1Xtra Dancehall Chart May.31.2007

The hottest tunes in the UK's only national reggae chart this week were:

1. Shaggy - Church Heathen
2. Collie Buddz - Come Around
3. Jah Cure - Sticky
4. Stephen & Damian Marley - Traffic Jam
5. Sizzla - Really & Truely
6. Mr Vegas - Lean With It
7. Morgan Heritage - Love You Right
8. Chuck Fender & Cherine Anderson - Coming Over Tonight
9. Ninja Man - Pastor
10. Daville ft Sean Paul - Always On My Mind (Remix)

Source

Curefest Unhappiness

More on Jah Cure, this time from the Jamaica Star. The Star reports on the complaints, and general unhappiness, of some Kingston residents at having large billboards erected to advertise the Curefest concert. They quote one reader who wrote in:

"I believe that we should all support Mr. Alcock and all paroled and freed prisoners on their reintegration as productive members of society; but I suggest that we strenuously reject using public facilities to promote an incarcerated rapist."

They report that at least 2 billboards have already been removed, although one of them was removed due to a mix-up in the amount of time allowed for the advertisement.

Source

Miami "Best Of The Best" Show Ends In Chaos

It seems Miami's Memorial Weekend will be remembered for some highs and some lows. The reggae concert featured Buju Banton, Capleton, Shaggy, Elephant Man, and Tony Matterhorn, who all performed well.

First off the Annual Celebrity Soccer match resulted in mass evacuation after gun salutes rang out during Bounty Killer's performance after the first match. Some of the crowd continued dancing, others ran for safety. Even though Bounty Killer calmed the crowd, the event was called off.

Source

In other news of the Memorial Day weekend, there are reports that performers at the show were booked in to stay at the city's Radisson Hotel, at the same time as 200+ gay people.

"There was a lot of tension at the hotel for the whole weekend, especially in the elevators where the gay men held hands or cuddled while the entertainers looked on.

The tension was palpable, there were a lot of verbal insults and name calling, and in the elevators, you could hear them shouting 'get out' at each other, and I heard that there was fight but I never saw it and I don't know if it was the tension with the gays that started it...all the entertainers were booked to stay at the Radisson so it was very very tense."

Source

Jamaican Top 20 Singles May.25.2007

1. Vybz Kartel - Wine Pon Yuh
2. Ginjah - Music Alone
3. Elephant Man - Left Dem To Time
4. Lutan Fyah - Save The Juvenile
5. Mr Vegas - Tek Weh Yuself
6. Munga - Bad From Mi Born
7. Nesbeth - Board House
8. Beenie Man - Reverse Di Ting
9. Movado - Dying
10. Vybz Kartel & D'Angel - Baby Father
11. George Nooks - I Can't Stop Loving You
12. Dez-I & Phillip Watkis - Shake Up Yuh Natty
13. Brick & Lace - Never Never
14. Bescenta & Warrior King - Holy Words
15. TOK - Guardian Angel
16. Ras Myrdhak - Prince of Fyah
17. Anthony B - Tease Her
18. Macka Diamond - Hula Hoop
19. Ray Darwin - People's Choice
20. Beres Hammond - Give It All You've Got

Vybz Kartel still at #1 for the 3rd week, Ray Darwin and Beres Hammond are new entries. The Beres Hammond track is on Penthouse's brilliant "Stop The Fighting" riddim.

Beenie On Swazzi Riddim

The new One2Watch @ JamdownReport is Beenie Man's "Stamp Di Yard" on Stephen "Lenky" Marsden's new rhythm. The Swazzi riddim is the hot new beat from the man who brought you riddims such as Time Travel, DreamWeaver, Masterpiece, and Diwali.

To listen to the song, look over at the sidebar and click the play icon.

Elephant Man, Wyclef & Diddy - "Five O" Video

"Five -0" Featuring Wyclef

Add to My Profile More Videos

Just another video where Diddy tags his lame ass on to the real talent.

