Loved in Brooklyn;Barred from Trinidad: 2 Sides to Bounty

After delivery a powerful musical punch at this year's Brooklyn Music Festival in June, the '5 Star General' Bounty Killer returns to Brooklyn for round two this Labor Day. In celebration of the West Indian-American Carnival weekend, the General and his Alliance lieutenants will storm Brooklyn's Caribbean City nightclub on Monday, September 7th. After dominating Sumfest and Champions in Action, two of Jamaica's biggest summer stagings, the Warlord's return to Brooklyn is highly anticipated.

Billed as the 'After Parkway Jam,' the event--taking place immediately after the day-long carnival parade on Eastern Parkway--is a fitting close to the West Indian-American Day Carnival celebrations and the City's summer concert season.

"What better way to end the summer than to have 'the General' shut down Brooklyn," promoter and popular New York sound system selector Steelie Bashment (known as Brooklyn's 'Big Clock') questions. "Brooklyn was the first place to really embrace Killer. Back in early '90s, his first hit single 'Copper Shot' took off on the streets of BK first. Brooklyn people have continuously shown Bounty Killer mad love over the past 17 years. He's been a roll this summer, and it is only fitting that he comes back to Brooklyn to lock it down."



Authorities barred Jamaican rapper Bounty Killer from entering Trinidad for a weekend show where he was scheduled to appear, a concert promoter said Sunday.
Verne Extavour, spokesman for Jacho Entertainment, told The Associated Press that Bounty Killer was turned away upon arrival and flew back to Jamaica.
No explanation was given, Extavour said. Immigration officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
The last time Bounty Killer was in Trinidad, he was arrested on stage and charged with using obscene language. Authorities in Jamaica arrested him for the same reason during last year's Reggae Sumfest.
Best known for the album "My Xperience" and for collaborating with No Doubt on the song "Hey Baby," Bounty Killer was one of a number of musicians scheduled to perform at Saturday's concert.
Among them was Vybz Kartel, with whom Bounty Killer has a long-standing rivalry that has led to violence between their fans.
Promoters had said the concert would represent a truce.

Bounty bio- look out

Following on the dancehall project (anda bit ofa sequel to my friend Milton Wray's book on Beenie Man) I'cve embarked on an unauthorized bio of Rodney 'Bounty Killa' Price.

Look for title (after copyright) and chapter excerpts soon

ALL the great dancehall

Now that I've put up the Top 100, I've decided, in the Spirit of Inclusiveness, to continue adding all the dancehall tracks (current, past and forgotten) that could conceivably be called great.

Starts Monday

"More Dancehall, Please"

That was the bulk of the reactions fom the public (at least those shown on television) to the list of the 100 Best Jamaican Songs of the past 50 years.

First, I commend the committee that assembled to compile the list of 100 Best Jamaican Songs, and watched with interest (On TV news) the presentation at UWI last Thursday.

I feel however, that 650+ records (going by the report) is too small a sample given the voluminous output of or musicians over the period specified (1957-present) 1000 would have been more acceptable and even double that number, as much as I understand the time constraints of the panel.

Nonetheless, its a good thing to see and hear more debate and discusssion around our music. here's hoping we can sustain and deepen that.

This list thing....its catching :-D

SYMPOSIUM TO SELECT TOP 100 BEST JAMAICAN SONGS BETWEEN 1957 AND 2007

News Release

The Department of Government at the University of the West Indies invites the public to attend and participate in a symposium on the top 100 best Jamaican songs between 1957 and 2007. This symposium takes place at the Undercroft, the University of the West Indies, Mona, on Thursday April 16th, 2009, beginning at 5:30pm.

A panel including Dr. Omar Davies, former Finance Minister and Opposition spokesman on Finance, who has an immense cultural and intellectual interest in Jamaican popular music; Mr. Bunny Goodison, founder of the Soul Shack Disco and creator and host of the popular radio show, Rhythms; Mr. Frankie Campbell of the Fab 5 Band and president of the Jamaica Vintage Artistes Association; Mr. Francois St. Juste, radio personality and General Manager for Radio at R.J.R.; and Mr. Wayne Chen, businessman, patron of the arts , author and Chairman of the National Gallery of Jamaica, will be presenting a set of criteria and arguments for selecting/recommending the songs/instrumentals that should be included in the top 100. However, members of the public attending the symposium are being asked to participate in the deliberations to shape the criteria and arguments for the selection, as well as to vote on the compositions to be included in the top 100. Come also to listen and to enjoy some of Jamaica’s best songs which will be played at the symposium.

Since the last half of the 20th century, Jamaica has become a power house of global popular music. Its impact on the aesthetic and ontological development and expression of global popular music is phenomenal. Jamaican lyricists, singers, players of instruments, sound technologists and producers have created and recreated some of the best songs/instrumentals in the last 50 years. By so doing, they have created a range of global soundscapes rooted in the rhythmic, linguistic, poetic language and imaginative culture and ritualized artistic movements of the Jamaican body to inspire the world.

This symposium opens another path to the expansion of the intellectual bases, scholarship and knowledge of Jamaican popular music, to celebrate excellence, as well as to strengthen the basis for its economic enhancement.




Contact
Clinton Hutton
Lecturer
869-7591/977-5935
tarharka@yahoo.com

AND NOW..........(Trumpets, Fanfare) The Ultimate Dancehall records

Well, here we are. The top of the mountain. The end of the line. The last word
Okay, so that's a bit of hype, but here are my choices for the Ten Dancehall/DJ records that Mattered Most over the last thirty years.

Look out for my extensive commentary on each of the Top Ten, beginning Thursday, and also check upcoming issue of BUZZZ magazine (May/June) for the list and feature, AND......... look out for the companion booklet, coming soon.

Thanks and keep checking this blog



1. Who Am I - Beenie Man

2. Murder She Wrote - Chaka Demus & Pliers

3. Look - Bounty Killer

4. Zunguzunguguzunguzeng - Yellowman

5. Ring the Alarm - Tenor Saw

6. Twice My Age - Shabba Ranks feat Krystal

7. Action - Nadine Sutherland & Terror Fabulous

8. These Streets - Tanya Stephens

9. Anything For You (various artistes)

10. Overcome - Mavado

Days Upon Days - The Teens

Just one more block left in our dancehall quest

11. Untold Stories - Buju Banton

12. Pain - Brigadier Jerry

13. Jus One Of Those Days - Sizzla

14. Mi God , Mi King - papa levi

15. These Are The Days - Busy Signal

16. Impossible Train - Innocent Kru

17. Wanga Gut - Tiger

18. Lazy Body - Little John

19. Tempo(Temper) - red Rose

20. If A War - Bounty Killer