Boomshots

Category: Reasoning

  • WATCH THIS: Reasoning with No-Maddz: “Breadfruit is the new Bread, Baby!”

    WATCH THIS: Reasoning with No-Maddz:
    “Breadfruit is the new Bread, Baby!”

    The Puku-Poo Posse Bugs Out With The Reggae Girl About Town

    Last year No-Maddz burst on the international scene with a debut album, Sly & Robbie Presents: No-Maddz, that Billboard magazine (with an assist from Boomshots) ranked as one of the Top 10 Reggae albums of 2015. In fact we’ve been rocking with No-Maddz from long time—ever since we first bucked up Sheldon, Heavy, Birdie, and O’Neil on the set of Better Mus’ Come it was clear that these Bongo youths were destined for greatness. So when we caught their first performance on the big stage at Reggae Sumfest—shortly after the release of their 2012 EP NBO (New Bread Order)—their reasoning with the Reggae Girl About Town was something special. Check out the vibes for yourself.  Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with Joss Stone: “I’d Never Offend Someone Intentionally, But It Happens”

    Reasoning with Joss Stone: “I’d Never Offend Someone Intentionally, But It Happens”

    UK Soul Singer Recalls The Roots Of Her Reggae-Infused Album

    After becoming the youngest female solo artist to top the UK albums chart in 2004, Joss Stone sued her record label EMI, and formed her own Stone’d label in 2010. She lives in Devon with her four dogs and records pretty much whatever kind of music she wants. Ever since the music industry Bible, Billboard magazine, named Joss Stone’s 2015 disc Water For Your Soul the Reggae Album of the Year, her name has become a flashpoint for controversy. A range of critics—from the Jamaica Observer to dancehall icon Bounty Killer—expressed their concerns at the idea of a white British soul star having the top reggae of the year. Billboard published an article explaining that their decision was based solely on sales, not quality. (Billboard editors also reached out to Boomshots to compile a list of the year’s 10 Best Reggae Albums, which we happily provided.) All the controversy obscures two important facts:  Full interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • Jah Cure Speaks on The Cure Album: “I’m trying something new with a new feel—we need that in reggae.”

    Jah Cure Speaks on The Cure Album: “I’m trying something new with a new feel—we need that in reggae.”

    “I’m trying to implement some of the old and modify it and move forward,” says Cure.

    From the first single, to the first video, to the first glimpse of the cover art, Jah Cure’s latest album—titled simply The Cure—has had in suspense for months now. At last the waiting is over and we can dive into the fullness of Cure’s sixth studio album. Featuring hits like “All of Me,” “That Girl,” and “Life We Live,” the fourteen-track album was produced by Cure himself, who says he hopes the album we help usher in a new sound within reggae music. Right now the #WorldSinger is over in Europe blazing a trail for Jamaican music. But in the days just before the album dropped, Boomshots caught up with Cure via telephone to talk about his latest work of art. Interview After the Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Dexta Daps “7Eleven” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Dexta Daps “7Eleven” Official Music Video

    Dexta Daps Advises All Gallis To Stay Focused

    All year long Dexta Daps has been keeping his female fanbase fully laced with big tunes, whether “Jealous Ova,” his combination with Tifa, or “7Eleven,” his breakout hit on Troyton’s Intoxxicated Riddim (with a fresh new video directed & edited By Robin Chin, courtesy of 21st Hapilos). Born and raised in Seaview Gardens—the same Kingston area where Shabba Ranks and Bounty Killer got their start in life—Daps now seems to be the people’s choice for next to buss big and broad. Fresh off a massive performance at the Oracabessa Festival in Jamaica Queens, Dexta took a moment to chat with the Reggae Girl About Town about the real-life situations behind his tunes.   Video & Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • Kranium Talks Ty Dolla $ign Collab, Major Label Deal, and Repping JA from NYC

    Kranium Talks Ty Dolla $ign Collab, Major Label Deal, and Repping JA from NYC

    Everybody Haffi Know Bout Kranium

    The rising dancehall star responsible for the worldwide smash “Nobody Has To Know” chats with the Reggae Girl About Town shortly after his performance at the RBMA Yardcore show. They discuss his signing to major label Atlantic Records, his collab with L.A. rapper Ty Dolla $ign, what he learned from his uncle Screwdriver, and how he reps Jamaican music as a youth raised in NYC. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Lenny Kravitz on Bob Marley: “He Was Hardcore With His Love”

