VPAL, VP Records’ subsidiary label and distribution arm, has teamed s up with Lady Saw’s label Diva Records to release her new album ‘Alter Ego’. The Queen of Dancehall is celebrating 25 years in the business with ‘Alter Ego’. The album puts her creativity on full display and showcases both the racy side of ‘Lady Saw’ and the more subdued side of ‘Marion Hall’. The album features collaborations with Beres Hammond, Estelle, Ali Campbell of UB40 and Flo-Rida. Judging by her latest singles, ‘Hoping’ and ‘Me & Mi X’, Lady Saw is adding some extra sizzle to the holiday season and poised to ignite the charts. The Queen is back and she means business. Lady Saw is a musical pioneer. She is the first female Jamaican artist to win a Grammy, certify as a triple-platinum artist and headline dancehall shows outside her native country. Born Marion Hall in Galina parish of St Mary, she started her career on local sound systems like many artists on the island.
Munga Honourable
Dancehall Artiste Munga Honourable is now able to travel to the United States of America. The talented Deejay says he hasn’t been able to travel to that country for some time, after his work permit expired and was not renewed by Embassy officials. Now that he’s able to travel to the US, Munga is excited as he seeks to expound on his craft and widen his fan-base. Meantime while not knowing why the visa- renewal process took a long time, Munga is looking forward to traveling to New York, and has also released a number of new singles, which he’s promoting.
Jah Cure
Reggae Sensation Jah Cure kicked of his Life We Live Tour earlier this month. The tour is also in support of the newest single ‘Life we live’, which hit iTunes at the #4 spot in July, from his upcoming album scheduled for release in early 2015.The ‘That Girl’ singer is flying the Jamaican flag in several European cities as the tour will see a total of 19 shows with stops in Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, France & Austria. The Reggae singer is pleased with the reception he has got in Europe thus far. “My team and I have had a great reception from reggae fans in Europe. It’s been a while since I have been here for an extended period and I am looking forward to sharing my music and passion with the people here,” he explained.
Marley Cannabis Brand
The family of reggae icon Bob Marley and a Seattle-based private equity firm said recently they were launching the first global cannabis brand with marijuana products sold under a name long tied to a plant he lovingly called ‘the herb’. The brand, dubbed Marley Natural, marks the first time the family’s name will adorn packages of cannabis products. They’ll range from strains similar to those Bob Marley might have smoked in Jamaica, to concentrates, oils and infused lotions sold in countries and U.S. states that have taken steps to decriminalize and legalize marijuana use and sales. “He viewed the herb as something spiritual that could awaken our well-being, deepen our reflection, connect us to nature and liberate our creativity,” Cedella Marley, Bob’s daughter, said in a statement announcing the deal. The agreement came weeks after two states voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use. The sale of marijuana remains illegal in much of the world, but countries mainly in Europe and the Americas have decriminalized it by varying degrees. The Netherlands permits the sale of marijuana in “coffee shops.” Israel, Canada and nearly half of U.S. states have allowed its medicinal use. And Uruguay has legalized its use. Jamaica, it’s your time to follow in the footsteps of Uruguay.
Mr. Lexx & Selector Supa Hype
Internationally acclaimed dancehall artiste, Mr. Lexx and popular selector, Supa Hype are on a tour in Europe. According to Mr. Lexx, the tour has been going extremely well. “The tour a gwaan really good. Mi fans them excited bout the performances, them love it. Everywhere I go the fans dem happy to see me and that for me is great. Supa Hype had this to say about the tour as well. “This has been a great experience for me and mi happy that mi get the opportunity to come to Europe and show them how we do it.” ‘The Wine and Dip’ artiste and the 007 selector captured their audience with their electrifying performances to roaring crowds of 700 plus each time they performed.
Hip News Updates
Chu Chu
Roots play actor Cleve ‘Chu Chu’ Warren, passed away recently. The 46-year-old actor who was famous for his many comedic roles was reported to be suffering from chest pains and feeling dizzy when he collapsed and was pronounced dead. Tributes have been pouring out via social media to honour the late comedian. The actor performed for twenty one years on stage appearing in the popular roots plays, Passa Passa and Man fi get Bun. Courtney Mac express condolences to the family of the late actor Cleve “Chu Chu” Warren.
Hip News International
Bill Cosby
TV Land may have canned Bill Cosby’s classic show from its schedule but two other networks are standing firm behind the comedian and there’s a big demographic difference. Centric, which frequently airs marathons of ‘The Cosby Show’ vows the network, will continue to air reruns. Same goes for ASPiRE, which claims to be “closely monitoring the situation” but they’re not taking reruns of his other sitcom ‘The Bill Cosby Show’ off the schedule. Both networks market themselves as targeting African Americans so it looks like they believe their demo hasn’t turned its back, at least yet. Keep in touch with Hip news at [email protected] or [email protected] contact The North Coast Times by email at [email protected] or log on to our website.
