92 year old Minnie Minoso, who was Chicago’s first Black major league baseball player, has passed away. The information came from the Cook County medical examiner on Sunday. Minoso played 12 of his 17 seasons in Chicago, hitting .304 with 135 homers and 808 RBIs for the White Sox. The White Sox retired his No. 9 in 1983.
Jasiri X shared his new video, “Don’t Let Them Get Away With Murder” which is a collaboration with Harry Belafonte’s organization Sankofa.org, and had this to say
“Unarmed people of color are being killed wholesale by police officers across the country. Their deaths are being ruled as homicides, yet no one is being held accountable. It is my hope that this song will serve as a reminder of how severely broken the justice system is and that we need to take action now to make sure all people are treated equally and given justice.”
Now that the 2015 ‘Reggae Month’ celebrations held in Jamaica have officially ended, MJ Magazine took to the streets to find out what Jamaicans thought about this years’ staging. To our surprise we were flooded with reviews some of which were quite shocking.
We were told by several persons that this years’ presentation was not as entertaining as previous years. When we pressed for additional information insisting that they elaborate the general consensus seems to be that some of the shows were simply “weak”. These were shows meant to highlight the up and coming artists. Some persons felt that there were some good performances here and there but that the overall shows could have been better. We were even told by persons within the music industry that the emerging acts booked for Reggae Month seems too manufactured; one individual said that “the inner city artists were missing and if the inner city acts are missing then Reggae is missing.”
Others have asked why no Dancehall artists were on the line up, something we have also inquired about. Maria Jackson the CEO and owner of MJ Magazine was told by the organizers that booking Dancehall acts was simply too risky mainly because of their lyrical content (which is usually not appropriate for family events) but also because of their unpredictability.
Regretfully no one from MJ Magazine was able to attend the events this year so we cannot accept as true, neither can we dismiss the feedback that we have gotten from the public, but regardless if it is 100 % or 5% accurate it is clear that the organizers have some work to do for 2016.
According to Jasiri X he received what is obviously a house beat from Zeke Thomas. Knowing he was a “conscious rapper” Zeke apparently wanted to know if Jasiri could spit knowledge over the type of tracks he plays in the club. As an artist Jasiri X took it as a challenge, and sent the song back with verses and a hook. After which Zeke went and got legendary hip-hop artist Chuck D to add vocals. The song is called “Blackness”, listen here https://soundcloud.com/tommy-boy-1/blackness
The youth movement in Dancehall is taking the genre back to the direction it first started going in: lyrics about reality. Listeners appreciate the party vibe, and they also appreciate the foundation on which the music was built which is sharing how some people overcome the hardships they face.
The newest member to the Dancehall fraternity is Della. The young artist has had several experiences which shapes the music he produces for his fans. He’s so serious about this production that he has his own label called QBANZ LYNX Records, and he is selective as to which producers he works with. Why is he so guarded? Because he wants songs like “Pray” featuring Tatik to reach the masses.
Taking time to make his point, Della says: “a psalms a day / can change anything / prayer move mountain / move anything / me nuh perfect so me slide and sing / cause more while me nuh know where fih begin / sometimes me shame ah dih life me livin / so me haffi pray inna dih song weh me sing / cause some battle difficult / hard fih me win….”
Mediafire Link: http://www.mediafire.com/listen/ilydpbvpuk8svlv/Della_ft._Tatik_-_Pray.mp3
Jamaican Canadian neo reggae soul singer and songwriter Mel Dubé makes an official international release of “Extra Side” with Zojak World Wide featured this week on iTunes Reggae Releases. “Extra Side” is described as sensuous masterpiece of rocksteady reggae music, built on the foundation of the familiar remake, “Water Pumping” riddim reproduced by John John, in 2010.
Mel Dubé has already debut this hot single at a major European Festival, Exit Festival Positive Vibrations /Reggae Stage last summer.
About heading to Europe Mel says,
“I was so curious to see the reactions of the people and if they will feel my flow. I’m going into new territories with my music so it feels kinda surreal…I’m glad that it is through my musical foundation of reggae and soul music that I am able to represent my culture in countries that will adore it!”
