By Livern Barrett—- A day before a Jamaican man is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in the US State of Florida, a federal judge there has granted him a temporary stay of execution. Forty-seven-year-old Paul Augustus Howell was slated to be executed at the Florida State Prison for the killing of Highway Patrol Trooper Jimmy Fulford in 1992. One of his attorneys Michael Ufferman revealed this morning that the judge agreed to stay the execution to … Read entire article »

  Jah9 —– By Angus Taylor— The 1970s roots reggae era saw sporadic releases by female cultural artists that are among the finest examples of the subgenre. The extraordinary quality of 45s by Senya(Children of The Ghetto, Oh Jah Come Now, Roots Man), Joy White (Dread Out Deh,Check Your Daughter) and Fabian (Prophecy) is partially explained by the difficulty of getting recorded in a male-dominated reggae industry (“You should stay at home and mind the baby” sang Errol Dunkley on Be True To Your Man – their music had to … Read entire article »

TALLAHASSEE, Florida– – The Florida Supreme Court has refused to block the February 26 execution of a Jamaican drug trafficker convicted for killing a state trooper with a pipe bomb. The justices have unanimously denied a post-conviction appeal and request for a stay of execution from Paul Augustus Howell, 47. Howell was convicted of killing Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Jimmy Fulford in February 1992. Prosecutors said Fulford had stopped a car carrying the bomb, hidden inside a gift-wrapped … Read entire article »

By MATT MUNOZ— The California reggae scene has been heating up so much lately it’s hard to keep track of the influx of new acts making their debuts. For the members of Iration, working outside the confines of familiar two- chord jammin’ is still what sets them apart from the pack. The band members, all friends originally from the Hawaiian islands, formed in 2004 after arriving separately two years earlier to attend college in the Santa Barbara … Read entire article »

By Kevin Jackson—– FIVE artists have been nominated in the Best Reggae Recording category of the 2013 Juno Awards which takes place at The Brandt Centre in Saskatchewan on April 21. The Juno is the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards. Top: Ammoye…Bottom: EXCO LEVI… won the Juno Award last year for his song Bleaching Shop The nominees are Move Ya by Elaine ‘Lil Bit’ Shepherd; Radio by Ammoye; Storms of Life by Exco Levi; Yours to Keep by … Read entire article »

DANCEHALL toaster Lloyd D has released a new lover’s rock song called All Night Long. “I have been working on my mix tape entitled Unfinished Business and my album Big People Sitten to be released sometime this year,” said Lloyd D. LLOYD D… All Night Long is one of the first singles from the album   The mix tape will consist songs from the 1980s and early 1990s as well as new material. “All Night Long is one of the … Read entire article »

By Simone Morgan—– MUSIC producer Paul ‘Jah Screw’ Love says reggae is crying out for more record companies that are committed to promoting the music properly. “Jamaica needs more record companies as there is only VP Records who I believe is contributing but are not doing enough to promote reggae music,” said Love. JAH SCREW… Jamaica needs more record companies (Photo: Richard Lindo)   He spoke with the Jamaica Observer after being honoured at the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) … Read entire article »

Mystikal Revolution—- By Leighton Levy—-, Mystikal Revolution will launch their debut album on Friday, March 1, less than a year after the six-member band was among winnersof the Heineken Inspire contest that was aimed at unearthing Jamaica’s artistic talent. The album titled Divide and Rule will feature some of the band’s best work in collaboration with established entertainers, including Sizzla, Bunny Rugs, Queen Ifrika, and Tarrus Riley. The launch, which will be fully sponsored by Heineken and held at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing … Read entire article »

Minister of Tourism and Entertainment Dr Wykeham McNeill (right) has a discussion with State Minister for Tourism and Entertainment Damion Crawford— Almost a year ago, when the People’s National Party came into power, the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment took on a new board, not much has been heard from it since. That isn’t to say nothing has been happening. In an interview with Kingsley Cooper, chairman of the Entertainment Advisory Board, he explained that the wheels have been … Read entire article »

Salaam Remi—– By Curtis Campbell—, International music video directors/producers Salaam Remi and Fatima Curry, have collaborated with the Amy Winehouse Foundation to execute a series of charity projects in Jamaica. The producers operate their own non-profit organisation which caters to inner-city communities in and around Kingston called ‘Elevating Resources’. However, Fatima Curry says more assistance can only help the cause. Curry and the video production team were in Jamaica shooting musicvideos for reggae artistes Spragga Benz and Stephen Marley recently, and during the process, the directors were taken to several inner-city … Read entire article »