by: Trudy Williams

The 4th MILO Central Champs runs off tomorrow at the GC Foster College in St. Catherine with a record forty (40) schools including two new ones (Ascott High and Hydel High). The two day meet – Thursday and Friday, March 11 and 12 – will begin at 9:30 am each day and will feature defending champions Holmwood Technical (girls) and St. Jago High (boys).

The top five schools last year were: Girls – Holmwood, Vere Technical, Edwin Allen, Manchester High and Bellfield while the top five boys schools were: St. Jago, Holmwood, Claude McKay, Edwin Allen and Vere Technical.

Jerry Holness, meet director and coach of Manchester High indicated that this year’s championship will see high quality competition as the top five girls schools nationally all hail from the central region. In the boys section, St. Jago is expected to be the runaway winner based on their current form and the fact the last year they won by a big margin over second place Holmwood last year.

He also mentioned some of the young athletes to look out for this year including Jenieve Russell and Chris-Ann Gordon from Holmwood; Shericka Jackson from Vere; sisters Nikita and Ristananna Tracey and from Edwin Allen; Natoya Goule and Sandrae Farquharson from Manchester High; Kemoy Campbell from Bellfield High and Kemar Bailey-Cole from Old Harbour High.

The first event on the track on day one will be the 400M Hurdles Open for boys and girls while the meet will end with the 4×400M Relays for boys and girls.

by: Ralston Barrett

Dancehall artist Donovan Lawrence aka Mad Dog would like his fans, relatives and friends to know that he is alive and well. Mad Dog says he has been receiving a lot of phone calls from fans, relatives and friends inquiring about his well being, since news surfaced in the media yesterday that man known as Mad Dog was killed in a stabbing incident in the parish of St. Ann.

“Mi phone a ring off like crazy, people a call mi from all over asking me if I am alright. Everybody telling me they heard it on the news that a man identified as Mad Dog got killed in St. Ann, thank God its not me, said Mad Dog who is known for popular recordings such as Early Morning and Bounce Pon It.

A spokes person from Tori Shae’s Productions the company that handles Mad Dog’s public relations also stated, that their offices have been flooded with phone calls since yesterday regarding the artist’s well being. As a lot of people heard the news story yesterday and thought it was the artist that was killed in St. Ann.

Sylford walker, one of Jamaica’s hidden treasures of the 70’s was born in the parish of St. Thomas in a district called Pen Line Castle. He was the first of four siblings.

He grew up in Wakes Field Trinity Vill, St. Thomas, where he attended the Trinity Vill Primary School. Growing up in the country was not by any means easy, Sylford faced rough times but he always found ways to get by. While attending school Sylford had discovered his passion for music. He would perform at concerts where the crowds would go wild. It was at that moment he was convinced that he was born to sing. Wanting more out of life, at the age of 11 Sylford ran away from home to Kingston where he thought that life would be better. That was not the case .

Sylford had no family to turn to, he had no where to sleep and resulted into sleeping on card board boxes in coronation market with rats and roaches running all over him. He could hardly find food at times. After growing up and learning the ways of the streets, Sylford got his first job working as an assistant plumber fixing sewage pipes without receiving any pay for his labor.

It came to a point where Sylford could not take the pressure of working and without getting any pay so, he went on to pushing hand carts just to get some money to survive. However that still did not help much and he then went on to selling newspaper and that too didn’t keep much food in his stomach or a roof over his head. Never giving up Sylford went on to selling ganja on Law Street and Ioban Street. Sylford eventually started smoking herb and indulging in the street life. One night while hanging out on the unforgiving streets of Kingston, Jamaica smoking his herb, life in general and the police caught up with Sylford and he was incarcerated. It wasn’t till then when he was inspired to write is first song and also came to accept the Rastafarian teachings.

Read the rest of this entry »

“Star from mi bawn”…loosely translated, means he believes he was a star from birth, is how this handsome Leo better known as Pierrepressure describes his foray into the music business.

Raised in the cool hills of Mandeville Manchester on the Island of Jamaica; ‘pressure, as called by friends, discovered at an early age that he had a gift for constructing melodies. Though he enjoyed Reggae and Dancehall, as a child he gravitated towards the sounds of R&B and Soul music coming out of America.

He readily tells of how special Sunday nights were for him because of a radio program that played songs from artists he now lists as having influenced how he puts together his own music. The likes of El debarge, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and Babyface to name a few, along with such current acts as Jill Scott, Nas and Kanye West has heavily influenced how he constructs his melodies and lyrics from an R&B/hip hop stand point.

Read the rest of this entry »

by: Ralston Barrett

Flava Squad Entertainment the promoters of HYPE 2K10 promise to make this year’s staging of their annual stage show a most memorable event; despite the pressures of the current economic recession the chief organizer of the event Ewan McRae is adamant that his company will be staging a great event come April 3rd at Independence Park in Black River, St. Elizabeth. Therefore he and his team have put together a very exciting package for Hype 2K10 because they want to give patrons good value for their money.

“We know how tight things are for everybody right now with the recession and all that’s going on economically, therefore we are trying our very best to give our patrons a very good event for their money. We have always tried our best to deliver a very good entertainment package to our supporters; since we began HYPE 2K four years ago we have always maintained this approach. This year will be no different as we have put together another very exciting package again,” said Mr. McRae.