    Lenny Kravitz on Bob Marley: “He Was Hardcore With His Love”

    The Last Living Rock Star Remembers The King of Reggae—And Reveals Why He Cut His Locks

    Kids nowadays probably know Lenny Kravitz as that dude in The Hunger Games flicks, but the fact is that he’s one of the last great rock stars walking the planet. When he first came out, shredding his Les Paul and flashing his dreadlocks, haters used to call him a Bob Marley wannabe. But the fact is Lenny had more in common with the Tuff Gong than a hairstyle. The offspring of a black mom and a Jewish dad, he grew up between a Caribbean island (Bahamas, not Jamaica) and the U.S. Although Bob spent less time in Delaware than Lenny did in NYC, the island vibe is a party of his musical identity. Kravitz will rock Webster Hall tonight as part of his Strut tour, so this seemed as good time a time as any to hold a likkle reasoning. Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • Real Talk with Etana: “No Wrong Deed Goes Unpunished”

    Real Talk with Etana: “No Wrong Deed Goes Unpunished”

    The Strong One Meets The Reggae Girl About Town

    Straight out of August Town, Jamaica to the four corners of the earth, Etana has established her name as one of the most powerful voices in reggae music. Fresh off a successful European tour in support of her fourth album, I Rise, she will headline tonight’s International Women of Reggae showcase at Brooklyn College, presented by our bonafide  bredren sistren at the Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music. While you cop your tickets, check out perhaps the realest interview she’s ever given. No topic is off limits in this exclusive reasoning with Reshma B, from love to loss to domestic violence, infidelity and mental illness—and exactly how it feels to stand up as a strong women in the music business. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Morgan Heritage Talks “Strictly Roots”

    Morgan Heritage Talks “Strictly Roots”

    The Fam Ain’t New To This, They’re True To This

    When it comes to roots, rock, reggae music, the Morgan Heritage family is not new to this, they’re true to this. So when they hear talk about a “reggae revival” happening in Jamaica—as if Reggae Music had passed away and was in need of resuscitation—the members of Morgan Heritage are uniquely qualified to speak on the matter. “Reggae music never gone nowhere,” Peetah Morgan tells Reshma B in an exclusive Boomshots interview. Their latest album is entitled Strictly Roots, but “don’t get it twisted” says Peetah—they can still sing about the sexy body ladies on songs like “Perform and Done” and Gramps can even DJ a verse and dash likkle coconut juice pon de ting. It’s all a part of the culture—uzeet? Strictly Roots drops today, so what better time to check out the reasoning.  Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with Keith Walford from Bass Odyssey

    Reasoning with Keith Walford from Bass Odyssey

    The Sound System’s Founder Talks Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise and the Sound Clash on the Sea

    In the mid 1970s Keith Walford expanded his father’s mechanic business in Alexandria, St. Ann into distributing and stocking jukeboxes all over Jamaica. His used to spin music at private fetes before officially launching Bass Odyssey in 1989 along with then-partner Bunny Hayles and selector Tinna-One, who was later joined by Glamma G and the legendary Kevin “Squingy” Bennett. Squingy referred to himself as “the Michael Jordan of clash” and he helped to make Bass Odyssey a musical killing machine. Sadly he fell ill and passed away in 2009 but the sound has kept his legacy alive thanks to young selectors like Dwayne, Worm,  Skinny, and Charly Black who’s gone on to become a successful recording artist. Although Keith entered the political life in 2011, becoming a Member of Parliament representing St. Ann, his “World Sound From Way Out in the Country” is still going strong. Last year the sound celebrated its 25th anniversary by launching Jamaica’s first ever sound system festival, with plans to make it an annual event. This coming November Bass Odyssey will challenge longtime sparring partner Metro Media and Far East Rulers Mighty Crown during the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise’s first-ever Sound Clash on the Sea. Boomshots spoke with Keith as his sound prepares to make waves.  Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with Kreesha Turner: “I Wear My Benz Punany with Confidence”

    Reasoning with Kreesha Turner:
    “I Wear My Benz Punany with Confidence”

