Kingston, Jamaica: Despite the harsh economic climate facing Jamaica, many still holds the view that hard work is the key to success. Amidst the current state of affairs with our local job market, there is always that occasional beacon of light which intermittently shines and one such individual is popular disc jock DJ Wah Wa of Darkcide International.

A graduate of the St. Georges’s College and Calabar High School, DJ Wah Wa from his adolescent years has always had a love for music and after completing his professional studies wasted no time in delving into the art form.

Following his discovery by the Kingston based sound system, DJ Wah Wa has spent his formidable years travelling the thoroughfares of Jamaica, the Caribbean and North America entertaining fans while making a name for himself.

After making his television debut a few weeks ago, as the new face of international fast food giants Burger King. A campaign which dominated the airwaves during the recent 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Last weekend DJ Wah Wa was given the official nod of approval from Grove Broadcasting executives making him the newest addition to the ZIP FM family.

According to Wah Wa, “It has always been a goal of mine to work on the airwaves because I believe I have a lot of positives to contribute to the listening public. On that note I want to use this forum to thank everyone who has been instrumental in my career.” When asked about going live last weekend he added “The feedback has been tremendous so just stay tuned and listen out for me zipping the airwaves.”

Meanwhile later this month fans can catch ZJ Wah Wa and the Darkcide International family at a number of high profile events such as Summer Bar-raage (July 24th), Skintasy and Dripz (July 25th), Club Jamaica Jamaica (August 7th), Klump – The Brazilian Fiesta (August 15th) among a plethora of other events.

WATCH TELEVISION COMMERCIAL

HIGHLIGHTS OF DJ WAH WA IN FLORIDA

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The triumphant MC will receive a $100,000 advance on an MC services contract. Following a short training programme, this bold MC may be contracted to represent the brand of a particular product as an emcee at major and minor events islandwide, with the potential to earn even more after re-couping the advance. The $100,000 however is guaranteed whether the winner receives additional MC bookings or not.

In addition to this immediate cash injection, the winner can expect free products from the sponsor, plus the opportunity to rub shoulders with celebrities at various events. This may result in the winner even rising to celebrity status themselves, while participating in exciting promotions and events across the island.

Auditions take place on Friday, July 9 starting at 9AM inside the Sports Club of the Gleaner Company on North Street in Kingston. The search is open to anyone between 21 and 40 years old who think they can manage this task.

Contestants are reminded that to win, they must be alive, bold and ready to reach for greatness. Judges will be looking for the person who can guide the tempo and tone of an event, command attention and interest, exhibit vocal clarity, charisma, confidence, style, and versatility with both English and Patois.

Contestants are also reminded to bring valid forms of identification, and come dressed as if they’re going to host a live entertainment event.

Amateurs only! Established hosts and MCs are NOT eligible for participation.

For More Information Contact: 1.876.290.2247

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The daily tabloid has started the STAR MC search, a hunt to find the person talented enough, eloquent enough, and charismatic enough to win hearts and minds to begin a career in the business of professional hosting/presenting. The audition will take place on Friday July 9 at 9 am, inside the Sports Club of the Gleaner Company on North Street in Kingston.

There is no denying the power of the MC at live events. A talented MC makes or breaks the show. He or she guides the tempo and tone of the event and makes sure that patrons are having the best possible time. They are the ringmasters so to speak, delicately balancing between keeping the audience excited, and not stealing the thunder from the main performers.

THE STAR is offering one person that chance to become a professional MC. The search is open to anyone between 21 and 40 years old who thinks they can manage this task. The winner of the audition will get a contract valued at $100,000, and will receive training in addition to guaranteed bookings.

The organizers are therefore looking for strictly amateurs, who have not yet been established in the business. They will examine contestants for vocal clarity, public speaking ability, charisma, confidence, style, and versatility with both English and Patois.

As such, the people who will judge these contestants are from experienced backgrounds in the entertainment world. They are Mrs. Paula-Anne Porter Jones, Martin Lewis, and a representative of the sponsors.

Mrs. Paula-Anne Porter Jones has over 15 years of experience in the field of Communication. She conducts workshops in Voice and Speech, Business Communication, Public Speaking, Media Relations, Radio Broadcasting, Television and related areas. Martin Lewis of Team Solutions is a highly respected production manager with decades of experience with large scale international events such as Reggae Sumfest, Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, Welcome to Jamrock: The Concert and Beres Hammond: A Moment In Time.

Contestants are reminded to bring valid forms of identification, and come dressed as if they’re going to host a live entertainment event.

