We didn’t know the buzz would last this long for Tarrus Riley–the famous son of singer Jimmy Riley, whom xlr8r.com told you about first! But the charts can’t shake the younger Riley’s beautiful “She’s Royal,” which is holding strong for its thirteenth week at number two in Jamaica, and number two both in New York and England.
Of course the week wouldn’t be complete without a peek at one of the best online dancehall columns, Portmore Suss, in the Jamaican Star. Whether its setting the record straight on the Norris Man dust up, an opinionated take on D’Angel, or the inside scoop on Chuck Fenda’s new video for “Light The River,” the Suss has it covered.
Rasta singjay Lutan Fyah is on the move again, this time touring Europe, performing in Eindhoven, Holland at the Sundance Reggae Festival, along with Yellow Man, Gregory Isaacs and Jimmy Cliff.
Tanya Stephens looks to better her already impressive intelligence and business acumen after being awarded a scholarship to the University of Sunderland, England, where she will do a business management degree through Internet-based classes. “I have tried to apply to many places and I have been told that I have to be there 90 percent of the time.” She pointed to the flexibility of the program, saying that “historically, many people have been denied access to education, especially higher education” because of the need to be at a fixed location.
One876 is reporting that self-proclaimed “ground-god” Bounty Killer will appear in court on September 12, to answer to charges that he threatened to kill a girlfriend in June of this year. The deejay’s lawyers had attempted to have the case thrown out of court, but were unsuccessful. Last year, Bounty Killer stood accused of the May 23 assault on his son’s mother, 33 year-old Julie Rambally. The complainant eventually dropped the charges, however, the deejay was forced to enroll in an anger management program, as well as undergo random drug testing.
Ya heard the boom tune “Ghetto Life,” by Virgin Islands-born Pressure, on a new lick of the Baltimore riddim from Don Corleon? The song and career of this new singer is really taking off, but he did have to learn a thing or two about appealing to an international reggae audience: “I developed my sound. I learned the pronunciation of certain words and the slangs and twangs,” Pressure commented to Jamaica’s X-News. “My accent and my background set me apart in the industry. I mean, I also have the support of the people of the VI as they have never had a reggae artiste excel.”
Big Tunes to watch: The Family riddim on Alone Productions has us swinging with singer Alpheus’ “Keep The Faith,” trodding in the rocksteady tradition. Seanizzle’s Problem riddim is a fidgety dancechall beat with Beenie Man’s x-rated “Ziggy Zar” leading the set. Lockdown Productions’ shuffling “Ah Ho” riddim finds new cuts from Cobra and Anthony B lighting it up. Proven hitmakers Star Trail Music’s Fire River riddim is back and blazing with heartfelt material by Lutan Fyah. Black Chiney’s oddly named but superb Dr. Bird riddim looks chartbound with Wayne Wonder’s essential one-drop lovers track “Love.”
