Kartel’s lyrical arsenal and savvy vocal abilities made him an icon over the last ten years; etching several classics in the minds of his fans worldwide. Whether he’ll earn the chance to make more remains to be seen but with various chart-toppers attached to his name, Kartel’s presence will forever resonate throughout Dancehall. Though a top ten for an artiste of this caliber seems mighty restrictive, even controversial, there were several number one hits Vybz Kartel produced that stood out more than others. To show you how tough this list was, some seemingly obvious choices like Cake Soap, Dumpa Truck and Dancehall Hero didn’t even make the list; a testament to his greatness.

10. Tek Buddy:

In 2002, Kartel announced himself as a mainstream force with the release of the hard-hitting track, Tek Buddy. This no-holds barred lyrical display of sexual innuendos with mixed with clever pun placements won Kartel a lot of clout amongst fans and industry players alike.

Having done well on several local and international charts, Tek Buddy established a foundation for himself. Inadvertently, it also helped build the foundation of fellow Dancehall artiste, Macka Diamond, who recorded a worth counteraction, Tek Con which made her a household name in the industry also. In a way, Kartel’s hype machine rubbed off on other stars from he stepped onto the scene.

9. Life Sweet:

Despite 2008 being the height of a very nasty feud between himself and Mavado, Vybz Kartel unleashed a more conscious side through the release of his single, Life Sweet. The single, encouraging people to embrace the simplicities of life won Kartel mass airplay, several top-ten slots and proved that Kartel was more than just a mean machine on the mic.

8. Never Love Another:

After dominating the charts with sexually charged and ‘bad man’ lyrics which made him feared and respected by his competitors, Kartel switched lanes in 2005 with Never Love Another. The single offered a softer, gentler side of “Di Teacha,” melting the hearts of his female fans.

It also showcased Kartel’s vocal abilities as he’d forever be renowned for having three different voices. The “melodic” Kartel who softly sang his heart out and elicited strong emotion, the “evilous” Kartel who sounded murderous with his deep, dark vocal delivery and the “ladies man” version, which displayed a more playful, mid-ranged tone.

7. Mama:

Another sensual hit, which attained chart-topping status was his single dedicated to mothers, simply titled Mama. This song explored the hardships and challenges which mothers endure on a daily basis; winning over various demographics with his soothing vocal delivery; driving home a message that fans and fellow artistes can relate to one way or another.

6. Benz Punany:

Remaking the 1993 hit song from relatively unknown veteran artiste, Grindsman, Kartel’s Benz Punany once again boasted his ability to strategically place explicit lyrics mixed with catchy metaphors. Kartel earned number one status again with this song, proving that he was far from finished as a top level deejay.

Additionally, the single unleashed his highly-profiled S Class Mercedes Benz as the newly-proclaimed “Dancehall Hero” could now brag about his achievements without having to say much.

5. Pon De Floor (feat. Major Lazer):

Though meant as a playful collaboration and only featuring bits of the Portmore Empire leader, Kartel’s combination with international beat makers, Major Lazer might be regarded as one of his greatest runs on the overseas market.

The single earned Kartel number one status on local and international charts while making him a feature on MTV. To date, Pon De Floor remains his most viewed single via YouTube, with well over 15 million views.

4. Sweet To The Belly

Kartel scored a number one with the thought-provoking single, Sweet To Di Belly. Still regarded as one of Kartel’s best “girl” songs, Sweet to the Belly proved his remarkable chemistry alongside prominent producer, Don Corleon as they both scored highly on the highly-regarded Egyptian Riddim. The duo made several notable hits including New Millennium (featuring Wayne Marshall), I Neva, Poor People Land amongst several others.

3. Summer Time

After dancer turned deejay, Ding Dong forever etched his name in Dancehall folklore with his summer-themed hit, Holiday, many wondered if that would ever be replicated. However, Vybz Kartel’sSummer Time defied those critics; matching Ding Dong’s effort and, in some circles, surpassing it.

