ReggaeTimes

Distant Relatives the collaborative album from rapper Nas and Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley, has debuted in the number five position on the Billboard 200 album chart.

The album was released on May 18 via Universal Records/Def Jam and is the tenth top ten album for Nas. It is the second top ten album for Marley whose Welcome to Jamrock opus debuted and stalled at number 7 in 2005 with 85,000 copies moved in its first week of release.

Distant Relatives moved some 57,000 copies in its first full week at retail. The album is number one on Billboard’s Reggae, Rap and R&B Hip Hop Album charts.

Gyptian falls on R&B chart but makes moves on pop chart

In other news gyptian’s stateside hit Hold Yuh has slipped to number 41 on the Billboard R&B hip hop singles and tracks chart. However, due to increased airplay on mainstream pop radio stations, the track debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Over on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, the track moved into the number six spot. For a ninth week, Hold Yuh holds firm in the number one spot on Billboard’s Digital Reggae songs chart. The track saw a 15% increase (10,000) in digital downloads.

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic (AP) — Usain Bolt won a rarely contested 300-metre race in 30.97 seconds in rain at the Golden Spike yesterday.

Bolt, who holds the world records in the 100 and 200, was boosted by a solid start and cruised to an easy victory. But the wet track, marked by puddles, prevented him from challenging the world mark of 30.85 set by Michael Johnson at Pretoria in 2000.

Fellow Jamaican Jermaine Gonzales clocked 32.49 for second, and Jonathan Borlee of Belgium had 32.50 for third.

The IAAF does not recognize the 300 world record as it was not at major events.

Bolt didn’t blame the rain for not setting a new record, and went on to explain that he was not in the sizzling form that he was in last year, and if he was he would have gotten the record.

He didn’t rule out giving the 300 another try to expand his sprint dominance.

But after his first competitive 300, Bolt didn’t look like he was in a rush to race another.

While the rain stopped briefly, Bolt’s countryman Asafa Powell led Jamaica’s sweep of the 100 in 9.83, the world’s best time this season.

On the way, Powell improved the best world time in the 100 yards to 9.07 seconds.

Powell broke the previous best of 9.21 set by Charlie Greene of the United States in 1967. Organisers of the IAAF world challenge series event took the 100 yards (91.41 metres) split time.

Lerone Clarke was second in 10.18, and Dexter Lee third in 10.20.

The IAAF also doesn’t recognize 100 yards for world records as it was no longer at major events.

Bolt said he was impressed by Powell’s performance, and looked forward to racing him in the 100 at the Diamond League meet in France on July 16, and again at the Van Damme Memorial in August together with Tyson Gay.

Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser, the women’s 100 world and Olympic champion, claimed the women’s 100 in 11.04, with Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas second in 11.13, and another Jamaican, Sheri-Ann Brooks, third in 11.17.

American Kerron Clement, a two-time 400 hurdles world champion, used a strong finish to win in 48.69, edging Britain’s David Greene in 49.05 and Jamaican Isa Phillips in 49.16.

Olympic 110 hurdles champ Dayron Robles of Cuba, who set the world record of 12.87 seconds in Ostrava in 2008, crossed in 13.12 in heavy rain, with Petr Svoboda of the Czech Republic second in 13.55, and William Sharman of Britain third in 13.57.

Chaunte Howard Lowe of the United States cleared 1.98 metres to win the women’s high jump. Blanka Vlasic of Croatia, winner at the indoor worlds this year, was third with 1.92.

Yusuf Biwott of Kenya clocked 7:31.68, the world’s best time this season, to take the men’s 3,000. Petr Frydrych of the Czech Republic delighted the 22,000 spectators in the sold-out stadium by winning the men’s javelin with a season-best throw of 88.23 metres, his personal best.

Meselech Melkamu of Ethiopia overtook Pauline Korikwiang of Kenya on the final lap to win the women’s 10,000 in the season-best time of 31:04.52.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts: Reggae and dancehall artiste, Capleton, is scheduled to perform at this year’s 14th Annual St Kitts Music Festival, which takes place from June 24 - 26.

