby Boy, Ever Blazing, Temperature and Watch them Roll. Sean Paul continues to receive international recognition for his signature sound and distinct application of Jamaica’s music to the international market. The performer has collaborated with many artistes like Beyonce, Keyshia Cole, Pretty Ricky and others.

Etana Shares Her Joy With The World!

Singer Etana is sharing with all her fans, supporters and well wishers that she is expecting a new addition to her family. Known for not opening up much on her personal life, Etana felt compelled to respectfully enlighten her fans by announcing she had a bun in the oven. The rumors of pregnancy have been circulating since her marriage to model/ Award Winning Actor, Andre Morris in March of 2010. Morris is a Pulse Model, popularly known from numerous runway shows, television commercials and acting roles in local plays.

I'm Surprised with a new life, a precious gift! Jah works in mysterious ways... Etana​
The singer has kept herself busy throughout her pregnancy. Presently she is on tour in the UK preparing for her Jamaica Fifty performance at the Tower Ballroom in Birmingham on August 4th. Kenya will be her next stop before she appears on the Chimsee Reggae Summer Festival in Germany. She will finally get a break for nesting and preparing for her newborn due for arrival this fall.