Buju Banton - "Driver A" Video

Jah Cure To Perform At "Curefest" in August

At the time of writing, it is exactly 2 months and 3 days until the release of Jamaica's most well-known prisoner. Jah Cure, real name Siccature Alcock, is still serving jail time for gun-possession and the accused rape and robbery of a young female. The conviction has always been shadowed by claims of prejudice against Jah Cure. At the time of his conviction in November 1998, Alcock was one of the brightest new stars on the reggae scene, with heavy endorsment by Capleton and Beres Hammond.

None of this appears to be stopping Jah Cure finding work once he's back in society. One of the first public performances he's expected to appear at is Curefest. The event, which is spread over 3-days, is "focusing on the work and music of Jah Cure. "

For every Jah Cure fan there is, however, a non-fan. Those who believe Jah Cure was truly guilty of the crimes he was convicted of are less than happy about the singers catalyzed rise to fame on the back of convictions for truely wicked behaviour.

On his release you can guarantee a media circus, a thorough muck-raking of the whole sorry incident all over again, and a solid 6-month period where Cure will do nothing but cut dub after dubs...

Click here to view the Jah Cure release counter

Source

Delly Ranks Turns Selecta

"I've been thinking about it for the past nine months and the reason why I decided to do this now is to really help out some artiste weh nah get play. Just like my productions, yuh always si mi have one or two new artistes on it,"

Delly Ranks, popular producer and deejay, is now aiming at adding Selecta to his CV. Whilst the formation of his soundsystem is new, the dream isn't. Going by the name "D Ranx Machine", Delly is hoping to hit the ground running.

"D Ranx Machine is armed and dangerous. Mi have couple dub plate well, cause tru mi a producer as well, mi get tune from some a di artiste dem weh mi produce. Mi not even a guh do nuh dub wid mi self."

Source

Richie Spice Cancels Shows Due To Visa Problems

Richie Spice and Fifth Element Records have been forced to cancel 3 shows in the US due to a backlog of visa applications at the Jamaican Consulate in the US. Since the consulate is not processing any new visa applications until next month, Spice will be unable to perform before June 10th at the earliest.

"We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause but ask that the present confirmed dates be postponed until a later date to accommodate these procedures." Devon Wheatley, CEO of Fifth Element Records stated. "We cannot emphasize just how sorry we are for disappointing not only the faithful promoters of the shows, but also the dedicated fans of Richie Spice."

Source

Leftside & Esco Split

Popular dancehall deejays Leftside & Esco (aka Craig Parkes & Matthew Thompson) have announced that as of now they are to perform as seperate artists.

"We don't have any bad feelings or anything like that. Some time in the future we might get back to working on projects together; you can never tell, but for now we are solo"

The duo, who have released popular singles such as Stay Far From We and the mighty Tuck In Yuh Belly, will still continue to produce music together though.

"The production house is still in tact and we are still producing rhythms - we have some coming out soon. Leftside and Esco will continue in that respect, but people will start to see us as different entities. We won't be together on shows though."

Previous riddim productions by the pair have included 2006's hottest riddim, Dem Time Deh, as well as the Giggy, Galore, and Drop Draws.

Source

Jamaican Top 20 Singles 18.May.2007

Jamaica's hottest 20 singles

1. Vybz Kartel - Wine Pon Yuh
2. Lutan Fyah - Save The Juvenile
3. Ginjah - Music Alone
4. Elephant Man - Left Dem To Time
5. Movado - Dying
6. Mr Vegas - Tek Weh Yuself
7. Beenie Man - Reverse Di Ting
8. Munga - Bad From Mi Born
9. Bescenta & Warrior King - Holy Words
10. Nesbeth - Board House
11. Macka Diamond - Hula Hoop
12. George Nooks - I Can't Stop Loving You
13. Dez-I & Phillip Watkis - Shake Up Yuh Natty
14. Vybz Kartel & D'Angel - Baby Father
15. Brick & Lace - Never Never
16. Ninja Man - The Pastor
17. Ras Myrdhak - Prince of Fyah
18. TOK - Guardian Angel
19. Anthony B - Tease Her
20. Shaggy - Church Heathen

Anthony B & TOK are new entries.

