JamaicansMusic.com

They were arguably the best moments of Magnum Follow Di Arrow when ace deejays Assassin and Bounty Killer took the stage and expertly delivered two of the most memorable performances, which helped make the event’s 11th anniversary at James Bond Beach in St Mary a successful one.

For long periods, the crowd had suffered immensely from poor performances and seemed desperate for some real excitement with the morning sun peeking over the hills.

determined to satisfy

Following the duo Twin of Twins, whose performance was at its comedic best, Assassin was determined to satisfy his audience even though there were several technical glitches. He was not going to let that inconvenience stop him from becoming one of the night’s highlight performers, and with just a minute into his performance, Assassin, who recently took on the moniker Agent Sasco, had the crowd feeding from his hands with hits like Leave Us Alone and Hand In Di Air.

One of the obvious reasons why Assassin has lasted for over a decade in the music business is his consistency in providing clean lyrics, which have been regularly overshadowed by the lewdness of other artistes. Aware that the patrons were giving him their undivided attention, Assassin fantastically delivered Hand To Mouth and Priorities, before showing his versatility in Self Defence and Wanna Be Ballers.

The crowd clearly enjoyed his performance, and as he sang the words of Almighty while he exited the stage, the entire venue applauded him for a true professional approach to his craft.

Bounty Killer has always believed, for an artiste to make it to the top, he must be consistent in his approach to the music while being able to entertain at the highest level. Acknowledging Assassin’s performance, the ‘Warlord’ said, “Nuff respect to Assassin, a suh people fi perform” before going into his own catalogue of hit songs.

A solid performer throughout his 17-year career, it was just left for Bounty Killer to reproduce one of those performances which has propelled him into the elite group of stage performers. And he did just that. Being the personality that he is though, Bounty Killer wouldn’t be who he is without some sort of outburst.

“Ennis mi luv yuh and wi know seh yuh luv wi too … But next year don’t bring dem idiot artiste yah pon di show,” said the ‘Poor People’s Governor’ in reference to Lisa Hyper, who made disparaging remarks about him earlier in her performance.

Yet any worries of the Sufferer lyricist making an early exit were groundless. Bounty Killer got off to a flying start and kept the momentum through his performance. The veteran was probably also proving a point that he was still the backbone of dancehall music and he had the fans waving their hands to hits like Money Maker and We Nuh Fren Fish.

He called on his musical protégé, Mavado, and the two went on an encore of hit songs, making way for the remaining artistes backstage to perform.

See tomorrow’s STAR for full details on what took place at Magnum Follow Di Arrow.

http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20100301/ent/ent1.html

Badgyal Ce’Cile, who celebrated her birthday last Wednesday, almost never got to see another one following an incident in St Ann last Friday night in which her BMW motor car was forced off the road by an errant trailer driver.

The singer’s luxury car was damaged when it broke through a stone wall as she tried to avoid being crushed by the trailer. The front end was damaged leaving the car ‘wobbling’. The left fog light was broken, the tyres were damaged and there was also damage to the fender. However, the airbags did not deploy and the grateful singer isn’t worried much about the damage.

“I thought I was gonna die,” she said, while relating the incident to THE STAR yesterday. “I could not believe I was still in one piece.”

DRIVING SAFELY

Ce’Cile explains that on Friday, she was in a hurry to get to Montego Bay, but got an early warning that she needed to slow down. “I got a speeding ticket at Faith’s Pen and from there I decided to drive moderately,” she said.

Keen on driving safely, she took a detour through Chalky Hill and when she got to an area known as Hermitage about 8:38 p.m, she said she saw a car coming in the opposite direction. She also noticed, ‘a long flat-bed trailer’ overtaking the car and bearing down on her. The trailer’s lights were not on.

stay calm

Startled, but remaining calm under the circumstance, she quickly decided that if she could get enough of the car out of the way she would perhaps sustain only minor injuries. She swerved the car towards the embankment. “The car broke through the wall and got completely out of the way of the truck,” she said, still in a state of disbelief.

