Irie Jam’s Executive VP, Syntche Clarke with kids from Freetown Primary School in Clarendon, Jamaica
Christmas 2015 came early for hundreds of kids from the Freetown Primary School in Clarendon who received a brand new desktop computer courtesy of Queens based Irie Jam radio.
Irie Jam’s Executive VP, Syntyche ‘Syn’ Clarke said she read about the school’s plight in the Gleaner. On a recent business trip to Kingston she made a surprise visit to the school in Clarendon to make the presentation.
Principal Ann Marie Brown, who accepted on behalf of the school expressed gratitude for the gift even as she expressed the need for even more help for the school.
The Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) has shifted into high gear with the planning of the 9th staging of the annual Reggae Month celebration in February. Emerging as a distinctive brand on Jamaica’s cultural landscape, Reggae Month has garnered international attention attracting over 20,000 attendees in 2015. The month long festival of events pays tribute to the indisputable global impact of Jamaica’s musical heritage.Under the theme “Reggae Mekyah”, Reggae Month 2016’s calendar of activities features JaRIA’s signature events including , Reggae Open University, the JaRIA Honour Awards and its signature Reggae Wednesdays which will transform Mandela Park with weekly performances every Wednesday as of February 3, 2016 from musical icons and rising reggae stars.
Blakkwuman22 Music, the label owned and operated by Karamanti, will begin 2016 with the release of the dancehall compilation, “Life 101 Riddim.” The project, which is now being mixed by Ricardo ‘RedBoom’ Reid, is expected to be ready for release around mid January. The exact date will be announced once all songs have been mixed and mastered.
Maria Jackson Entertainment and MJ Magazine would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year. May this New Year bring you new light and new hope, and may you reap all the fruits from your hard work this year.
Nkiru Books was the oldest African-American bookstore in Brooklyn, New York. Initially founded by Leothy Miller Owens in 1976, the bookstore was bought by Brooklyn MCs Talib Kweli and & Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997. Thereafter it was operated as the Nkiru Center for Education and Culture, a nonprofit organization promoting literacy and multicultural awareness for people of color. In its last incarnation it was located at 732 Washington Avenue, but was regrettably closed in 2002.
“Royal Hail,” the six-track album from veteran Reggae artist Mikey General, is among Reggaeville’s top albums for 2015. It was released digitally on August 13th, 2015, with full production credits going to Papa Michigan.
