Sizzla. In April, Sizzla will become the first major Jamaican act to do an extended tour of the Land of The Rising Sun. He is scheduled to do 13 shows in major cities such as Yokohama, Osaka, Okinawa, and Hiroshima. In the 1980s, Japan was the new frontier for Jamaican music. Although Bob Marley toured there in 1979, it was not until the next decade that Japanese warmed to Jamaican pop culture through shows like Japansplash. According to niceup.com, Sizzla kicks … Read entire article »

Willie Stewart When marking a milestone, Willie Stewart prefers to use the word ‘celebrate’ instead of ‘commemorate’ or ‘tribute’. For the veteran musician, those words conjure mourning. On April 1-2, the master drummer celebrates the 10th anniversary of his Rhythms Of Africa show at Miramar Cultural Center. The event will also honor the 50th anniversary of Third World, the Grammy-nominated band he played in from 1976-1997. Like previous stagings, ‘Rhythms’ will be an educational experience. “It’s so important to teach the … Read entire article »

By KEVIN JACKSON, Observer Writer— Chance the Rapper (right) and Vic Mensa (left) promoters of the Black Star Line Festival. American recording artiste Chance the Rapper says he is hoping to host the second staging of his Black Star Line Festival in Jamaica next year. The multi-platinum-selling rapper made the comments during an interview with The Tonight Show’s host Jimmy Fallon on Monday night. It aired on NBC. “We’re actually thinking about hosting the next one in Kingston, Jamaica,” … Read entire article »