    Jamaican-Canadian Pop Star Reconnects With Her Dancehall Roots

    Kreesha Turner’s debut album Passion was an instant smash in her native Canada. Back in 2008 her single “Don’t Call Me Baby” became the most played song on Canadian radio and hit number one on Billboard‘​s U.S. Hot Dance Club Play. Nominated for “Best New Artist” and “Best Pop Album of The Year” at that year’s Juno Awards, her future seemed all mapped out for her. But there is another side to this perfect pop princess, a girl who grew up between Edmonton, Canada and Spanish Town, Jamaica. “Before I got signed I was in the underground hip-hop scene, and everything I did was a mixture of dancehall, hip-hop, and R&B,” she explained to the Reggae Girl About Town over lunch at Strawberry Hill. “When I got signed, the label took me all the way opposite to what I was. They got me to start straightening my hair. I went to media training and they told me not to speak in Jamaican dialect.” Now managed by Nick Cannon and signed to Universal Republic, Kreesha’s third album brings her full circle, diving into the dancehall, hip-hop and R&B sounds she loves. Her first single, “Sexy Gal,” features the Jamaican dancehall supergroup T.O.K. Watch for the official music video premiere March 31 on Mass Appeal. In the meantime, check out Reshma B’s exclusive interview, and enjoy the view! Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with Father Metro

    Reasoning with Father Metro

    Metro Media Top Selector Talks Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise Sound Clash on the Sea

    Jimmy Metro, aka Haldane James, took over Metro Media in 1976 after the sound’s original founder, Lou Gooden, emigrated from the island. Building up the sound’s following in the Woodford Park area of central Kin, Jimmy had a great ear for raw talent. He discovered future superstar DJ Peter Metro in 1981 and later Tanto Metro (who would go on to become an international hitmaker as a duo with Devonte) not to mention Zuzu, the late great Massive Dread, Ashman, Chicken Chest, Dickie Ranking (aka Snagga Puss), and Niggah Mikey. The X-factor for the sound was Dominic, a British journalist who fell in love with dancehall culture and became the first bonafide white artist in Jamaican music. The sound soon added a young selector named Skyjuice whose belly and reputation would increase considerably in years to come. Father Metro was able to quit his job at Dynamic studios when the sound got big enough to tour England in 1984. “That really helped us build a foundation overseas,” he told the Jamaica Gleaner. “And we haven’t looked back.” Metro may be experienced overseas, but this coming November they will be playing on the seas when Metro Media clashes Bass Odyssey and Mighty Crown during the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise’s first-ever Sound Clash on the Sea. Boomshots spoke with the dancehall pioneer as his year-to-year sound prepares to make history all over again.  Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with Adrian Sherwood: “What doesn’t Evolve Stays in the Realm of Nostalgia.”

    Reasoning with Adrian Sherwood:
    “What doesn’t Evolve Stays in the Realm of Nostalgia.”

    The UK Dub Master Breaks It All Down in this In-Depth Interview

    Dub was born in Jamaica where the bold audio experimentation of pioneers like King Tubby’s, Augustus Pablo, and Lee “Scratch” Perry shook the foundations of recorded music. These ideas spread around the globe and took root in fertile ground, places like the UK where many Caribbean immigrants brought sound system culture with them. Dub-minded youths like Adrian Sherwood began standing outside blues dances watching the walls shake and eventually got a chance to spin a few records himself—a bit of novelty reggae with James Brown and “Funky Nassau”—progressing and learning every day as he restlessly expanded his musical horizons. He would go on to tour as mix engineer for The Clash and The Slits, and found no fewer than four labels—Carib Gems (established in 1975 when he was 17 years of age), Hit Run, 4D, and the legendary On-U Sound. His mind-blowingly mic’d, mixed and mastered recordings with in-house groups like Singers and Players, African Head Charge, New Age Steppers, Creation Rebel, Scratch, and Bim Sherman and more are the stuff of legend. And he’s still at it, having just released a critically acclaimed album in collaboration with Pinch.This conversation took place some two years ago, but it’s still every bit as current as when it happened. Like a great dub track, Sherwood moves from deceptively simple to infinite depth in a flash. Interview After The Jump… (more…)