It’s that time of year again! On Tuesday, May 23rd, Jamaicans will pause for the annual Labor Day celebrations. This is a holiday that’s dedicated to the achievements of workers across the island.
For 2023, St. Michaels Funeral Home will mark the occasion with a Labor Day Gospel Concert at the Ocho Rios Primary School in St. Ann. They have invited Kukudoo, Carlene Davis, George Nooks, Goddy Goddy and Venecia Nicholson to join them in honoring the nation’s workers.
Two weeks ago, legendary reggae artist Mikey General – in collaboration with Blakkwuman22 Music – got together to shoot the official video for his single, Up & At Them. The song is featured on the Survive Riddim, released on March 21st via the aforementioned imprint.
Clips for the video were captured at Exodus Recording Studio (off Red Hills Road), as well as in the Ackee Walk district, an area that was instrumental to Mikey General‘s career, in the early years. The music video, which was shot by Maria Jackson 27, is currently being edited, and will be officially published in a few days.
In addition to Mikey General, the Survive Riddim also features songs by veteran bass player and singer Wormbass, vocalist Earl Smith Jr. – who is the son of famed guitarist Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith – and lyricist, songwriter and producer Karamanti (the CEO and owner of Blakkwuman22 Music).
On Saturday, June 3rd, Renegade Mas will present the Out Of This World Music Festival at Camana Bay (Festival Green) in George Town, Cayman Islands. This is a major event that will feature live performances by trending hip-hop, dancehall and soca artists.
The headliners are Sean Paul, Patrice Roberts, Busta Rhymes and Elephant Man; who will all be supported by Renegade, Don Hot, Silent Matic, Joshie Vybz, Georgie Duarte and Max Kazakov. Get tickets here.
At the end of March, Blakkwuman22 Music released the Survive Riddim, a secular reggae compilation that features several well known Jamaican artists. Among the temporal songs however, is Survive, the title track, which also happens to be gospel.
The tune was first shared on Karamanti‘s 2021 studio album, Spiritual Warfare; but has since been remixed, remastered and rereleased on the aforementioned EP. On the record, Karamanti encourages listeners to attack all battles from a spiritual perspective, using prayer and direction from God as weapons of war.
The beat for Survive Riddim was built by Lamar Thompson exclusively for Blakkwuman22 Music, with a live bassline played by legendary bassist Wormbass. All songs were mixed and mastered by Old Harbor based AudioTraxx Production, and distributed independently by Blakkwuman22 Music.
Survive Riddim is now available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms; however, Karamanti‘s single – Survive – can be downloaded here, absolutely free.
For those not in the know, R&B quartet Jodeci – with members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo – are back together, and will be going on tour to boot. The Summer Block Party Tour, which will be supported by SWV and Dru Hill, was announced in early April.
Two weeks ago the men followed up by sharing all confirmed dates and locations via their social media platform. See below.
7/28 Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
7/29 Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
7/30 Greensboro, NC – White Oak Amphitheater at Greensboro Coliseum Complex
8/4 Brooklyn, NY – Coney Island Amphitheater
8/5 Bridgeport, CT – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
8/6 Philadelphia, PA – The Mann Center
8/10 Detroit, MI – Aretha Franklin Amphitheater
8/11 Chicago, IL – Arie Crown Theater
8/13 Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
8/15 St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
8/18 Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
8/19 Birmingham, AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheater
8/20 Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
8/24 Baton Rouge, LA – Raising Cane’s River Center
8/26 Houston, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
8/27 Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
8/31 Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
9/2 Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheater
9/3 San Diego, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheater
9/7 Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
9/8 Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion
The 38th Stellar Awards will take place on July 15th at the Orleans Arena – 4500 West Tropicana Avenue – in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the first and oldest televised awards show honoring gospel music. Below is the list of this year’s nominees.
Artist of the year
– Doe; Clarity; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
– Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Kingdom Book One; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
– Pastor Mike Jr.; Winning; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– Tasha Cobbs Leonard; Hymns; TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel
– Tye Tribbett; All Things New; Motown Gospel
Song of the year
– “Impossible”; Pastor Mike Jr., James Fortune & JeVon Hill; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– “Kingdom” (feat. Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore); Kirk Franklin, Chandler Moore, Jonathan Jay & Jacob Poole; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
– “New”; Tye Tribbett; Motown Gospel
– “Positive”; Erica Campbell, Warryn Campbell & Juan Winans; My Block Inc.
