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It doesn't hurt to say thanks.. a little gratitude goes a long way!

The Guinness Sounds of Greatness sound system competition is back this year, and is set to kick off this Saturday, October 17, at venuesto be announced. Last year, it was Rebel-T that won the title over Bodyguard in the finals, and this year there will be sixteen of Jamaica’s top sound systems going up against each other overseveral rounds of competition. The winning sound system will walk away with just over J$1 million in prize money. Here’s the first round line-up schedule (venues to be announced): October 17 - King Mello vs. Black Widdo - Bredda Hype vs. Black Scorpio - Flava Unit vs. Danger Zone - Rock-A-Way vs. Black Kat October 31 - Xclusive vs. Black Blunt - City Rock vs. Sound...

Four members of San Francisco's gay community met this afternoon for 40-minutes with Jamaican singer Buju Banton in Larkspur, up in Marin County, to discuss his troubling history with gay people. According to Buju and his advisers, this was his first meeting ever with gay advocates, and they really want to put an end to the controversy that continues to dog him over violent homo-hating song he sang in his late teens, "Boom Bye Bye." At the meeting were gay leaders Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who arranged the meeting, Rebecca Rolfe, executive director of the SF gay community center, Andrea Shorter of Equality California and myself. Also present was Supervisor Eric Mar, a progressive straight leader in the Asian community, and, of...

Dancehall artiste Blak Ryno was released yesterday after spending a night in jail for an alleged attack on his neighbour at his Winchester Estate apartment. The popular singer was slapped with two charges of unlawful wounding and assault occasioning bodily harm as a result. Police say the incident stemmed from a dispute over unpaid water bills by the artiste, whose real name is Romane Anderson. Reports are that about 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, the complainant, who is chairman of the strata committee at the apartment complex, was in a long-standing dispute over unpaid water contributions, which is mandatory for residents. Police reports indicate that the altercation got ugly when the complainant was accused of damaging pipes...

CD: Fulfilment Artiste: Chuck Fenda Executive Produce: Christopher Chin Producer: Kemar 'Flava' McGregor Product Co-ordinator: Fidel 'Twice' Luna The official release date for dancehall artiste Chuck Fenda's new CD is October 27. A 15-track offering, the Fulfilment is a continuation of Chuck Fenda's proclaimed musical mission to spread righteousness and speak on behalf of the less fortunate around the world The opening track is a reminder of his mission as it relates to those collectively known as "the poor", with a number entitled I Am For The Poor, a declaration of intent. He also has a strong message for those hellbent on inflicting violence all around with the song Cold For The Money. One should not forget, however, that...

Reggae singer Luciano was denied entry into the United States over the weekend after his visa was cancelled by a former member of his team without his knowledge. Luciano was scheduled to perform at Irish & Chin's 'Reeewind, The Past Meets The Present' at Club Amazura in New York last Saturday. But upon arrival at the airport there, he was denied entry into the country. Speculations on the Internet, had been that Luciano, whose real name is Jepther McClymont, may have been denied entry because he currently has a case before the court. Luciano was "very upset" at not having got the chance to perform, but is confident that he will be getting back his US visa. Source: The Star

The former Bad Boy rapper (born Jamal Barrow) was scheduled to be released from prison Tuesday (October 6) after serving more than nine years of a 10-year sentence in connection with the 2001 Club New York shooting involving Diddy and Jennifer Lopez. In August, a lawyer for Shyne said the rapper was "90 percent of the way home" after a judge ruled on his post-release supervision. The rapper received two and a half years of post-release supervision (probation, essentially) stemming from his conviction on first-degree assault and a host of other lesser charges. Shyne is currently in federal custody while his future immigration status is determined. Source: MTV News

Popular deejay the 'Warlord' Bounty Killer, was denied entry into Trinidad and Tobago on Friday despite being slated to perform at a concert which was advertised to bring him and rival Vybz Kartel together. The event, smartly titled 'Ceasefire', was held at King George V Park in Port-of-Spain on Saturday night without the presence of the deejay, born Rodney Pryce. The artiste was reportedly denied entry into the twin-island republic by Immigration officers at Piarco International Airport. Efforts to get a comment from the deejay or his manager Julian Jones-Griffiths were unsuccessful as numerous calls to their cellullar phones went unanswered. Reports are that Bounty Killer arrived at the airport some minutes after 8 p.m...

