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Archive for June, 2010

Junior Reid grows into ‘Living Legend’

The Jamaica Gleaner- Published: Wednesday | June 9, 2010
Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

Junior Reid makes a bold claim with the title of his next album, due mid-August. It is Living Legend, a 16- to 18-track set of all-new songs, which includes "Heat is On", "Looking Out", "Take it Easy" (featuring Capleton), "Where is the Love", "I’m So Crazy" (featuring Cassidy), and "Real OG". With the songs all recorded and the artwork already done, Reid says he is now “listening back to see which mix can be better.”

He has a long list of legendary hits to draw upon, yet by going with a totally new song line-up, Reid is not resting his statement on what he has done in a very long and storied musical career.

There was a time when there was another descriptive to his stage name, which emphasised how young he was, relative to those he was sharing sound system and studio time with. Starting out at 13 years old and doing his first recording ("Speak The Truth", produced by Hugh Mundell) at 14 years old, he was known as ‘Little Junior Reid’.

“In those days it was a trend to call you little – Little John, Little Kirk,” Reid said.

Other recordings

There were several other recordings, among them "Mini Bus Driver", "Know Thyself", "Jailhouse", "Human Nature" and "Babylon Release the Chains", before he really hit with "Foreign Mind". He was making progress on the sound systems as well, moving from Studio Mix and Master Blaster to Lees Unlimited, King Jammys and U-Roy’s Stur-Gav. His first major stage performance was at the Ward Theatre, downtown Kingston, with Hugh Mundell and Dennis Brown. According to Reid, he performed really well and “from that me start get a good buzz downtown”. Which was important, as that was where Beat Street (the strip of studios and record shops along Orange Street) throbbed with the pulse of Jamaican popular music.

He dropped the ‘Little’ in short order, survived – physically as well as professionally – the murder of his mentor Mundell, had his first album, Mini Bus Driver, released as part of the trio Voice of Progress, joined first Reggae Grammy winners Black Uhuru for three albums (Brutal, Positive and a live recording) and hit again as a solo artiste with "One Blood", "Married Life" and "Banana Boat Man" to bring up the 1990s. Then, in the first decade of the new millennium, the hip-hop collaborations "This Is Why I’m Hot" and the "No One" remake with Alicia Keys added to the legend.

Confidence in new songs

And yet, it is a catalogue he refuses to draw on. “I definitely have confidence in the new songs to live up to the title. We keep doing new stuff,” Reid said. He produced four tracks on Living Legend and relies on a number of “new and upcoming producers in Jamaica” for much of the others. Dre, Casper, Ghost and engineer Richie have production credits on the album, then there are the hip-hop hotshots, Swizz Beats and Blackout Movements (who produced the "This is Why I’m Hot" remix).

“From that time me always putting out a song, keeping current. It may not blow up big like some songs from other companies, but people still know it. Me always feel in the game. Me never feel like me out of the game or is a problem to make a hit,” he said. “If I did, when Game do over "One Blood" I wouldn’t have anything to follow it up with. I had "This is Why I’m Hot" (the remix of Mims’ song, along with Cham) and "No One" remix with Alicia Keys.”

And even before Living Legend is released, he is preparing the follow-up. “I already have the title of the next album and I have songs for it already. We have enough songs right now to do two albums,” Reid said.

He starts touring on July 15 to support Living Legend, starting in the UK and Europe, them comes back to the United States, Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean. In addition, he will be trying to venture into some new markets, including the African continent.

For Living Legend or not, he knows he has to keep active.

“The more you on the road when the album is out, the more you get out there, the more you promote the album the better,” Reid said.

From International Reggae Day.

"Dudus" yet to resolve legal representation - Returns to court Sept 7

BY HAROLD BAILEY Observer Correspondent
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Photo Credit: Associated Press (AP)

NEW YORK, United States — Reputed Jamaican drugs and weapons dealer Christopher "Dudus" Coke was again remanded in custody when he made his second appearance in a Manhattan courtroom yesterday.

He will return to court on September 7 when the matter of his legal representative will again be dealt with. Coke, who was extradited here last Thursday on drugs and weapons charges, has been assigned a court-appointed attorney.

However, he is trying to hire a team of attorneys likely to be led by New York-based Frank Doddato. The matter, which was the only one dealt with during yesterday's appearance, was not resolved.

