Kingston, JA – Following his recent Barack Obama media blitz, veteran crooner Calvin ‘Cocoa Tea’ Scott is set to record an album inspired by the US Democratic Party presidential hopeful.
“Me have a new album which me a go put out and it a go name Barack Obama,” the Rastaman tells Splash during a visit to the Observer on Tuesday [Mar. 19]. Dressed in a black T-shirt, jeans, brown shoes with his locks bundled under a knitted tam, Cocoa Tea, who recently released Reggae Anthology: The Sweet Sounds Of Cocoa Tea, adds that the follow-up project is expected to hit the streets by August. Continue reading Cocoa Tea Releases Obama Tribute 2008→
By Gregg Goldstein, as reported in The Hollywood Reporter
Bob Marley
The family of Bob Marley has refused to license any of his music for a biopic that the Weinstein Co. is prepping — despite the fact that his widow, Rita Marley, is its executive producer.
The reason? There is a competing Martin Scorsese documentary being produced by the Marley family-owned Tuff Gong Pictures and Steven Bing’s Shangri La banner, the first theatrical docu to license Marley songs.
The family members involved in the Scorsese docu claim they were unaware that the Weinstein project would be unveiled so soon and believe that its projected late-2009 release date would interfere with their docu’s February 2010 release, which is timed to Marley’s birthday. Continue reading Marley Music Rights 2008→
March 17, 2008 – It was Feb. 21, 2008, and I had just arrived in Kingston for the Reggae Academy Awards. Riding in a taxi from the airport, I was surprised, and then stunned, when the driver suddenly muttered aloud, “Joe Gibb’ dead.” “What?,” I said, “for real?” “Yea mon…‘eart attack” he calmly replied. With another 20 minutes before reaching the hotel, I began to think about the man, Joe Gibbs – producer extraordinaire – and about the time I spent working alongside him at his record pressing plant in Opa Locka, Florida.
There is no doubt that Joe Gibbs will be remembered as one of the most preeminent producers in Reggae’s history. A hardcore entrepreneur who became a Reggae giant, Joe Gibbs was seemingly quiet, yet carried a gun, and feared no man…or woman. From the 60s, consistently through the 70s and 80s, Joe Gibbs surrounded himself with such great talents as Errol “Errol T” Thompson, Niney “the Observer” Holness, Bunny “Striker” Lee, and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Errol T and Joe formed a creative bond and were known as “The Mighty Two.” Together they revolutionized Reggae and Dub and packaged it for the world. Joe’s business and production sense, combined with ET’s outrageous engineering skills resulted in ground-breaking recordings.
Brown was a teen when he recorded for Gibbs
Joe Gibbs’ name will be forever associated with Dennis “The Boy Wonder” Brown, producing most of the finest Reggae albums Brown ever made; every song a wonder. From D Brown’s early albums that included Words of Wisdom and The Prophet Rides Again, to the 1980 cross-over A&M Records Love Has Found a Way, with the international hit single of the same name, Joe Gibbs and Errol T super-charged the young singer’s career. With songs becoming hits, and records flying out the door, Joe Gibbs and Errol T changed the direction of Reggae music. Continue reading Remembering Joe Gibbs 2008→
The 1st Reggae Academy Awards – A Celebration of Musical Excellence
Tarrus Riley and his song “She’s Royal” Receive Six Awards!
by M. Peggy Quattro
Photos Lance Watson/Reggae Academy
February 29, 2008 – Kingston, JA – Kingston, the center of the Reggae universe, was bubbling with excitement and activity during February’s Reggae Month celebrations. On every corner, the talk turned to what to do, where to go, who to see.But the high point came with the presentation of the first Reggae Academy Awards and show.
The National Indoor Sports Center was bustling on Sunday, Feb. 24, as the academy and music community came together to prepare for the evening’s event. At 7 P.M., the red carpet was filled with arriving celebrities and fans cheered on their favorites. Members of local and international media were present and there were smiles, hugs, and handshakes in the reception area as Reggae’s artists and professionals greeted the press and each other.
