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Shaggy and British artist Sting have won the prestigious Grammy award for Best Reggae Album at The Grammy's premiere ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles over the weekend. The two were awarded for their collaborative album 44/876. The other nominees in the category were: Reggae Forever – Etana A Matter of Time - Protoje As the World Turns -- Black Uhuru Rebellion Rises -- Ziggy Marley Shaggy previously won the Grammy in 1996 for the Boombastic album.

To say 2018 was fruitful for Etana would be an understatement. The singer released her fifth album, Reggae Forever, toured relentlessly and capped the year with a Grammy Award nomination for Best Reggae Album. According to Etana, "It's been a year filled with hard work, determination and triumph." Reggae Forever was released in March by Tad's International Record. It went number one on the Billboard Reggae Album Chart and coincided with her extensive tour of the United States with J Boog and Jesse Royal. Her show, which launched the album in South Florida in July, was particularly successful. It drew a strong crowd of faithful fans to Krave Restaurant and Lounge in Fort Lauderdale, who witnessed a powerful 90-minute performance...

Dance hall artist Kalado had a brief encounter with the law Sunday over what police officers thought were three high-powered rifles found in his possession. It was reported that the police apprehended the entertainer, whose given name is Eton Gordon, in Lakes Pen, Spanish Town in St Catherine as he was making his way to Portmore. He was taken into custody, however, upon closer inspection, it was found that the weapons were fake. Kalado was on his way to a video shoot at the time. The artist was subsequently released.

Songs for Reggae Lovers 3 releases on February 9th, this album aims straight for the heart; presenting 30 top hits from reggae’s brightest stars, singing about love. Specially prepared for Valentine’s Day (and everyday), this collection showcases old and new favorites including the latest hit from rising UK vocalist Gappy Ranks titled ‘The Rain’. For collectors of all ages, this disc gets better with each listen! TRACK LISTING DISC 1 1. Good Thing Going – Sugar Minot 2. The Rain – Gappy Ranks 3. In Your Eyes – Sanchez 4. She’s Royal – Tarrus Riley 5. Beautiful Lady – Gyptian 6. Substitute Lover – Half Pint 7. Tempted To Touch – Beres Hammond 8. Blessing – Etana featuring Alborosie 9. Love Me More – Ziggy 10. Drowning...

ReggaeMe - VP Records is proud to announce the release of Volcano Eruption. Henry “Junjo” Lawes’ was one of the most influential producers of the early Dancehall era. This album features hits from Singers and Deejays that shaped Reggae music into the multicultural genre we know today. Volcano Eruption is comprised of some of the most veritable and significant hits in Reggae Music. This 2 CD/DVD package includes 40 tracks from a variety of celebrated artists that worked with “Junjo” Lawes’ Volcano Label. On the singers side is the exceptional Barrington Levy’s “Prison Oval Rock” and “21 Girl Salute” with production by Junjo and The Roots Radics; the most sought after band of the early Dancehall period. Continuing with the...

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young has announced that the government has reached an agreement with BP and Shell that he says with bring “significant” financial benefits to Trinidad and Tobago. The agreement involves new pricing arrangements, the extension of the Atlantic LNG Train 1 by a further five years, and the ability of the National Gas Company (NGC) to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) on behalf of T&T. Minister Young said the discussions started in April 2018 when Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley led a delegation's to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London. While there, the team, which include Minister Young and Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Franklin Khan, met with...

(Jamaica Observer) The police yesterday exhumed the partially decomposed body of a female Caucasian suspected to be that of 72-year-old US national Nancy Hardy, who has been missing since Saturday. Members of the Area One police are awaiting results of a forensic examination to positively identify the body. Hardy, who was of Amherst, Massachusetts in the United States of America and Phase 3, Whitehall in Negril, has lived in Jamaica for some 20 years. Yesterday, the body was unearthed from a shallow, makeshift grave in an isolated section of the Fish River Road community, near Orange Bay, in Hanover. It was wrapped in a blue towel, with hands and legs bound, and the mouth stuffed with a rag. The police, acting on a tip, went to the...

The Jamaican reggae music was inscribed on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by a specialized commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) yesterday. UNESCO highlighted "the contribution" of this music genre to international awareness "on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity" thanks to artists such as Bob Marley, according to a statement released after the meeting in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius.

Jamaica, where the sound of reggae first gave a voice to the oppressed and the hopeful, is now seeking a new honor for the genre. As early as Monday, UNESCO will announce a decision on the country’s application to put reggae on the world body’s list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Unlike UNESCO's World Heritage List, which includes sites considered important to humanity like the pyramids of Giza in Egypt or the Taj Mahal in India, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity documents elements and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition. Another, UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, includes endangered elements of a culture that are...

Nearly 15% of all women in Jamaica, ages 15 to 49, who have ever married or partnered have experienced physical or sexual violence from a male partner in the previous 12 months. This was revealed by Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, as he addressed a public forum on gender-based violence on Wednesday, November 21, 2018 at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew. He was citing statistics from the Ministry’s soon-to-be released 2017 Knowledge, Attitude, Belief and Practice (KABP) report, which covers intimate-partner violence. He said that based on the report, the most prevalent violent acts experienced by women are: being pushed or shoved 17.7%; being slapped or having something thrown at them that could inflict...

