Reggae at the Rock is a two-day reggae festival scheduled for April 1st and 2nd at the Hard Rock Hotel – 918 North Atlantic Avenue – in Daytona Beach, Florida. Confirmed headliners for day one are Anthony B and Mighty Mystic, while on day two it’s The Resolvers and The Supervillains.

Other artists on the show are Bobby Hustle, Propaganjah, Cloud9 Vibes, Rising Lion, Drifting Roots, Coastal Breed, Brothers Within, Part One Tribe, The Trees of Life, The Intracoastals, iVibes, The Sub Herbs, Cultivated Mind, Nostaljah, Dub 321, Root Sea, Vibes Farm, Icroniq, Savi Fernandez, Indigo I, The Shake, Old City Dub, Ben Lewis, Dub Patrol, The Swell, Temporary Setback, SeedFromAtree and The Holidazed.

The Annual Yallahs Kite Festival is scheduled for Friday, April 7th at Yallahs Primary School. The family fun day and stage-show is a charitable event that will see proceeds going to the school’s music department.

There will be live performances by roots reggae singer Fred Locks, as well as international recording artist Turbulence. Other performers on the lineup are Isha Bel, KRISIS, Trapycal, Ken Ellis, and that is just to name a few.

Broady in association with Diamond League Thursdaze present An Encounter with Lukie D, a member of the reggae vocal group LUST. This is an opportunity for Lukie D‘s local fans to see him up-close and personal, as the event will be at Singh Quarry in May Pen, Clarendon.

The Encounter is a live band show (Step by Step) that will take place on Thursday, March 30th from at 9pm until… Irie FM’s Big A is the master of ceremony.

After the successful staging of his Black & Proud Concert at Club Amazura in Queens, New York last month, a humbled Anthony B expressed gratitude by issuing the following statement: “Thanks to the fans for their amazing love and support. It’s good to take this journey together to strive for a better world that we can all be proud of and our children and their children can still sing the songs of roots and culture reggae music. Let’s say it loud we are black and proud and all we are saying is one love to all human race on planet earth.”

Anthony B‘s Born Fire Promotions, in association with formidable record label – Reggae Vibes Music – delivered a stellar reggae show to a packed venue. All confirmed artists showed up and gave flawless performances: Turbulence, Kabaka Pyramid, Perfect Giddimani, Pressure Busspipe, Dreama, Kendallaz, Rufftop Rock I, and of course Anthony B. Iba Mahr also made a guest appearance courtesy of Kabaka Pyramid who, in an impromptu moment, invited him on stage.

Every media house in attendance subsequently penned favorable reviews, which led the aforementioned organizers to immediately begin preparation for the 2024 Black & Proud Concert. That said, a limited amount of early bird tickets are now on sale for next year’s presentation, which is scheduled for Saturday, February 24, at a New York location to be determined.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR “BLACK & PROUD 2024”

Kelly Shane, daughter of acclaimed Jamaican singer-songwriter Tanya Stephens, steps out with her first single – an updated take on the soul classic Ain’t That Loving You – performed with dancehall giant Busy Signal. Kelly‘s silky sweet voice is offset by Busy‘s raspy vocals as they rock over a bouncing one drop riddim produced by Tad A. Dawkins Jnr. Ain’t That Loving You went live on all streaming platforms at the beginning of March (on the 3rd), courtesy of Tad’s Record Inc. 
 
The audio release was accompanied by an official video, which was directed, shot and edited by Thaddeus Deluxe Studio. Filmed at various locations in Jamaica, the new visuals show Kelly Shane and Busy Signal prepping for their date-night at a lounge, where they eventually get cozy and intimate, bringing the song’s lyrics to life.

Explaining the significance of the song, Kelly Shane offered: “for one, I grew up with my grandmother, and as the owner of the radio and the house, her favorite music was mostly played. Alton Ellis and the entire British-Jamaican music movement was a big part of the soundtrack of my life. It became more personal for me when I recorded it though, as I (at the time) was seeing someone that was very hesitant to love again, so it felt like I was speaking my own words, trying to convince them to take a chance on me. Busy’s verse also summed up how they were feeling too so when I heard it I cried A LOT. Felt very real to me.”
 
As for collaborating with veteran dancehall artist Busy Signal, Kelly sums up the experience as follows: “to be very honest, I didn’t think he would do it. This is my first song and it felt like I was really asking him to take a chance on me. I loved him even more when we shot the video. In true first video fashion, we were all over the place and late and up and down but he was so patient and kind with me. He spent most of the time giving me encouraging words and it felt very warm and genuine. He’s such a genuine human being. I’m so grateful for him.”
 
Ain’t That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One) was originally released by soul singer Johnnie Taylor in 1967, but subsequent reggae versions by legendary Jamaican artists Alton Ellis, Dennis Brown and Beres Hammond – who Kelly Shane cites as a major influence – have since led the song to become a favorite among reggae lovers. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD “AIN’T THAT LOVING YOU”

On Sunday, March 26th, legends of roots reggae – Big Youth, The Abyssinians and Twinkle Bro – will perform live at Electric Brixton in London. This is the first time all three trailblazing performers, who were instrumental in the evolution of reggae music, will share the same stage in the UK.

Tickets for the 18 and older event, which is being presented by Irie Heights, start at £30, and can be purchased from the venue’s website.