Shaggy wins Best Dancehall Album
Nominees Shaggy, Cherine Anderson, Etana, Macka Diamond, Kris Kelli, and Danny Browne, presenters Nadine Sutherland, Tony Rebel, and reigning Miss Jamaica Universe Zara Redwood, and performers Diana King, Elephant Man, and Ce’Cile were among the stars at the pre-awards soirée.
As show time approached, the throng headed inside the arena. The large stage was a colorful blend of high tech and roots, with neon podiums and moveable graffiti-covered zinc fences. The beautiful and multi-talented Cherine Anderson sauntered on stage to open the show with her nominated, soulful and stirring “Kingston State of Mind.” Switching effortlessly between singing and Dancehall, the young star set the pace for the remainder of the presentation.
Lauryn Hill Considered to Portray Rita Marley in Upcoming Film
March 2008 – It has been widely reported that Rita Marley has finalized a production deal with The Weinstein Company that will bring to life her 2004 autobiography No Woman No Cry: My Life with Bob Marley. Bob and Harvey Weinstein secured the rights to the Rita Marley story a month after the announcement that Martin Scorsese will direct the Bob Marley documentary slated for a February 2010 release.
Grammy-winning Hip-Hop singer and film star Lauryn Hill has been chosen by Rita to portray her mother-in-law in the film. “She sees my life as her life,” Rita Marley was quoted as saying. Lauryn is married to Marley son, Rohan. The two were also considered for the Bob and Rita roles, based on Timothy White’s book Catch a’Fire, back in 1999. However, after Warner Bros. secured the song rights, development was curtailed following several directors’ departures. Continue reading Lauryn Hill to Play Rita Marley?→
The IRIE-FM AWARDS Honors the Listeners’ Favorites for 2007
February 18, 2008 – Ocho Rios, JA – IRIE-FM, the premier Ocho Rios-based Reggae radio station, held its second in-studio awards presentation on Wed. Feb. 13, 2008. The entertaining and informative show had fans glued to their radio for three hours as winners, some surprises – some not – were announced in several tight-knit races.
While Irie-FM radio personalities Elise Kelly, Kshema Francis, and DJ Bones hosted the proceedings, panelists Dr. Sonjah Stanley-Niaah, a UWI lecturer, and Copeland Forbes, veteran tour manager and consultant, offered win-by-win comments and opinions. Voting was done by Irie-FM and sister ZIP 103-FM DJs, while the audited ballots were counted by JFM President Desi Young. In a review by writer Basil Walters in the Jamaica Observer, it was noted that it was the women in Reggae who dominated this year’s awards, while displaying the remarkable ability “to reinvent themselves.” Continue reading IRIE-FM Favorite Award Winners 2008→
In Response to the editorial “Solidarity is What We Need”
by M. Peggy Quattro
February 14, 2008
Greetings! In response to this editorial above, which was a bulletin posted on MySpace by Lloyd Stanbury, I hereby agree with several points he adeptly brings to our attention. The image of Jamaica as a corrupt and violent society is constantly being presented to the world. Every country has degrees of these elements, but the Land of Reggae, the Land of Wood and Water, the Land of One Love, has taken a turn for the worse.
Since the beginning of Dancehall in the late ‘80s, when lyrics were degrading women and praising the gun culture, the seeds of destruction were sown. Playing our part in the media, Reggae Report chose not to support or encourage this new type of performance. No where near the quality of Dennis Brown’s “Love Has Found its Way” or the driving call to “Get Up! Stand Up!,” early Dancehall artists brought in such sleaze as “Wicked Inna Bed,” calling for “Bam Bam…Lick a shot on mama-man’s head.” The media helped make performers, such as Shabba Ranks, a so-called star. What followed was an audience trained to think this was the new direction of Reggae music.
Bob Marley said it best: “You have to be careful of the type of song, and the type of vibration that you give to the people…because ‘Woe be unto they who lead my people astray.’” Continue reading MPQ Response to Solidarity Editorial 2008→