The driver braked causing the truck to jack-knife and a car travelling behind the trailer suffered windshield damage. Ce’Cile said the truck driver, perhaps believing she was badly hurt or worse, sped off. Another motorist, who witnessed what happened, chased the trailer and managed to write down the licence plate numbers and took them back to Ce’Cile. She said the motorist told her the trailer driver “was driving like a maniac trying to get away”.

While the trailer was being chased, the badly shaken singer was still sitting inside the vehicle. It was only after being prompted by onlookers that she alighted from the damaged car. She said it took seven men to get the car back onto the road from off the embankment. “I want to thank all the people who helped and for chasing the trailer and getting the licence plate numbers,” she said.

She was in such shock, she said, that it was only after she eventually got to Montego Bay later that night and while talking to someone about the incident that it finally sunk in and she broke into tears. It didn’t help that she reported the matter to the Coral Gardens police who told her that they were unable to help because the truck did not hit her.

She said the residents of Hermitage told her that what happened to her was not uncommon as “a so the trailer man dem drive all the time.” She told THE STAR that she felt badly about the incident knowing that had someone been standing near the wall she could have injured them or worse. “Had I been distracted, like I am sometimes, I would have been dead,” she said.

“I thought I was gonna die. I could not believe I was still in one piece.”

http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20100301/ent/ent2.html

Western Bureau:

From unusual costume designs to high-flying dance moves, groups which participated in the elimination show of the Red Label Wine Dancin’ Dynamites competition in St Elizabeth last Saturday will need to improve their dance techniques if they are to compete with international dancers.

Dancin’ Dynamites, which is in its fifth year, saw 10 dance groups showcasing their skills at the Junction Guest House in Junction, St Elizabeth, in a bid to secure one of two positions that are available to move to the next round.

jenny antics

Host Jenny Jenny injected life in the less-than-capacity-filled audience in Junction with her usual onstage antics as she continued the entertainment package during intermissions.

The highlight of the evening came when St Elizabeth’s own, the Sunshine Brothers, gave a superb performance as they fused Michael Jackson dance moves with dancehall. Target and Garrison Youths represented themselves well which earned them resounding applause from the audience which was hungry for great entertainment. Among the dance groups which performed creditably were G-Squad, Escalade, Mad Flex, T-Squad, G1 Dancers and C-Squad.

However, it was dance groups Target, Garrison Youths and Sunshine Brothers who stood out more for one of the judges, Kerry-Ann Henry.

higher stakes

As to whether or not the western leg of the competition lived up to expectations, Henry noted that “Red Label Wine Dancin’ Dynamites is in its fifth year and this is the year when our dancers will be going up against international dancers from the Caribbean and the United States and dancers will have to make sure that every move counts and is precise while entertaining and of the 10 that I saw tonight only three stood out to me because of their execution.”

She added that dancing has always been a Jamaican thing and local dancers cannot allow dancers from other countries to come and beat them at something Jamaicans are good at. Henry therefore recommend that “dancers should tape themselves to see where they are going wrong and how they can improve and tighten their routine”.

The after-show session saw upcoming dancehall acts Gramazone and Danger Flex engaging the audience with original songs that scored high with crowd.

Negril got its first dose of Shaggy mania last Tuesday as the reggae superstar made an appearance at Negril Escape for the One Love Concert series.

‘Mr Lover Lover’ dropped a bomb on a bumper crowd which came out to see the hit maker who last performed in Negril a year ago at a spring-break concert.

Shaggy will be back in the resort town this Saturday at the Jungle nightclub.

sonorous cheers

The multi-platinum artiste fired hits from all sides of the stage, pleasing his audience in the process. The songs were many and all were greeted with sonorous cheers. Bonafied, Boombastic, Pretty Little Woman, Angel and Strength of a Woman were crowd pleasers and as the show progressed, there were still more screams set aside for songs like It Wasn’t Me, Church Heathen, Bashment Gal, Hey Sexy Lady and Mr Lover Keep You Rocking.

