I’ve literally watched this kid grow up over the years, so it’s only right I lend my hand to support what he’s doing with his music.

Brooklyn MC D. Julien has just released his latest mixtape, Live, Love, Learn, produced entirely by up-and-coming producer Soulful. For a sample of what to expect, check out “Absolute Perfection” below….

Download Live, Love, Learn after the jump…

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Fernando Garcia-Guereta covered a documentary on Jamaican runners just before the Olympics in 08. Here is a snippet of the article that the Jamaican Gleaner did on “Why do Jamaicans Run So Fast?”…

With a ‘little feeling’ that something big was going to happen at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, Spanish music producer Fernando Garcia-Guereta shifted gears from the studio and on to the track with his debut documentary Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast?

Filming months before the Olympics and continuing the journey from Beijing and back, the 61-minute documentary is the only non-American film nominated at this year’s American Black Film Festival.

via Seen and Jamaican Gleaner

If you follow Usain Bolt then its no surprise that the track star likes to dance. Bolt put out a challenge for the best dancers to come up with some moves, make a video and he will judge. The winner gets to fly out to London and join him for his July 24th competition (if you win this competition cause of my post you me a ticket).

Check for more details at loveathletics09.co.uk

While Shabba Ranks is no longer a big figure in the Dancehall scene anymore he is still around and involved in music. Check out the recent interview where Shabba talks about his plan for the future, the debate on censorship in Jamaica, the death of MJ and more…

More after the jump…
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The Times put together a nice story on the rise in popularity of Cricket as a summertime sport, covering a youth league set up by the P.A.L. in Brooklyn. Check out an excerpt form the article below…

…And so the police decided to experiment with cricket, a game with a huge following across the Caribbean and South Asia. The response has cut across community lines. Tuesday’s opening match pitted the SuperStars — made up largely of players from Guyana — against the KnightRiders, a predominantly Pakistani team….

Read the full article here: With Every Whack of the Cricket Bat, a Bond.

Also, check out the video of the kids in action below…

Our boy Daru Jones hit me up the other day with some photos from the European tour he’s currently on with Talib Kweli and Idle Warship. He’s been rocking our gear for a number of his shows, so it’s safe to say he had to be the best dressed dude in the house. Check out some of the photos from Paris, Norway and Brooklyn below…

Also, check out his lates video for “I’m Free, Part 1″ below….

Daru & Rena’s Luv ‘09 EP is out now. Pick it up by clicking here.

It’s been a LONG while since I posted anything here Jazz-related, and when I saw the news on this, I made sure that I would let folks know. Latin Jazz legend Eddie Palmieri will be performing this coming week at Jazz At Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, along with his sextet.

For more info on the shows, click here: Eddie Palmieri Afro Caribbean Jazz Sextet @ JALC..

For those who need a primer on Eddie and his music, check out a video of the man at work, after the jump…

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Another classic Guyanese recipe. This one has Amerindian, Portuguese and African influences. Check out the details below…

GARLIC PORK

Ingredients:

• 3 - 4 lbs lean pork
• 2 pt apple cider vinegar (you may use regular vinegar; apple cider vinegar reduces the acidity)
• ½ lb garlic
• 1 bunch fine thyme
• 6 - 8 wirri-wirri peppers. (Small berry-like hot red peppers, with a very strong and characteristic flavour. Used fresh in cooking. If you don’t have wirri-wirri peppers, habañero (scotch bonnet) peppers have a very similar flavour, although they are a bit hotter.)
• 4 - 6 cloves
• 4 tsp salt (or to taste)

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Dom beat me to the punch on putting together a reggae-flavored MJ retrospective. Even still, I wanted to have my say and add a little more to the conversation.

When a person who’s accomplished as much as Michael Jackson dies, it’s hard for me to really feel sad, only because the legacy that they’ve left behind, in this case MIchael’s music, keeps them alive forever. I felt this way when Isaac Hayes passed, when Ray Charles left us, and, again, I do now.

That said, the influence he had on the world of music was beyond monumental. Who would think that a guy from Gary, Indiana would influence music being made in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean? But so was the case with Michael Joseph Jackson. Celebrate the life of a giant with the reggae-flavored covers and interpolations of his music below…

Links to download the music are after the jump…

Image via 5theyev2 on Flickr.

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With Mike’s untimely passing yesterday, I thought I should just add to all the other MJ tributes out there but do it Burden style. To start I added 2 of my favorite reggae renditions from Ghost and Nitty Kutchie “the girl is mine” and Tarrus Riley “Human Nature”. Here is to a truly great artist that blessed us with amazing music time and time again…

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Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Excuse the cheese, I didn’t want to delay posting this any longer so I used mixtape versions of the songs.

Check the rest after the jump…

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