Under US law, Coke is required to satisfy the court that the money that will be used to retain an attorney was not obtained through any criminal activities. Both his court-appointed attorney Russell Neufeld and Attorney Dottato attended yesterday's hearings.

On Friday, Neufeld told the Observer that he will withdraw from the case if and when Coke hires an attorney.

Other matters which were expected to be dealt with during yesterday's hearings, such as a likely application for bail, must now await the resolution of who will represent the accused drug lord.

From JamaicaObserver.com.

You MUST visit the recently launched Cockpit Country website - it's wonderful and loaded with beautiful photos. If your Jamaica vacation permits you some free time for exploration in west central Jamaica, or if you love to hike, by all means check it out. Even if you can't make it this time, explore the website and put it on your "to-do" list for another trip!

Cockpit Country is one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth. This inland area (mostly in the parish of Trelawny, Jamaica) was a stronghold used by Maroons to protect themselves from the control of Spanish or British colonialists.

If you're wondering about the name, they say it was dubbed this by the British in the 17th century because the terrain's somewhat circular bowl-like depressions reminded them of the then-popular cockfighting dens which were hot, humid and dangerous places where men gathered to watch and bet on the "sport".

The formation of Cockpit Country started about 12 million years ago with a faulted limestone plateau when Jamaica arose from the sea. Erosion over the centuries formed the round-topped hills, ridges and "sinks", or hollows, some of which are up to 390 feet deep. Although the Cockpit Country receives a lot of rain every year, it still seems dry. The limestone acts as a sponge, so the surface water drains vertically and quickly and each cockpit bottom ("sink") is drained by a sinkhole.

The main feature on the north is a long ridge called the "Escarpment". In the southwest, near Quick Step, is the district known as the "Land of Look Behind," so named because Spanish horsemen venturing into this region of hostile runaway slaves were said to have ridden in pairs, with one rider facing backward to keep an eye out for attackers! Read the rest of this entry »

Very exciting! I've always been a HUGE fan of the Iditarod but it was particularly fun to watch a Jamaican run the race! And Newton Marshall did a spectacular job with his talented dog team. One would think he would never again want to spend 10 days or so stuck out in that snow, but he's doing it again. Go Newton! If you want to see how Newton fared in this year's race, put "Newton Marshall" in the SEARCH bar and check out my earlier posts.
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Jamaica Dogsled Team Musher Newton Marshall to Run the 2011 Iditarod

Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Mon, Jun 28, 2010

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June 28, 2010 (Ocho Rios, Jamaica) – On Saturday in Alaska, Newton Marshall of the Jamaica Dogsled Team (JDT) officially signed on to test his skills on the 2011 Iditarod. This will be the second time Marshall has run the Iditarod.

Four-time champion Lance Mackey, who will once again be training Marshall as he prepares for the race, was on-hand in Wasilla to deliver the required documentation.

Marshall was one of 46 mushers to sign up for the 2011 race on Saturday – including an impressive field that includes four past winners and eight of the top ten finishers in 2010. Marshall will be looking to improve on his 47th place finish this past March.

“I really enjoyed running the Iditarod earlier this year and am proud to be the first person from the Caribbean to finish the race,” said Marshall. “I can’t wait to return to Alaska to run the Iditarod next year. Lance always has great teams ready and I hope to finish even better than I did last year!”

This year the Jamaica Dogsled team is expected to have three mushers racing in Canada and the US in both sprint and long distance races. Marshall will for the first time race in the lower 48 in a number of races including the 2011 International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race in Wyoming. Damion Robb and newest musher Jermaine Burford will train with Ken Davis of Elfstone Kennels and compete in sprint races in Wisconsin, Michigan and Ontario.

JDT sponsors include: Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, Chukka Caribbean Adventures, WestJet Vacations, Alpine Aviation, Northern Lights Optometry, Cottey College, Annamaet Petfoods, and the Jamaica Tourist Board.

From Jamaica Dogsled Team - Press.

19.97secs For Asafa Powell At Jamaica Championships

Shelly Ann Fraser and Asafa Powell captured the men’s and women’s 200m dash titles at the National Championships in Kingston on Sunday.

Fraser, the World and Olympic 100m champion got away to a very fast start in the women’s race – running a quick curve before opening up the lead even further over the last 80m on the stretch.

She then took her foot off the gas and cruised home to win her first half-lap title.

“I think 22.40 to start the season is very good. I am very happy with the time,” Fraser said.