After 80 minutes of performance, Shaggy exited the stage but MC Sir One W recalled him for an encore. Returning to multiple screams, Shaggy stayed another 10 minutes as he sought to stay within the restricted time limit.

The One Love Concert series started in November and features a top reggae act each Tuesday at Negril Escape. The series continues tomorrow and will feature Jah Cure. Promoter Carey Wallace describes the series as a key ingredient to the tourism mix. “Instead of sea, sand and sun, we want to offer to the visitors Brand Reggae to complete the tourism package,” he said.

SUPPORT

Shaggy will share the stage with Elephant Man on Saturday and Wallace believes that his performance at Negril Escape will not take anything away from the support which is anticipated at the Jungle.

He said that Shaggy performed for a ‘premium’ type crowd at Negril Escape but at Jungle it will be during spring break, so a different category of fans will be available. Making comparisons, he said that for his show the price was $4,500 while at Jungle it will be $1,500.

“I wouldn’t want my show to hurt the other show or vice versa but from the support I got, I know that the show at Jungle will be well supported because of the spring-break crowd and the locals who preferred to wait for a lower-priced ticket,” Wallace said.

http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20100301/ent/ent4.html

Haiti was in the thoughts of many at the Rise Up benefit concert held at The Deck on Trafalgar Road, New Kingston, last Wednesday night.

Organised by Digicel and The Deck, a host of young, conscious artistes performed for free to raise funds for Haiti, which was devastated by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake on January 12. The Omega Element, the night’s backing band, started off with songs such as Wide World, as the music video for the song Rise Again, which is dedicated to Haiti, played in the background.

At first, many were busy socialising and eating, but as the night continued, more and more persons came to enjoy the conscious vibe. Acts such as Tiger, Mika and Positive, Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall contestant Chosen, Jasmine, singing At Last, dub poet Rastura, among others, had the crowd rocking.

musical similarity

Andrew Tosh, son of reggae legend Peter Tosh, got the first big ‘forward’ for the night as persons marvelled at his musical similarity to his father. Singing songs from his father’s catalogue, Tosh performed Equal Rights, Johnny Be Good, among others.

As it got later and more crowded, it was Gem Myers who stole the spotlight for the evening. Myers tickled audiences with old and new songs alike, doing a medley that was backed by Fab 5. Myers had persons coming out of their seats for the first time during the event dancing and rocking away, often singing along as well. Singing songs like Take My Hand, Silent Rivers Run Deep, My Boy Lollipop, One Man Girl, Breakfast in Bed, No No No, among many more, Myers was called on for an encore, which she did with ease.

The Omega Band returned afterwards, closing off the night with renditions of Tarrus Riley’s She’s Royal, Toots’ What a Bam Bam and many more.

http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20100301/ent/ent5.html

Earlier this week rumours had begun circulating once again that Ryno had officially left the Empire. The deejay, however, contacted THE STAR to confirm that as of yesterday, he is no longer in the Vybz Kartel-led Portmore Empire.

Born Romaine Anderson, Ryno has been a member of the Portmore Empire since January 2007, where he was officially signed to Kartel’s Adidjaheim Records and made his name with songs such as Thugs Anthem,Bend Over among others.

Months prior to this, rumours had been circulating in the streets and on the Internet that relations between the young deejay and his Gaza camp had not been good, with speculations that he, among other members have been beaten on a regular basis. Ryno has however, denied to THE STAR all rumours of being beaten or having witnessed any beatings on the Gaza.

unwilling to say much

Speaking briefly to THE STAR, Ryno was unwilling to say much on the matter yesterday, only admitting that relations between himself and the Empire were still good.

Ryno is the third deejay to have departed the Empire recently, the first being late last year when Lisa Hyper was expelled from the organisation after the Empire ‘unanimously agreed’ to end their professional relationship with the female deejay. This development came shortly after a compromising picture was leaked on the Internet of Hyper.