Major Mackerel (real name - Garfield Dixon) was reportedly hospitalized in Brooklyn, New York earlier today, after he was attacked by a jealous husband wielding a two-foot samurai sword. Mackerel, who has lived in the U.S. since the 1990s, was reportedly slashed across the head and suffered a severe cut on his left palm during an altercation outside his home in East Flatbush, New York some time this morning. According to police reports, Mackerel was on his way home from a trip to the store, when he was ambushed by his neighbor Oscar Joseph (who also happens to be Jamaican). Joseph reportedly claimed that Mackerel had been flirting with and harassing his wife. Just minutes after the incident, Joseph was arrested, still clutching...

Jamaican lovers rocker Courtney John has definetly set out to break records the second time around. His latest full length album project "Made In Jamaica" has caputured the eyes and ears of mainstream listeners in North America and is being regarded by industry stalwarts in the U.S as a refreshing tangent to reggae's current offerings. His first video from the album which captures the lead single "Lucky Man" in a smokey vintaged black and white HD video has gradually found itself on MTVU, VH1, Tempo and most recently MTV. The video has already been watched by over 100 million viewers throughout the world based on Nielsen reports, and with the second video just weeks away, sky is the limit for this sucessfully self made...

Alliance selector Boom Boom is disappointed that an event which was supposed to be promoting peace and unity is now being used to create conflict. “There are reports circulating that I was musically beaten by Chris Diamond at The Building during the Gaza vs Gully unity jam,” he explained. The Alliance selector described in detail everything that took place that night. “After speaking with Earl, he assures me it was not a clash thing, it was something to show selectors unity and I agreed. But from mi go inna di club a pure Gaza (indicating that patrons who supported Gaza should wear white)…all di speaker and bartender sey Gaza” Boom jokingly stated. Boom went up first and gave a lively mixture of gully, gaza and other...

Dancehall deejay Matthew Thompson more popularly known as Esco is today counting his lucky stars after surviving a near fatal kidnapping attempt. The incident occurred on Friday (Oct. 2nd) as the entertainer was exiting Bling Cuts, a barber shop owned by fellow deejay Bling Dawg. When he was pounced upon by three men armed with guns and other projectiles. The men proceeded to rob him then forced him inside their get away vehicle. A struggle ensued and Esco in an act of bravery manage to fight the men off before escaping but not without suffer some minor injuries. Esco a disc jock turn artiste/producer was a member of the duo Leftside and Esco until their surprise split a few years ago. Esco is best known for the mega hit 'Tuck...

DYNAMQ THE SUDANESE CHILD,Kennedy O. Lorya born in Juba Sudan, Third born of 7 kids, Dynamq's love for music came from attending sunday school and also singing just for the sake of it. As a young kid, Dynamq & his family fled the war in Sudan & moved to Nairobi Kenya, about this time his mother was hospitilized due to a plane crash which happened in Sudan. Growing up in Kawangware in Nairobi Kenya was not easy for Dynamq's family, It was one of the worst Ghetto areas in Nairobi/kenya. To stay out of trouble, Dynamq played Football(soccer) and sang at stage shows hosted locally around his area. With his strong full of vibe voice, He always left the crowd wanting more. His first big stage show was at the 1996 King Lions Sounds "Rasta...

