A Silly Monday Post

You know something is wrong when the fake video is better than the original, and why Bambino have so much free time him nuh have no music fi go play?

ART'ical Exposure -Quickie

Soo sooooo sleepy but I really wanted to post this for all who missed ART'ical Exposure tonight. I got there late mainly because I one take forever to get ready and two really went to see Protoje's performance. There are alot of people out there who constantly complain about the state of Jamaican Music- its too this, its not enough that,no one plays instruments anymore, blah blah blah. To them I say SHUT THE HELL up get off your ass and look at what is REALLY out there instead of just what you hear on the radio and in some clubs.
Mad respect to the Manifesto Jamaica people for focusing light on the positives in Jamaican Art and when you go to the shows (post some dates later) please make a donation/contribution whatever you want to call it...zzzzzz-snot bubbles- Sorry What! NO I'M not sleeping. Well maybe i am just a little, i will post something sweet for you later when i am high on coffee for now enjoy your nights. Oh yeah Shaq (the rap about anything on the spot MC) was a real treat.

Jamaican Home Remedies II

Hey remember last year November when I promised you all very faithfully that I would post more on Jamaican Home Remedies and things my mom and gran gran use to alleviate whatever ailed me. Yeahhhh. Here are a few more.



Aloe (Aloe vera)
Family: Liliaceae
In folk medicine, the peeled leaf of the aloe plant is used in various ways. Some of the uses are for external problems: alleviating burns, the removal of scars, skin moisturizer, skin cleanser, hair conditioner, for teething and head fungus. It is sliced and applied to the area, or rubbed on the area. For healing cuts and swellings a piece is placed in warm water then applied to the affected area; for burns the fluid is drained and applied directly to the site.
In the case of improving internal problems such as gas, hypertension, colds, nerve conditions and gastrointestinal disorders, the peeled leaf is placed in water and soaked for four to five hours then drunk as required. For treating diabetes, it is boiled and drunk, as an anti inflammatory agent or blood purifier, one cupful of the blended aloe is taken over a daily over a one-week period. Aloe is also use to alleviate biliousness, insomnia and constipation. It may be taken as a tonic, laxative, purgative and appetite stimulant and to enhance the immune system.








Guava (Psidium guajava)
Family: Myrataceae
Locally, guava is one of the most effective plants use to stop diarrhea. The fruit is very high in vitamin C. Other local uses include treatment for bellyaches, insect bites, colds, hemorrhage, heart problems, worms, high cholesterol, vomiting, toothache, depression, hypertension and diabetes, and as a tonic. For all these ailments, the leaves are boiled until you smell the guava aroma. It is then strained and drunk as a tea.


One more thing did you know that a nasty nasty cockroach has medicanal value? If you ever had inflamation that just will not go away and gets worst before it gets better then the big nasty ugly ones (i forget the correct name now) is caught put on the fire and then tied to the area. EEEEEwwwwwww but it works. Now tell me was this helpful and do you want more of these kinds of posts?


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Vybz Kartel Fertility God?

Fertility God or just Fuck Demon Vybz Kartle is like Marvin Gaye to the contemporary Jamaican bed room. I don't know if it’s what is said or how he says it but across the board women seem to respond in very moist ways when it comes to the "rawness" of lyrics in general. Why is it that women get so hot and bothered to a "Tek Fuk" as opposed to the myriad of other uplifting 'Women are queens and should be loved and respected' songs?


Raw


Radio Edit

I did this mini fact finding mission at work and I found it very funny the number of Kartel babies out there. Also it was so funny not only the information got but how passionate people were when they spoke about doing the nasty to a Kartel cd. I especially loved it when a co-worker related to me a story of how her boyfriend sent her flowers at work, made a lovely dinner, later took a nice hot bath but made the mistake of playing some recent Kartel as background on their way to bed. She said everything romantic instantly went out the window and she almost "NYHM HIM ALIVE"!



So now I would like you to answer two questions for me. Why is it that women, especially the good girl types get so primal for a nasty nasty Kartel song? second What is YOUR favorite dirty dirty Kartel song to get down on?

 

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Beat it Like Ike

With the exception of the venue being muddy, Reggae Sumfest 2010 came and went without much incident. The ironic thing is the time leading up to the event there was much ado about nothing regarding Chris Brown performing on the Sumfest 2010 bill. Online there were even groups formed to voice their outrage and yes even a facebook page; “Drop Chris Brown for Sumfest”. The impression you got was Chris Brown was going to come to Jamaica and slap every girl publicly in the face with his penis. On second thought that might not have been such a bad thing for most of his fans.

Many of us should be happy that our lives are not constantly under public scrutiny because we would more than crumble under the weight of our own mistakes. I am not a fan of Rhianna and even less of Chris Brown, just to put that out in the universe. I can see how the average moron without a life who lives vicariously through the tabloids would take it very personally the ‘assing’ that Chris Brown gave to poor Re Re in the car that night. While I don’t condone any person abusing another in any way you get the feeling that more and more people get caught up in the business of watching and minding other people’s business while their own sits and rot.



