Devon House

At the corner of Waterloo and Hope Road sits a brief glimpse into our past. Devon House is a place most Jamaican’s associate with smooth creamy and mostly indigenous ice cream flavours, nice wedding photos and randy teenagers looking for a private space to steal secret moments. However the space is an important landmark in the annals of Jamaican history. Commissioned by George Stiebel in 1881, on lands formerly known as Devon Pen the original property stretched from present day Lady Musgrave Road to the St. Andrew Parish Church and back to what is now the Canadian Embassy. Constructed of brick and timber it was the most impressive piece of local architecture built in this period, no other buildings could compare to its scale and style in all the island. So impressive was the house that it was rumoured that the then Governor’s wife the good Lady Musgrave could not stand to be so insulted by a building of such splendour and grandeur and know it was owned by a black man that she had her husband make her a road which would bypass Devon House, which is known today as Lady Musgrave Road.



Not much is known of George Stiebel, what is known is while in Jamaica he was an apprentice carpenter and shipwright. Later he migrated to Venezuela and other parts of South America. It is believed he made his fortunes when he either discovered and or invested in a gold mine. After some time abroad he returned to Jamaica as its first black millionaire. Honoured by Queen Victoria with the C. M. G., a true philanthropist at heart Stiebel headed and donated generously to a number of distinguished civic and charitable bodies. At the time of his death in 1896 Stiebel acted in the capacity of Custos for St. Andrew.

The house then passed to his only daughter Theresa Stiebel Jackson. In 1922 the property was sold to the Melhado family and was later passed to the Lindos. It remained the Lindo family residence until 1967 where plans were made to demolish the house and sub-divide the property. However at the last minute it was saved from destruction from the then Minister of Development and Welfare the Rt. Hon. Edward Seaga. It was decided that the house would serve a greater purpose if used as a showcase for the excellence of craftsmen and cabinet makers, from the fledgling government agency Things Jamaican. Hence it was decided to create room settings from different periods of Jamaica’s history. It was hoped that this venture would stimulate the development of local craftsmanship and demonstrate that the manufacturing of fine furniture was a viable new business.









The structural restoration of the house began in 1969, and as much as possible the original character of the house was maintained. Things Jamaica provided the reproductions of pieces synonymous with the period, this includes early Cromwellian pieces, Charles II, William and Mary, Queen Ann and the America Duncan Fyffe styles. Along with the gate-legged tables and Chippendale chairs and dining room set, some rooms display Jamaican antiques donated by generous citizens and prints paintings and other artifacts on loan from that Institute of Jamaica.
There are so many things of beauty in the house, but the two that are bound to leave a lasting impression on visitors are the Murano glass chandelier, a style popular in the 17th century Italian baroque which is not original to the house and the second is the ball room, the crystal chandelier is one of the few surviving occupants of the house, and while impressive it is the actual ceiling which will blow your mind. It’s a round bas-relief decoration of cherubs made from plaster. It is a waste of time to describe, it’s just better to see it as words doesn’t do justice.










The Devon House Heritage Site is a wonderful experience not only reserved for tourists. The house is open from Monday to Saturday between the hours of 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. However the last tour starts at 4:30 PM. At the time of writing, the cost for locals was JA$300, not exactly sure how much visitors pay. Now you know so there is absolutely no reason not to check it out now.

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http://zephyrbaby.blogspot.com/2009/05/implications-of-noise-abatement-act.html

http://zephyrbaby.blogspot.com/2009/01/wappy-and-philip.html

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Storm

Big ups to our girl Natalie Storm her single “Dip & Fall Back” was in rotation at a recent Stella McCartney's Fall / Winter 2009 fashion show. Keep up the good work babe.

Hit Me with Music

This may result in another American Black Film Festival nod in the making for Nice Time Productions. Tentatively titled Hit Me With Music here is a sneak peak at what what’s next from the people who brought you Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast?

Wicked Shabba Ranks

LA Lewis Evicted

Lord, my mommy always say trouble nuh set like rain and right now the Seven-star General LA Lewis can attest to that. The DJ who is more known for his all island graffiti work, shameless self-promotion and apparent iron balloon status was remanded Tuesday (June 9, 2009) by Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey. Lewis had appeared to answer to charges of housebreaking and larceny and assault in relation to allegations that he broke into the house of a former business associate and robbed her.
Not long after he was given a new date to return to court, the artiste returned after the complainant told police that he attempted to kiss her and had stood in her way outside of court. RM Pusey then ordered that he be taken to the holding area to see that the court was not a 'poppy show'. He was kept there until Friday June 12, 2009.

Lewis returned to find scores of spectators gathered outside his LA Lewis Enterprise Limited (24 Burlington Avenue in St Andrew), witnessing the removal of his furniture and equipment. While the rain fell, his belongings were being placed on either the sidewalk or in a truck parked a few metres away.

The weekend Star report on the incident is as follows:
When contacted after his eviction, LA Lewis confirmed that he was removed from the building. He said, however, that he had been speaking with the landlord's wife for an hour before the men arrived to remove his belongings.
"De lady (landlord's wife) seh mi balance a $60,000. Dem bring some letters and seh I was evicted. From December (2008) me never pay dem no rent, but mi did have a talk with di elder for the building and tell him seh mi a go pay him soon," LA Lewis told THE STAR.
However, Lewis said he paid $50,000 to the landlord a few weeks ago and he had also paid two months' security deposit. The deejay said that he had a five-year rental agreement with the landlord in which he would pay $19,000 each month.
According to the deejay, he was unable to pay his rent because he was losing business as a result of his court case. He said his business was going through a "depression" and he was involved in many different projects.
His eviction has only added to the stress ,and now LA Lewis has been forced to store his belongings in a warehouse. He also said that he does not know where his office will be located next.

Prince Zimboo Done De Place EH

http://vimeo.com/5143554 from Rickards Bros. on Vimeo.