Deejay Busy Signal is currently involved in 'baby mother drama', as the mother of a five-and-a-half month old baby is seeking the help of the Family Court to establish paternity and to obtain child support. Shantal Chin explained that she recently visited the Family Court in downtown Kingston on Monday, where a summons was sent to the deejay, whose real name is Reanno Gordon. The two are to appear for family counselling on October 7. According to 19-year-old Chin, she and Busy were together for one year and seven months and she was one month pregnant when the two broke up. She says however, that since becoming pregnant and having the baby she has only received money from the deejay a few times as he claimed the baby was not his. A...

Vybz Kartel released his “Pon Di Gaza” album independently via Adidjahiem Records/NotNice Records, but according to some reports - based on Nielsen SoundScan figures - a measly eight copies of the album were sold in its first week. 519 individual downloads of various singles off the album were recorded for the same first week period. While the album release was done without the backing of a major label/distributor, and seemingly with minimal marketing support, if the numbers are indeed correct, they are particularly stunning given Vybz Kartel’s local and global popularity. There was no visible attempt to market the album to a crossover audience (i.e. American / British / Japanese etc. listeners who will actually pay for music)...

Singjay Serani is gearing up for the release of his first U.S. full length album titled “No Games” later this month. The album comes hot on the heels of his international crossover hit single of the same name, and the follow up single “She Loves Me”, which has started to generate some radio buzz and is already picking up steam. No Games will feature 14 tracks, including a wealth of new material. Serani himself is the producer of a number of songs on the album, along with up & coming hot Jamaican production outfit Chimney Records and Leftside (of Keepleft Records) who represent the Jamaican sound on the album. The Miami-based Blackout Movements (Mim’s “This is Why I’m Hot”) and fast-rising new U.S. producer Canei close out the...

39 artistes have been submitted for Reggae Grammy 2010 consideration.The eligibility period was for albums released between October 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009. We’ve featured the complete list of album submissions below. The 2010 Grammy Awards will be held on January 31,2010 at the Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles, California, USA. As soon as it is available, we will update you on the final list of nominations for the Best Reggae Album Grammy. 1. The Aggrolites - IV 2. Anthony B - Rise Up 3. Buju Banton - Rasta Got Soul 4. Benaissa - Tables Turn 5. Ce’cile - Waiting 6. De Apostle - King Of The V.I. 7. Easy Star All-Stars - Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band 8. Lutan Fyah - Justice 9. Terry Ganzie -...

Don Corleon and singer Alaine have severed their musical relationship after a four-year partnership. Not much reason has been given for the split in their relationship, but Alaine told the Star that they relationship ended on good terms. In the weekend paper Alaine was quoted as saying "First of all I have to big up Don all di way. He is 100 per cent an amazing producer and we've had a lot of success together. We just returned from Japan where we released my second album 'Luv-A-Dub' and it has been doing great, getting serious album sales which is a big feat. It was a very beneficial positive experience, still is, but we're no longer working together." Alaine denied rumours that she married to Don and refused to comment...

This Summer has seen the resurgence of one of dancehall’s hottest camp and the momentum seems to be growing for the members of Jag One Production (J.O.P) spearheaded by Aidonia. After enjoying a sizzling Summer with numerous overseas appearances and several high profile local events, including Fully Loaded and Appleton Temptation Live. The J.O.P family has now teamed up with New York based dancehall connoisseurs Federation Sound to release another installment in their Mixtape series, this episode entitled ‘Bolt Action’ which features Aidonia alongside young gun Deablo and Big Ship recording artiste Chino. Aidonia, whose real name is Sheldon Lawrence, is now in the final stages of preparation for a month long tour of Europe, but...

International singer, songwriter, actor, Jimmy Cliff has been nominated among 12 artistes into next year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The other nominees are LL Cool J, Donna Summer, Darlene Love Kiss, Red Hot Chili Peppers Genesis, The Hollies and songwriter Laura Nyro, reports the Associated Press. Only five acts are inducted each year. The 2010 class will be announced in December ahead of the 25th annual induction ceremony on March 15, next year, in New York City.