With number one status on several local and international Dancehall charts, features in ads for ATI and Red Stripe amongst other accolades, Summer Time brought life to the season while re-establishing himself as one of music’s most inventive artistes.

2. Ramping Shop:

Regarded as his most controversial song to date, Kartel’s collaboration alongside Dancehall diva, Spice sparked interest, rumors of an alleged affair and a near lawsuit.

Ramping Shop earned several number ones and amassed a lot of street credibility with its raunchy, no-holds-barred lyrical content and racy promotional pictures and music video that accompanied it. Said promo pictures started rumors of sexual relations between the two deejays but perfectly portrayed visuals which built the song’s essence.

It also drew the eyre of the Broadcasting Commission, who temporarily banned the song as well as representatives of Grammy-winning R&B superstar, Ne-Yo, who contemplated suing Kartel over the use of the beat on the former artiste’s Miss Independent. However, Ramping Shop’s desired effect was achieved and remains one of the biggest songs to date amongst Dancehall sessions everywhere.

1. Clarks:

Rarely does a song regarding an inanimate object truly strike chords with an audience. However, Kartel’s ode to the popular British shoemaker, Clarks became an anthem for fashion buffs and shoe stores worldwide in 2010. With number one status achieved on Dancehall charts across the Caribbean, Europe and other regions, Clarks became his most acclaimed song on an international level. It also introduced to world to his protégé and later breakthrough superstar, Popcaan whose catch phrase “A weh yuh get dem new Clarks deh dawdie” rolled off of every person’s lips. Clarks even featured on the American dance show, So You Think You Can Dance.

Senegalese rap superstar, Akon has become the latest international artiste to grace Jamaica’s shores as he joins forces with Reggae’s most prominent family.

The Ghetto singer recently arrived in the island, as he will be recording new material alongside Damian “Junior Gong Marley, Stephen Marley and Julian Marley at the highly regarded Tuff Gong studios in Kingston. In addition to his musical exploits, Akon also visited the Bob Marley Museum in Liguanea, St. Andrew; posting pictures of said visit on his official Twitter profile.

Akon is no stranger to the Dancehall/Reggae industry as he’s previously joined forced with Jamaican artistes such as Shaggy for What’s Love and, most recently, Mavado with Survivor. Additionally, he’s done remixes and toured alongside Grammy-winning Dancehall/Reggae artiste, Sean Paul.

Baby Cham gave an interview on CVMTV’s OnStage on January 14 where spoke about the success of his hot new single, Wine as well as the role of long-time mentor, Bounty Killer in building his career. During the interview, Cham claimed that during the late 90s, he had bigger hits than Bounty Killer associates, Mr. G and Red Rat but didn’t rise to prominence as quickly due to lack of promotion. Additionally, Cham claimed that Bounty Killer assisted in his career as built his way toward mainstream success in the early 2000s and beyond.

Responding to Cham’s claims, Mr. G, formerly known as Goofy, intimated through an interview posted via one876entertainment.com that the Drop It Like You Doing’ It singer has always been jealous of he and Red Rat’s successes.

“How Baby Cham fi talk say inna 1996-7, him have bigger songs than Rat and me by far, but the only thing him never get was promotion, and how much him never get the highlight even though he was bigger than me and Rat. Cham is nothing but a red-eye guy, me and Rat was the pacesetters, we do the ting, travel out the world and been travelling. Him need to understand him little self and him fi know anything ah anything,” he said.

Mr. G also implied that Cham has become ungrateful towards Bounty Killer for the role that the “War Lord” played in his success.

“Bounty never just assist, him buss Cham to the world, him introduce him to the world and bawl out him name mek people know him, Cham need fi know say him and Dave Kelly ride pon Bounty Killer bandwagon, and him probably woulda never buss without Bounty Killer,” he said.

Mr. G became renowned in 90s for singles like Fudgy and Buff Bay while showcasing more recent hits like Swaggerific, We Neva Like Dem First and Clean Everyday alongside Beenie Man. Red Rat, though out of the spotlight in recent years, remains known for several hit singles including Tight Up Skirt, No Live No Weh and Shelly Ann.

