With this year’s theme being ‘Celebrating Jamaicans at home and abroad’, Jamaicans across the Diaspora were on Wednesday night invited to join in the festivities as the Jamaica 55 Independence celebrations were officially launched. Scores of guests including government ministers, turned up at the Courtleigh Auditorium, New Kingston, for a preview of the activities. The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and participants in the annual competitions wasted no time in giving patrons a taste of the … Read entire article »

By Howard Campbell Observer senior writer   Dancehall music has produced its share of unique artists. One of them was singer Clive Bright, otherwise known as Tenor Saw. Like many of those standout acts, Tenor Saw died early, in 1988 at age 22. But he made a mark through prolific recordings, leaving a catalogue of songs that still rock dancehalls and radio stations from Kingston to Quebec, New York, London, and Tokyo. Despite a troubled childhood, Tenor Saw rose to prominence … Read entire article »

By Kevin Jackson Observer Writer   Electronic Dance Music band Major Lazer earns its first number one title on the Billboard Reggae album chart with the EP Know No Better . The set moved up from three to poll position. The six-track project features collaborations with Sean Paul, Busy Signal, Machel Montano, and Konshens, among others. It opened at number 91 on the Billboard 200 and number three on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. There are two new entries to the top 15 portion of this week’s chart. … Read entire article »

With the some sections of the country grappling with an upsurge in violence, the police have taken the decision to deny or restrict permits that are granted for events held in some troublesome areas. Commanding officer for St Andrew South, superintendent Arthur Brown said there was a clampdown on events in that police division for the past two weeks. “Recently, just over the weekend we have lifted it and we have allowed events to be held again,” … Read entire article »

 Alishia Noel-Murray —  A Caribbean American ex-registered nurse in Brooklyn, New York has been convicted of hiring a hitman to murder her Jamaican-born husband in 2013 after two failed attempts at the victim’s life. The gunman was also convicted of murder. On Wednesday, it took a jury less than three hours to convict Alishia Noel-Murray, 29 — whose father, Andrew Noel, was born in Grenada, and mother, Pauline Noel, also a registered nurse, was born in Guyana — … Read entire article »

By Nazuk Kochhar   “You hear it? Classic,” Sister Nancy said to me from across the table, a wide smile spreading across her face as the sound of her ringtone filled the small, sunlit conference room. The colorful tones were that of her international, time-tested reggae hit “Bam Bam,” and there’s perhaps no better word than “classic” to describe it. Originally recorded as a last-minute addition to complete the artist’s debut One Two, the song became immensely popular … Read entire article »

BY CLAUDIENNE EDWARDS Observer writer   IN celebration of International Reggae Day on July 1, the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) will present the Keys to the City to four artists on a date to be announced. They are Bunny Wailer, Ernie Smith, Marcia Griffiths, and Beres Hammond. The decision was made at a KSAMC council meeting in downtown Kingston on Tuesday. Jamaica Labor Party Councilor Tosha Schwapp of the Stony Hill Division, who moved the resolution, described … Read entire article »

So, last week we (Zipcode) broke the story that Jay Z was in Jamaica and that he was here making music with his business partner Damian Jr Gong Marley and veteran reggae singer, Sister Nancy… According to gossip site Tropix, Jay Z met with Christian Tavares-Finson (who is a part of Vybz Kartel’s legal team)… the claims are that Tavares gave Jay Z insight into the case and that Jay Z has been assisting with Kartel’s … Read entire article »