Jamaica will be at the Rugby League World Cup for the first time in their history after they beat the United States 16-10 on Saturday. The Reggae Warriors will make their inaugural bow in the World Cup thanks to Jy-Mel Coleman’s two first-half penalty goals as well as tries from Joel Farrell and Keenen Tomlinson. The Reggae Warriors then showed their defensive prowess in the second half, to keep the period scoreless and become the 11th country to qualify for the 2021 showpiece. The victory also meant the Warriors claimed the 2018 Americas Championship.

NEW YORK, NY (Impulse Nation)–Internationally acclaimed reggae dancehall music influencer, King Addies, is rolling out the big guns with the exclusive release of “King Addies: 35 Gun Salute” (#35GunSalute) on Billboard.com—the second musical release of their official yearlong 35th Anniversary celebration. An extraordinary follow up to their May 2018 release of “The Killa Collection” (over 100 sound clash tapes totaling 240+ hours of epic golden-era audio), #35GunSalute is a special compilation mix of thirty-five iconic King Addies dubplate (custom recordings) anthems, for the listening experience of their thriving global fan base. As far as dubplate recordings go, King Addies’ musical library is respected tremendously by their peers...

Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga has made public his distaste for modern dance hall music, which he describes as lacking in substance. Seaga stated "I am a man that when I think music, I think melody. I think lyrics. I think rhythm, but I see them all together, packaged in one thing, and my basic concept is that if you can't whistle it, it is not music," he declared during the recent official reopening of Things Jamaican at Devon House, St Andrew. Seaga, who is credited with producing Many, Oh (Higgs and Wilson) in 1960, the first Jamaican hit record pressed on vinyl for commercial production, used the occasion to remind the audience of his formula for success, which has stood the test of time. The former prime minister pointed out...

Billboard reported that the duo grossed $10.8 million during the tour's opening leg in Europe, playing to 132,155 fans in 23 sold-out shows. Some of these events were festivals. That was enough to earn them a number four place on the Hot Tours chart dated September 8. That table is led by Celine Dion. The 44/876 tour supports Sting and Shaggy's much-touted collaborative album of the same name. The album has sold close to 400,000 copies worldwide. It debuted at number 40 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. Released by A&M Records/Interscope Records/Cherrytree Records, it is currently number one on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. Sting and Shaggy's 44/876 USA tour starts on October 14 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Oswald Caines, a reggae music legend well-known in Sarasota, Florida, died Friday morning in a multi-vehicle crash that shut down the William Howard Frankland Bridge connecting St. Petersburg to Tampa. The accident froze early-morning rush-hour traffic in the central Bay area for hours. The 61-year-old Caines, affectionately known by his friends as “Ham,” was scheduled to play a show with his band, the Democracy Reggae Band, at the Five O’clock Club in Sarasota on Thursday night. Friends and family, shocked by the fatherly musician’s sudden death, took to social media to offer their condolences.

Lead singer Kumar Bent announced Tuesday (via Facebook & Instagram) his decision to leave Raging Fyah: "Greetings FyahSquad, After some lengthy deliberation and meditation, it is with a heavy heart that I feel compelled to announce my decision to leave the band “Raging Fyah”. I believe all concerned will benefit from a parting of ways at this point and I see this as the inevitable conclusion. We all have our own Paths to follow in this World, and mine has carried me to where I am today as an Artist/Musician. My history with Raging Fyah has given me immense experience and I am very grateful for this, but please know, all the Love and Support is not forgotten, and I will continue to grow and appreciate what the future may hold...

(AP) Protesters clashed with police Monday in Haiti’s capital while a general strike kept most people at home across the country in a fourth day of unrest sparked by a now-rescinded government plan to raise fuel prices in the impoverished nation. Demonstrators linked to various opposition factions marched on the parliament building but were turned back by police. Protesters also set fire to a tax office in the Tabarre area of the capital. But much of Port-au-Prince and the country shut down. The general strike halted the mini-buses and taxis that most Haitians depend on to get to work or school. Most businesses closed after the people took advantage of the protests to loot shops around the capital. The Haitian government canceled...

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China’s Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company (JISCO) announced last week plans to invest US$3 billion in constructing an alumina refinery and aluminium smelter adjacent to the Alpart alumina refinery in Nain, St. Elizabeth, a facility also operated by Jisco. Per the Jamaican government, construction of the Gansu Industrial Park is expected to begin by year’s end. The site will add another 60,000 jobs to the area and is the keystone of the island’s Logistics Hub Initiative (LHI), which is an initiative led by the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority (JSEZA). The project is seen by some as the island’s first foray into Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. Though initially meant to connect nations along the former Silk Road, Belt and Road...

A Jamaican government official declared marijuana the country’s “birthright” and called for the expedited research and development of indigenous strains on Monday. “It is like our birthright and we cannot allow persons from outside to come and take away our birthright,” Science, Energy and Technology Minister Andrew Wheatley said, according to a government press release. “We have to position ourselves, we have to take on the mantle [and] do what we have to do… as it relates to medicinal marijuana research.” Wheatley was delivering a speech at the signing of a memorandum of understanding, which established an agreement between the Jamaican Medical Cannabis Corporation and the National Foundation for the Development of Science and...