Major Lazer

For those who missed it, uber Club DJs/Producers, Diplo and Switch invaded Quad Night club last night (June 12, 2009) to drop the much anticipated, the totally off the wall, dancehall-oriented Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do album. You missed it? Then you missed a hell of a party. Prince Zimbo killed it and to be honest, I can’t believe that the Quad is still standing after these party carnivores were done with it. MHAAADDD^_^ Check out these crazy pics by our own man on the scene Biggy Bigz.

No Games

Congratulations are in order for Alliance star Serani who has officially dethroned Bob Marley as king of the Reggae downloads in the United States. For some time Serani’s ‘No Games’ flirted with the number one position and finally June 9th saw him bumping ‘Three Little Birds’ to the number two position which was no small feat. To be the best comes with some pressure as on average it requires an approximate 5,500 minimum sales in downloads and ringtones per week. Big shoes for Serani to fill, but here’s hoping this is just one in many more ground breaking success stories for the talented Singjay.

“No Games is actually still gaining in spins across the country," said Serani's manager Julian Jones-Griffith. "This record just won't go away. Its still getting added to playlists in many states across the country every week so it continues to spread."

Look out for the “No Games” Remix Serani did with Universal/Island Records label mate Shontelle, recently done while Serani was on tour in the United Kingdom. A tentative release date is rumoured for July 6th.

Serani still has some work to do in his quest to be king. Presently Bob Marley still reigns supreme, comfortably holding the number one seat in 8 other countries such as Australia, Luxemburg, Italy and Greece according to the iTunes store.

A Big Ass Pain

Few nights ago I was trawling the Internet on my nightly Internet porn excursions, instead of that I found a leading candidate for the Dumbass Nigga Award. Rapper Faheem Rasheed Najm aka T-Pain apparently didn’t learn his lesson when he got his behind allegedly robbed and allegedly beaten not too long ago. Not one to be outdone with one chain-jacking the rapper went all out with his tempt to future would-be robbers with this 10lbs. 197kts and $410,000 price tag, gaudy monstrosity. Now robbing and beating a Niggah until he learns a lesson IS WRONG so… so… wrong. BUT never in the history of Niggadom has a Nigga needed an epic ass-whopping and jook down is this Nigga right here. I am very sure that Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. would look the other way in this case.

Pain's response to his critics is as follows:
“10lbs. 197kts. Very very real I don’t know what fake feel like.$410,000. Hola señor recession proof. With 32 cars.Oldest child 5 and already got 4 million in her own account.I dont do dumb shit like this till I know the fams good. So don’t judge me from what I buy.Judge me from what I do.Cuz it’s so many artists that put themself before their family.but thank you”

Recently the BIG ASS chain mingled with the likes of our Gully Gangster and other members of the Alliance such as Serani at the Summer Jam Show 2009. Here’s hoping that Movado lives by his word and nuh bother with the ‘Mac and Toasting’. In the sometimes symbiotic relationship between Dancehall and Hip Hop let’s hope that this is one trend Dancehall artistes leave to the Yankees.

Is Dancehall still Dancehall?

Terry Lynn Stephen Mcgregor

By Steven Jackson, Observer writer
Friday, June 05, 2009
After nearly three decades of chart dominance, there is no new musical genre waiting in the wings to dethrone dancehall, yet stakeholders are split on the meaning of its longevity.
Some say the music continues because the society has not evolved since the '80s. Contrastingly, others say dancehall is no longer dancehall and should be retroactively classified as a new genre.
"My son is 25, and dances to the same genre of music as me," quipped Dr Donna Hope, reggae lecturer, highlighting the generational span of the music. Never has any genre of Jamaican music kept local chart dominance and youth relevance for as long as dancehall. Indeed, all the genres of Jamaican music currently co-exist, but the trend prior to dancehall afforded some 10 years of dominance: Mento dominated the '50s, Ska the '60s, rocksteady late '60s early '70s and reggae '70s to '80s. Today, dancehall continues to be the driving force, yet one of its pioneers, Cleveland Brownie - of Steely and Clevie - argues that dancehall is no longer dancehall. He wants millennium dancehall classified under a new name. "I would love it if that happened, because it has changed so much from what I created as dancehall that it probably needs a change of name if it moves any further. But someone will have to name it."
The only thing preventing a name change is that artistes still "consider themselves dancehall artistes".
Brownie, who is also chairman of the Recording Industry Association of Jamaica, argues that his '80s King Jammy's creations were initially called reggae but reclassified as dancehall: "When we were doing what we did the artistes called themselves reggae deejays."
But Dr Hope disagrees with Brownie on the retroactive labelling. "The themes are the same when compared with the dancehall that I was involved with in the '80s. It has not moved away from its central point of its creation. And some of the people who were dominant in the '90s are still around. For instance, Bounty Killa is still a major player today which suggests it the same genre of music."
The 1981 death of Bob Marley symbolically marked the end of the Reggae era and popularity of Yellow Man marked the rise of Dancehall era (even if deejays U-Roy and other Big Youth had stints of hits in the Rocksteady era). Hope argues that dancehall music will remain dominant unless the country transitions into a new societal epoch.
"It says a lot about our society and suggest that our society has not been able over the last 25 years or so to go to the next level. We are still stuck in a mode and dancehall is a part of that dialogue," says Hope, who lectures at the University of the West Indies.Jamaica's GDP has not grown in real terms since the '80s and is now only second to Haiti trailing the region in UN human development indicies. Haiti's excuse is that it has been plagued by coups.
"Since dancehall, it is three decades of the same political and economic system the promotion of money via capitalism and it may be linked to why dancehall is still dominant today," says French reggae scholar Jérémie Kroubo Dagnini who launched his book on the roots of Jamaican music on Tuesday in Kingston.
Dagnini and Hope see mento as tied to post-colonialisation; ska to the independence movement; rocksteady to the search for identity; reggae to black consciousness and socialism; and dancehall to capitalism.
But Ibo Cooper, reggae musician formerly of Third World, argues that dancehall is less tied to politics and more intertwined with our genes.
"Dancehall is built on a West-African beat that is set in Jamaicans DNA. It came across with Atlantic slavery," argues Cooper, who is a senior lecturer in Edna Manley School of Music. "The success of dancehall is that it is party music. And so it has lasted a long time because the people want to have a good time. There was a lot of political strife in Kingston and dancehall represents the release."
Reggae/dancehall producer Mikey Bennett downplays culture and highlights the cross-cultural mix which keeps dancehall current.
"What we call dancehall is more inclusive of other genres . it is not as strict as reggae with the cheke-cheke! It borrows more from other genres it allows for more creativity," he says. "The youth culture do not distinguish so much with the beat, so anything that Mavado or Elephant Man or Beenie Man does is considered dancehall...If you strip a lot of the vocals from dancehall songs they could be called R&B songs or hip-hop songs or pop songs."
Bennett doesn't see a new form of Jamaican music emerging until the vocal deliveries change."Until the vocalist makes a new vocal style you really don't have a new genre of music," Bennett says. "The vocalist have the power to change the art form."
In fact, Bennett doesn't want the music to evolve into a new genre as it offers convenient marketing: "It shouldn't when you think of it, it hasn't happened in America which is the biggest market."New wave dancehall
Bennett was referring to hip-hop not ceding to a new genre. However, it has happened in Europe and the UK argues Chris Edmonds of RebelMix an internet music store, who cites UK jungle which evolved into drum and bass then garage to now dub-step with artistes like Benga Anger and grime ala Dizze Rascal. These genres, developed by Jamaicans in the UK, are a mix of electronica, dancehall and hip-hop.
"It's funny because grime and that stuff is being done by West Indians but it will probably never come to Jamaica,"said Edmonds who admits that urban electonica is filtering into the dancehall via US hip-hop. Just think of Rampin' Shop, Vybz Kartel's and Spice's vocals are robotic and the rhythm is spacey, built by a Norwegiann duo, Stargate which licensed it to US R&B star Ne-Yo, which in turn was mixed by the Kartel camp.
Edmonds cites Jamaican deejay Terry Lyn, Chino and brother Stephen McGregor as experimenters. In the US he cites underground hip-hop artistes such as Cuddy who are achieving mainstream success extending the boundaries of hip-hop which in turn will influence dancehall.
"But as to whether we will call what is going on now another name remains to be seen," he says of dancehall.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/Entertainment/html/20090605T000000-0500_152891_OBS_IS_DANCEHALL_STILL_DANCEHALL_.asp

