This Friday, August 2nd, Caymanians are encouraged to head to The Lions Center in George Town, Grand Cayman for a reggae-dancehall concert with Jamaican artists Richie Stephens and Josey Wales, as well as comedian Blakka Ellis.
This free event will also double as a Health Fair that will provide free diabetes, blood pressure, and PSA checks to attendees.
St. Catherine’s reggae/dancehall singer and songwriter, Christopher Martin, has been invited to perform live at the upcoming Jam Slam taking place on Saturday, August 31st, in Kingston, Jamaica.
The multipurpose Alfred Sangster Auditorium at the University of Technology, Jamaica (Utech) will become the center for an action-packed day of pro wrestling. It will be hosted by the “World’s Strongest Man” and WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Belizeans vocalist Mesha Steele, who now resides in New York City, has a collaboration with Dollarman that is starting to get a lot of attention. The song, titled Lots Of Love, was first shared a couple years ago as one of the tracks on Dollarman‘s Time album. However, despite it being out for a while, many DJs are only now learning about the dancehall fused Caribbean pop tune. This is due in part to Dollarman and his team’s decision to re-release the LP.
Mesha Steele is an award-winning singer, songwriter, and band leader who was born into a family of musicians, so her rise to stardom should not surprise anyone familiar with her story. While still residing in Belize, Mesha, along with her two older sisters, formed a group known as the M Girlz. After her siblings decided to settle down, Mesha went solo and continued to make her mark as a singer and performer. In her teenage years, she was considered one of Belize’s top female artists, and as she matured, she went on to become the lead vocalist for The Messengers, one of the most popular bands to come out of Belize.
Her relocation to the United States only resulted in more shows, music, and opportunities. Hence the connection with Dollarman and the producers of Lots Of Love, KR Moore, and Ike Boogie. Lots Of Love is a back-and-forth between both artists. Mesha flirts with Dollarman by telling him how much love she has for him, and he in turn responds enthusiastically. The Time album can be downloaded from all streaming platforms, and it comes courtesy of BrownBabies Entertainment Group.
Rasta City, an event that’s dedicated to celebrating authentic reggae music and Caribbean food and art, will be held at Hammer Jacks (1300 Russell Street) in Baltimore, Maryland, on Sunday, August 18th.
Two well-known Rastafarian artists, Capleton and Sizzla Kalonji, have been confirmed to perform. This is an outdoor day event that will run from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time. Tickets can be purchased from Eventbrite.
The three-day Summer of Soca Festival (SoS) happening in Toronto on Carnival weekend is not just exclusive to soca music and events; they also have a highly anticipated dancehall stage show on their program.
On Sunday, August 4th, they’ll host Legends: The Throwback Concert with headliners Baby Cham, Mr. Vegas, Serani, Militant, and Zoelah. There is also a surprise guest artist on the lineup. The location is Markham Fairgrounds (10801 McCowan Road) in Markham, Ontario, and the starting time is 6 p.m. Click here to buy tickets.
Former Def Jam Recording artist Razah recently took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions about his latest single, Too Much. The banging dancehall track was released last month, on June 21st, via Reggae Vibes Music. See the full interview below.
MJ27: So how does an independent Jamaican singer end up getting signed by Jay-Z himself?
Razah: Jay-Z signed me because I had a song called “where do we go from here” buzzing heavy in New York. It was being played a lot on hot97 and Rihanna heard it and wanted to be featured on it. The night I went to the studio with Rihanna to record her part, Jay-Z walks in the studio, we spoke briefly, he told me to come to his office the next day and he signed me to Def Jam.
MJ27: Once you were with Def Jam Recordings, assuming all was going well, why did you split from the label?
Razah: I left the label because at the beginning of 2009 Jay-Z left the label. My team and I had a meeting with the new president, he promised that he would do right by us but he did not, so we started to get my new song “Rain” playing on the radio by ourself because they weren’t keeping their word. Later after touring with Trey Songz and saw how we were being treated wrongly, we decided to ask for a release and we got it.
MJ27: Do you have any regrets about being signed to the label in the first place?
Razah: I don’t have any regrets in life, everything that has ever happened is apart of my journey and story.
MJ27: I take it that you are now back to being an independent artist, is that the case?
Razah: Yes, I’ve been independent since 2009; not interested in being on a major label again unless it’s a partnership.
MJ27: How did you linkup with Reggae Vibes Music?
Razah: Honestly, Reggae Vibes just linked me on WhatsApp, sent me the riddim, I loved it and recorded the song same time.
MJ27: Did you write “Too Much”?
Razah: I write all my songs
MJ27: What inspired “Too Much”?
Razah: The inspiration behind Too Much actually came from being in a relationship with my lady, and not wanting to talk too much about it on social media because I’m a very private guy.
MJ27: You seem to have the recipe for coming up with hit songs. What was the creative process for “Too Much” like?
Razah: My recipe for coming up with songs usually come from the beat. I usually have a lot of ideas in my head and the beat usually just brings it out of me, putting the words together as I go, because I never write anything down.
MJ27: How do you feel about all the positive feedback the song has been getting?
Razah: “Too Much” is my first reggae vibe I’ve done in a long time. The feedback got me feeling so positive that I actually want to do a entire reggae album.
MJ27: What do you want listeners to take away from “Too Much”?
Razah: I want the listeners to just know I truly appreciate them for even listening to my music, cause I know there’s a bunch of other artist they could be listening to rather than me. I just can’t wait to start touring and performing for the ppl cause that’s when I truly get to feel the love, and hate(cause that’s apart of the territory)haha! The Love always outweigh the hate though!
Too Much can be streamed and downloaded from Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Deezer, Amazon Music, Tidal, Boomplay, Pandora, etc.
The Legacy Crew Association presents the 2024 Sunlight Jam Festival on August 9th, 10th, and 11th at Cropettes Park in Geneva, Switzerland. This is a free event that will have live music, a food court, and lots of activities for the children.
The live entertainment will be provided by Chuck Fenda, Turbulence, Ras P, Jah Bless, Bala Ranks, Jungle P, Magnificient Joe, Radymus, Group Sanou, Saliue Fall, and others. The sound system culture will be on full display with Baby Lion Sound, Major Vibes, Ras Malik Sound, DJ Manu, and that is just to name a few.
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 