Amateurs only! Established hosts and MCs are NOT eligible for participation

For More Information Contact: 1.876.290.2247

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Each year, the world- renowned Festival draws thousands of overseas visitors into the city and its environs, and with this influx, there comes a remarkable upswing in commerce and its related benefits. Visitors have been known to travel from as far as Australia to attend the Festival, spending on Jamaican products liberally as they seek to enjoy every aspect of the Jamaican brand. From as far back as 2003, it was predicted that significant foreign exchange would flow into the island during the time of the festival. This year’s Festival should bring substantial benefits to a wide variety of business interests primarily in the second city, but extending to other areas of the island.

“We expect Reggae Sumfest to be a major contributor to the economic landscape for this year,” states Johnny Gourzong, Executive Director of Summerfest Productions, producers of Reggae Sumfest. “This Festival causes people to not just spend on it, but to spend in preparation for it, and in several other endeavours related to it, and this year should be no different.”

This reality has been duly noted by the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, which has over 200 members ranging from small family-run enterprises, to large scale businesses such as hotels and resorts. They all thrive from the boom in the various forms of trade which are direct spin-offs from the Festival, during a period that has traditionally been considered slow in that part of the island.

Data from the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce also indicate that villas, hotels, and guest houses become fully booked, restaurants, cook shops, and cafes get unprecedented patronage, clothing stores, beauty salons and countless other businesses get the spike in activity before, during, and even after the Festival. In addition, the benefits are not confined to the second city, but spread widely to the major towns across the island. The fashion industry is one example, as the clothing stores, the tailors, dressmakers and those that provide accessories get major orders to fill within the period.

With the line-up this year that includes American R&B star Chris Brown, international superstars Shaggy and Beenie Man, Jah Cure, Etana, Queen Ifrica and Mavado, the package again promises to be an excellent lineup, and the expected benefits to the country should follow.

Reggae Sumfest is the most celebrated and supported Reggae festival in Jamaica, and attracts the world’s leading musicians and performers. In its near 20 year history, the show has boasted a superb entertainment package, loaded with the best performances, food, music, and culture. This year’s Festival runs from July 22-24 at Catherine Hall, St James.

Red Stripe is back as the main sponsor of Reggae Sumfest, after a one-year hiatus. The brand now joins a growing list of sponsors which includes Digicel, Iberostar, JTB, and Wisynco, for the 18th staging of the country’s premier Reggae Festival.

Source: Headline Entertainment

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Dwight Nelson

The Jamaican entertainment industry would not be as unique without artistes having an entourage and the diverse dance cliques that are so prominent in our dancehall fraternity. But, could all this be threatened by the passing of the new anti-gang legislation?

Recent developments have led the Minister of National Security Dwight Nelson to announce to Parliament, plans to introduce Anti-gang legislation as part of the Government’s efforts to curtail crime in Jamaica.

According to information from the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), the minister said the legislation, “which the ministry is seeking to pursue in collaboration with several key stakeholders, is intended to target, infiltrate and dismantle gangs, and identify and arrest all members.”

However, will such a bill affect the entertainment industry in the long run? Many share the view that it might have implications in both the long and short term, while other detractors think that it might not have any negative implications on the entertainment industry in Jamaica.

Orville Hall of Dance Expressionz said, “It depends on what they call a group and the number of persons in that group. In dancehall there are large entourages with artistes such as Bounty, Beenie, Mavado, Kartel and others but, for that, they should just ensure that there are strict policing measures at events. Groups of people in public spaces might cause one to grow suspicious, but seeing a group of people in the dancehall you cannot automatically call that a gang, it’s just people who want to party and ‘par’ together,” he stated.

Not in the dance

Hall said that if such a legislation should be passed, then the policing should be done within the communities rather than in the dancehall because, “gangs don’t come out and walk in the streets; they stay and strategise within their own space.”

Based on all that he has read and heard, Hall is pretty convinced that the passing of such a legislation would not affect the entertainment industry. “Me nuh see it a really affect dancehall still, unless dem come inna a dance and see 20 man ah stan up and arrest dem,” he ended.

The minister further stated that the legislation would seek to impose longer sentences on gang members, in order to minimise their ability to reorganise, as well as to provide a window of opportunity for law enforcement to refocus their community policing efforts to prevent other gangs from taking over the community. In the minister’s address, he stated that the preliminary findings of the 2009 Gang Threat Assessment Survey, undertaken by the ministry and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), revealed that, as of July 2009, there were some 268 gangs operating in 16 of the JCF’s 19 policing divisions, islandwide.

When The Gleaner contacted Clyde Mckenzie, he declined to comment on the matter on the basis that he was not adequately informed on the matter at hand. “I haven’t had a chance to read any material on the matter as yet, but it could either affect the dancehall indirectly or directly, but I cannot give a solid statement on the matter,” he said.

According to publicist Sean ‘Jigga’ Miller from Mile High Entertainment, the legislation will be a welcoming change to all, especially artistes.