The End of an Era

It is official; the Asylum Night Club has closed its doors, after a 12-year run of being an institution on the Jamaican Dancehall landscape. May 26, 2009 the once hottest nightclub in Jamaica welcomed its last set of patrons and slipped quietly in the annals like its predecessors such as Cactus and Mirage. Open six nights per week it hosted theme nights such as everybody free between 17:00 to 20:00 lines long so till it bend cause ole niggah love freeness After Work Jam on Friday nights. Girls Gone Wild and Ladies Night held on Sunday and Tuesday respectively which in its hay day was the definition of ‘Gal Bush’ sadly for the guys anyway the caliber of women slowly fell off. Arguably Thursday nights became the most important night after the inception of Bembe as it became the habit for patrons of Bembe who were not done partying to matriculate to Asylum.

To be honest this closure doesn’t come as a surprise. The end of Jamrock came amid much speculations and false closure dates which made for such conversations such as:
“Yu hear say the British dem a keep a thing up a ‘Sylum?”
“But wait ‘Sylum nuh lock down already?”
Eventually Asylum went the way of anything and anyplace that lost its newness and shine. It felt much like a sweet pepper to borrow from Pampute, it was big but it stopped being hot. Sadly the last memory of Asylum for me anyway is leaving from Bembe after making many a detours and silly stops along the way only to find an almost empty club. Which made us all wonder, “Are we early?”, but we weren’t, we were just witness to a slow death of an entity with a very full life.

In a release by Nite Time Promotions (Brian 'Ribbi' Chung et al) stated;
"Nite Time Promotions will eventually be reopening the venue at the opportune moment under a new name with a great new image. The space that formerly housed Asylum will now be available immediately for rental by the owners of the property. We wish to thank our extremely loyal patrons, staff, promoters, sponsors and all other partners that have shared the journey and the dream with us over the last 12 years."

Implications of the Noise Abatement Act

What more, what oonu want de poor people do?
Every dance whe dem keep oonu mek it curfew ­
Operation Ardent, Buju Banton

Protect and serve my ass, I am so tired of police shutting down dances. Really? 3am is an acceptable time to roll up and say; “Plug out and shut down.” When you are in the middle of the St. Andrew metropolis, you know, those none residential type areas.
Recently I strutted through Uptown Monday, on this particularly clear and warm night with a good mix of people creating a decent enough vibe. The crazy Japanese girls in their kimonos and some lost looking white boys perusing the actions of the ‘Dagga Masters’ and frozen in awe as the Negresses ‘Dash out dem hole’.

So it was somewhat painful to see uniforms moving intently towards the sector, not to say turn down but instead turn off. Leaving patrons-me-to wonder if the only buildings in the immediate and not so immediate surroundings are commercial structures, which are closed until the next business day, why is it necessary to flex the muscles of justice so taut? One would think that with a crime rate as high as it is in Jamaica, it would be a good idea to keep the ‘criminals’ occupied at least during the witching hours in order to ensure the safety of the uptown brown people.

