Greensleeves Released ‘The Journey - The Very Best Of Sizzla’

Greensleeves releases the essential Sizzla anthology, The Journey- The Very Best Of Sizzla, featuring the legendary sing-jay’s most cherished tunes, new bonus tracks, an exclusive DVD and deluxe packaging.

This musical voyage features 21 solid tracks including hits from the early ‘90s to present. Armed with religious conviction and an unquenchable passion for truth and rights, the long-standing early ‘90s tunes “Praise Ye Jah,” “Black Woman And Child,” “Good Ways,” and “Like Mountain,” have proven to be classics.

While the unforgettable hits “Just One Of Those Days” and “Thank U Mama,” from his popular album Da Real Thing (2002) produced by Bobby Digital and creative experimental tunes “Be Strong,” “Give Me A Try” and “Rise To The Occasion” produced by Don Corleon, highlight the new era of Sizzla hits. Also Sizzla veers between infectious dancehall laced with hard-hitting social commentary and stirring expressions of black history with a profusion of producers on “Ain’t Gonna See Us Fall” (Free Willy), “The Solution” (Seani B), “Thanks And Praise” (Chris Birch), “Really And Truly” (Fat Eyes), “One Love” (King Jammys), and “Africa Prepare” (Maximum Sound).

As an added bonus, the limited edtion DVD features an interview with BBC 1Xtras Robbo Ranx and unseen footage from Sizzla’s Judgment Yard home (a day in the life) shot by RETV. The insightful journey into the world of Sizzla Kalonji also goes behind the scenes at the making of Sizzla’s classic “Thank U Mama” and the “Rise To The Occasion” video-a must for all avid fans and newcomers.

Fans will also enjoy the deluxe packaging including a 12 page booklet full of liner notes that chart the history of Sizzla & additional photos shot on location in his home.

Sizzla Kalonji is one of the most prolific leaders of the conscious Reggae dancehall movement. Emerging in the latter half of the 90s, he helped lead dancehall back to the musical and spiritual influence of roots reggae and heavily Rastafarian subject matter. He was born Miguel Collins on April 17, 1976 in St Mary and was raised in the community of August Town by devout Rastafarian parents.

The 1980s witnessed a dancehall explosion, and with the music came the lifestyle. Sizzla watched carefully, collecting his lyrical ammunition. He began his career in the music industry in his early teenage years. After honing his vocal skills, he landed a gig with the Caveman Hi-Fi sound system, where he first made a name for himself as a performer. He cut his first single for the small Zagalou label in 1995, and soon moved on to Fattis “Exterminator” Burrell. Extensive touring with fellow roots and culture artist Luciano followed, earning Sizzla critical acclaim.

 

Alicia Keys’ Foundation ‘Keep A Child Alive’Join Forces with Carifest C.A.R.E.S. & Revival Reggae Sundays

Brooklyn, NY – On Sunday July 6, Revival Reggae Sundays will host the free official after party for the 2008 Reggae Carifest concert. The after party will take place at the all new LOX Lounge, 15 Putnam Ave. Fort Greene, Brooklyn starting at 9 p.m. The concert entitled CARIFEST C.A.R.E.S will benefit Alicia Keyes’ foundation Keep A Child Alive, whose mission is to fight the spread of AIDS and to raise awareness of the disease.

Expected guests for the after party include Billboard chart topper Matisyahu and other top reggae artists; Midnite, Slightly Stoopid, Joseph Israel, Groundation, Meta and The Cornerstones, Uriel Hamilton and Kayla Bliss. These artists will perform at the CARIFEST C.A.R.E.S concert earlier that evening at the USTA Arthur Ashe Tennis Center in Flushing, New York.

The weekly Revival Reggae Sundays dance party has been hailed as “the revival” of the New York reggae scene.

Revival Reggae Sundays features an all-star line up of New York’s premiere djs including DJ Silence of Pointblank Sound and DJ Jase of 107.9 Flava FM. Special guest djs include DJ Gringo of Sirius Radio and British djs Mr. Milton & Sir David of the BBC Sound System. Revival Reggae Sundays has also hosted many live performers including top reggae artists Ky-Enie, Barbadian songstress Toni Norville, Judah Tribe & reggae legend Milton Henry.