In January, a newcomer to the Portmore Empire, Gaza Kim willingly left the Empire after an incident which took place in the ‘Big Yard’ community off Mannings Hill Road. Gaza Kim, who now goes by the name Kym, was severely beaten on the Gaza by what sources say was orders from Kartel. However, Kartel denied the claims.

This week rumours also began circulating once more that singer Jah Vinci had also left the Empire as well, when contacted on Tuesday, however, Jah Vinci responded, “Gaza fi life.”

Amelia ‘Milk’ Sewell has stepped out of the world of media and into the spotlight as a deejay. After voicing her first song Flossy, Milk says she’s ready to pursue a career in music.

After voicing for producer Mafia McKoy of Loud Disturbance Records on his recently released ‘Kama Sutra’ rhythm, Milk is on a musical roll with other songs to be released soon. She told THE STAR recently, “the song (Flossy) has led me into music, I can’t do one song and leave it at that. I’ve been around music too long, so if I do it I’m doing it to the fullest, ’cause I have so much to say.”

natural experience

According to Milk, she won’t be trying to imitate anyone else but will give her fans what they want. Flossy, recorded in January of this year was released three weeks ago. For Milk, she says it was a natural experience, after vibing the rhythm to voice the song. In the song Milk takes on an American accent talking about the ‘flossing’ lifestyle.

She said, “the song like mashing up the place and I feel so pleased about it, people are actually listening to it and liking it, people are calling me for interviews, it’s great.” Milk has a number of other songs working on including Alien Technology alongside Mafia McKoy. “I’m gonna surprise dem wid different styles,” she explained.

In the music business Milk says she would love
to work with producers Stephen McGregor and Don Corleon. Outside of music, Milk is keeping herself busy as an emcee for events, working on TV for the Travel Network, One Love TV in Montego Bay and producing shows such as Fiwi Charts. Milk might also be back on radio soon as she is working on an entertainment program for Irie FM.

http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20100216/ent/ent2.html

Singer Kym, formerly known as Gaza Kim, has released a new song which talks about her assault experience called The Truth.

In January of this year, the teenage singer, real name Kim Hamilton, was assaulted in the community known as ‘Big Yard’, off Mannings Hill Road.

According to a story previously published in THE STAR, a source close to the ‘Gaza’ crew disclosed that Kym was at Big Yard when she and a group of men got into a verbal altercation. THE STAR source claimed that Vybz Kartel arrived on the scene and the men were instructed to beat her. A statement from Kartel however, denied his involvement in the incident.

Name change

After the incident the singer changed her name from Gaza Kim to Kym and has since officially left the Portmore Empire. She is no longer being managed by Vybz Kartel’s record label Adidjaheim Records.

In an interview with radio host Nikki Z, which can be heard on www.youtube.com, Kym explained the situation saying, “I was told that I inform on Vybz Kartel … I was told to come to the studio 9 o’clock sharp on the day that the incident happened … I was there and I just started to get beaten and I don’t know why.” In the interview, Kym confirmed that she knows the identity of the attackers.

wha’ really gwaan

In The Truth Kym talks directly about the assault. In the intro she says, “my yute me know and you know wha really gwaan.” In the song she sings, “from di day mi born mi fadda neva lay a hand/so how yuh reach so far yuh mek yuh foot go touch mi pants/ a how yuh bright so?”

Kym then explains what happened singing, “siddown a listen mi caw mi nah miss out no part/ everybody know how it start/ first ting 2 o clock inna di mawning/ mi get some text and some calling fi come ova 9 o clock inna di mawning/ but mi neva know a danger calling/ so nuh ask if mi neva get ready, get dress/went over dere and go buck up inna di mess.”

She continues in verse two, “yuh assume sey mi do sumting, is best if yuh come confront mi/ but don’t put yuh hand pon me /caz a neva you birth me/my yute mek it know sey yuh diss/yuh clownies dem beat me up/mi face full up of fist/yuh deh deh pon di scene so whappen afta dis?/unnu believe sey mi weak but mi a di strongest.”

http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20100216/ent/ent1.html