It is painfully obvious that the Jamaican government doesn’t care about Dancehall and in most cases that’s a good thing. It’s a good thing that they don’t care enough to do anything that would remotely be sustainable and positive in advancing the culture and people who choose to inhabit the space. It is due to this stand off relationship that this feral freedom and innovation thrives. However there has got to be a line and it seems the law keeps overstepping it. Presently our good tourism minister (Hon. Edmund Bartlett) cowers in fear the day when Barack ‘buss’ Cuba big. But instead of actually taking a good look at what we have and how we can improve it we have noise abatement acts to keep us in line.

At present Section 3 of the Noise Abatement Act, which came into effect in 1997, states that '...no person shall, on any private premises or in any public place at anytime of day or night (a) sing, or sound or play upon any musical or noisy instrument; or (b) operate, or permit or cause to be operated any loudspeaker, microphone or any other device for the amplification of sound, in such a manner that the sound is audible beyond 100 metres from the source of such sound and is reasonably capable of causing annoyance to persons in the vicinity'. To me this “Act” feels more like a guideline and is fraught with vagueness, which ultimately leaves this law so open to interpretation. For example what constitutes as an annoyance and to whom? And is there a machine to measure decibels past or exactly to the 100 meters from the source of the sound and what is the appropriate level?

The scope of offense is as follows; the first aspect of the offence relates to the Noise Level. This is measured in terms of the distance from which the sound is heard. The second aspect deals with whether the sound is “reasonably” capable of causing annoyance to persons. Both aspects must be examined before it can be considered that an offence has been committed.

The second aspect which seems purely subjective depends on factors such as the area in which the noise activity is taking place, the time of day and the nature and duration of the activity. In which case, the police may act on their own initiative and assess the situations. Which has caused the confiscation of equipment and left many promoters seeing red and patrons feeling cheated as not enough party was got for their money spent, both before and at the event. The act states that:

Where the noise occurs in the vicinity of any dwelling house, hospital, hotel infirmary, nursing home or guest house, between 2am and 6am on Saturday or Sunday morning and is audible beyond a distance of 100 metres, it will automically be presumed that the noise causes annoyance. The same applies from midnight to 6am of the following mornings:

Really midnight that’s a suitable time? Please.
Now here’s the million-dollar question. If in a Global Recession, inflations only going one direction and an already strapped for cash government with factories and bauxite plants that provide employment shutting their doors forever, can we afford to treat the music and culture the main lure for the oh-so-important tourists in the same business as usual manner as we have been doing for so long? Sadly I really don’t anticipate silver linings for these dark clouds instead maybe Portia on a $200 000 note.

Bob doesn't 'fit the bill', says Ziggy

By Steven Jackson
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Quadruple Grammy award winner, Ziggy Marley does not want his father reggae icon Bob Marley on legal tender, opposing the position of cultural stakeholders.
Ziggy... Bob Marley is already a national hero, whether the government says so or not
"Me no inna that," said Marley in Sunday Observer interview. "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar, we no inna that. Hugh Shearer is good, put him on the $5,000 bill. Me alright with that."
The images on Jamaica's legal notes are reserved for heroes and prime ministers - and is amongst the highest honour, but Marley implied it would solidify the reggae icon as a part of 'Babylon' - the system he opposed. He, however, was not against Bob Marley becoming a national hero as it would represent the people's will not the system.
"Bob Marley is already a national hero, whether the government says so or not. We already know he is our hero. So it's up to the government whether they want to get on the people's side," he said.
Internationally, Marley is the musical equivalent of revolutionary icon Che Guevara; locally he is a national hero in waiting. Ziggy Marley told the Observer that politicians will one day elevate him to hero status for political expediency.
"Even when he was around he did so much good things for people. During the One Love concert, which other man could have brought Eddy and Manley on stage in such a turbulent time to say peace in Jamaica. Is only a hero could have done that. We have to respect Bob for more than the music but what he stands for," argued Marley on Marley in reference to his father.
The Bank of Jamaica released souvenir Bob Marley coins in 1995 and 2005 in commemoration of Bob Marley's 50th and 60th birthday. These thick gold plated coins are in denominations of $50 and J$100 and cost US $100 (J$8,900) and US$400 (J$35,600) respectively. But cultural stakeholders on Thursday told the Observer that they wanted Marley on legal tender charging that he best represented the majority. Instead, some see the new khaki-coloured note as a political counteraction to the $1,000 bill which bears the image of Michael Manley, former prime minister and PNP politician. The government plans to unveil the new $5,000 note on tomorrow, following the steady loss in value of the country's highest tender $1,000. Ziggy Marley argued that trade liberalisation has caused the devaluation of the Jamaican dollar - a global policy reducing import tariffs in an attempt to spur competitiveness.
"Is a strategy long established in economic system of the world, where the poor countries have to suffer for the richer countries. Free trade where they say open up your market and they say buy American apples (and so on) so the things we grow a yard are more expensive than the things from foreign. That is just the way they enslave the poor countries just because we need to borrow some money from them."
Hugh Shearer served Jamaica as prime minister from 1967-72. He led Jamaica during its most prosperous period of economic growth since independence - growing at some six per cent a year versus the anaemic one per cent during the last 20 years.

Source:

The Sunday Observer
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/Entertainment/html/20090516T220000-0500_151608_OBS_BOB_DOESN_T__FIT_THE_BILL___SAYS_ZIGGY_.asp

Like a Slave Without Papers

An alleged thief who wandered onto the University of the West Indies campus in his quest to procure a laptop received an epic ass whooping by Jamaica’s finest minds (May 5, 2009). The man, 35 years old Cesar Okonkwo of an Alexander Road Kingston 13 address. Who breached the security fencing at the back of Irvine Hall was accosted by a group of men from the near by Chancellor Hall. Apparently after retrieving a school bag with books that the man had allegedly stolen he was beaten by students just before being rescued by the police.