Maybe I missed something because while Jamaica is known for its very strong and beautiful women. It is also still a very male dominated society. And as male dominated societies go women do get exploited at varying degrees. One has to wonder how genuine the so-called boycotts were and whether the motive really was the protection of women’s rights and not riding the coat tails of a scandal for the publicity. Its simple, if you call for the boycott of Chris Brown because he is/was abusive to women, why not call for a boycott of Bounty Killa, Vybz Kartel, Beenie Man and all the other acts that were on Reggae sumfest 2010 who has a very long history of being both physically and verbally abusive to women?

It is an over used statement but people need to look at the bright side of all of this. If Chris Brown wasn’t an idiot and gave an epic ass-whopping to America’s black sweetheart in a more female friendly society then his schedule would be so full that he wouldn’t even have time to ignore an invitation from the promoters of Reggae Sumfest. If Chris Brown was still 'Bubble Gum Boy Wonder" then Jamaicans could only wish to see a great performer like Chris grace the stage of Reggae Sumfest as we would not be able to afford him. And no one who actually attended Reggae Sumfest 2010 can say he didn’t perform his ass off. Be glad he is a little dirty now and not just from the Mo Bay mud, be less quick to judge for everyone at some point has made mistakes and acted foolishly. However, what is important is what you do AFTER you have fallen from grace its whether you get up and how you move forward, it is what you do to earn the forgiveness and respect of those you have wronged. And for those who only have negative energies to offer the only thing Chris Brown and you needs to say to them is
Dueces!

A Taste of Ink

In two weeks I will get my first tattoo. Tattooing is an art form I loved for a really long time:- before it was cool; before it became a right of passage for the preppy boys to show that they were “down” or for the wanna be Gangster Rappers to use as a means of easy street cred. I fell in love with tattoos in my primary school library, hidden in a stack of old dusty donated National Geographic Magazines which were many years past due. Thus, the seed was planted. I would go to Japan and get my first tattoo done by a master Horishi. Looking back I am almost certain the article would have been about crime in general or maybe the Yakuza in specific. However, the only thing I understood was the beauty of turning bare flesh into a live canvas. I remembered also from the article, one man who loved his body armor so much he stated in his last will and testament that on his death his skin should be removed bequeathed to someone I don’t remember who, I thought,
“You can do that!”
At the time I thought that was the coolest thing in the world.

Over the years the idea never left me, and it became my secret promise to myself. I would go to Japan I would have my first tattoo, it would be massive and it would cover my entire back. I would voraciously consume everything on Horimono and developed this romanticiszed life of living there until my back was finished. I would teach English to babies or something like that. Live in a small apartment with a high-tech toilet and a lowtech bed. I would get homesick once in a while and every year atleast once I would send home a big barrel for the people I care about. Most days I would be happy others I would be sad or confused and about three years I would move to some other country of interest and do it all over again. In the twilight of my time on earth I would be like an old drunken sailor. My tattoos would tell stories of what I did, believed, seen and maybe even who I loved.

Reality check - Many birthdays came and went, and dreams/aspirations lose their shine. They became dusty ghosts that haunt the periphery of a card punching at ten past the hour to get a half an hour of overtime pay existence. The air you breath tastes different because it is the air of conformity that suffocates dreams and poisons the spirit of adventure. Many plans are tired and fail and fail and fail miserably. To do and do and do things differently only to feel the distinct sting of disappointment takes a toll on the psyche and you have to fight yourself in order not to be completely overcome by your insecurities.

I have never been to Brazil for Carnival, never bought shoes in italy. I never seen snow much less been snow boarding. I never drank mojitos at Hemingways’ bar nor visited Goya’s house. But the biggest and most painfully disappointing thing of all is I never gotten tattooed in Japan.

I know I’m not old or dead nor planning to die anytime in the near future. But life has a way of slapping you in the face with one disappointing event that makes another crystal clear. And there is nothing like the feeling when you realize the life in your hand and the life you live have significantly diverged and you have come to the point where you are out of ideas and fighting for energy to perform this seemingly Herculean task of putting your jolly mess of a Humpty Dumpty life together again.

Bounty Killer - Path To Greatness Reggae Sumfest 2010

This year’s Reggae Sumfest paid tribute to Bounty Killer his contribution to Jamaican Contemporary Music and his influence on other artists in the industry. It wasn’t as over the top as Beenie Man's crowing last year. Frankly at times one had to wonder if as much planning and attention went into this year piece. Compared to the big ass girls on bikes and Lady Saw putting on what looked like a preteen girl meets Bedazzler meets Burger King crown on Beenie Man's head. This video reminded patrons that they are different artists with different styles, tastes, points of view and it did a really good job of painting Bounty in a better light. Regardless of your allegiance if any, there is no denying the impact that Killer made over the years on the landscape of Jamaican and in places International music, slang and mannerisms. Although it is all about Bounty, Nitty Kutchie is boss in this.