The city of Miramar in Florida – which has a very large and vibrant Jamaican community – will be celebrating Jamaica’s Emancipation and Independence (Emancipendence) on Saturday, August 6th, 2022.
The free event will be held at Miramar Regional Park, located at 16801 Miramar Parkway, from 12 to 6 PM EDT.
There will be a farmer’s market, kids zone, cultural stage and live musical entertainment. Legendary Jamaican reggae duo Chaka Demus & Pliers will be performing alongside singers Gem Myers and King Banton.
Reggae crooners Christopher Martin and Romain Virgo are on the lineup of the Grace sponsored Jamaican Jerk Festival in New York on Sunday, July 31st. The men will join Protoje, Cristale, LaaLee, Nigy Boy and Lila Ike at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens from 12 to 8pm.
In addition to the live performances, the event will also have celebrity chefs, arts and craft, kids fun zone and much more. This year the organizers will be celebrating the festival’s 10th anniversary in New York, Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of independence and Grace Foods 100th anniversary.
The 2022 St. Thomas Jerk Festival will take place on Sunday, July 31st at Lyssons Pavilion in Lyssons, St. Thomas (Jamaica). The all day family event will feature performances by several artists from different genres: Duane Stephenson (reggae), Bounty Killer and Ding Dong (dancehall) and two of the islands’ biggest gospel artists: Kukudoo and Kevin Downswell.
Paid patrons will have an opportunity to win a motorbike, as two will be given away as the gate prize. And tickets, which can be purchased from firstinlinejadotcom, are going for $2,000 (adults) and $1,000 (kids).
Rastafarian reggae/dancehall artist Anthony B will be performing at Eagles Hall – 2965 Boys Road – in Duncan, British Columbia on Friday, August 19th. The event, which is being presented by The Cowichan Reggae Society, is an early show that will run from 7pm to midnight. Click here for tickets.
The highly anticipated album from veteran reggae singer Little Hero is now available on all digital streaming platforms. The twelve-track masterpiece, titled The Journey Continue – which is being distributed by Tad’s Record – went live today: Friday, July 15th.
Hero – who has been actively releasing and promoting new music in recent months – appropriately started the project with an inspirational tune called Ready Again. On it he says he is going to rise again; and having already achieved major success on both the local and international scene, this message should be welcomed by all his supporters. His flexibility is on full display on this album as he comfortably tackles dancehall, reggae and even love songs, done specifically for the ladies.
The project features his current trending single, World Right Now, as well as renditions of faith-based tunes Don’t Ever Give Up, God is Amazing and Thank God For Another Day. Additionally, tracks such as Heart Of Kingston, Straight From My Heart and Do The Right Thing, solidify the exceptionality of Little Hero’s artistry on this LP. He made it a family affair by including his sons: Jason ‘Don1’ Gayle and Jemar ‘Jay1’ Gayle, who both joined him on Do The Right Thing.
Producers credited on The Journey Continue include: (World Right Now) Sheldon and Leroy Edwards for Pandemic Records, (Always on My Mind) Conroy Smith and (Heart of Kingston) Donglez Records. All other tracks were written and produced by Little Hero and his brother Pzed of God Alone Studios.
The Jukebox Concert Series makes its debut on Sunday, August 21st with the 2022 JukeBox Fest, at the historical Queen Mary Park – also known as Harry Bridges Memorial Park – in Long Beach, California. This is a multi-genre festival which brings the nostalgia of yesteryears with a modern twist.
Performers include: Shabba Ranks, Tony! Toni! Toné!, Cutty Ranks, Machel Montano, Patrice Roberts, Ricardo Drue, Adina Howard, Shanice, Renee Neufville of Zhane, Snap!, Tanya Carter and Osocity. Get tickets and additional information here.
Jamaican reggae-dancehall singer Mr Easy – who remains very active in his philanthropic efforts, especially in the Trelawny district – would like other well-to-do Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora to do more for the inner-city communities across the island.
He said as much in his latest single, Ghetto Cry, which was shared at the end of 2021 by Pandemic Records. Although the song was published months ago, it is now getting a lot of attention because it’s featured on the imprint’s recently released Logic Riddim.
Ghetto Cry – written by Caradon Scott – outlines what every honest Jamaican knows to be true: that persons living in the nations slums are treated as less than by every other sector of society. Because the lyrics are so steeped in reality the song has become one of the stand out tracks on the compilation.
All the attention on the record is very timely as Mr Easy‘s annual back to school charity event is scheduled for August 7th in Stewart Town, Trelawny. He and his team will be giving out pens, pencils, books, school bags, iPads etc. to students in the neighborhood for the upcoming school term. There will be live performances, and popular sound-system Bass Odyssey will be juggling. Needless to say, Ghetto Cry will be on repeat.
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 