Widely known as The Prophet, Capleton is expected to unleash some of his most memorable hits at the Festival, including Alms House, Music is a Mission and Tour.

Capleton was born Clifton George Bailey III, but is also referred to as King Shango, King David and The Fireman. His lyrics are deep, precise, and thoughtful, while his stage shows are nothing less than dynamic and explosive performances.

“Capleton is indeed one of the hottest entertainers in the worldwide reggae fraternity,” said Faron Lawrence, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the St Kitts Music Festival. “We are certainly expecting a memorable show from one of reggae’s most reliable hitmakers.”

Capleton first burst on the scene in the late 1980s with a string of hit songs from Bumbo Red to Number One on the Look Good Chart and Lotion Man. Everything he touched hit the sound-good charts, and the youthful artiste with the nimble vocabulary and hardcore voice quickly established himself as one of dancehall’s greatest.

He has won numerous reggae awards and has been honoured for many of his charity works in Jamaica, as he continues to be among the elite artistes of reggae music.

“I think the people dem see say me really deserve that because of the amount of years me put in,” Capleton said, “And, we never really bow and we still hold the faith. We stand up for whatever we a say. Yeah, and we really work for it. And them say by your works, a so you get your pay. The people them see the amount of fight me face and the whole heap of accusation. And me still never give up.”

Now in its 14th consecutive year, the festival attracts both residents and visitors alike and is known for featuring rising local talent alongside internationally renowned acts. It features a mix of musical styles on the popular market, including R&B, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Soca, Calypso, Gospel and Contemporary, to name a few. Past artistes have included such prominent acts as John Legend, T-Pain, Michael Bolton, KC & the Sunshine Band, Wyclef Jean, Ne-Yo, Air Supply, Dionne Warwick, Billy Ocean, Sean Paul, Boyz II Men, King Konris, Stephen Marley, Regina Belle, Maxi Priest, Biggie Irie and Lord Nelson. Tickets to the 14th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival are US $40 per person, per night.

Located in the northern Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, St. Kitts offers a diverse tourism product developed from the destination’s natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich history. The island’s stunning variety of tourism attractions include hiking through the tropical rainforest, riding the scenic railway that connects the island’s sugar plantations, visiting the Caribelle Batik factory, touring Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, the only man-made UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Eastern Caribbean, and the more traditional vacation pastimes such as watersports, golf, shopping, tennis, gourmet dining, gaming at one of St. Kitts’ two casinos or simply relaxing on one of the island’s sandy beaches. Accommodations for guests range from intimate plantation inns to larger hotels or resorts.

The publication of So Much Things To Say reminds fans that Calabash is the gathering place each year for some of the best poets writing today. This year is no exception. Sudeep Sen and Matthew Shenoda are just two of the eight poets who will be reading at Calabash this year at Treasure Beach where the tenth anniversary celebrations will take place this weekend May 28-30.

“With Sen, one of the most gifted and acclaimed young poets in India, and Matthew Shenoda, an Egyptian-American poet, we have the perfect bashical writers-sophisticated, ambitious, committed and just plain good,” says festival programmer Kwame Dawes.

Sudeep Sen, who lives in New Delhi, India and Matthew Shenoda who is based in California, are visiting Jamaica for the first time. “Our audiences know poetry and enjoy sincere writers, so these two poets certainly be increasingly the fan base in Jamaica,” says festival producing director, Justine Henzell.

Matthew Shenoda will join Jamaican poet Ishion Hutchison and Bahamian poet Christian Campbell in a session titled “Men at Work” on Saturday afternoon, and Sudeep Sen will read with former US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins on Sunday afternoon.

Sudeep Sen is widely acknowledged as a leading poet of the younger generation. He read English Literature at the University of Delhi & as an Inlaks Scholar received an MS from the journalism school at Columbia University (New York). His awards, fellowships and residencies include: Hawthornden Fellowship (UK), Pushcart Prize nomination (USA), BreadLoaf (USA), Pleiades (Macedonia), NLPVF Dutch Foundation for Literature (Amsterdam), Ledig House (New York), and Sanskriti (New Delhi). He was international writer-in-residence at the Scottish Poetry Library (Edinburgh) & visiting scholar at Harvard University.