Entertainers not immune

“I believe that some entertainers will welcome the anti-gang legislation because they are citizens of the country, and as shown by the death of Oneil Edwards, and the shooting incident involving DJ Cobra, they are not immune from the gun violence that plague much of Jamaica. The concern that I have is that there is a big gap between the enactment of laws in Jamaica and the actual enforcement of these laws.

Another well-known publicist who wished to speak on anonymity had quite the opposite view, as he says, “the reality is that entertainers have always been linked to criminal elements because of the culture of the dancehall. Deep-pocketed drug dealers and gunrunners have financed the industry for years, funnelling money through stage shows, dub plates, sound systems, etcetera, so there is an umbilical cord between the underworld and dancehall. Some artistes have even taken it a step further and aligned themselves to certain gangs, maybe because they grew up with the gang leaders or lived in inner-city communities where these gangs flourish. That’s just the reality of the situation, therefore the passage of the legislation might be of some assistance.”

Quite skeptical about what to expect from this piece of new legislation is opposition spokesman on security, Dr Peter Phillips who said, “I haven’t seen such a document, as yet and I do not know the terms so I’m just awaiting specific details. There is no doubt in my mind that there needs to be a specific legislature to confront the criminal militias in this country and I’m hoping that this document will allow for organised crime to be combated.”

Phillips declined to comment on the impact that the new legislation might have on the dancehall and entertainment industry in Jamaica due to his lack of knowledge on the content of the legislation. However, he was concerned that this new bill “doesn’t target every youth on the corner, instead of the organised criminal elements in the society,” for whom it is intended.

Source: Jamaica Gleaner

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(Kingston, Jamaica) – Coming hot on the heels of their exciting Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall Competition, Magnum Tonic Wine will be launching yet another phenomenal promotion, which no doubt will have their loyal consumers asking for more.

The brand, which has been associated with undiluted energy throughout the years, has also become a staple among their consumers because of its ingenuity to seamlessly fuse charity with entertainment and this “Under The Cap”, (UTC), promotion is yet another example of how the brand supports its consumers.

For the UTC Promotion, consumers will certainly be able to win in a big way, because they will be able to win free Magnum after obtaining specially-marked 10th Anniversary caps, as well as two daily cash prizes of $10, 000. It doesn’t get any better than that.

According to Kaysia Johnson, category manager at Lascelles Wines and Spirits, distributors of Magnum Tonic Wine, “Magnum’s aim over the years has always been consistent with the needs of our consumers. When they need entertainment, we always identify ways in which we can provide great entertainment that they will never forget. In addition, consumers are people and people have needs and one universal need will always be money. So many would have noticed that since we embarked on our 10th anniversary celebrations last year, we have been habitually providing ways in which we can give back to our consumers, and Magnum “Under The Cap” is a fine example of that: it’s both entertaining to them but they also stand to gain a tremendous amount of cash if they win.”

The promotion which has been entitled “Money Long and Magnum Strong” will last from June 14 – August 14 and in order to win, all persons will have to do, is collect three (3) of the specially marked caps and place them in an envelope marked with their name, address and telephone number. They will then drop it off at Irie FM, 1B Derrymore Road. If they have been selected, someone from Irie FM will call at 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday for the chance to win the $10, 000. If the call goes unanswered, the envelope is discarded and another winner will be chosen. Once the call is answered, the winner must state the Magnum Tonic Wine tagline, “Energy When You Need It” in order to collect the prize money. Additionally, winners can contact Whistling Frog in order to collect the cash prize.

Not to be left out, the winners of the Magnum Kings and Queens competition who won by landslide votes, Bumpa and Press Fyah, will be the faces of this year’s Magnum Under the Cap “Money Long and Magnum Strong” promotion. Still, that’s not all – patrons will be able to re-live the memories and see some of their favourite contestants perform live as the promotion progresses.

The launch for the Magnum Under the Cap “Money Long and Magnum Strong” promotion will be staged tonight at Star Apples, 94 Hope Road.

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Kingston, Jamaica:-Going into 2009, promoters of live shows in Jamaica faced challenging times. They were beginning to feel the effects of a global recession that took root in the summer of 2008 and were bracing for the worst.

One event that came away unscathed was Reggae Sumfest, the annual week-long show that has taken place at Catherine Hall in Montego Bay, St. James since 1993. Prior to the show, spokespersons for Summerfest Productions acknowledged the difficult financial times, but announced a line-up they believed would make Reggae Sumfest 2009 the best ever.

The eclectic cast certainly paid off for the July 19-25 show. Dancehall’s elite, led by Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, packed the house on Dancehall Night which Summerfest says drew an astonishingly large number of patrons.

It proved that despite plunging album sales, the dancehall genre remains the most popular and dynamic sound in Jamaica.

