Articles Comments

CLINTON LINDSAY » Entries tagged with "I-Octane"

“SIGNING TO A CORPORATE BRAND IN NOT SELLING OUT” SAYS I-OCTANE!

By Curtis Campbell— I-Octane— Reggae artist I-Octane believes artists should not shy away from merging their talents with Corporate companies, as this is by no means a ‘sell-out’ move. The artist pointed to acts like Drake and Rihanna who have taken their careers to new heights due to collaborations with entities like Apple and Tidal respectively. According to I-Octane, especially in light of declining record sales, artists should focus more on branding and aligning with corporate companies. “We as Jamaicans don’t like to brand ourselves. As an artist sey him a guh brand himself, they start to say dem man deh sell out, dem man deh pants tight, dem man deh locks too neat and a bag of frivolous things. So it’s clear that we are not understanding the business part of it. So when a … Read entire article »

Filed under: BREAKING NEWS, GUEST RUNDOWNS

DANCEHALL ARTIST I-OCTANE WEIGHS IN ON BOB MARLEY’S INFLUENCE!

 Bob Marley— I-OCTANE is no stranger to the Marleys and their music. He has worked with Ky-Mani Marley on A Yah Wi Deh for his 2014 album My Journey and on Wayne Marshall’s Go Hard featuring Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, Aidonia, Assassin, Bounty Killa and Vybz Kartel. Ky-Mani and Damian are sons of reggae legend Bob Marley. “It’s always good to work with any of the Marleys because you can learn so much from them while you’re making good music. When you see the man dem work ethics, you just want to work hard and put out your best ‘cause di man dem just work straight. All when man inna di studio a drop asleep, dem nah stop till the track lay down good,” said the singjay.  “When you go in the studio with … Read entire article »

Filed under: BREAKING NEWS, GUEST RUNDOWNS

LOCAL ARTISTS ARE URGED TO TARGET MORE OF THE CARIBBEAN AND AFRICAN MARKETS!

By Curtis Campbell— Musician and educator Ibo Cooper— As local artists continue to grapple with the low sales of Jamaican music when compared to foreign acts, chairman of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA), Ibo Cooper, believes Caribbean artists should focus on transforming the Caribbean and Africa into lucrative markets for Caribbean music. Cooper pointed out that Africa remains one of the world’s wealthiest continents and is also the rightful home for the majority of the Caribbean people, yet the market is largely untapped by musicians as it relates to marketing their work. He also said the lagging dispute between some CARICOM countries is counterproductive since there is potential for financial growth if the Caribbean were to be united. The United States market has always been the main target for Jamaican acts. Cooper believes other markets … Read entire article »

Filed under: BREAKING NEWS, GUEST RUNDOWNS

PRODUCER MARCUS MYRIE (BUJU’S SON) AT ODDS WITH I-OCTANE!

By Curtis Campbell— Marcus Myrie— Dancehall producer Marcus Myrie has parted ways with his long time friend and former business associate I-Octane. Marcus said the split was inevitable since the relationship was rocky for months. He said I-Octane recently crossed the line when he dissed him in a song then deleted him from social media because he showed support for rival dancehall artist Popcaan. Marcus posted two diss songs aimed at I-Octane on his social media page on the weekend, both recorded by his artist D East. The producer said unlike I-Octane, his camp is not into beating around the bush. “Me and I-Octane nah deal from July. Mi put up a video on Instagram using the slang ‘Kickout’ and he and his manager called me about it and was chatting up a bag of things. … Read entire article »

Filed under: BREAKING NEWS, GUEST RUNDOWNS

DANCEHALL ARTISTS I-OCTANE AND VANESSA BLING, SIGN ENDORSEMENT DEALS WITH SHOE AND APPAREL COMPANY!

By Aceion Cunningham—-  I-Octane and Vanessa Bling, performing at the Golden Eagle / Beauty Queen Ambassador launch party in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay, last Saturday.— Fast-rising Dancehall star Vanessa Bling aka ‘Gaza Slim’ and Dancehall heavyweight I-Octane recently inked lucrative deals with Beauty Queen and Golden Eagle respectively, officially making them brand ambassadors for the shoe and apparel companies. The female brand is named B&Q, while the male line has been dubbed Golden Eagle. The brands, which are currently distributed across Jamaica from stores in Montego Bay, have been operating in the island for the last seven years, but the outlets have recently ramped up distribution and marketing efforts to coincide with the signing of the new ambassadors. Post-signing, the brand ambassadors headlined a launch party in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay, last Saturday, … Read entire article »

Filed under: GUEST RUNDOWNS

GT TAYLOR PLANS INTEGRATED CONCERT AND PARTY FOR DECEMBER 25!