Now in its 10th year, Reggae Carifest is the largest reggae concert in the United States, bringing together people from all walks of life to celebrate reggae lifestyle and culture. Launched in 1998, Reggae Carifest was initiated principally for uniting the West Indian/Caribbean Culture for one full day of cultural awareness, consciousness and celebration of the culture in the United States. Reggae Carifest caters to all genuine cultural expressions and aesthetics and is received by an eclectic group of people hailing from all walks of life.
Keep A Child Alive is an urgent response to the AIDS pandemic ravaging Africa. With more than 28 million dead and 15 million orphaned, the disease continues, wiping out whole societies, threatening economic infrastructure and creating tragic family devastation. They provide life-saving medication, support, and orphan care, to keep these children and families alive.

 

Buju Banton And Trey Songz “Street Life”

Upon the July 29 release of Whose World Is This?, the current single “Street Life” by producers K-Salaam & Beatnick featuring Buju Banton and Trey Songz set a record high for VP Records. The blazing tune which samples “Roxanne” by Police debuted in the iTunes Reggae Top 10 and sold more units than any other VP single during its first week.
On their upcoming album/dvd Whose World Is This?, K-Salaam and Beatnick pose the entitled thought-provoking question to an A-list selection of some of the world’s most prominent hip hop, reggae and spoken word artists.

Using K-Salaam & Beatnick’s music as the vehicle, Trey Songz, Papoose, Sizzla, Luciano, Buju Banton, Dead Prez and Talib Kweli among others, rose to the challenge and used their music and message to formulate their answer. The album forms a cohesive musical dialog across cultures, genres and life experiences. The DVD documents their journey to Jamaica and New York to get up close and personal with the artists. As told by K-Salaam: “This is a project created to inspire change for the global community. Its message is one of revolution.”

 

Actor Flips The Script Terrence Howard Debuts His New Music

By Walter Greene

Academy Award winning actor Terrence Howard who just thrilled audiences with his latest movie ‘Iron Man’ has unveiled another layer of his incredible talent in the form of his debut CD. ‘Me And The Band Of Kings’ is the title of Terrence Howard’s debut as a singer/songwriter on Columbia Records.

Hosting an intimate luncheon at Sony’s mid-Manhattan penthouse lounge, Terrence greeted and chatted with guests between bites of Sushi, Mescalin Salad, Grilled Snapper, Steak, String beans with mushrooms and Baked Potatoes. All flavored with cuts from his new CD, this ‘listening luncheon’ gave music tastemakers a chance to hear Terrence’s music for the first time as well as chat with the actor/singer/songwriter who commanded the attention of everyone with comments on the making of the record and the inspiration behind his music.

It was all about this hot new CD that is scheduled for a September 2, release. Terrence shares the spotlight with a powerfully orchestrated band that is reminiscent of the real big band musicians of yesteryear. His powerful vocals soars on this CD as he establishes himself as a truly talented singer who knows how to tell a story in a melodic, musical way. Quite pleased with the outcome of ‘Me And The Band Of Kings’ Terrence made it a point for his luncheon guests to actually listen to his music.

Clearly, one of his favorites on the CD is “Love Makes You Beautiful.” He explained; “I was walking down the street and the most beautiful people did not have the geometric symmetry of what we think of as beauty. I realized that love makes you beautiful. My daddy told me ‘You’ve got to love yourself and at the end of the day, you have to look yourself in the mirror and say I love you and I trust you.’ On the street that day I realized that the people who had it going on were the ones with the dogs, and the lovers cuddling in the corner and not the generic ‘beautiful’ people.”

Quite vocal about his music, Terrence talked about various sources of inspiration and how he was influenced to do certain songs, including a letter he wrote to his ex-wife. He recalled one of the tracks his producer Miles had laid down and how the song came to life, as did the Latin influenced “Spanish Love Affair” with Marc Anthony. “It’s all mood music with a message,” said the actor/singer. An unexpected cut entitled “Chinese American War” exposed another level of Terrence’s vocal ability. “I Remember When” and “Shine Through It” are also sure hits on this CD.

A great ‘jazz vibe’ became evident in “She Was Mine” and Terrence revealed; “Cab Calloway is my great, grand uncle. I always wanted to do a tribute to him....”It’s All Game” features an incredible saxophonist Tomasi. I love the words because it was very profound. It tells a story of a broken relationship and Tomasi told the story so well with his sax.

“On the song “Plenty” I looked at myself in the mirror and thought of my voice-mail. I saw that I’d become the person I hated - the one that does not return voice mails. I hate