Boomshots

Tag: RGAT

  • Spice Drops ‘Mirror 25,’ Reflects on 25 Years of Dominance and Celebrates Kartel’s Homecoming

    Spice Drops ‘Mirror 25,’ Reflects on 25 Years of Dominance and Celebrates Kartel’s Homecoming

    When Spice Pulls Up It’s Always a Movie

    The Queen of Dancehall’s third studio album Mirror 25 dropped today and like everything Spice-related it’s got the internet goin’ nuts. Lead-off single “2085 Tea” set the tone of hardcore dancehall with a dash up mix-up while the country-hip-hop hybrid “Round Round” featuring Busta Rhymes showed the album’s versatility. “Ex Boyfriend” is a masterpiece of melodic pop while her Chronic Law collab “Gangsta” shows a harder side of Grace Hamilton. Now we’ve heard the full 25 tracks it’s clear that Mirror 25 is Spice’s best body of work ever. The musical offerings range from inspirational tunes like “You Are Worthy” to mad collabs like featuring “Cry” featuring Lola Brooke and of course “Super Hero” featuring Pamputtae and Jada Kingdom aka Harley Quint, Bumpa Incredible and Tightimus Prime. Last time Spice was in NYC she sat down with Reshma B who dug into her archive and pulled out a very rare CD that brought back some emotional memories for Spice. You don’t want to miss this interiew.  Check out the full story on Complex.  Video After The Jump…  (more…)

  • Aidonia Keeps It Real: “A Lot Of These People Are Afraid Of The Streets”

    Aidonia Keeps It Real: “A Lot Of These People Are Afraid Of The Streets”

    Genna Boss Gets In Depth With Reshma B, Talks Dat’s A Trap Mixtape

    “Growing up, ’80s, ’90s dancehall was all about the street,” Aidonia tells Reshma B in a brand new interview for BoomshotsTV. “Most of the artists them no inna the streets no more.” The Genna Boss has been heating up the streets of Jamaica with smash hits like “Breeze” and he’s now preparing to drop a new genre-busting mixtape called Dat’s A Trap, featuring his futuristic flows over trap-style beats. Passing through NYC for Hot 97’s Summer Jam stage show, Aidonia also speaks on the disappointment of having his set cut short due to scheduling problems. “It hurts because we came all the way from Jamaica to come perform for the fans,” he says. “But at the end of the day you have to take a positive out of a negative… We still deh ya say we wan’ reach the next level.” Check out the full interview for Aidonia’s thoughts on the impact of Bounty Killer and the Alliance to his own career, the importance of unity within dancehall, and why he thinks rivalry is mashing up the business. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Flexing with Mad Cobra at Reggae Sumfest 2017

    Flexing with Mad Cobra at Reggae Sumfest 2017

    Ewart Brown Nuh Press People Button

    During the early 1990s Mad Cobra was one of the hottest new stars on Kingston’s dancehall circuit. And then his 1992 hit single “Flex,” recorded for Shang Productions and distributed worldwide by Columbia Records, made him an international star. Suddenly the voice of the youth born Ewart Brown was heard round the world on mainstream radio, becoming part of global pop culture, and yet he never lost his hardcore appea thanks to lyrics like “Press trigger we nuh press people button.” It’s been a long time since the Snake  touched the stage at Reggae Sumfest, so Mad Cobra returned to Montego Bay for the 25th anniversary edition, delivered a jolt of that hardcore 90s dancehall energy. After blazing the Catherine Hall stage Cobra took time out to kick it with the Reggae Girl About Town. They remarked on Sumfest’s renewed energy, and on the enduring power of his song “Flex.” Then Cobra explained why he used his time on stage to take a stand against domestic violence and child abuse. Real people, real talk, real things. Video After The Jump…
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  • Chronixx Celebrates ‘Chronology’ at Celebrate Brooklyn!

    Chronixx Celebrates ‘Chronology’ at Celebrate Brooklyn!

