For the past fifteen years, residents of St. James and beyond have looked forward to and attended the MoBay Jerk Festival. Although this is primarily a food fair, it also has a full day of activities and entertainment for the entire family.
There will be drinking and eating contests, bounce-abouts, face painting, ball pits, and, of course, a live concert. Among the artists confirmed for this year are gospel favorites Sister Patt and Prince Saj, as well as reggae-dancehall veteran Louie Culture.
One of the hardest-working artists in reggae-dancehall, Richie Stephens, is gearing up to release his first ever full-soul music album on Friday, July 26, 2024. With well over thirty (30) LPs already in his catalog, this project, dubbed The Soul of Richie Stephens, is exceptional because it is the manifestation of several requests he has gotten over the years from both his fans and colleagues within the industry.
He explains it as follows: “what inspired this album is that for years and years people have been saying that I have the type of voice that they think I should do a soul album. And I’ve been ignoring that for several years, until I decided to do it because I’ve come of age. I’m fully experienced in a lot of things, production, songwriting, and all these things, that makes me more comfortable to do a full album of soul.”
He goes on to say: “it’s a soul album with a Jamaican touch. So all of the songs are original songs and some of the songs I’m singing in Jamaican dialect, so it’s more unique like this.”Stephens wrote all the songs, and he is credited for approximately 80% of the production, with most of the work being done at his Pot of Gold studio in Kingston, Jamaica.
The public has already gotten a taste of three of the tracks presented on The Soul of Richie Stephens: Heart Beat, a tune that was first heard on the Soul Food Riddim, Bassline Whine, a grown-folk rub-a-dub vibe, and Family & Friends, a feel-good track that features Bounty Killer and Wilful Skilful. An official video was just released for the latter, and all three songs are already enjoying heavy rotation!
There will be an album listening party at Footprints Cafe (5 Belmont Road) in New Kingston on the release date, Friday, July 26. The starting time is 8:00 p.m., and there is no cover charge.
In a few weeks, Buju Banton will embark on a fourteen-city arena tour in the United States, dubbed Overcomer. It starts on the 23rd of August in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and ends on the 17th of November in Brooklyn, New York. Below are all the confirmed dates and locations as of this writing.
Aug. 23 — Ft. Lauderdale, FL — Amerant Bank Arena
Aug. 25 — Tampa, FL — Amalie Arena
Aug. 27 — Washington, DC — Capital One Arena
Aug. 30 — Boston, MA — TD Garden
Sept. 1 — Philadelphia, PA — Wells Fargo Center
Sept. 6 — Hartford, CT — XL Center
Sept. 8 — Atlanta, GA — State Farm Arena
Sept. 12 — Houston, TX — Toyota Center
Sept. 13 — Dallas, TX — American Airlines Center
Sept. 15 — Phoenix, AZ — Footprint Center
Sept. 18 — Inglewood, CA — Intuit Dome
Sept. 23 — San Jose, CA — SAP Center
Sept. 29 — Chicago, IL — Allstate Arena
Nov. 17 — Brooklyn, NY — Barclays Center
#1. Natural Woman – Hezron – Tads Records
#2. Sweet Caroline – Fancy D.
#3. Description – Inspired
#4. Battlefield – Sir (Da Love Philosyfa) – Uni Cleus Prod.
#5. A Wah Yu Duh – Raw Deal (The Future) – Golden Gate Ent.
The above chart airs on Disc-Jock Redeem‘s Positive Vibrations radio show on BoBo 89.1 FM in the Cayman Islands each and every Saturday at 6:00 p.m. (CST), with rebroadcasts on Movements I Radio on Sundays at 1:00 p.m. (CST), and One Harmony Radio on Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. (CST).
U.K.-based reggae-dancehall artist Unstoppable Fyah has been added to the Aarhus Reggae Festival lineup. He will join Trench Town performer Norris Man and five-time JUNO Awards-winner Exco Levi at Volume Village (Thomas Koppels Gade 201) in Aarhus, Denmark, on September 28, 2024.
Though he now resides in the United Kingdom, Unstoppable Fyah is a recording artist who hails from Jamaica. He made his debut on the international scene with the album Still Alive in 2018. Based on its success, he followed up with Soul Vitamin in 2020 and The Other Side in 2021, both of which were presented on the Ziah Records label. In addition to his LPs, Unstoppable has also released several singles, as well as collaborations with the likes of I-Octane, Fantan Mojah, and Lutan Fyah.
The Aarhus Reggae Festival started in 2015, and since then, it has grown to become one of the largest reggae events in the city. This year is the first staging since the pandemic, and as such, the organizers are working assiduously to ensure that the return is a success.
New York and London Link Up, in association with the Sizzla Youth Foundation, present the 25th annual Summer Bikini Affair. This is a day-and-night family fun day and after party that will see Sizzla Kalonji giving out school supplies to attendees as needed.
It will take place at Long Bay Beach in Negril, Jamaica, on Independence Day (Tuesday, August 6th, 2024). There will be performances by Sizzla, Singer J, Little Hero, Jr Cat, Hard Fi Deal With, Kimeco, and Barbales. Additional music will be provided by King Tafari, Selector Mad Ras, Flames Millennium Sound, DJ Craig, and Jaco. Admission is J$1,500 for adults and J$500 for kids.
Capleton‘s forthcoming festival, A St. Mary Mi Come From, scheduled for Monday, August 5th, at the Gray’s Inn Sports Complex in Annotto Bay, St. Mary, will present an array of performances that include legends, veterans, established acts, and newcomers.
Several artists, most of whom are regulars on global stages, have been confirmed: Max Romeo, Beenie Man, Busy Signal, Bushman, I-Wayne, Fantan Mojah, Admiral Tibet, Warrior King, Romain Virgo, Richie Spice, Ce’Cile, Turbulence, Lutan Fyah, and Spragga Benz.
The lineup also includes Jah Vinci, I Octane, Bugle, Tony Curtis, Lady G, Louie Culture, Munga Honorable, Jigsy King, Frisco Kid, Jahmiel, Iba Mahr, Droop Lion, and Hezron. In addition to the aforementioned, a lot of the now-trending dancehall stars will be doing sets: Tee Jay, Chronic Law, Skeng, Valiant, Jahshi, 10 Tik, Accid, and Pablo YG.
When the concert began years ago, it was made clear that one of its objectives was to provide a platform for emerging artists to showcase their talent. That said, King Shango and his team have invited Auraiya, Wesrok, Alex A Game, Sese Foster, E.Q. Blacka Don, Pashon Minott, and Ffurious.
A St. Mary Mi Come From is being powered by Capleton Music, the imprint owned and operated by the legendary dancehall artist with the same name. This year’s sponsors are Irie FM, JP Farms, On Stage, CPJ, and Sun City Radio.
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 