Read the rest of this entry »

At its most powerful, music tells a story and takes the listener on a journey to another place or time. Such is the case with the music of Toronto based reggae artist/producer Damion Knight aka Dami. In his single ‘At Last’ featuring world renowned saxophonist Dean Fraser, Dami’s voice and musical arrangement will bring you to the beaches of Jamaica and saturate your senses with pleasures that awaken, mend and nurture the soul. This is the trend of the music from his forthcoming album All in the Key of Love. Staying true to his Jamaican background and infusing soul, R&B and jazz into his work, Dami has created his own style of Reggae Soul.

Born Clayton Damion Solomon, he was born and raised in the small town of Lionel Town in the parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. Growing up without a father for most of his life and not many material goods, his mother always encouraged Dami and his brother to use their imaginations. “We never really had much in terms of toys, so we really had to use our imaginations. I am most thankful for this because it forced me to be creative and be imaginative and find new activities each day to keep us occupied.” Another thing Dami is thankful for is that his mother filled their house with love and music. “I remember growing up and dancing with my mother; she was a big music lover and was always singing and playing love songs or Motown in the house during the day.” At night, the heavy bass of the reggae coming from the dancehall behind his house would send him off to bed, and so it seems even in his sleep, he was listening to music. With music all around him, Dami quickly became obsessed with all things music. He was especially drawn to musical instruments and would make guitars out of fish wire and sardine cans and would want to try and play every piano he came across. Always the entertainer, when his mother had company, Dami would perform impersonations of his musical inspiration, Michael Jackson, for them and later as a teenager he started djaying, the Jamaican equivalent to rapping.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dread Daze

Pulling reggae apart and putting it back together again with a dose of hip-hop, a dash of rock, and a whole lot of soul, Dread Daze tunes up the positive vibrations and turns traditional reggae on it’s ear. The powerful sound they bring forth is uniquely their own, and their music speaks their truth in no uncertain terms.

Di Wall, Dread Daze’ beautifully crafted debut album, literally explodes with songs like “Right Now”, “Stand Up”, and “Murder in the Name of Religion”, that challenge the status quo and urge people to question, understand and take action. “Kitty” and “NiteTime” get listeners out of their chairs and onto their feet — just in time to bend and move to the traditional reggae vibes of “Morning Time” and “Danger Signs” before slowing down and slipping into Ital Soul where lead vocalist Najashi seduces listeners with his steamy twist on a Motown-inspired love song.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kingston, Jamaica: – Jamaica’s premier oldies party, Good Times, invades New York on Friday April 30, 2010. Already tightly gripping the psyche of Jamaican party lovers, Good Times is now spreading its grasp to North America. The event is slated for Mingles Café in The Bronx, New York and is the first out-of-island experience for the party, but according to the organizers, not the last.

Good Times staged four times annually in Kingston, boasts enviable numbers, and has grown considerably since its first edition in 1996. Many in the Diaspora have been known to fly to Jamaica and incorporate the event into their hectic vacation schedules, as the party spreads it wings to score record numbers in Kingston, May Pen, Montego Bay, and Ocho Rios.

Music lovers in New York will be treated to pulsating rhythms from music worldwide from as far back as the 70s and 80s when Dancehall King Yellow Man and lyricist Super Cat reigned supreme. This collaboration between The Quorum from Jamaica and the Irie Jam Media family from New York promises a great party vibe.

Read the rest of this entry »

by: Raymond ‘Shadow’ Small

Kingston Jamaica: Next Saturday, March 20th the Best Dressed Fun in the Son gospel festival will see the unveiling of an impressive cadre of local and international acts gracing the stage at the 2010 renewal of the island’s most successful gospel showcase.

The concert to be staged on the grounds of Jamaica College boasts an impressive line-up featuring U.S based Multi-platinum and four-time Grammy, Stellar and Dove award winner Kirk Franklin alongside local top flight entertainers such as the very dynamic and inspirational overseas based gospel DJ Papa San, 2010 Youth View Awards –Gospel Artiste of the Year DJ Nicholas, Omari, the fast-rhyming Goddy Goddy, Ja Bez, the very energetic Sister Scully, Kimiela Issacs, Three The Lord’s Way, J Lee, Sons of The Prophet, Karen Gregory, Ryan Berry, Praise Academy of Dance among others. The word will be brought by International Evangelist Andrew Palau. Emcees: Che Cowan and Nadine Blair. Admission is absolutely FREE!

Read the rest of this entry »

by: Sophia McKay

In our update this week Reggae artist Nesbeth, who’s Drive By single has been riding various charts locally and internationally for several weeks, debuts the UK base Silverfox Dance Club (SFDC) Radio last week at #9, the single since then has now moved two places up the chart sitting at #7. Still a strong contender on Richie B’s Jamaica Music Countdown Charts, ascending two places from #9 to #7, Drive By which peaked at #4 is now #9 on Out A Road Top Ten Chart, #3 on Stampede Street Chart, #9 on Hot A Road street chart.

Reggae singer I-Octane “Lose a Friend” single continues its chart topping behavior moving up to the #1 spot on CVM Reggae Hitlist and Hype TV Top 20 Charts respectively after 16 weeks on Hype TV chart. Lose a friend is #24 on the New York Top 30 Reggae Singles Chart, #7 on Stampede Street Chart, #11 on Jamaica Music Countdown Chart and #5 on Out A Road Chart.

Texas born Reggae duo Roots Revealers single “Sweetie” and collaboration with Chaka Demus is ranked at #5 on Hype TV Top 20 Chart after 15 weeks.

“Gimmie that good love” by Sophia Brown is the hot pick on Hype TV Top 20 Chart this week while it moves one place down to #2 after claiming the top spot for three consecutive weeks on CVM Hitlist. In other news, Brown’s “Weak To You” hit single continues to hold firm at #14 on Stampede Street Chart.

Read the rest of this entry »