Could internationally-acclaimed singjay, Mavado be married? According to several reports, the Alliance affiliated artiste no longer enjoys the status of a single man.

Several news outlets are intimating that Mavado may have tied the knot with his long-time companion, Monique McKenzie. McKenzie hails as the mother of Mavado’s young son, David Vitton Brooks.

A supposed copy of their marriage license application can be found on jamaicangroupiemet.com in which plans for their union were allegedly given the go-ahead. Though the venue for their marriage remains unknown, the website claims that sources close to the couple insisted that they were going to wed at some point soon. Last year, reports surfaced that Mavado, whose real name is David Constantine Brooks, intended to marry McKenzie going forward.

Pertaining to his musical exploits so far in 2012, Mavado recently unveiled his new collaboration single alongside DASECA first lady, Raine Seville entitled Cheating Games. Additionally, he released the sequel of his popular single, Settle Down featuring dancer turned deejay, Chi Ching Ching as well as Clean Everyday on the DJ Frass produced, Riva Stone Riddim.

On the 13th June 2011, arising out of an incident which took place at the Quad nightclub in New Kingston where Conroy Edwards aka “Connie” was fatally shot whilst being unarmed.

To date, this matter continues to be the subject of investigations with the lapse of seven (7) months.

The matter became one of public interest to the extent that one of the major news stations, TVJ, has featured video clips of the part of the incident leading up to the shooting of Conroy. This feature formed part of its 2011 Year in Review Highlights.

As a witness to the incident and a Jamaican citizen who is committed to the rule of law, it has caused me great concern that, what I, in my humble view, see as a clear case of homicide, has failed to result in an arrest thus far. Myself, along with five (5) other persons who were eyewitnesses to the incident, have carried out our civic duties by giving statements to the police. I attended the Constant Spring Police Station immediately after the incident where I gave my eyewitness statement to the police about the shooting I witnessed and about the assault on me.

A determination of this matter, which we understand was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for a ruling, is anxiously being awaited.

It is no secret that allegations made against me led to my arrest within hours after the said June 13, 2011 incident and subsequently to me being charged for assault. However, contrastingly, the person against whom statements were given, a serving member of the JCF, has yet to be arrested. How could this happen? I was assaulted first by the police officer, I reported the incident first and subsequently was arrested first. Connie was killed while being unarmed. I have deliberately kept my silence for the last seven (7) months, but the time has come for me to go public with the hope that justice will be done.

David Brooks (Mavado)

Former MTV Caribbean network TEMPO artist “Jah Bami” recently signed a management deal with Suss Media. Armed with “Team Jah Bami”, the artist has infiltrated the reggae/dancehall arena with great feedback on his latest projects. Damian Marvin Walters known as Jah Bami to his fans, rose to fame in Trinidad and Tobago with his musical blend of Reggae and Soca.

Jah Bami’s unique sound and personality has taken him around the world and back as a host for Viacom’s, MTV Caribbean network TEMPO. Weekly Jah Bami introduced trail blazers in the music and entertainment industries throughout the Caribbean into more than 5 million homes around the world, making him one of the most recognizable faces in the Caribbean today. Jah Bami, trained to play and write music, he mastered instruments including the steelpan, guitar, piano, and drums, which later helped him organize full orchestra ensembles later on in life. At age 17 he earned himself a music scholarship at the University of the West Indies where he led his school to become School Panorama Champions. Jah Bami also played with “Exodus Steel Orchestra” who was National Panorama Champions four years in a row. In 2000 he made his official move to New York, making Brooklyn his home. During his time in New York he began to embrace ‘Rastafari’ and a Japanese label “Thello Entertainment’ recognized his unique sound and (astonishing) performance style. Thello Entertainment quickly invited him to join them on a year long Japanese tour alongside other reggae super stars including Wayne Wonder and Ky-Mani Marley. His Japanese fans supported his vision and ability to sound almost religious, birthed his name Jah Bami. He continues to grow his success around the world producing chart topping hits in continuous rotation throughout the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean.

