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Lawyers for Buju Banton claim that the government set up Buju Banton, by using a paid informant. According to court documents filed on Tuesday January 26, 2010 Buju Banton’s defense attorneys David Markus Marc and David Seitles claimed that the government entrapped the singer, because the informant pressured Buju to purchase the cocaine. According to the document filed in the court: "The informant was clearly an active participant in the entire chain of events." Defense attorneys David Markus is pushing to have the informants identity revealed, because his credibility or lack thereof, could send Buju Banton to jail for the rest of his life. The singer allegedly met the informant on a flight from Madrid, Spain to...

Multiple Grammy winning artist Ziggy Marley, and Tuff Gong Worldwide present "Dancehall Originators Vol 1," the first in a new series of dancehall reggae albums designed to pay homage to the groundbreaking original artists that paved the way for dancehall artists today. The album, which will be released on February 2, 2010. In 1992, producer/songwriter Phillip Smart, founder of Long Island's HC&F Studios, created the scorching "Hot This Year" riddim, whose bouncy keyboard riffs and resounding bass were considered ground breaking at the time. From its initial release, "Hot This Year" inspired numerous other artists, including Shaggy, Yellow Man, Buju Banton, and Chaka Demus, to use it as a basis for their own songs. It...

British up and coming reggae artist Gappy Ranks has just signed a hot new record deal with the Greensleeves Records. Ranks first climbed up the reggae ranks on the strength of his hit 'Heaven in Her Eyes,' a single that earned him the Crystal Blue Best Artist of the Year Award. In a statement, Greensleeves representatives announced that Gappy's first feature length album will hit stores "in early 2010," and in addition to 'Heaven in Her Eyes,' his debut will include the smash hit track 'Stinkin' Rich,' and will feature appearances from Spice and Million Stylez, among others.

Shaggy has recorded a new song with a diverse group of Caribbean artiste to raise money for earthquake survivors in Haiti. The 7.0-magnitude quake on Jan. 12 killed an estimated 200,000 or more people in Haiti. It features Shaggy, fellow Jamaican Sean Paul, Haitian musician Belo and soca singers Alison Hinds of Barbados and Destra Garcia from Trinidad and Tobago. The song is called "Rise Again" and was written by Shaggy. Shaggy Sean Paul Belo Alison Hinds Destra - Rise Again (2010 Birchilll) <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.reggaeme.com/mediaplayer/flashaudioplayer.swf" width="400" height="35"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.reggaeme.com/mediaplayer/flashaudioplayer.swf"/> <param...

Picture by Johnny Wonder Johnny Wonder From 21st Production took Aidonia, Charly Black, Ishawna, Demarco and Bugle to Hot 97 Massive B Fire Sundays for a promotional live radio stage show Sun Jan. 24 2010. YouTube - HOT 97 - MASSIVE B - FIRE SUNDAYS - "STAGE SHOW "PT.1 YouTube - HOT 97 - MASSIVE B - FIRE SUNDAYS - "STAGE SHOW " PT.2 YouTube - HOT 97 - MASSIVE B - FIRE SUNDAYS - "STAGE SHOW " PT.3

The International Artiste Night show will not be staged this Dominica Festivals carnival season due to financial limitations. Dominica Festivals Committee (DFC) Events Director Val Cuffy said too much expenses are incurred to organize that event. The first International Artiste Night was held in 2008 with Jamaican dancehall artiste Mr. Vegas as the headline act. In 2009, Jamaican reggae and dancehall artiste Wayne Marshall was the featured performance. Source: Dominica Online

Reggaeme- On Friday, January 29, 2010, the Riu Hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica, will host Third World Band's 35th Anniversary press conference. The Reggae Ambassadors, in celebrating over three decades of hit singles and albums, will announce their plans for a year- long tour - which will see the group performing in Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada, the United States and the Caribbean, and the release of their upcoming album "Patriot." Following the press conference, on Saturday, January 30, 2010, Third World will perform on the main stage at Jamaica Jazz and Blues. Patrons can expect to see the band perform hit songs such as "Now That We've Found Love," "96 Degrees in the Shade," "Try Jah Love," and "Sense of Purpose."

Lynn Taitt (June 22, 1934 – January 20, 2010) was a reggae guitarist born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, closely associated with Jamaican rocksteady music. Lynn Taitt, the rocksteady guitarist who played with nearly every reggae legend and the man widely credited with creating the very first rocksteady bassline, has died in Canada at the age of 70. A Trinidadian by birth, Taitt had no problem making Jamaica his home, where his musical career eventually came into full bloom. In addition to playing with major ska and early reggae groups like the Skatalites and the Sheikhs, he founded his own group, Lynn Taitt and the Comets, in the mid 1960s. Though many will certainly remember him for his uniquely virtuosic guitar...

After placing 11th in the World Cup skicross race in France, it has become official. Errol Kerr has qualified for the Winter Olympics. Eric Holmer, aka Homey, Kerr's tech, trainer, and part-time psychiatrist, broke the word saying, "Its official Errol Kerr of Jamaica qualifies for the Olympic Skier X in Vancouver."

A medical team from the Ministry of Health left Jamaica on Friday (January 22), to relieve colleagues in Haiti who have been helping with relief efforts, following the January 12 earthquake. Jamaica currently has a 26-member health team stationed in Port-au-Prince, comprised of doctors, emergency medical technicians, public health inspectors, nurses and a health educator. Since arriving in Haiti, the team has been working from two facilities and has seen about 150 new patients within the first three days of arriving. They have also performed surgical operations. Minister of Health, Hon Rudyard Spencer, publicly thanked the medical team for the work they have been doing to help Haitians affected by the earthquake.