– “When I Pray”; Dominique Jones & Dewitt Jones; Label ~ Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
Male artist of the year
– Brian Courtney Wilson; Transitions; Motown Gospel
– JJ Hairston; Believe Again; Jamestown Music/ Tribl Records, LLC
– Pastor Mike Jr.; Winning; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– Tye Tribbett; All Things New; Motown Gospel
– Zacardi Cortez; Imprint; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Albertina Walker female artist of the year
– CeCe Winans; Believe For it – Deluxe Edition; Pure Springs, Fair Trade, Red Alliance Media
– DOE; Clarity; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
– Maranda Curtis; Die to Live; Butterfly Works /Red Alliance Media
– Tamela Mann; Overcomer Deluxe; Tillymann Music Group
– Tasha Cobbs Leonard; Hymns; TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel
Duo/Chorus group of the year
– Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Kingdom Book One; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
– The Group Fire; Heal the Land; Jet Records North/East
– Tim Bowman Jr. & Faith City Music; Welcome to Faith City; Faith City Music/Tribl Records, LLC
– Travis Greene & Forward City; Tent Revival; Tribl Records, LLC
New artist of the year
– Courtney Franklin; Heal Us; Pebble Street Records
– Lena Byrd Miles; Brand New; My Block Inc.
– Pastor Nell; It’s My Time; Righteous Records Inc.
– The Hawkins Boys; Vanquish; Melvin Williams Entertainment
Album of the year
– All Things New; Tye Tribbett; Motown Gospel
– Imprint; Zacardi Cortez; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– Kingdom Book One; Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
– Overcomer Deluxe; Tamela Mann; Tillymann Music Group
– Winning; Pastor Mike Jr.; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Choir of the year
– Bishop S.Y. Younger feat. Sounds of the Ramp; Rampology Vol. 1; Ramp Records / MNRK
– Brent Jones; Nothing Else Matters (Instead of Complaining, Praise Him); JDI Entertainment
– Demetrius West & Jesus Promoters; Old Fellowship Hour; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– Vincent Bohanan & SOV; A Choir Christmas; HezHouse Entertainment
Producer of the year
– James Fortune & David Outing; My Life; FIYA World / MNRK
– Rodney Andre Turner, Jr. & Michael McClure Jr.; Winning; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– Tony Brown, Jonathan Jay, Kirk Franklin, Chandler Moore & Norman Gyamfi; Kingdom Book One; Tribl Records /Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
– Travis Greene, Matthew Edwards, Brunes Charles & Reggie Rhett; Tent Revival; Tribl Records, LLC
– Tye Tribbett; All Things New; Motown Gospel
Contemporary duo/chorus group of the year
– Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Kingdom Book One; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
– Tennessee State University Marching Band, Kierra Sheard Kelly, Sir The Baptist & Dubba-AA; The Urban Hymnal; Tennessee State University
– The Group Fire; Heal the Land; Jet Records North/East
– Travis Greene & Forward City; Tent Revival; Tribl Records, LLC
Contemporary male artist of the year
– Brian Courtney Wilson; Transitions; Motown Gospel
– Pastor Mike Jr.; Winning; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– James Fortune; My Life; FIYA World / MNRK
– Tye Tribbett; All Things New; Motown Gospel
Traditional male artist of the year
– Bishop S.Y. Younger; Rampology Vol. 1; Ramp Records / MNRK
– Brent Jones; Nothing Else Matters (Instead of Complaining, Praise Him); JDI Entertainment
– JJ Hairston; Believe Again; Jamestown Music/ Tribl Records, LLC
– Zacardi Cortez; Imprint; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Contemporary female artist of the year
– CeCe Winans; Believe For it – Deluxe Edition; Pure Springs, Fair Trade, Red Alliance Media
– DOE; Clarity; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
– Maranda Curtis; Die to Live; Butterfly Works /Red Alliance Media
– Tamela Mann; Overcomer Deluxe; Tillymann Music Group
– Tasha Cobbs Leonard; Hymns; TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel
Contemporary album of the year
– All Things New; Tye Tribbett; Motown Gospel
– Kingdom Book One; Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
– Overcomer Deluxe; Tamela Mann; Tillymann Music Group
– Winning; Pastor Mike Jr.; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Traditional album of the year
– Believe Again; JJ Hairston; Jamestown Music/ Tribl Records, LLC
– Imprint; Zacardi Cortez; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– Nothing Else Matters (Instead of Complaining, Praise Him); Brent Jones; JDI Entertainment
– Rampology Vol. 1 (Live); Bishop S.Y. Younger feat. Sounds of the Ramp; Ramp Records / MNRK
Urban/Inspirational single or performance of the year
– “Bless Me”; Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
– “Get Up”; Tye Tribbett; Motown Gospel
– “Impossible”; Pastor Mike Jr.; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– “The Better Benediction” ft. Zacardi Cortez, Gene Moore, Samoht, Tim Rogers, and Darrel ‘MusiqCity’ Walls; PJ Morton; Morton Records / Empire
– “When I Pray”; DOE; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
Music video of the year
– “Goodness of God”; C’mon Creative; Pure Springs/FairTrade Services/Red Alliance Media
– “Jesus” (feat. Le’Andria Johnson); Joshua Freeman and Tim Bowman Jr.; Faith City Music/Tribl Records, LLC
– “Mr. McClure”; Michael McClure, Andre Rudolph & Antonio Minifield; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– “Positive”; James Earl; My Block Inc.