Danger Zone's Jam Down To Release On Riddim Driven

Danger Zone's blazing new riddim, Jam Down, is to be released as a one riddim album on VP Records. The riddim, produced by Della, Jiggsy King and Cecile, is one of the biggest riddims around at the moment - with hot tracks from Capleton, Jah Cure, Cecile, Morgan Heritage, Mr Vegas and Tony Curtis.

"We are trying to get back to the realness of the music. I love dancehall but reggae is my first love. Danger Zone will be producing more authentic sounds that compliment our artistes and offer a positive message," Delmar 'Della' Drummond told One876Entertainment.

Danger Zone is using the riddim to spread positive vibes only - no slackness, no gun tunes, just good vibes.

"Danger Zone Records' motto is unification through music." Ce'Cile explains. "We are trying to set an example by producing music that will both unify and edify the people. If the track mentions guns it must be anti-gun lyrics."

The video shoot is this month, with two video medleys being shot - one lovers' rock style, one culture style. However if you can't wait for the videos or the VP release, there are already a few 45s around.

Source

West Kingston Jamboree Part 2

Spice, Lady Saw, Sean Paul, Capleton and Munga.








Support reggae music! Buy the retails!

West Kingston Jamboree Part1

Macka Diamond, Black-Er, Elephant Man, Turbulence, Ghost, Movado.









Support reggae music! Buy retails!

Nanko - Depressed & Taken Advantage Of Whilst Under DownSound Records

YardFlex carries a very interesting article. It details some of the reasons why Nanko terminated his contract with DownSound Records. The article paints a picture similar to the artist-manager relationships of50 years ago, when artists would work, work, work whilst managers would earn, earn, earn!

The article also exposes that Nanko has been suffering from serious mental illness. The article is describes in a lot of detail the reasons for each side feeling cheated by the opposite side, ranging from Nanko's claimed abuse of his legal rights at a time of diminished capability and withholding of money to Joe Bogdanovich's claim that Nanko signed a contract and then left Jamaica.

The overall feeling left after reading the article is that Bogdanovich is a crook and that Nanko genuinely has been taken advantage of. Like I said, the article is very detailed. In fact, its one of the best articles YardFlex has posted in a long, long time.

Source

Jamaican Top 20 Singles Chart 11/May/2007

This weeks chart of what's hot in Jamaica

1. Vybz Kartel - Wine Pon Yuh
2. Save The Juvenile - Lutan Fyah
3. Ginjah - Music Alone
4. Movado ft Serani - Dying
5. Beenie Man - Reverse Di Ting
6. Elephant Man ft Jigsy - Left Dem To Time
7. Macka Diamond- Hula Hoop
8. Bescenta & Warrior King - Holy Words
9. Mr Vegas - Tek Weh Yuself
10. Munga - Bad From Mi Born
11. Nesbeth - Board House
12. George Nooks - I Cant Stop Loving You
13. Shaggy - Church Heathen
14. Mr Vegas - Nuh Fren From Dem
15. Dez-I & Philip Watkis - Shake Up Yuh Natty
16. Jah Selah - Lonely Girl
17. Ninja Man - The Pastor
18. Ras Myrdhak - Prince Of Fyah
19. Brick & Lace - Never, Never
20. Vybz Kartel & D'Angel - Baby Father

YouTube Sucks

YouTube deleted my account because of the Collie Buddz video I posted. Fuck you Viacom. There are still at least a dozen other videos of artists performing on RapCity tho.

So all the clips from Sting 2007 (of which I am the only one who was sharing!), as well as all the music videos, rare reggae documentaries from the 1970s and 1980s are all now wiped.