Sen’s dozen books include: Postmarked India: New and Selected Poems (HarperCollins), Distracted Geographies, Prayer Flag, Rain, Aria (A K Ramanujan Translation Award), and Blue Nude: Poems & Translations 1977-2012 (Jorge Zalamea International Poetry Award) is forthcoming. His poetry and literary prose have appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, Guardian, Observer, Independent, Financial Times, London Magazine, Literary Review, Harvard Review, Telegraph, Hindu, Outlook, India Today, and broadcast on BBC, CNN-IBN, NDTV & AIR. He is the editorial director of AARK ARTS and editor of Atlas

SUMMERFEST Productions, the organisers of Reggae Sumfest, has named R&B star Chris Brown as one of the foreign acts on the line-up for this year’s festival.

In a press release, the organisers also welcomed Red Stripe who returns as main sponsor of Reggae Sumfest, after a 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.

Also scheduled to perform are Reggae heavyweights Shaggy, Beenie Man, Tarrus Riley and Queen Ifrica. Sumfest, which prides itself as “the greatest Reggae show on earth”, kicks off with a beach party on July 18 and continues at Catherine Hall, Montego Bay, on July 22-24.

International R&B and pop star Chris Brown, emerged on the scene in 2005 and quickly rose to stardom with his self-titled debut album. With the release of Graffiti, his third album, the 20-year-old singer-songwriter enters his prime as a widely accomplished multi-platinum artiste. Chris is set to thrill the audiences and make history with his first Reggae Sumfest performance.

The release also stated that some of Jamaica’s top artistes have been confirmed for the event, among them Jah Cure, Elephant Man, I-Octane, Konshens, Stacious, Chino, Tessanne Chin, Gramps Morgan and Tifa.

The entertainment fraternity is in mourning over the passing of Oneil Edwards, a member of the dancehall trio, Voicemail. Oneil, who was shot on May 9, succumbed to his injuries yesterday afternoon Wednesday May 26, 2010, while a patient in the Kingston Public Hospital.

Immediately following his shooting, artistes had united for vigils at the Mandela Park in Half-Way-Tree and then at the KPH. Chief convener of the vigils, Mr Vegas, noted at the time that Oneil is a good guy and because of this many artistes and media personalities turned up to show their support.

Female deejay Macka Diamond, who was among the artistes as the vigil at the KPH, was equally filled with grief.

Meanwhile, reacting to the news, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Olivia Grange, said she was deeply saddened. She stated that her and affiliates were hoping and praying for Oneil’s recovery and share the deep sadness of his family, friends, group members and the wider entertainment fraternity. Oneil loved to entertain and he will be missed.

Oneil Edwards was shot several times and critically injured at his home in Duhaney Park. One of his assailants has since been found dead and another held by police. A third remains at large. Born May 8, 1974, O’Neil a new father, is survived by his six-week-old daughter, his life partner, his mother, five sisters and four brothers.

 On behalf of the team at Reggaetimes Magazine we would like to send condolences to the family and friends of Oneil. Sad to see another great ambassador of the entertainment industry pass on so young. RIP you will not be forgotten.

R&B superstar and singer of the worldwide #1 smash hits My My My, Rub You The Right Way and Wrap My Body Tight, Johnny Gill, will perform live in concert at CFW 2010.

Gill, the first of the celebrity performers to be announced by Pulse for this year’s 10th anniversary event, will be coming to Jamaica with his wife Carissa, herself a well- known cover girl. According to Pulse, other stars will be announced shortly, as the company looks to celebrate 10 years of CFW “in appropriate style”.

The year 2010 will be a record one for the event, a release from Pulse said. From as early as January, CFW had received more designer applications than it had ever received in a single year. With the addition of the Haiti Art and Fashion benefit event on Thursday, June 10, the collections are now scheduled for four nights of shows, instead of the usual three. Designers will come from over 20 countries, including France, Germany, the UK, Belize, the USA, South Africa, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and several other countries.