“It’s always a warm feeling to win in front of your home crowd.”

Asked if she would be running more 200m Fraser said: “I am just following instructions.”

Meanwhile, behind another good start as well, Powell clocked 19.97secs to win the men’s title.

The time was his second fastest 200m time ever behind the 19.90sec he ran four-years ago.

“I came out here to run a good race, but I was cautious on the curve and then run the straight because I am still having a little problem with my toes still,” Powell said.

Asked if he was going to Commonwealth Games he said: “I don’t know yet.”

via WORLD-TRACK GLOBAL SITE.

Usher coming for Reggae Sumfest

Yasmine Peru
Sunday, June 27, 2010

Multi-talented American R&B singer, Usher, has been confirmed as one of the acts who will perform at this year's staging of  "the greatest reggae festival on earth" Reggae Sumfest.

At the long-awaited launch on Friday night at Sportsmax Zone in New Kingston, the promoters, Summerfest Productions, announced the artiste line-up via a slick video presentation and the event poster, which featured prominently on a screen.

"We have been wanting to get him for a long time," Robert Russell told the Sunday Observer in a post-launch interview. "And this year the timing was right," he said of Usher's confirmation which had been kept secret up until Friday night, and which was still not on the festival's website last evening.

Another revelation made was the fact that this year, dancehall deejay Rodney Price, aka Bounty Killer, will receive special hounour at the festival. Last year, Sumfest organisers crowned Beenie Man King of the Dancehall, a title he had already taken unto himself. No details were given on what format Bounty's honour will take.

Usher Raymond IV, the ultimate triple threat -- actor, singer and dancer -- has sold over 45 million records world wide and has a stable of five Grammy awards. It was his 2004 release Confessions that propelled Usher into celestial greatness. According to the artiste's bio, over one million copies were sold in the first week of release, making Confessions the highest debut-week numbers ever for a male R&B artiste.

Usher, who earned the distinction of being the Top Hot 100 Artiste of the Decade, also helms his own record label US Records and his eye for talent is unmistakable in his newest discovery Justin Bieber.

Reggae Sumfest kicks off with a beach party on July 18 and continues at Catherine Hall, Montego Bay, on July 22-24. Also scheduled to perform are international R&B and pop star, Chris Brown, Shaggy, Beenie Man, Tarrus Riley, Queen Ifrica, Jah Cure, Elephant Man, I-Octane, Konshens, Stacious, Chino, Gramps Morgan and Tifa.

From JamaicaObserver.com.

I can't speak for the validity of the NY Post's assertions (particularly the Ziggy Marley part???), and we won't even talk about how Mexican ganja smuggled into the US is thousands-fold greater than Jamaica's, but it's interesting nonetheless.

The brutal rise of drug lord Christopher Coke & the fight to bring him to justice

By BRAD HAMILTON and CATHY BURKE
Last Updated: 6:28 AM, June 27, 2010
Posted: 3:24 AM, June 27, 2010

He was the Robin Hood- like ganja-for- guns gangster who wielded bloody and fearsome power in Jamaica, authorities say.

But the rise of drug lord Christopher "Dudus" Coke may have had its start with a business snub from the eldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley.

Last week, Coke was finally brought to the United States to face weapons charges that could jail him for life, ending weeks of murderous riots that claimed 76 lives when police tried to arrest him.

In the early 1990s, as Coke allegedly took the reins of the family business in the Jamaican slums of Tivoli Gardens, there was one deal that ignited his rage, according to "Born Fi' Dead" author Laurie Gunst. Ziggy Marley, Bob's now-41-year-old son, was building a studio almost on the border of Coke's territory, trying to provide aspiring musicians with a community base.

"Ziggy didn't give the construction work to Dudus and his posse, so the Tivoli don was taking his revenge," Gunst wrote. A series of killings cowed Marley, just as it expanded Dudus' territory and consolidated his rule.

Coke's rise in the underworld was swift -- and deadly, authorities say.

His father, Lester -- known as "Jim Brown" -- was the architect of the Jamaican crime dynasty, twisted from a quiet, soccer-loving boy into a "bad, bad man" after surviving a shooting in his teens, a childhood friend told The Gleaner newspaper. "That's when everything changed."

