On Thursday, March 28th, Gloucester Avenue, Montego Bay’s famous hip strip, was renamed Jimmy Cliff Boulevard. the hip strip is internationally known for showcasing various talents in music and arts, and is a major tourist draw in the area.
A very humbled Jimmy Cliff took to the stage last evening at the naming ceremony, and instead of giving a traditional speech, sang snippets of some of his biggest songs in acapella style.
The 2019 staging of the Ruhr Reggae Festival will take place from June 20th at 3 PM to June 22nd at 11 PM at the Wierlingen District Park in Ruhr, Germany. This year their lineup includes: Chronixx, Jah9 and Inner Circle from Jamaica, as well as other reggae acts from other countries.
For tickets and additional information, click here.
On Friday, April 5th, the St. Jago Cathedral Preparatory School Past Student’s Association presents a benefit concert called Support. The school was able to confirm some major acts for this event, namely: Queen Ifrica, Bushman, Chuck Fenda, and that is just to name a few.
It all goes down at St. Jago (44 King Street) in Spanish Town, St. Catherine from 3:30 to 6 PM. Admission is $1,000 JMD and it goes without saying that it’s for a worthy cause.
This year the Öland Roots Festival is doing something bold! Their entire 2019 lineup is made up of women in various genres of urban music: reggae, dancehall, afrobeat and world music. Some of the confirmed acts are: Aurelia Dey, Etana, Marcia Griffiths, Koffee, Etzia and a slew of other known female entertainers.
The festival will take place from July 10th to the 14th on the Öland Roots grounds – Dansbanevägen, 38062 Stora Frö – in Kalmar Län, Sweden. For the full lineup, info on tickets, camping etc. visit the event’s official website.
Grammy nominated Raging Fyah released the official video for their single “Better Tomorrow” via YouTube on March 25th. The single, on which the group stays true to their roots rock reggae sound, will be included on their upcoming album.
Directed by Dubee of Upsetta, the video portrays disturbing images of current events around the world, as well as what should be done to make things better. Click here or on the image above to watch the video and remember to like, comment and share.
Earlier this month, Buju Banton released an official statement regarding his controversial song “Boom Bye Bye.” In the statement he made it clear that he has put the song behind him and will not be performing it again because of the pain it’s caused so many people.
Though some Jamaicans are okay with the personal statement, others are very disappointed. Some in the Rastafari community has even questioned why the artist, a known Rastaman would do such a thing.
The Marie-Galante’s Terre de Blues Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary from June 7th through to the 10th at Le Murat (97112 Grand-Bourg). Jamaica’s Tarrus Riley is among the list of those confirmed for the event. He will be performing on Sunday, June 9th.
Tickets for this event are now available online. Click here to purchase.