The International Nights had great support as well and featured new-wave American soul singers Ne-Yo, Jazmine Sullivan and Keri Hilson and also Queen Ifrica, the new first lady of roots dancehall.

However, the biggest plus for Sumfest was undoubtedly the appearance of Tito Jackson on the second International Night. He and his band traveled to Montego Bay to accept a lifetime achievement award from Summerfest Productions in honour of his brother, superstar Michael Jackson, who died from cardiac arrest in Los Angeles in June.

Tito’s presence gained international attention and influenced major television networks to cover his set which was largely a tribute to his deceased brother.

“What it did was generate a lot of international exposure for us. The entertainment world was still focused on the Jackson legacy and Tito coming here gave us unprecedented publicity,” said Robert Russell, senior director of Summerfest Productions. Tito Jackson’s Sumfest performance was featured on leading American television programmes including Entertainment Tonight and Good Morning America.

The financial analysts say the recession, now in its second year, has eased somewhat. With July fast approaching that is certainly good news for organizations like Summerfest Productions who are already planning the 18th staging of the biggest reggae festival in the world.

Reggae Sumfest kicks off in Montego Bay, Jamaica on the main concert grounds at Catherine Hall on Thursday July 22 with three nights of music, ending on Saturday, July 24.

Source: Headline Entertainment

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Western Public Relations and Productions is a company that makes dreams become reality – through media promotion and networking.

The company specializes in music, arts and entertainment publicity. The mission is to increase public and media awareness of musicians and events through media contacts. WPRP endeavors to ensure that their clients receive the publicity they deserve.

Services offered: Publicity, Promotions, Bookings, Graphics Designing and Events Planning.

Western Public Relations and Productions; is a cut above the rest; now put them to the test!”

Current clients:

Mystic Bowie
Keri Paige
Jeremy Thompson
Tameka Houde

For further details contact:

Gillian Larmond (Lady Mystery)
Chief Publicist
Big Bridge,
Savanna-la-Mar P.O.
Westmoreland
Jamaica.
Tel: 876-955-2025
Email: larmondgillian@yahoo.com

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A particular member stood out in my mind when I thought of how some of these entertainers have resorted to pornography in order to sell their products.

In recent times we have see pictures circulating on the internet with popular dancehall artistes, both male and female, and it brings me to ask the question; “What won’t they do to be in the spotlight?”

It is a shame what they have to resort to for the world to see them. Aren’t they talented enough to gain recognition?

It goes to show the level of self confidence some these people have in their ability to do good productions and to implement proper marketing strategies to sell their products.

I guess the saying sex sells is their marketing strategy. But these things only last for a short time. Very short time and trust me in a while the hype will be gone and so too their career.

It’s a pity though, because I do enjoy some of their productions and I’m sure you do to. But the big question is: “What will they think of next?”

At the end of the day, what they are doing is cheapen the music, because many people associate the music with these big names. But remember this when you think dancehall; they are the least, there are many dancehall artistes in Jamaica whose love for the thing keeps them on the right path to write and produce clean lyrics and market themselves in meaningful ways; AND regardless of what some people may think, they are doing well for themselves both home and abroad.

So it goes to show that the porn stars in the business are just what I would call crap waiting to sink.

They need to clean up their acts and keep the thing real. If you want to be a porn star there is a market out there for that, just jump on the wagon and strut your stuff.

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Popular radio personality DJ Sunshine is getting ready to make her local television debut, as the host of a brand new television show called Reggaelution 20. The first episode of Reggaelution 20 will be aired on CVM television Thursday March 18, 2010 at 5:30pm. This new top 20 countdown show is designed to promote good Jamaican music both locally and overseas. The show is also scheduled to begin airing on the renowned Caribbean television station Tempo in the near future.

DJ Sun Shine is a graduate of St. Andrew High School for Girls and the Miami Dade Community College; she also has degree in architecture. Sunshine has had a craving for music since she was in high school; she would rush home from school in the evenings to listen to the radio and record the latest tunes on cassette tapes. She would play back these tunes and practice mixing them on the family stereo set.

After graduating from college and returning to Jamaica she began playing out at house parties and small events at venues such as Harry’s Bar in Kingston, to hone her craft. Like a ray of Sunshine she burst onto the music scene to become the “FIRST LADY” of the Dancehall, when she joined the staff of the hugely popular IRIE FM radio station in October 2001. Since then she has been flexing her musical muscles entertaining thousands of people both locally and abroad who tune in to catch her popular radio show The Jam, which airs on Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays.

Since she has been on IRIE DJ Sunshine has become as a top radio DJ and she has also branched out into other areas of the business. She has also become a very popular MC, she recently performed such duties on major events such as Rebel Salute and Follow Di Arrow. Sunshine is also a major force on the party circuit as she is heavily in demand for parties and other events.

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