The elder man fashioned his "Shower Posse" -- so-named for spraying victims with bullets -- into a drug-dealing conglomerate that employed his three sons. The youngest was Christopher, who earned his nickname "Dudus" -- pronounced DUD-us -- because he wore an African-style shirt favored by Jamaican World War II hero and Cabinet minister Dudley Thompson.

"It's basically a family thing -- gangster royalty," said a law-enforcement source familiar with the Coke clan.

The gang rose to prominence on fear and intimidation, gaining a reputation for killing at the slightest offense.

US investigators believe the Shower Posse was responsible for approximately 1,400 drug-related slayings in the United States during the 1980s drug wars.

DUDUS, born Michael Christopher Coke in 1969, "had a brother named Jah T, who was sort of slated to take over but he was subsequently murdered in a shootout," the source said. "There was another brother, Chris Royal. He also died in a shootout."

Their sister was also gunned down. The father was still in charge in 1992 when the United States indicted him on conspiracy charges and he was arrested in Jamaica.

The day before he was set to be extradited, "his jail cell went up in flames and he died," said the law-enforcement source. The violent mystery was never solved and no one was ever charged.

With no one else to take over, Dudus grabbed control of the family business -- and soon became one of the world's most dangerous drug lords, according to the Justice Department.

And, like the American gangsters of the '20s and '30s, he operated in the background, without flash or bling, forging loyalties, eliminating competitors and raking in millions. Read the rest of this entry »

New frontman for Wailers

Published: Sunday | June 27, 2010
Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

The Wailers band has been injected with new life. The addition of Koolant, the new lead singer of the legendary band, has been notable.

Known around the world, in the main for its association with Bob Marley, the Wailers, in England alone, have notched over 20 hits on the charts. With Marley, the Wailers have sold in excess of 250 million albums worldwide.

Outside of work with Marley, the 12-member Wailers have also played or performed with international acts like Sting, the Fugees, Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, and Alpha Blondy, as well as reggae legends such as Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Burning Spear.

With years of experience in the business, the Wailers are hoping to breathe some new life with young singer Koolant, who joined the crew in February.

Backbone of the Wailers

The Sunday Gleaner recently sat down with Koolant and bassist Aston "Family Man" Barrett, known as the backbone of the Wailers.

The nucleus of the Wailers was created in 1960 when Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh recruited the Barrett brothers, Aston, and drummer, Carly, to play for them. Wailer and Tosh left two years later. It was at this point that the in-demand Barrett brothers - whose rhythms also underpinned innumerable '70s reggae hits by other acts - assumed the title of Wailers and backed Marley on the group's international breakthrough album Natty Dread. The work with Marley continued even after his death in 1981.

Years of hard work have brought "Family Man" Barrett many memories.

One of those, a performance in London, Barrett has called his most memorable.

"In setting the pace for the Jamaican reggae music, our first opening was in London. We played at a place called the "Speak Easy" doing two shows a night for two weeks at one spot, and after we finished, it was written in the paper that the first song we did cast a spell on them, and after that it was like magic."

Today, Koolant is casting all the magic.

It was an average day in St Thomas when Koolant received a life-changing call from the Wailers.

"The Wailers call me up and dat's it. Ask me how I would like to perform wid the Wailers group, and I didn't turn down the offer 'cause being a solo artiste in Jamaica is very hard. So getting that opportunity to be with one of the most legendary groups of all times was very important to me. It gives me the chance to expand what I have in me, it gives me the chance to spread the music to the people, and gives me a chance to sing the legend, Bob Marley's music is a great honour," said Koolant.

According to the band's lead singer, Bob Marley's music has long been an inspiration to him.

"Right now, being the lead singer of the Wailers, expect new material being brought forth to make it stronger. Bob Marley made it strong, but now is the time to press on."

So far, Koolant says the experience has been good. For the first time, the singer has performed to crowds of 20,000.

With youth on its side, the Wailers continue to do great things in the business. Their most recent collaborators include international acts Kenny Chesney, Eve, Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. Recent work also includes the song Step For Mankind (it's great; listen below ), which was written by Duane Stephenson for the United Nations' World Food Programme, and another song called Shining Star.

"We're going off to Europe for the summer. Looking forward to that - that's my first time going to Europe."

From Jamaica Gleaner News.

Jolly Boys bring 'Great Expectation'
Published: Sunday | June 27, 2010

Mento band looks to rejoin mainstream, change the image of 'country people music'

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

Mento, in its original format, is 'country people music', the banjo, maracas and rhumba box needing no electronic amplification to carry home in rural areas of a country where there is still need for a rural electrification programme.