Collie Buddz - "Freestyle" on Rap City May 2007

Bootlegs + Payola = Death Of Jamaican Music

Why pay full price when a man down the road will sell you a copy for a few $'s cheaper? This is the problem facing the Jamaican music world. Bootlegging is nothing new to Jamaicans, one of the most bootlegged videos of all time is "Shotters". For those with internet access, all those hot new riddims and artist albums blazing the reggae world are yours for just a few clicks. And in CD quality too - not like it was in the 1980s and 1990s when you could tell that soundclash cassette tape you bought down the market was a 8th-generation copy.

Dancehall artist LA Lewis (???) reckons the solution to the problem is:

"There needs to be a big building in Jamaica that represents the headquarters of Reggae/Dancehall music, from the charts to the Reggae archives."

Or in other words, bootleggers will only fear an organisation that they know has the power to shut them down. Without a united industry, there can be no united solution.

Another good point raised by LA Lewis, in the YardFlex.com article, is how the practice of payola is hurting the industry hard. Payola is the practice of paying a radio station money in order to ensure airplay of a certain artist or record. Most people will know this practice by its other name - bribery.

For the full article click below. Its a good read.

Source

Winners @ 26th Annual International Reggae & World Music Awards

Predictably Sean Paul took six of the awards home. In summary, here are some of the bigger awards and winners:

Bob Marley Award for Entertainer of the Year: Sean Paul
Recording Artist(s)/Group of the Year: Sean Paul
Best Male Vocalist: Luciano
Best Female Vocalist: Tanya Stephens
Best Song: Sean Paul - Temperature
Best Album/CD: Buju Banton - "Too Bad"
Best Crossover Song: Sean Paul - Temperature
Best Male DJ/Rapper: Buju Banton
Best Female DJ/Rapper: Macka Diamond
Best New Entertainer: Tony Matterhorn
Most Outstanding Stage Personality: Capleton
Best Music Video: Baby Cham - "Ghetto Story"
Most Improved Entertainer: Da'Ville
Producer of the Year: Don Corleon
Songwriter of the Year: Sean Paul
Selassie I Award for "Spiritual Service Through Music": Damian Marley

Nice to see Tanya Stephens pick up another trophy. Why she overlooked for the Songwriter of the Year award??

Source

Wrinkles In The Dancehall

The world of the dancehall is ever-changing, only the hottest and freshest talents get a chance in the spotlight. So what is like being an artist that is still at the top of their game after 20 years in the dance?

"Mi nuh feel like I'm getting older, I feel like I'm getting stronger. Di older yuh get is di brighter yuh shine. Di yutes out dere need our wisdom to tell dem what's right from what's wrong," the deejay said.

Nadina Sutherland, who has been recording music for 28 years, says:

"I don't care, if you really think about these stuff it might bother you. I still try to stay competitive and don't think about what anyone else thinks,"

Source

BBC 1Xtra Dancehall Chart 3rd May 2007

As broadcast on Thursday evening.

1. Da’ville ft Sean Paul – Always on My Mind (Remix)
2. Movado – Dying
3. Shaggy – Church Heathen
4. Stephen Marley – Traffic Jam
5. Buju Banton – Driver
6. Mr Vegas – Lean With It
7. Gyptian – Beautiful Lady
8. Beenie Man – Reverse Da Ting
9. Elephant Man – Lef Them To Time
10. Collie Buddz – Come Around

Source

Calls For Sound System Restrictions

Some Jamaican soundsystem owners are calling for legislation on the business. The Star quotes Winston Blake, of foundation sound Meritone Disco, as saying:

"The only thing you need to enter the sound system business is money to buy the equipment. There is no criteria, no standards, nothing."

"We want an organisation more than anything, laws that they adhere to. The sound system is not regulated and anybody who feel dem have a money and want to get into it, can do it. We need to get some rules and regulation and if we don't do it, the police needs to set out some regulations."

Even though there exists an organisation to govern soundsystem operations, The Sound System Association of Jamaica, it seems to be serve a minimal use.

Source

JDR Is Back

Jamdown Report has been offline for many weeks due to poor service from our internet service provider. Hopefully the situation has now been solved.

Regular updates to follow.