Issential Knowledge

The spot has just officially been blown. I stumbled across some gems while putting together video content for the site. Make sure you check out all the new features on the site including the video playlists on the Reggae Remix page, as well as the HipHop Collaboration Page which are blazing if I do say so myself. Make sure you leave a comment and let me know which videos are your favorites. The movement is beginning… join me.

One Lovell

Greetings Reggae Family,

So I finished the first promotional mixtape from Hiphop-Reggae.com titled Salute The King Vol. 1. It contains a continuous mix some of the latest releases from the Reggae world. If you want a copy, email me at marley.lovell@gmail.com with an address, and ill get one out to you asap. If you already got one, make sure you write a comment on the blog, or hit me up, I would love to hear your feedback. Each copy will be hand numbered, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to be the start of the Righteous Youth Revolution. Thank you for the continued support, Jah Bless

-One Lovell

Blessings Reggae Massive,

I have a lot of things in motion right now, and I think that there is bright future for this website. In the context of a final project for my degree in Music Industry Studies I have been granted limited funding to build and start promoting the site. As another element to the project I am doing a Reggae Community Profile on the city of New Orleans, which I hope will be the first in a series of similar city specific profiles. These will be on city homepages, where people will be able to find out about the Reggae community in that city including Restaurants, Clothing Stores, Clubs & DJs , and a message board where people are able to communicate or promote. I am very excited about this development, and I think it can be a very effective tool to unite the Reggae communities locally and eventually globally.

As another promotional tool, I am releasing a promotional mixtape of some of my favorite current Reggae mixed by yours truly. Its a 70 minute CD titled Salute The King Vol. 1. It will be released from the Righteous Youth Sound System, so I will definitely let you know as soon as it is done. Here is the Cover and tentative track listing. This will be available as a free gift for donations to the Hiphop-Reggae site of 5 or more dollars. Thank you for the support. Jah Guidence

-One Lovell

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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Greetings fellow Reggae enthusiasts. I would like to welcome you to the HipHop-Reggae.com, your definitive guide for all of the most cutting edge music and news coming from the world of Reggae music. My name is Marley “One” Lovell, and I am Rastafarian since birth as well as a obsessive fan of Reggae music. Growing up in the beautiful Bay Area California, I attended the Reggae on the River festival in Humbolt County every year with my family and friends. As i grew older I became more interested in Rap and Hip-Hop music.

As an adult I have returned to my roots discovering the passion for Reggae that my parents shared. As you will come to learn I have a fundamental respect for roots Reggae of the the likes of Gregory Isaacs, Freddie McGregor, Dennis Brown, Garnett Silk, and of course my all time favorites, Sly & Robbie, the infamous “Riddim Twins.” The only thing the excites me more than Reggae, is the acceptance of Reggae by the Hip-Hop community. I consider myself a member of both cultures, and I think hat Hip-Hop and Reggae share a fundamental origin in the struggle of Black youth in urban environments.

Through out the history of Reggae music it has crossed many genre boundaries, but Hip-Hop has presented more than just an opportunity for a different sound. It has offered a chance to re capture the American market post Bob Marley, and create a fruitful sub genre. There are several examples of successful crossover from the 90’s from artists such as Super Cat and Shabba Ranks, but the real moves have been made in the new millennium by artists like Buju Banton, Sean Paul, Collie Buddz, Beenie Man, and of course the signing of Sizzla my Hip-Hop mogul Damon Dash.

Speaking of Sizzla, he has been absolutly torching the air waves and I think before you know it he will be a houshold name in the Hip-Hop community. Over the past couple years he has appeared on tracks with the likes of Styles P., Talib Kweli, Nas, and Juelz Santana. The latest things that I am super hyped on is an official music video with the “greatest rapper alive,” Lil’ Wayne, who kicks one of the illest pat tios verses I have ever heard. Much love and respect to these two for this submission from the Carter 3, and much respect to all of you for checking me out here at HipHop-Reggae.com. Enjoy, you’ll be hearing from me soon.
Respect