 By Mel Cooke—   GT Taylor— As he plans the 15th staging of the Extravaganza branded with his name, sound system operator and media personality ‘G.T.’ Taylor intends to stage what he calls a 360-degree event. With this in place, there would be a continuous flow of live and recorded entertainment at Independence Park, Black River, St Elizabeth, on Christmas night. “This year, I am going with a new twist,” Taylor told The Sunday Gleaner. “I am going for 360 degrees in reggae and dancehall presentation. It is a combination of three types of live events, the stage show, the party and spot performances by popular artists on the sound system. “Remember, originally, in the early days, it was the sound system and the dance, the music played in the dancehall? What we are doing now … Read entire article »

Filed under: GUEST RUNDOWNS

I-OCTANE HEADS OUT TO EUROPE!

 I-Octane—- STARTING tomorrow reggae singjay I-Octane is set to kick off his month-long tour of Europe with a performance at the Salle Fado in Paris, France. The string of gigs on that continent will see him making 19 stops across nine countries — France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy and The Netherlands — before it culminates in Rotterdam, on November 8. The stops will see the Clarendon-born aritste performing in some of the major cities in these countries. I-Octane told the Jamaica Observer that he is looking forward to returning to Europe, a major market for his brand of reggae. “I have matured as an artist and expanded my repertoire and I’m looking forward to sharing that with my European fans. I am also going as a solo act this time and … Read entire article »

Filed under: GUEST RUNDOWNS

DANCEHALL SINGER DARRIO, FEELS THE LOVE IN AFRICA!

 Singer Darrio performing in Kenya—- Africa has become one of dancehall music’s most vibrant markets, especially in the last five years. Among the artists making a mark there is singer Darrio. Next week, the 29-year-old heads to the Motherland for his fourth visit. On October 7, he deejays Delus and Konshens perform in Juba in the Sudan. The following day, he and Delus are scheduled to perform at the Skyluxx Nightclub in Nairobi, Kenya. It is Darrio’s second trip to Africa this year, having worked in Kampala, Uganda in August. “Africa is a high-energy place, the people feel strongly about the music an’ Jamaican culture. Is definitely a different kinda love,” he told the Observer. The Trelawny-born vocalist first visited Africa in 2011 for gigs in Nairobi. He said dancehall has picked up considerably on the … Read entire article »

Filed under: GUEST RUNDOWNS

SINGER ANJU PRIEST IS BACK WITH NEW SINGLE “HAPPY & FREE!”

 Anju Priest is Happy & Free— IT has been 11 years since singer Anju Priest’s first album Stages was released. And though he has released songs in the interim, he recently teamed with singjay I-Octane on a single he believes will reintroduce him to fans. Happy & Free is the name of the song. Initially released in the Cayman Islands where the dreadlocked artist has lived for 12 years, it is the lead single from The Essence of Life, his second album. “The first thing I did differently with this album was the collaboration with I-Octane which brought a new sound to the music. With this song, the team and I deliberately infused reggae with dancehall,hip hop and salsa,” Priest said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer. Preceded by an EP of the … Read entire article »

Filed under: GUEST RUNDOWNS

REGGAE SUMFEST 2015 DECLARED A SUCCESS!

 By Richard Johnson—-  Top: Rapper TI, I-Octane  Bottom:(L) Common (R) Lady Saw THE organizers of the just concluded Reggae Sumfest in Catherine Hall, Montego Bay, have hinted that changes are coming for future stagings of the music festival. However, they are keeping them under wraps for the time being. Robert Russell, chairman of Summerfest Productions, mentioned that in reviewing the past week of events which culminated early Sunday morning, they will have to do things somewhat differently in the future, but declined to elaborate. That aside, Russell is hailing the 2015 staging of the 23-year-old event a success. “It has been a great festival. We started out on Sunday with the beach party and that was our best beach party. The all-white event was also our best. Dancehall night was one of our best, not … Read entire article »

Filed under: GUEST RUNDOWNS