Special event album of the year
– Christmas at Our House; Teddy & Tina Campbell; Gee Tree Creative/Red Alliance Media
– Kingdom Business: Season 1 soundtrack; Kingdom Business Cast; RCA Inspiration / Sony Music Entertainment
– T.D. Jakes Presents “Finally Loosed”; Various Artists; Dexterity Sounds
– The Urban Hymnal; Tennessee State University Marching Band, Kierra Sheard Kelly, Sir The Baptist & Dubba-AA; Tennessee State University
Rap/Hip-Hop gospel album of the year
– As I Am; 1K Phew; Reach Records
– Church Clothes 4; Lecrae; Reach Records
– He’s Been Good; Miz Tiffany; Mixed Bag Entertainment
– Us Against the World; God Over Money; God Over Money Records
Youth project of the year
– Alana Inez; Minor in a Major World; Law Ent.
– Alphonso (A.J.) Evans Jr.; Not 2 Young; Enon Music Group
– AMG Kidz; Sunday School; AMG Kidz / Anderson Music Group
– Detroit Youth Choir; Rockspell; Confidential Records
– Walt Whitman & The Soul Children of Chicago; Still Standing; M’Paact Records
Quartet of the year
– Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson; Restructure, Renew Reunion; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– The Christian Brothers; He ReWrote My Story; Millennium Sound Records
– The Hawkins Boys; Vanquish; Melvin Williams Entertainment
– The Williams Singers; Quartagious (Deluxe Edition); Deznell Music Group / Anderson Music Group
Recorded music packaging of the year
– All Things New; Mike McKesey & Trent Nicholson; Motown Gospel
– Clarity; Tyler Simien; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
– Overcomer Deluxe; Keston McKinnon; Tillymann Music Group
– Worship & Justice; Tim Parker; RCA Inspiration
Praise and worship album of the year
– Die to Live; Maranda Curtis; Butterfly Works /Red Alliance Media
– Hymns; Tasha Cobbs Leonard; TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel
– Morning Songs; Dulaneyland Music; MNRK
– The Invitation; Isabel Davis; Global Ministry Records
Praise and worship song of the year
– “I Still Have You”; Smokie Norful; Tre’Myles Music / MNRK
– “I Will Rejoice”; Isabel Davis; Global Ministry Records
– “The Moment”; Tasha Cobbs Leonard; TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel
– “You’ve Been Good to Me”; Zacardi Cortez; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Rap/Hip-Hop song of the year
– “Any Attack”; Lecrae + 1K Phew; Reach Records
– “Blak Sheep”; Pastor Mike Jr.; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
– “He’s Been Good”; Miz Tiffany; Mixed Bag Entertainment
– “Jireh (My Provider)” ft. Lecrae + HappiMusic; Limoblaze; Limoblaze Music
– “New”; Tye Tribbett; Motown Gospel
On May 23rd and 24th, KICC Toronto (Kingsway International Christian Centre) will present two nights of miracles, signs and wonders with a live appearance from Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo. It will be held at Renaissance by the Creek (Hall A) – 3045 Southcreek Road – in Mississauga, Ontario, and will also feature choir leader and composer JJ Hairston.
This event, dubbed God Arise, is free and open to the public. It will also stream live online for those not able to attend in-person.
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 