While crime levels soar and our government struggle to find ways to cope with this monster, the need for new and more effective ways of dealing with crime and by extension the criminals would be an obvious way forward. Who else to offer possible alternatives to the problem than young fresh thinkers able to assess problems and find solutions those older dustier and more steadfast minds would overlook. As from time immemorial, university students provided the way forward via sit-ins or student protests on injustices at home and world wide. It is therefore sad to know that given the opportunity to pick up the gauntlet in this seemingly insignificant incident our bright young intellectuals opted for the ignorant draconian approach. I’m sure they made their benefactors proud.

It is said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. No doubt in certain areas we are truly insane. We elect public officials on a curry goat and beer mentality and then act surprised when roads don’t get fixed, basic infrastructure not put in place and no one sees said elected official until next election period. It is also insane for us to think that some how as the world crumbles around us God will spare us as long as we hold tightly our bible and hate the other in our very systematic and tribal manner (PNP vs. JLP, GAZA vs. GULLY).

It seems the older we get as a nation the dumber we become, until now the knee jerk response to any and every minor/major alleged infringement on rights is met with a block road congregation and a 7 and 8 o’clock video-light feature and toothless hollers of “WE WANT JUSTICE!” Scarcely thinking, we even know what the word truly means anymore, after all we were the ones that sold our souls to a gun culture, and looking the other way for scarce and now non-existent benefits. Universities are supposed to provide hope that at least the coming generation will be better and brighter than the one so corrupted now.

Education or the privilege of being able to call one’s self an educated person comes not only from attending classes, passing tests and handing in assignments on time, but in how much of what was learned is then internalized and how actions have changed due to this new knowledge. It’s super easy to beat a thief, kill a murderer and lynch anyone that doesn’t look or act according to your values. Seriously, does one NEED a higher education in the, oh so complex skill of raining down blows on a petty thief?

Lawya Mi Seh Eh Nuh

Popular Deejay Adidja 'Vybz Kartel' Palmer finds himself in legal hot water with media personality and show promoter G T Taylor. Taylor is suing Kartel for breach of contract due to Palmer’s non-appearance at Taylor’s annual Christmas Extravaganza show held on December 25 at Independence Park, Black River in St. Elizabeth. Taylor seeks reimbursement for damages to his name as a promoter with a public apology by Kartel also he seeks the return of monies paid as a 50% deposit for his appearance in the tune of J$150,000.

Kartel a headlining act for the show was M.I.A. for his 12:30am slot even after allowances were made by Taylor in order to facilitate the Deejay’s performance at another event ’March Out’ held the same night. Taylor who is apparently pissed off since to date nether Kartel nor anyone from his camp can provide an explanation (good or half assed) for his absence after Taylor allegedly made numerous calls to both the artist and his publicist. Understandably annoyed Taylor states that the artist did the same thing the year before (2007) however in that scenario no contracts were made out and the deposit was returned. Other un-litigated no-shows included Bounty Killa and Macka Diamond but they appeared on air on Irie FM and made public apologies.

It was only Taylor and his attorney Donald Gittens who were present when the case was called in the Black River Resident Magistrate’s court yesterday (May 6, 2009). However Gittens informed the court the he had been in dialogue with Kartel’s attorney Seymour Stewart via telephone who told him that his client is ‘putting the money together for repayment’.

A Celebration Of Life

May 2, 2009 proved to be a very busy night indeed. So many potentially good events were slated for that night. I opted for the Spragga Benz show because of the lineup and the fact that it was a really good cause compared to the excesses of Yush. To be honest it didn’t live up to the expectations of many patrons. Maybe it was the awesomeness of the lineup or the relative cheapness of the tickets or just the venue that made this stage show a miss. Life Fest was a celebration of the life of his 17-year-old son Carlton Grant Jr., who was controversially killed by police in downtown Kingston, August 2008. Also, proceeds were in aid of keeping at risk children in school especially those in 5th and 6th form. The show was hit by very important no shows, most notable that of Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Tanya Stephens, apologies were made but I really don’t need to explain how one feels when they expect and pay for something and not get it. The venue was Backyard, 126 Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, which is pretty in the heart of what is considered Uptown residential areas; you know the type of people who call the police and they actually turn up for things such as noise disturbances. Tickets sold for $1000JMD and for an inexhaustible lineup of stars seemed almost too good to be true. The show ended somewhere in the region of 2:30-3:00 am. A ghastly, and ungodly hour for any stage show to end, especially in Jamaica. Honestly it may have been better to have kept a good show down by Red Square instead of a half assed one at a non-threatening venue.

Who stole the show? That was between Fire Mumma Queen Ifrica and the cool cool Jah Cure who both gave somewhat memorable sets. While Sizzla Kalonji gave an average performance he didn’t go as hard as he used to and especially in a case where you don’t have any sponsors to offend (to paraphrase Spragga) it was sort of expected for him to go harder. Spragga Benz gave an impassioned performance of “Leave all Vengeance” which had me thinking, “Does this nigga know that there is a battalion of police just outside the gates especially when he sang the part about going out in some Spaghetti-Western-Dirty-Harry manner?” It wasn’t a great show, it was barely a good show, but it has potential with its heart in the right place. Now if they work out the organizational kinks and possibly a different location then maybe Life Fest will be the one of the premier shows to attend in the annual calendar of events.

Long Live the King

There was much elation at the Weekendz bar last Saturday May 2, 2009 when Poor and Boasy was crowned King of the Dancehall in the Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall competition. It didn’t come as much of a surprise, he was the crowd favourite from the start. Yes there were times when he fell off, but for the most part he gave very consistent performances over the life of the competition. Coming from much hardship being a ‘Street yute’ he presented us with the ultimate Cinderella story. He is easy on the eyes and talented so he made it easy for us to romanticize the situation and to some extent be romanced by the idea of him. He gave the streets a face and a very powerful voice. It’s no longer okay to ignore the children of the ‘red, amber and green’. No longer okay for us to sit in our nicely air conditioned rides as the sun abuses the asphalt to present them only with a mirage of a better day that for most will never come. “Some one should do something about that” “Why don’t they go find work/go back to school?” Whatever the case we are very content with ourselves until the next stoplight. Because no matter how much our spirit is disturbed, no matter how much the thought of helping our brothers and sisters less fortunate, it is always some one else’s problem.