    Reshma B Kicks It With The Chron Dada

    It still seems strange to call Chronixx’s album Chronology a debut. From Start a Fyah to Dread & Terrible to Roots & Chalice, the Steam Ministah has put in much work over the years. But last Friday, the artist’s first official album was released to digital streaming services everywhere and topped the iTunes Reggae chart. A fitting place to celebrate the moment was at the Celebrate Brooklyn! festival in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park where a massive gathering took place last night, filling the outdoor venue to capacity with many more listening outside. Chronixx and the Zinc Fence Redemption band rose to the occasion, delivering a blazing set of hits, punctuated with speeches like this one: “Dancehall was the only platform for artists who chose to talk the truth. Because every other music was purely entertainment, and the music coming out of the ghettos in the 1960s started to become very rooted in spirituality. The modern world didn’t like it, the radio didn’t play it, so you had people in Jamaica who created a thing called the sound system—which is still the only good system on this planet. Every other system shall fail. And the only system… Cause in the beginning was the word, and a word is a sound. So the sound system is the first system God create. You see it? And every other system shall fall and leave the sound system.” After a performance to remember, Chronixx sat down backstage to reason with Reshma B.  Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning With Estelle: “Reggae Is In My Soul”

    Reasoning With Estelle: “Reggae Is In My Soul”

    West London Singer Delves Deep Into Her Reggae Roots

    The first time most of the world heard about Estelle Fanta Swaray, she was collaborating with Kanye West on the Grammy-winning smash “American Boy.” That song, which featured Kanye spitting his best soundboy slang—”Here comes the number-one champion sound!”—appeared on her 2008 album Shine, along with a handful of straight-up reggae tracks, like “Magnificent,” featuring Kardinall Offishall. Although she’s often described as an R&B artist, this West London girl, the daughter of a reggae session drummer, has always been as musically diverse as the city she grew up in, freely exploring genres from grime to dancehall. “Come Over,” her collab with Sean Paul showed another side of her versatility. After fielding requests for years, she’s finallyembarked on a full-on reggae album, with production by the likes of Supa Dups. Our first taste of the project, a collab with Tarrus Riley called “Love Like Ours” is nothing less than remarkable. After her surprise appearance alongside Tarrus  at Groovin’ in the Park 2017, Estelle invited Reshma B to hop inside her black SUV for  100% real interview. No subject was off-limits. Video After The Jump…

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  • Out and Bad: Elephant Man Teaches His Top 10 Dance Moves

    Out and Bad: Elephant Man Teaches His Top 10 Dance Moves

    Getting Jiggy With Di Energy God

    With Notting Hill Carnival coming up next weekend—and Brooklyn’s Labor Day parade the weekend after that—it’s time to brush up on your dance steps. You love the vibes and you want to bust some moves like Usain Bolt celebrating a gold medal, but you don’t know your “Willie Bounce” from your “Gangsta Rock.” Well fret not thyself. Reshma B linked up with Elephant Man in Kingston, Jamaica. Elly is known for spreading Kingston street dance choreography around the world with hit songs like “Pon Di River Pon The Bank” and “Signal Di Plane.” Di Energy God himself  taught The Reggae Girl About Town how to do each and every one of his Top 10 Dance Moves. He also took time out to reason about his early King Jammy’$ days, and big up the elders in the business from Shabba Ranks to Bounty Killer and Buju Banton. Videos After The Jump… (more…)

  • ReshmaB Chains Make Runway Debut at Caribbean Fashion Week 2015

    ReshmaB Chains Make Runway Debut at Caribbean Fashion Week 2015

    The Reggae Girl About Town Flexes Her Design Skills

    Reshma B, the UK-based music journalist, showed off her design skills at Caribbean Fashion Week in Kingston, Jamaica. ReshmaB Chains—recently included on Mass Appeal‘s round-up of New Streetwear Brands Who Are Killing it Right Now—made their runway debut at CFW’s Friday kick off. Pulse top model Oraine Barrett walked the runway, while three-time Vogue cover girl Jeneil Williams was spotted wearing a pair of ReshmaB earrings in the front row. Designer Reshma B capped the night by taking to the catwalk rocking a bright orange Day-Glo “Wah Gwan” chain, flashing her trademark peace sign, and snapping shots of the experience with a selfie stick. Article Continues After the Jump; Photo Gallery Above… (more…)