Johnny Gill, the son of a minister, was born in Washington, DC. He started singing at age five in a family gospel group called Wings Faith, which included his brothers Bobby, Jeff, and Randy. His recording career began in 1983 when his childhood friend, singer Stacy Lattisaw, convinced him to record a demo. This demo fell into the hands of the president of Atlantic Records, and his self-titled debut album was released shortly thereafter, featuring the minor hit, Super Love. Gill then teamed up with Lattisaw for a duet album, which featured their first hit together, Perfect Combination.

A second album on Atlantic Records yielded the song Half Crazy, which is still a fan favourite.

Gill began a new chapter in his career in 1987, when he was recruited by Michael Bivins to be the new fifth member of New Edition. The previous fifth member, Bobby Brown, had been voted out of the group and enjoyed a successful solo career before reuniting with the group. With Gill as one of the lead singers, the group developed a more mature, adult sound, hitting the charts with songs such as Can You Stand The Rain, NE Heartbreak, and the Gill-led Boys To Men.

Continuing his role as a romantic balladeer, he released a second self-titled album which included the hits My, My, My, Rub You the Right Way, Fairweather Friend and Wrap My Body Tight. On this album, Gill played guitar, bass, bongos, and drums, in addition to performing lead and background vocals. In 1993, Gill released another solo project, Provocative, which included the songs Quiet Time to Play, A Cute, Sweet, Love Addiction, and a moving gospel song, I Know Where I Stand.

In 1996, Gill was reunited with New Edition, including Brown, as they recorded Home Again, an album noted for the singles Hit Me Off and Still In Love. The title song, Home Again, although not released as a single, is one of the most impressive vocal performances recorded by the group to date.

In 1996, Gill also released Let’s Get the Mood Right, which included the title song Love In an Elevator and Maybe, which is considered by many to be one of his greatest vocal performances ever. The following year, he collaborated with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat to form the supergroup LSG which resulted in the multi-platinum debut album, Levert-Sweat-Gill, and a follow-up album in 2003 entitled LSG2.

His latest recording, You For Me (The Wedding Song) from the Madea’s Family Reunion soundtrack received strong reviews from music critics as well as the general public. In 2008, Gill, as a member of New Edition, was the recipient of the Golden Note Award at ASCAP’s 21st Annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards.

With over 80 television and film appearances as a singer and actor, Gill earned much acclaim for his cameo role on the hit TV show, Family Matters (TV series) and thrilled audiences singing You For Me in the movie Madea’s Family Reunion. In October 2004 Rub You The Right Way appeared in popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Caribbean Fashion Week takes place June 8 - 14 at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston.

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic (AP) — Usain Bolt says running a 300-metre race at the Golden Spike on Thursday 27,2010 meet is not a stepping stone to him competing in the 400.

The 100 and 200 Olympic and world champion said the 300 was not new for him because it’s a common part of his training.

Bolt says he knows how to run the race and see how fast he can go in a competition. Bolt said he didn’t plan to compete in the 300 regularly, but added that it was really fun to do different events sometimes.

Jeremy Wariner of the United States won the 300 in Ostrava in 2008 in 31.72 seconds, and Bolt said he was inspired.

Bolt will race for the fourth time at the meet, which is part of the new IAAF world challenge series. Last year, he won the 100 in 9.77 seconds.

Michael Johnson holds the world mark of 30.85 seconds in the 300. The IAAF does not recognise it as a world record, as the distance is not used at major events.

Bolt recently said he was avoiding the 400 because of the hard work needed to be the best at that distance.

Bolt said he didn’t plan to attack his records this season, which is without a major world competition, and didn’t expect his main rivals — Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell — to break his record times.

Bolt, Gay and Powell will race each other at the Van Damme Memorial in August in a rematch of last year’s World Championships, where Bolt set a 100 world record of 9.58 seconds.

Bolt opened this season with a year’s best 9.86-second win in the 100 last Wednesday, May 19,2010 at Daegu, South Korea, and snatched victory in the 200 at the Diamond League meet in Shanghai on Sunday May 23,2010 with 19.76 seconds.