Along with his kingly raiment-his robe, his crown, his ring - bestowed to him by the last year’s Queen Baby Tash, the symbolic trappings he received helps with the production of his first single and music video. Without a doubt that is the easiest part of his dowry. Already his writing style thus far is very upbeat and catchy. He’ll definitely create some earworms that go further on the chart than his predecessors have managed to get. Will he be able to cross over? Only time will tell, depending on how much and the quality of grooming he receives. Already his swagger is being compared to early Gargamel/Buju, right now there is no higher honor.

Amid the Poor and Boasy hysteria, patrons banged on any and everything they could find, eventually they tore down a whole part of the wall facing the road. They shouted his name and catch phrase, which made such an unholy noise it made one wonder if the earth would suddenly open to swallow all who stood there. So much emotion wrecked his face it was hard to fathom what was in his heart, which seemed to be quite possibly one of the happiest and most overwhelming moments in his life to date. Yet our society would not allow him the simple release of one tear to roll down his cheek. It was easy to get caught up in the waves of happiness and delight. But for me what crept in was concern and sympathy, the burden of $1,000,000JMD in a recession would not go too far. Couple that with the host of ‘latchers ons’ and ‘fren-emies’ this sudden fame and fortune brings my only hope is he finds some one or something to keep him grounded.

Tikki was crowned Queen by last year’s king Singer Jah. While not my favorite (Destiny) I am sure she will do well or hopefully better than last year’s winner Baby Tash.

Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall

Oh ho Poor and Boasy again! By now if you haven’t been familiar with that statement then truly you have been living under a rock for the past few months. This, the second installment of the Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall, is proving that is does have some degree of staying power in the Saturday line up. It is also proving to be a vehicle for developing new talents that under normal circumstances may otherwise be left aside. The Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall is basically the American Idol for Dancehall. This means contestants go through the wringer, in a short time testing their range as an artist and ultimately battling each other for an opportunity to shine or remain in the realm of Iron Balloon for a year. It’s a hardcore dancehall boot camp, which engages the viewers to vote for their favorite prince and or princess to move on to the next stage of the competition all the time toughening the skin and grooming the potential heir to the throne.

Dancehall is about characters and in the Kings and Queens competition there is no shortage of them. One needn’t go farther than the reoccurring characters of judges and host. Producer extraordinaire, Cordel 'Scatta' Burrell has achieved some fame with his chat topping rhythm Coolie Dance. While not as scathing and witty as a Simon he does have his ‘WTF’ moments, and at times it’s very hard to agree or see what he sees. For example “Kelly Killa sound like Merciless on the toilet.” I don’t even want to know how or why he was privy to such information or when he implied a few weeks ago that Poor and Boasy got thus far on pity votes.
The renowned dancehall artiste General Degree sometimes appears to be the bleeding heart among the three judges. Maybe it has to do with his first hand experience as an artiste and going through much of the anguish and embarrassment which he is presented with nightly and the fact that in all this he refuses to be the one to crush someone’s dream. Personally I like when he has one too many Magnums and rambles a little or when he just probably wasn’t listening and when it’s his turn to comment he goes “Yeah! Wha Miss Kitty say.”
Which brings us to the fluffy Diva herself. Broadcaster Miss Kitty is the embodiment of the fact that a female who has street ‘cred’ can conduct herself as a lady. That is a refreshing and positive example for all the little divas to be that watch the show. She offers intelligent and constructive criticism for those who will listen. All in all she keeps the Motley Crew inline while also being the muse to many of the songs presented by the contestants. It is clear the judges have fun at their job while at the same time has the deeper understanding that the task they choose to undertake is a very important one. The other female in this get up is Empress and every night she proves to be more than just eye candy with a really nice booty. But Jesus H. Christ if she sings ‘Welcome Back’ one more time bang! Zoom! Straight to the moon!

The first airing of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall took place on Saturday January 5th 2008. Princes and Princesses vie for a million dollars and a video and production of a single, the necessary tools for the debut of a superstar. Now in its second season we are presented with finalist Poor and Boasy, a window-washing pauper turned Dancehall Prince. His style and flow is unlike any you have ever heard, in this case it’s a good thing, and he has the swagger to back it up. Also in the Magnum court is the fair lady Destiny from the sunshine city. It is very hard to believe that she is not already an established artiste as she clearly has stage presence and has proven to be very versatile thus far. She moves with a seamless ease of motion from singing melodic hooks to battling her fellow princess Tikki, spitting counteractions and venomous battle lyrics without missing a beat. Tikki and R.C. are the other finalist in the grand finale which airs this Saturday May 2, 2009 at the Weekenz Bistro and Bar. If you have the opportunity to, please go out and support your favorite, try to get there for 8pm-ish, the show airs on TVJ at 9p.m. sharp.

After Magnum check out Life Fest at Backyard, literally up the road from Weekendz. Live Fest features an excellent bill including Sizzla, Queen Ifrica, Jah Cure, Chino, Wayne Wonder and High Octane, Damien 'Junior Gong' Marley, Stephen Marley. While the line up for Life Fest is crazy it’s a session with a good cause, it is an education improvement drive of which the DJ is no stranger to. The show is promoted by the Carlisle Foundation, named for Benz's 17-year-old son, Carlton Grant Jr., who was controversially killed by police in downtown Kingston last August.

What happened to having a childhood?

