Latest Travel News

Where poetry meets chaos

At two in the afternoon one day this spring, I stood on a crowded, noisy street corner in a “no-go” area of Kingston, Jamaica, where I was serenaded by a dreadlocked street vendor who, having given up trying to sell me a cheap Chinesemade belt, decided to demonstrate his talents as a rapper. Prefacing his performance with “I love Canadian people, man!” he sang as if he were a contestant on Idol and I somehow had the power to lift him out of grinding poverty and this chaotic place.

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The songs of Ecclesiastes

“A man’s gift will make room for him” is one of the many promises of the Bible that gospel hip/hop and reggae recording artiste Mark Bailey knows to be so true.

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Buju pleads for other artistes to …CLEAN UP YOUR MUSIC

Popular deejay Buju Banton has issued an emotional appeal to his fellow entertainers to clean up their lyrics in order to help Jamaica to recover from its present social decay.

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JFlying fun with Audrey

She is not the typical ‘dancehall queen’ but her popularity soared with the release of the 1997 internationally successful film, Dancehall Queen, in which she played a lead role. She later starred in another popular Jamaican film, Third World Cop.

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Da’Ville: Voice Of Conviction

Listening to your heart while welcoming change signals the genesis of one’s evolution. Through his career in music, singer Da’Ville has willingly opened his heart and soul to new blessings and ideas, which he admits, has contributed enormously to his personal and artistic growth.

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Uptowners gaining credibility

Attaining street credibility for the average artiste is a lyrical battle that many labour over.

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Billy Ocean Inducted Into International Reggae Music Hall Of Fame

Trinidad & Tobago-born, UK raised singer, Billy Ocean, was Sunday night inducted into the International Reggae & World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.

The singer, whose real name is Leslie Sebastian Charles, was honored for his lengthy years of service to the music industry at the Apollo Theater by organizers of the annual event, Martin’s International & Associates, LLC. Ocean had a string of rhythm and blues-tinged international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s and last returned to the touring circuit after an absence of 15 years, performing in January at the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival in Montego Bay, Jamaica. He released his new album, `Wilberforce 200` and the single, `Chained` last month.

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Jamaica: Montego Bay

This North Coast city isn’t just about beaches and all inclusives — it brims with gourmet eateries, swank bars, swishy spas, golf courses, shopping and sizzling nightlife.

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Japanese make it ‘Jam’-aica

Taking a musical pilgrimage each year, many Japanese nationals travel to Jamaica, the motherland of reggae and dancehall.

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So many dances … all at the same time

What started out as a few street dances in the early 1960s and 1970s has now burgeoned into a barrage of street sessions, where revellers launch out in the early morning, and party until sunrise.

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