If Bolt breaks the 300 record in Ostrava , organisers said he will receive $30,000 besides an undisclosed appearance fee.

Due to the recent deadly clashes in his native country, Bolt said his best performance was not his only concern. Bolt stated that it was really sad for him and it was on his mind because of his family and friends, but he is trying to stay focused right now and he hopes there are no casualties in the near future.

The multi-million dollar recording facility built in memory of Bob Marley in Ghana, Africa was badly damaged by fire on Saturday night May 22, 2010.The reggae star’s widow, Rita, built the studio to honour her husband’s legacy.

According to reports on www.graphicghana.com a fierce fire reduced a section of the Aburi-Gyankama, based recording studio into a pile of rubble. No casualties were reported. According to the report it took the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) more than four hours to bring the fire which began at 6 p.m. on Saturday May 22, 2010 under control.

Even though the immediate cause of the fire could not be ascertained, some sources blamed it on an electrical fault. An eyewitness who gave his name as Emmanuel Sackey, said he was with Mrs Marley after some people had been there to interview her, when the fire started from the main studio.

Slow Response

Sackey said it took more than two trips to the offices of the GNFS at Mampong for the personnel there to respond and when they arrived on the scene, they could do very little and had to call for reinforcement from the Madina Fire Station. When the Daily Graphic got to the scene, dozens of people, including some residents of the area, stood helpless as fire engulfed the building.

Efforts by the fire-fighters to spray the top of the building from their fire engines were fruitless, as the water could not reach that far. A few of the workers at the studio mustered the courage and entered some of the rooms to salvage what was left of the studio and residence.

According to available information, the multi- million-dollar studio, which is also the storehouse of most of Bob Marley’s original tapes, was due to be officially opened late last year but the event had to be postponed to allow Mrs Marley to attend to some personal issues in the USA. It is feared that the tapes of the late reggae star were destroyed in the fire.

In the 1990s, Rita along with the rest of the Marley family, left Jamaica to settle in Ghana, Africa in fulfilment of her dreams of repatriation to Africa. Now called Nana Afua Abodea I, she lives in the village of Konkonuru, Ghana, and continues to invest extensively in Africa and Jamaica through various charities under the auspices of The Bob Marley Foundation and The Rita Marley Foundation (which were both founded by her). The Studio One, is one of many projects initiated in Ghana by her.

The promoters of Reggae Sumfest, Summerfest Promotions have indicated that despite the challenges facing the event, the annual Festival will take place on July 18-24 at Catherine Hall, St James. The organizers are also appealing to stakeholders to work with them in finding creative solutions to the challenges to stage the 18th edition of the Greatest Reggae Festival on Earth.Johnny Gourzong, Executive producer of the Festival cites reduced sponsor support and increased production and artiste fees as some of the challenges being faced. He said, “Reggae Sumfest is important to Jamaica’s tourism and impacts positively on the economy and despite reduced sponsorship, we decided it was important to beat the odds and host the Festival this year.” Traditionally Reggae Sumfest has hosted a mixture of local and international acts that has distinguished the event as an eclectic mix of good music and performers. In light of the fiscal challenges organizers gave great consideration to omitting International Acts for this year’s Festival. Stakeholders agreed that International Acts should be included on this year’s lineup as the Mix of genre and cultures is the essence of the event and such a cut back would adversely affect the market ability of the show. Reggae Sumfest is an Annual event that provides an avenue for new and established local talent to demonstrate their prowess to an international audience as well as a wide cross section of the Jamaican society. The brain child of several Montego Bay businessmen, Reggae Sumfest was first held in 1993. The show has traditionally featured top reggae and dancehall performers, but Hip-Hop and Rhythm and Blues acts like Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Ja Rule, Boyz II Men and Lionel Richie have also made appearances on the Sumfest stage. The Festival kicks off on July 18 with a Beach Party. The Three day live event takes place at Catherine Hall, St James beginning on July 22. For more information please contact:Carlette DeLeon
Headline Entertainment
8 Haughton Avenue, Kingston 10 Jamaica W.I.
Tel: 876.754.1526