New York, January 22, 2009 -- Greensleeves Publishing, the world’s leading reggae music publisher, signed exclusive agreements with leading singer/songwriters Gappy Ranks, Chino, Laden, Chukki Starr, Goofy, and Keith Hudson. Those deals will see Greensleeves Publishing represent and market the songs of these six in-demand reggae singers and songwriters worldwide. Rising British Reggae star, Gappy Ranks, signed an exclusive publishing agreement with Greensleeves Publishing, quickly followed by a record deal with Greensleeves Records. Gappy‘s most recent hit “Heaven In Her Eyes” is included on VP Records’ Strictly The Best Vol. 40 and on Greensleeves Records’ The Biggest Reggae One-Drop Anthems 2009. The son of Reggae...

Heeding annual criticism that reggae's finest releases are oftentimes overlooked as nominees in the Grammy's best reggae album category, Cristy Barber, VP of marketing and promotions at New York-based reggae label VP Records, is spearheading a drive to educate her industry about the role of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Barber, a 2005 Grammy nominated producer for the various artists compilation "Def Jamaica" (Island/Def Jam) and the former president of the Marley family's Tuff Gong/Ghetto Youths labels, will commence an informational media campaign in Jamaica, Jan. 21-25, where she will meet with key industry personnel. Her efforts will also extend beyond the island's shores as she aims to...

Reggaeme - New Zealand Raggamuffin festival, The country's largest reggae music festival is continuing to defy beliefs, with organisers saying it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Performers at Raggamuffin this year include Lauryn Hill, Shaggy, Sly & Robbie, Julian Marley and Katchafire. Wyclef Jean was billed to headline Saturday's reggae festival at the Rotorua International Stadium, but will miss it to focus on Haiti. Raggamuffin is expected to draw in a 30,000 strong crowd this Saturday in Rotorua, New Zealand .Organiser Leesa Tilley says the festival has exploded in size since it's inception in 2008. She says they never expected the event to get so big so fast. This year the event has almost doubled in size...

The deadly earthquake that felled much of Haiti's capital last week broke 250 years of strain -- a tension that had built slowly across the nearby fault as it resisted the inexorable tug of drifting tectonic plates. Geologists who have studied the complicated fault system in the area say more quakes could follow last week's disaster, which killed an estimated 50,000 to 100,000, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Often quakes such as this trigger others nearby in a domino effect, the experts say. In coming years, other sections of the same fault are likely to rupture, threatening not only Haiti but also the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. While scientists cannot predict earthquakes, they can make rough...

The February 9, 2010, Walkup Records release of Bigga Haitian's Sak Pase on CD had been in the works for months. Following the earthquake in Haiti, Bigga and Walkup announced that they will donate all proceeds from downloads of "I Am A Haitian" from Sak Pase to Yele Haiti to assist with relief efforts. Of the devastation, Bigga says, "I feel like I need to do something and this is what I have to offer." Bigga Haitian was born "Charles Dorismond" in Haiti to a musical family. His father, Andre Dorismond, was a pioneer of Kompa music with the Webert Sico Group. Bigga has always exhibited his love for his native country in his music, starting over 20 years ago with "Haiti A Weh Mi From" and continuing through today with "I...

Reggaeme.com - Jah Cure finally got Gordene consent to do the DNA test to see if he is the father of her baby. Gordene originally declined to take a DNA test however she changed her mind and consent to a DNA test. Before the birth of the child Jah Cure requested a DNA test, a request which the Gordene refused. Despite this, Jah Cure continued to support the child and Gordene. Jah Cure has supported Gordene throughout her pregnancy and had his father and manager be with her at the time of delivery in the US. His support for her throughout this period was unwavering, even with doubts that he was the childs father. Now that the DNA test has been done and it has been shown that he is not the father, Jah Cure wishes to...

Warner Channel is a pan-regional television subscription channel with presence in Latin America, Brazil and the Caribbean. Its signal reaches approximately 20 million homes in 24 countries around the continent through 5 different signals that adjust according to the different time zones and languages of the region. Due to the agreement between HBO Latin America Group and Flow, this is the first time that the Warner Channel is being broadcast in Jamaica. Flow subscribers will now be able to enjoy HBO LAG’s varied and comprehensive television programming and packages throughout the country, including channels like HBO, HBO Plus, HBO Family, Cinemax, Max Prime, and HBO HD, among others. HBO Latin America Group(SM) is a...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean defended his charity on Monday in the wake of questions about its practices while calling on the international community to enable the evacuation of his homeland's earthquake-ravaged capital. "Port-au-Prince is a morgue," Jean said at a Manhattan press conference, recounting how he collected the corpses of small children and adults from the festering streets on his recent trip. Tears streamed down his face as he looked into the camera, speaking to his countrymen. Residents should be evacuated to tent cities outside Port-au-Prince to allow for aid to reach them and so cleanup can begin in earnest, Jean said, asking for help from around the world in building encampments...

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States, and he has become a human rights icon: King is recognized as a martyr by two Christian churches. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement...

Since the confirmation of R&B mega star Beyonce’s performance in Trinidad, controversy and contention have been prevalent. One group representing calypsonians has already started protesting. They claim that sponsors/hosts of the event, bmobile, were disrespectful to indigenous art forms like calypso. The main issue arising from this event is the fact that bmobile, a predominantly state-owned company, will be redirecting some monies that are usually allocated for Carnival events, towards Jamaican and American artist concerts. Ten million dollars is the reported amount that will be allocated to the Beyonce concert but sources are claiming that twice that amount is a more accurate estimate. Many groups and individuals against...