Mel Dubé’s first single “Bring It”, released in 2010 garnered the attention of Canadian radio programmers, igniting her recording career. In 2013 she released her Soulful Melodies of Life Extended Play and the single “Dem Ah Look” peaked at #1 on the New Wax Show’s Top 30 which was listed in Earshot, the national campus and community radio report. It also charted in Canada on 105.5 FM for eleven weeks on Rebel Vibes.
The accompanying video for the single, Extra Side was released and has since been featured on The Next Edition (NXE) and Caribbean Vibrations in Canada. Featured in the video, Champion Sound Clash Selecta/MC Tasha Rozez says, “She’s a modernly soulful artist with a mature vocal sound. Her self written, catchy lyrics add a youthful yet thought invoking appeal.”
As a performing artist, Mel Dubé has opened for Reggae superstars Beres Hammond, Morgan Heritage, Tarrus Riley, Chaka Demus and Pliers, and The Heptones. She has performed at Toronto ReggaeFest, Honey Jam and Caribana Lime. Dubé has also been a backing vocalist for Lenn Hammond, Richie Stephens, and Steele among others.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Chair of the Reggae Committee says,
“Over the few years put into the industry her name (Mel Dubé) and voice have made many people commit to her fan base which is now filling venues across the city any time she performs.” ~ Carrie Mullings
Download from Itunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/extra-side-single/id965424242?ls=1
Get Soca 2015 debuts at #3 onBillboard’s Reggae Albums chart, dated March 7, 2015. This is the first all-star compilation from FOX FUSE – the largest worldwide digital distributor of contemporary soca music, and spotlights the FOX FUSE roster of talented producers and artists. Jam-packed with 21 blockbuster songs, this flagship, definitive soca collection features the top hits from the 2015 Trinidad Carnival season, from soca’s biggest hit-makers, all on one album.
The Billboard charting is tallied from cumulative sales of the album, as recorded by Nielsen SoundScan, the largest monitor of commercial music sales in North America. The compilation also peaked at #3 on the iTunes U.S. Reggae Top Albums chart, #3 on the iTunes Canada World/Reggae Top Albums chart, and #10 on the iTunes U.K. Reggae Top Albums chart. Additionally, it boasts the top three winning tracks “Ola” by Olatunji (capturing the Groovy Soca Monarch crown), “My House” by Farmer Nappy and“Vagabond” by Ricardo Drue, which were the top three respectively at the International Groovy Soca Monarch Competition held in Port of Spain, Trinidad on Friday, February 13, known as Fantastic Friday. Olatunji’s “Ola” also placed third in the annual Road Marchcompetition held on Carnival Tuesday, which culminated the 2015 Trinidad Carnival season.
Curated by Rhona Fox and Zack Cohen, owners of FOX FUSE, this collection is their mission of propelling Caribbean music globally, in motion. “We simply selected some of our favorites from this season from the exciting FOX FUSE catalog,” reveals Fox.“Some are major hits and some are lesser-known tracks that we believe in, and we’re so thrilled fans appreciated the overall collection and look forward to releasing many more.”Cohen adds, “The Billboard charting means our respective clients are now Billboard chart-toppers and we are grateful for this mainstream exposure for their talents and productions.”
Get Soca 2015 is now available worldwide from all major digital retailers (released on Carnival Tuesday – February 17, 2015), from FOX FUSE http://getsoca.com/.
TRACK LIST
1. Preedy – My People
2. Olatunji – Ola
3. Farmer Nappy – My House
4. KES – Fallin
5. Kerwin Du Bois – Use It
6. Flipo – Sweat
7. Shal Marshall – Motivation
8. Fadda Fox – Ducking
9. Islandboy Rick J – Give She Wine
10. Benjai Featuring H2O Phlo – Phenomenal
11. Ricardo Drue – Vagabond
12. Machel Montano – Pop Ah Bottle
13. Skinny Fabulous Featuring Lyrikal – Sober is Over-Rated
14. Crazy – Respect De’ Elder
15. Porgie & Murda – BenUp
16. Destra Garcia – Lucky
17. KES – Just Wanna Jam
18. Lyrikal – Dey In It
19. Patrice Roberts – Ah Feeling Mehself
20. Farmer Nappy Featuring Alison Hinds – In Trouble
21. Lead Pipe – Carnival Addiction