Somewhere along the timeline of Jamaica's popular musical development, though, it became relegated to 'tourist music', the floral-shirt-clad figures beaming under straw hats and warbling Yellow Bird a far cry from and sad caricature of irreverent, bawdy, witty and extemporaneous mento.

Jon Baker, in his original format, is an English lad who went to New York, got a look at black urban music before it went mainstream, ended up forming Gee Street Records and built the world-class Geejam Studios in Portland.

Now mento meets an ultra-enthusiastic Baker and there is Great Expectation of The Jolly Boys album of that name, which they will give St Andrew a live listen to at Redbones Blues Café on Saturday night before heading off on a one-month tour of the United Kingdom, the touring party consisting of three original members and a number of 'new' Jolly Boys.

There is a video for the lead-off song, a cover of Amy Winehouse's Rehab, in which a short red-dress-clad young lady undulates to the music, making for a connection among generations across the divide since mento fell out of radio and sound-system favour.

Among the other tracks of "Great Expectation" are Perfect Day, Riders on the Storm, Golden Brown, I Fought the Law, Ring of Fire and You Can't Always Get What You Want. Read the rest of this entry »

Reggae: Jamaica’s Musical Ambassador To The World

Reggae music has changed the face of music, the face of Jamaica and the face of the world. From a small island of less than three million people, thousands of songs have traveled the whole world, influencing billions.

Reggae music started in Kingston Jamaica in the 50s. Jamaicans were inspired by the Jazz and R&B records that would reach Jamaica through American radio and by American records which were used by Jamaican sound systems.

Reggae evolved from Ska, a faster version of American Jazz and Rocksteady, a Jamaican form of R&B. In the 50s and early 60s, Reggae songs would mostly follow the same subject matter of R&B with love songs and songs of social progress inspired by the Civil Rights movement.

The first reggae hit was a pop song by the name of “My Boy Lolliop” by Millie, Still it wasn’t till the movie “The Harder They Come” came out in 1972, that reggae exploded onto the international scene. The movie not only gave a realistic portrait of Jamaica but also exposed the music of Jimmy Cliff, Toots And The Maytals and others. The soundtrack represented the struggle and suffering that was going on in Jamaica with songs like “Many Rivers To Cross,” “Pressure Drop”  and the title song “The Harder They Come”

Bob Marley, a bi-racial Jamaican who had moved from the country to the ghetto of Kingston, would carry on the music made popular by the Harder they Come. Marley would form the Wailers along with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. A white Jamaican by the name of Chris Blackwell would give the Wailers international acclaim through his record label Island Records.

Marley’s songs like “Concrete Jungle,” “Get Up Stand Up” represented not only the underclass and their struggle in Jamaica, but the struggle of “sufferahs” worldwide.

Marley would become an ambassador for reggae and Jamaica. Arists such as Eric Clapton would cover his songs and other artists like the Beatles, Paul Simon and The Rolling Stones would all make reggae songs, incorporating reggae into mainstream rock and pop music.

Marley would also inspire scores of Jamaican artists, such as Dennis Brown, Aswad, Third World and Steel Pulse, who would all incorporate pro-black, anti colonialist, anti establishment music that encouraged Black pride. In England reggae would strongly influence the punk rock movement and artists like The Clash and The Police.

When Marley died in 1981, a new music was being born, a music that still represented the ghettoes of Jamaica. Dancehall reggae was born in the Dancehalls of Jamaica. More rhythmic and less melodic than the music Marley would make and with messages often about sex and violence, rather than love and peace, Dancehall became the music of fun and excitement. Pioneering artists like Yelloman, and Big Youth would help establish the rhythmic singing and risqué subject matter of Dancehall. Dancehall and the sound systems from Jamaica would also migrate to the Bornx where it would help start Hip-Hop music in the 70s.

Today, both Culture and Dancehall are alive and well. Culture artists like Tarrus Riley, Richie Spice and Morgan Heritage keep Marley’s rebel music alive, while Beenie Man, Serani and Vybz Kartel carry on the tradition of risqué lyrics over “riddims” that will make you dance. Marley’s own son, Damian has mixed both forms of music to create a music that inspires people to move both their bodies and their minds.

From MyColumbusPower - Power 107.5 Columbus' Home for the Hip-Hop Community.