“Other than the line-up for this year’s staging of the festival, the transport is one of the biggest stories. This year we did a great job … we worked hand in hand with the Taxi Association of Jamaica and together we are providing the best transport service available,” he said.

Affordable price

The Jazz team has already contracted taxi services to provide door-to-door shuttle service, and according to Elmore, the price is affordable.

“The tourism, hotel and transportation systems are complicated because of different contracts, but we have arranged a price with them, so it’s US$10 each way from any hotel in Montego Bay. All the designated operators are offering the same price and that makes transportation available from everywhere. That is what we aimed to accomplish and I’m very proud of that,” he said.

The bus service will be provided by Knutsford Express in collaboration with the JUTC.

Hopeton Thompson, Operations Manager at Knutsford Express, disclosed that the buses were in good condition and that all required standards will be maintained.

“The buses that will be used are premium. These buses are at the peak of condition with AC, reclining seats and entertainment … there will be a briefing process for the drivers in an effort to ensure that expected standards are maintained,” he said.

The early-bird round trip on Knutsford Express from Kingston to Trelawny will cost patrons $2,500 and, from Ocho Rios to Trelawny will attract a cost of $1,800.

For same-day round trips from Kingston to Trelawny, the cost will be $2,800, and from Ocho Rios to Trelawny same-day round trips will be $2,100.

Early-bird trips

For one-way early-bird trips from Kingston to Trelawny or from Trelawny to Kingston, the cost is set at $1,500. However, one-way trips from Ocho Rios to Trelawny or Trelawny to Ocho Rios will cost $1,000.

Buses are scheduled to depart from Portmore Pines and the National Indoor Sports Complex. They are set to depart from Kingston at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m.

However, buses departing from Ocho Rios will do so at 3 p.m., 4 p.m., and 5 p.m.

The Jazz Taxi Service will provide taxis to act as shuttles, taking patrons from their homes to the departure locations.

General secretary of the National Council of Taxi Association Author Green, promised a well-structured and efficient taxi service.

“The drivers will be identifiable by uniform and badges, they will also sport stickers provided by Jazz and Blues. We advise patrons to be vigilant and keen in observing marks and take special note of whom you drive with,” he said.

“Patrons who wish to utilise the taxi service must state their intention upon the purchasing of Jazz and Blues tickets. They will be given a taxi slip which will guarantee transport to and from the event. The slip will carry two parts, one to give to the driver for pickup and the other end will be used for the return trip. These may be used with any of the designated taxi operators and will cost US$10-$15 for a round trip,” he said.

For further information on the Jazz Taxi Service, patrons can visit www.jamaicajazzandblues.com or call 322-2160.

via JamaicaGleaner

Natalie Storm – I Aint Missing You 2012 Real Reggae Riddim Payday Music Production

The single is produced, recorded and mixed by Sadiki. It utilizes a Hip-Hop beat that blends perfectly with the poppy sounding acoustic guitar and smooth vocal delivery. Sadiki said, “The music market is totally open, I’ve never been one to limit myself musically, so a Pop single is all in a day’s work. You never know, I might just do a whole album of songs in this vein.” So far the single has been received extremely well at radio getting strong spins at Stony Brook Long Island’s WUSB, BBC UK, FM Yokohama in Japan, Basement Radio in Belgium, BigupRadio.com (California) and Cruffycast.com (Belize) internet radio.

The artist has also been busy with other projects, his track “Before The Time” is featured on the new Kemar Flava McGregor release Club Dance riddim (which just entered the Top 10 chart on iTunesUK). That project also features Sinead O’Connor, Nadine Sutherland, Chalice plus more artists. Recently, he performed alongside Chalice at Redbones the Blues Café in New Kingston. Along with performer duties Sadiki doubles as artist manager (managing the careers of Chalice, Eric Monty Morris and Rocksteady group The Tennors).

Click Here to Preview “Tears In Heaven (Acoustic Version)”