  • Ancient Future Is Now

    Ancient Future Is Now

    Diggy British Scores Big as Ancient Future debuts Pon Top of iTunes Reggae Chart

    “Sharp like the thorn crown pon Christ head,” Protoje spits on “Protection,” the opening track of his new album Ancient Future, “And you know the flow Hardo like slice bread.”  True, that. The artist’s third album, which dropped today and shot to the top of iTunes reggae chart, marks a quantum leap in his lyrical prowess, not just in terms of flows and patterns but also in thought-provoking ideas (“drastically free from hypocrisy I say yeah”). Anybody sleeping on this youth needs to wake up fast. Between Protoje’s endless cascade of pause-and-rewind punchlines and Winta James’s sophisticated soundscapes, the album stands out as a breath of fresh air in the modern Jamaican music scene—which has elders like Sizzla so deeply vexed. In Jamaica many reggae lovers use the term “Ancient” to describe artists of the 70s and 80s, and Protoje clearly taps into that era for inspiration. Mark you, this remarkable album is not a throwback, but rather a leap forward—hence the second half of its aptly chosen title. As Ancient Future week continues on Boomshots, Reshma B quizzes Diggy about the levels of meaning behind his tune “Stylin.”  Video After the Jump… (more…)

  • Protoje in the UK: Reasoning with Diggy British

    Protoje in the UK: Reasoning with Diggy British

    Kick Off Ancient Future Week With a “Bubblin’” Selection and Reshma B’s Epic Interview

    “We radically transforming the landscape of Jamaican Music on March 10th,” reads the official IG feed for the man called Protoje aka Diggy British. Well, so much for managing expectations. But that’s Protoje for you. Every since he first began bubbling under the reggae radar around 2010 or so, it was clear he was on some next next level movements—even if, especially if, they weren’t perfectly in tune with what everybody else was doing at that moment. He was always himself up on stage, never playing a role, never pretending to be too cool, fearlessly blending sincerity and complexity and militancy and rock-solid roots and dub sonics. Long before folks were chatting about a “reggae revival,” Diggy was quietly putting in work. From the Seven Year Itch to the Eight Year Affair it’s been a long journey. Recently he and several other like-minded bredrens formed like Voltron and started making noise as a collective, combining old school musical values with state-of-the-art social media savvy to wage asymmetrical musical warfare. Then last year Diggy and his longtime parring-p Chronixx dropped a certified Boomshot known as “Who Knows.” From that point it was on and popping. “Now is our time to govern the music,” Diggy told us late last year. We’re expecting big things, so we’ve declared Ancient Future week on Boomshots. Keep it locked. Audio & Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with ZJ Liquid: “Resent Is Part of the Game”

    Reasoning with ZJ Liquid: “Resent Is Part of the Game”

    Reshma B Chats With The Zip Jock Whose Fix Up Riddim Has Got The Dance on Lock

    ZJ Liquid does it all—he’s a seletor, producer, and microphone chanter whose “Good Book” riddim was one of the biggest for 2014. Earlier this week he dropped a new juggling called “Fix Up” and it’s got the dancehall on fire. Reshma B caught up with Liquid at 21st Hapilos Digital HQ in Kingston, Jamaica for an in-depth reasoning on how the H2O Records CEO stays ahead of the game—and how he deals with haters. He even blessed us with a freestyle and the story behind the making of one of this biggest tunes. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • Rebel Salute 2015 Takes It Higher

    Rebel Salute 2015 Takes It Higher

    Roots Reggae stars shine at the 22nd staging of Rebel Salute

    Dressed in a sky blue suit, Tony Rebel took the stage at Grizzly’s Plantation Cove in the parish of St. Ann on Jamaica’s north coast. “Love you like a fresh vegetable,” he sang on 16th January 2015, the first night of Rebel Salute. “Tell me if you love Tony Rebel”. Although it’s been almost a quarter century since that song was released, the answer was still clear. Yes, the crowd loved the veteran dancehall entertainer who is also the promoter of the annual show that started 22 years ago as a simple birthday party and has turned into one of the most successful music festivals in Jamaica. Read More After The Jump…. (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Kes “Endless Summer” Original Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Kes “Endless Summer” Original Music Video

    Trini Soca Stars Gets Loose On Ricky Blaze’s Uptown Julie Riddim

    Here it is the first weekend of August, and we’re not really ready for the End of Summer. When you’re Kees Dieffernthaler of Kes the Band, your life is an endless summer. Dude can hop on a plane and find the summertime vibes anywhere in the world—maybe because this Trini soca star brings those  vibes with him wherever he goes. Kes recently teamed up with BK hitmaker Ricky Blaze to voice a tune on the big bad Uptown Julie Riddim the result was a sure-shot party-starter called “Endless Summer.” Now comes the challenge of creating a video with vibes to match the music. Video After The Jump…  (more…)