Issential Knowledge

Greetings Reggae heads, I wanted to follow up my post on my my visit to Tuff Gong Studios by highlighting some artists that I discovered while in Jamaica. At Tuff Gong I was mostly on the hunt for Italian Reggae artist Alborosie, who does some fantastic remixes of classic Reggae anthems such as Tenor Saw’s “Ring The Alarm,” and Black Uhuru’s “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner.” Other 45’s that I picked up were tracks from Prestige, Richie Spice, and Sizzla. I was unable to find a new tracks from Stephen Marley, Damian Marley, or Collie Buddz that were blasting on Irie FM, but I will let you know as soon as I find the titles. The gem of the Tuff Gong visit was a live performance of “Fire” by Ricky Chaplin. I was happy to support him following this display, so make sure you check him out, Big Up. Another Gem that I found was “Victims of The System” by emerging band Rootz Underground. Before I left, I had heard about this band because guitarist, Jeffrey Moss Solomon is my cousin. I was excited to support the family, but i will admit that they exceeded my expectations. This track is blazing hot, and i will be scooping up every release that i can find. They are currently touring the United States, so make sure you keep and eye out.

Unfortunately for the Artists, the most reliable way to get the newest music is from street vendors. I picked up several CD mix tapes from the Higher Heights Sound System. On theseCD’s I did not find new songs from well known artists, but brand new artists with a fresh new sound. These included I-Octane, Demarco, Mavado, Queen Ifrika, Bugle, Da’ville, and Alaine. Sprinkled amongst these selections were songs from the likes of Lutan Fyah, Sean Paul featuring Shabba Ranks, and even Gregory Isaacs. Though I am an avid fan of Roots and Culture Reggae, I did pick up a Dancehall CD called Higher Heights Gangsta War, Volume 3. Featured on this CD were Mavado, Busy Signal, Vybz Kartel, Cobra, and Blak Rhyno. I was surprised by the quality of the new dancehall that had clearly been influenced by Hip-hop since the last time that I had heard.

Make sure you check out for these artists in the coming months, as I’m sure you will be hearing more from them as we approach the summer. Give thanks, and leave a comment to let me know what you think of these artists.You can always check out my radio show to hear the latest music that I am hyped on. Jah Guide

So I wanted to let you all know that my weekly radio show, “The Rasta Recital Hour” will be airing on wednesdays from 6 to 8 CST. You can log on the CrescentCityRadio.com and check out the show. The station runs broadcasts from Loyola University New Orleans 24/7 and features some very interesting shows spanning every musical genre imaginable. Again this a shout out for The Rasta Recital Hour hosted by your truly, DJ One Lovell. You can call in during the show for shout out or requests at 504 865 3635. I hope to hearing from you, and satisfying your Jones for Reggae every Wednesday evening. One Love & Jah Guide.

So because I go to school in New Orleans, I am blessed with a week off in February for the Marti Gras festivities. Though I respect the tradition of Marti Gras, I’m not too enthusiastic about the college version of the holiday, so instead I took the opportunity to go to Jamaica, the birthplace of Reggae music, and reconnect with family and friends from former lives. The week long trip during Black History Month, and what I found to be “Reggae Month” in Jamaica, was long overdue but right on time. The experience was unforgettable, so for the next few posts, Ill be highlighting some of my favorite experiences as it relates to Reggae music, and the American Reggae community.

The biggest breakthrough was finally understanding why its so difficult to get Reggae music outside of Jamaica. Any Reggae artist that is known outside of Jamaica, is already known by everyone on the the island. The radio serves as the primary source for news and entertainment, so most Jamaicans are well versed in the popular music. Artists are deemed not ready for the marketplace unless they have already achieved success in Jamaica. This is the same for other genres, yet because of geographic isolation that Jamaica faces and the relatively low level of technology, this prolongs the release of Jamaican music abroad for months.

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