Remember the days of Chinese Skip, Run-down and Lick, Ring games and telling your age in fractions because you just really wanted to grow up. For those of us now grown childhood evokes fond memories of things that we can no longer do as adults of innocence and wide-eyed exploration which adults cannot posses. Childhood was also a time when we longed to occupy adult spaces. Staying up late, drinking wine, smoking and being able to dance all night if we wanted to, were all the things we wished to do. What is childhood anyway? Childhood as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary is the first period of substantive intellectual, social and emotional development in humans; a period characterized by dependency (for survival) on a greater power or authority; generally entailing an inability to comprehend issues and realities beyond immediate experience.

Dancehall music and culture is no doubt very influential and to the undeveloped mind that cannot truly differentiate what is real and what is fiction, what are good values to posses and what is only appropriate for only a certain space. In this theatre of the Dancehall culture in which more is never enough. Everyone is over sexed, over-high and overly violent. If this is the mother’s milk that feeds the coming generations in an unchecked manner then the present social problems of a exponentially high crime rate, teen pregnancy and a mass of unsupervised, uncared for, unwanted children will only continue.

It is easy to lay the blame and point fingers. All one has to do is point and say “its your fault”. That solves the problem and the pointer is satisfied that there is no longer a problem. As a society we have been doing this for much too long. Unfortunately our problems fester and manifest in eventually more ugly forms. As a society we have failed preceding generations of children, each more than the other. We always seem to find superficial things to blame such as Dancehall or the Media. We say the music is slack, homophobic, ignorant, and violent, never questioning how much of the content is a reflection of the society. We are very quick to dismiss the people who inhabit this space as the dregs of society, base humans and we see no harm when the police exterminate a few.

There is no place for innocence in the dancehall. There is no place for children nor is it a space for anyone to use as a means of primary socialization. This is a scared space to those who maturely occupy it. To be honest children are unable to comprehend actions and innuendos that inhabit the space, obviously they will misunderstand and it is in this misunderstanding where they become scared for life. It’s not hard to miss really little girls acting overly sexual some not caring about STD/STI’s. It is even sadder when you see how many young men get lost along the way, all wanting to fit the dominant male archetype in the dance, the ‘Don’ or the ‘Entertainer’. Usually typified by how many females he possess and where: “Move yu draws and sidung.” Is considered both romance and foreplay. Personally I am jus tired of seeing children force ripe or other wise in the dance hall and other adult events. I am also tired of the adults who encourage their presence, especially the women who allow themselves to be mounted by young boys as a novelty act. Wonder why no one else see them as paedophiles?

It would be stupid to think that systems were perfect in the past. However they ALL weren’t dysfunctional. So for example, if a child came from a bad home, then there was the school, various clubs, the wider community and even the church acted as surrogates. In essence acceptable socialization agents worked. They didn’t need to go above and beyond their respective roles, some did, and all they had to do was what they were supposed to do. One gets the feeling that everyone else is supposed to be a parent but the actual parents.

Now it feels like nothing works. And as a result the last thing that seems to have some sort of order, some relevance, some function. Is the Dancehall culture! Go fig?


1 American Heritage Dictionary. Fourth Edition. 2000.
© Copyright 2006 Education for Peace International. All rights reserved. 10:53 29/04/08

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10 Reasons why I like Konshens

1. He’s soooooo dreamy ^_^

2. In an age where people constantly chastise Dancehall music, he proves that there are good artists who still produce quality music. It’s not all about Gal, Guns, and Money.

3. He didn’t sell out. We buy into marketing every day and Dancehall is no exception to this rule. As much as we flaunt freedom and rebellion, the ubiquitous image of the conscious Rasta man permeates the culture. It is therefore refreshing that he chooses to be an exception and by him sporting a nice fade and efficiently delivering a good clean message he is more of a rebel than many who buy into the “Rastaman” image. God he’s dreamy.

4. In this Global Recession he’s got his priorities right. In his début song “Winner” displays his go-getter almost anything goes attitude that guarantees success. This also makes for a good provider.

5. He is a good storyteller form start to finish with his songs you get a very vivid image of the thoughts and feelings he tries to convey. His songs are properly constructed so that listeners can appreciate the fact that effort went into making an introduction, verses, chorus, bridge etc. Thank you Konshens.

6. Did I mention he’s dreamy? While not metro he does seem to actually put some effort into his appearance, at the same time not being a bleached face, tight pants wearing confused male who needs to prove to the world how much he fits the approved male archetype by singing anti-gay songs and by letting the world know how many women he has “daggered”. In short he is just well put together, you get the feeling he is pretty grounded in his values so by extension he exudes a timeless elegance so no matter what he wears, for e.g. wife-beaters and jeans or a suit, his swagger is still the same.

7. “If you looking for me I’ll be at my baby yard,

   At my woman yard, oh at my empress yard.”

   One just has to respect a man who is able to strike a balance between his love for women and his need to be a womanizer. It is absolutely refreshing to know that there are REAL men who still know how to treat and pamper REAL women. Much respect is due to a man with enough good sense, that is able to differentiate between a community whore and an empress. There is a feeling of deep respect and love for the opposite sex, so you know he was brought up right.

8. His voice is great and he has a nice flow. That is important cause no woman wants a man that sounds like Urkel.

9. Right now he looks like he has staying power. Thus far most of the songs we hear from him display a timeless quality about them. It is easy to see him many many years from now effectively doing vintage shows and drawing huge crowds. He shows so much potential to become his own giant instead of being the next [Insert name here]. He is just Konshens with his own style and sound.

10. He is good boyfriend material for some nice Dragon, Ox, Monkey, Taurus, Scorpio, Pisces, and maybe Cancer mix. His earth element says he is reliable strong, hardworking and practical. The fact that he is a Capricorn means he is supposedly charming by nature, very focused, good with money, and apparently intelligent and quick-witted. His Rat makes him pretty thrifty, astute and possess really great instincts and he likes nice things (I don’t know what that’s suppose to mean I thought everyone did). His possible down side is his stubbornness and he would be very secretive, good memory so he won’t forget to hold a grudge if he feels he was wronged. His inner perfectionist at times will be a bit overbearing. If you can live through that then he is your number 1, you know if you're into that sort of stuff.

