The first annual Oregon Reggae Fest is scheduled for Saturday, August 20th, at the Jackson Wellsprings – 2253 OR-99 N – in Ashland, Oregon. For their inaugural staging they have invited Turbulence, Sister Carol, Perfect Giddimani and several other reggae acts to perform.
The live entertainment will be complimented by the many food options that will be on site, a dedicated kids zone, camping grounds and workshops. It will commence at 12pm local time.
After years of ongoing health problems Ras Kidus somehow manages to start a clothing line and initiates the Bionic Roots platform: a website dedicated to his life’s work. The site has links to all his songs and music videos; details his vision and is the home of his latest venture: a Rasta clothing line inspired by his lyrics.
To really appreciate the previous paragraph, knowledge of Ras Kidus‘ health history is necessary.
In 2008 while his career was advancing, Ras Kidus – Jamaican roots-reggae artist, producer and actor – suffered a stroke and had to step away from everything. This was truly an inopportune time, because prior to the sudden disabling attack he had been on countless tours, done three movies, and was gearing up for more.
Being a fighter he refused to give up; so with the support of his loved ones he did rehabilitative therapy and went right back to work. However, in 2011 – shortly after the release of his fourth movie: A Cop and a Badman – he suffered another major blow: brain aneurysm. The serious nature of this illness meant that he had to do bypass surgery; an operation that could have resulted in fatal complications.
The Rastafarian survived the surgical procedure, did physiotherapy, and once again returned to work. This time around, not wanting to invite another setback, he made some changes. Instead of shooting movies and doing live shows – he begun to put things in place for the new website and fashion brand. Since the launch of both, he and his team have been getting a lot of love and support from his fans worldwide, especially those based in the Bay Area where Kidus currently resides.
Additionally, he continues to make music.
After a two year break – due to covid-19 – The Toronto Jerk Fest returns on August 5th, 6th and 7th at Centennial Park in Etobicoke, Ontario. The stellar lineup includes reggae star Maxi Priest, RnB legend Brian McKnight, soca giant Alison Hinds and dancehall artist Konshens.
Get additional information and links to tickets from the event’s official website.
Mi No Nyam Pork, the latest single from recording artist Karamanti, was published a few days ago on the Natty Dreadlocks Survival Riddim, produced by Jungle Lava Productions. The record – which is approximately four-and-a-half minutes of her lamenting about various things she does not like, pork being one, while simultaneously expressing her delight in writing the song – has emerged as one of the standout tracks on the compilation.
Based on the overwhelming positive reviews it’s been receiving, Karamanti and her team decided to compile and share clips captured in and around Jungle Lava Studio of her performing the tune. The collated visuals, which were filmed by crazymedia.tv, is now being used as the song’s official video. Furthermore, the decision was made to post it on July 1st in honor of International Reggae Day.
Recording artist Hezron is currently one of the most underrated song writers hailing from Jamaica. Anyone who takes the time to really listen and study his catalogue – sincerely – will come to the same conclusion.
Save The Children, the third single from his upcoming album – M.O.A.M. (Man on a Mission), due out on July 29th, 2022 – is testament to the preceding statement. The song, which was produced by Hezron and distributed by Tad’s Record Inc., went live on music platforms a few days ago (June 24th).
Interestingly, Hezron penned Save The Children after being exposed to a couple of very disturbing truths about what is really happening with young people all over the world. The first was an African documentary demonstrating how children are captured, abused and brainwashed into becoming child soldiers; and the second was learning how Jamaican dons and gangsters often rape and exploit kids, eventually converting them into killers.
After having these realities revealed to him, the St. James singer who has given us hits like Can’t Come Between, Can’t Tek Di Pressure, She’s All Woman, and his most recent, Tik Tok I’m Coming – which sat at #1 for four weeks on Clinton Lindsay’s South Florida Reggae Charts and Richie B’s Jamaica Top 25 Reggae Singles Chart – wrote words that allow you and I to see and feel what he saw and felt. Furthermore, Save The Children, which was recorded in Kingston at Tad’s International Recording Studio and Mountain Lion Music JA, also features saxophonist extraordinaire Dean Fraser.
This is a powerful record that will no doubt increase anticipation for the upcoming album: M.O.A.M. (Man on a Mission). Save The Children is now available on all major music platforms.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD “SAVE THE CHILDREN”
Grammy award-winning reggae singer Mykal Rose, who led Black Uhuru to international recognition in the early 1980s, will perform at one of San Diego’s best live music venue – Belly Up – on Friday, July 22nd.
Rose will be supported by Encinitas’ roots reggae band, Ginger Roots and The Protectors. As is the case with all shows at Belly Up, this is a twenty-one and older event. Ticket price is $26 USD in advance and $29 USD on the day of the concert.
Jamaica’s reggae-dancehall industry, although strong and influential, is filled with persons with questionable character. This includes those in the background, as well as performers and players of instruments standing on center stage. The sad reality is that a lot of our artists have been involved in some form of scandal at some point in their career.
One artist that’s managed to keep hands and heart clean to date is Little Hero. The St. Ann singer, who emerged on the scene in the early 90s, has been able to avoid a lot of the pitfalls in the entertainment industry. He’s had several number-one songs over the years and yet he remains humble and continues to give us ‘big tunes’.
His latest ‘big tune’ is World Right Now: an inspirational dancehall track produced by Sheldon and Leroy Edwards for Pandemic Records. In it, Hero laments on the current state of mankind, highlighting the fact that many have chosen to take the road frequently travelled. One filled with crime, violence, envy and outright wickedness.
The strength of World Right Now was confirmed by Jamaica’s award-winning film writer, director and producer, Dr. Empress Rose Green, who used the song in a short film centered around Africa Day 2022. She chose it because, according to her: “it summarizes the Africa Day film and message in its entirety.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD “WORLD RIGHT NOW”
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 