Vybz Kartel's Letter to the Editor (The Gleaner-Jamaica)

The Editor, Sir:

This is a response to an article written by Esther Tyson and supported by the rest of the social hypocrites who claim Rampin' Shop is musical poison.

Ms Tyson, the "devastating impact on the psyche of Jamaican children" is not caused by 'daggerin' songs but rather by socio-economic conditions which leave children without free education, single-parent homes, (or shacks), the lack of social infrastructure in ghetto communities, unemployed and disenfranchised young men with no basic skills who are caught up in the 'gun culture' cultivated by our politicians in the 1960s-'70s, all faults of the governments (PNP and JLP).

Scribes and Pharisees

When Vybz Kartel did Money Fi Spen' (the intro being 'We nah run dung gun/We nah run dung war), it went to number one on the charts. No accolades were given. When I did Emergency, no accolades were given; but when the same audience that embraced all those 'reality' songs embraced Rampin shop' for what it is - music - it's a problem to you and yours, the Scribes and Pharisees of our time.

What have any of you done to enrich the culture and the coffers of Jamaican music, especially dancehall music, that makes you think you have the right to criticise and chastise a (sub)culture about which you clearly know nothing?

Rampin' Shop is just as easily accessible to the public as are porn sites on the internet via laptop or phone; as accessible as 'R'-rated movies or carnival revellers 'daggerin' uptown in broad daytime on our local and cable television stations.

Why is the song so big?

Incidentally, has anyone ever wondered why this song is so big? It's because everybody loves it, and that's the whole bottom and top line. contrary to what is said, there are a lot of self-righteous, undercover Jekyll and Hyde characters around.

Ms Tyson, the "decent, well-thinking citizens of Jamaica" as you put it, love Rampin' Shop; only a few hypocrites are against it, at least publicly .

I encourage you to use your obviously lengthy spare time to write about things that actually affect the nation like, I dunno, probably a light-bulb scandal, etc., and stop making much ado about nothing.

I am, etc.,

ADIDJA 'Vybz Kartel' PALMER

vybzkarteljamaica@gmail.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: Vybz Kartel has

confirmed sending this letter to The Gleaner.

Pastor John Crow Tricks Anansi (Pa John Tricks Anansi)

Once up on a time Bra Anansi mek a law that no body in the country should chat one anada. If dem chat people dem go drop down dead. So one day hungry bite him and him nuh know what to do so him tek up him pickax and drill an went up on a high stony hill. While he was dere beating PING! PING! PING! PING! Bra Takuma come around and see him. Now everybody know sey Bra Takuma faass bad so him say:
“Good Mawnin, Bra Nansi.”

Bra Anansi say:
“Good Mawnin, Bra Takuma, I jus ere a see what I can get for de coming year.”

So Bra Takuma pass and im go roun de corna. Afta him gawn roun de corna im say:
“Massa Gawd see an know say mi nah chat Bra Nansi. But a what im can get off a dat dere rock fe de comin year?”

Braps, Bra Takuma drop down dead, but Bra Anansi did expect that so him come along de road an him see Bra Takuma stiff dead and him eat him off.

Greedy Anansi nuh do nothing more than go back pon him rock and start to dig again. TING CHING CHING CHING CHING! So Bra Tiga passing by and him say:
“Good Morning Brother Anansi, how are you on this fine morning” (Say it loud and proper with a British accent if you can^_^)

“Good Mawnin, Bra Tiga, I jus ere a see what I can get for de coming year.”

Tiga:
“Very well Anansi, Very well.”

An him gone. So Bra Tiga pass and im go roun de corna. Afta him gawn roun de corna im say to himself:

“You know, I am not the type to meddle in peoples’ affairs, but. What the devil could Anansi get off that measly rock for the coming year?”

Braps, Bra Tiga drop down dead, and Bra Anansi did expect that so him come along de road an him see Bra Tiga stiff dead and him eat him off jus de same.

Bra Anansi set up pon him rock again but before him could even start knocking nuh Bra Tumble Bug dat come roun pon him. So Bra Bug say:
“Mawnin Bra Nansi.”

Anansi say:
“Mawnin Bra Bug”

Den im say:
“Mi jus ere a see what mi can get off dis rock fe de coming year.”

Bug say:
“Awright Bra Nansi, mi gawn.”

So said so done as Bra Tumble Bug go roun de corner him dat say:
“Massa Gawd see an know mi nah chat Bra Nansi business. But! Wha im can get off a dat dere rock-stone fe de comin year?”

Buff, him drop down dead. An a Bra Anansi dat is to come along and eat him up too. Again craving Anansi gone back pon de same rock gone wait fi somebody else fi come along. But Pa John (John Crow) a fly round and him see what Bra Anansi was doing so him ketch the rake (saw what Anansi was up to). Anyway Pa John say to himself well mi a go see what Anansi getting off a dah rock de so. So him fly down wit him walking stick and slam it against the rock.
BOW! BOW! BOW! (Loudly)

“Mawnin Bra Nansi.”

“Mawnin Pa John.”

But before Bra Anansi could say anything else is Pa John dat (speaking very sternly and quickly):
“I jus seein what I can get off here fe de comin year.”

Pa John:
“Anyway Bra Nansi I goin down to de barber to get a trim, so I will see yu.”

An Pa John fly off and gawn around de corna, an Bra Anansi look up an say to himself:
“Masha Gawd shee an know shee mi no talk people business, but. Wha Pa John ave pon fi im ead fi trim off?”

An Bra Anansi drop down an dead. Pa John did expect it. Im neva talk so him turn back and see Bra Anansi stiff dead so im eat im up an all de other people dat Anansi did et before.

Jack Mandora mi nuh choose none.