Busy Signal is clearly making up for the time he’s lost. Check out more new music below, via LargeUp…
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.
Less than ten days after being released from prison in the US, dancehall star Busy Signal has returned to Jamaica and asserted his presence with “Come Shock Out,” a real uptempo feelgood song that pays tribute to 80’s sound system deejays, and a time when it was just one turntable playing in the dance. Shouting out his peers and his elders alike, Busy channels the sound of some of dancehall’s greatest rhythm riders from the 80’s, including the late Early B, Lord Sassafrass, Burru Banton, General Trees and even Sancho, as producer Shane Brown plays bits and pieces of Dennis Brown’s “Revolution” bass line—and which Busy Signal rides like a professional disc jockey in the Jamaican sense of the word.
A song that will definitely find favor with older dancehall heads and school a lot of young fans, “Come Shock Out” will likely have many current deejays imitating Busy’s throwback style very soon. The only thing missing from “Come Shock Out” is Joe Lickshot with some verbal gunshots: “Peeoow Peeoow Peeoow!”
Check out his interview with with Winford Williams on CVM TV’s Onstage below and after the jump…
In 1989, as the sneaker industry skyrocketed through the stratosphere due to the popularity of Air Jordans, New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing was getting paid nearly $1 million a year by adidas. Despite the very handsome salary, P.E. left the brand. Under the guidance of his agent, David Falk, Ewing became a pioneer of sorts, launching the first signature sneaker brand that was majority-owned by a professional athlete. By 1990, the company was grossing approximately $100 million and as Ewing’s popularity with the Knicks soared, so did his company. Ewing Athletics released more than 20 models through 1996, before the company faced internal challenges that forced Ewing and his partners to shut down.
Last month, the former Knicks’ player and NBA Hall of Famer relaunched the cult-classic 33 Hi Retro shoe model to 33 stores nationwide. On the heels of the retro sneaker hitting the European market for the holiday season, Life +Times caught up with No. 33 himself, along with Falk and David Goldberg, the newly anointed President of Ewing Athletics, to discuss the brand’s reintroduction, the ‘80s original flavors and Knicks versus Nets.
The folks over at LargeUp sit down with the Reggae legend to chop it up about the past, present and future. Check out the intro…
Singer Cocoa Tea is one of reggae music’s most consistent artist, an artist who helped to lay the foundations of dancehall with tunes like “Rocking Dolly”; “I Lost My Sonia” and “Riker’s Island”–among many, many others–yet remains a champion of old school reggae musicality in an era of “Pro Fools” production. In this exclusive interview with LargeUp editor Sherman Escoffery, the reggae vet speaks on the highlights of his long career and his new album In A Di Red, as well as touchy subjects like payola in Jamaica. Get a refresher course on his contributions with a throwback to his classic Shabba Ranks collaboration “Pirate’s Anthem” and then hit the link at bottom to get the full piece (including 2 new Cocoa Tea tracks).
For the ladies, since I know you all love a sharp dressed man. Photography by Ben Watts.
Check out the photos below…
If you think pinstriped suits with bold, chalky lines will make you look like a douchey 1980s Wall Street wannabe, you haven’t seen this slimmer, shorter, altogether cooler new generation. Here, New York Giants breakout Victor Cruz proves these suits have a whole new swagger.
What was lost, is now found. The folks over at Boomshots.com sit down to build with longtime Shaggy collaborator Rayvon….
Just last night in New York City Shaggy and Rayvon performed at the RockHouse Foundation benefit to raise funds for the education of Jamaica’s youth. They’ve been doing their thing since the late Eighties in good ol’ Brooklyn, where Rayvon and Shaggy first linked as the ultimate dancehall duo, dropping hit after hit after hit along with the rest of the ‘Ruff Entry Crew.’ For decades since, Shaggy & Rayvon have been instrumental in showcasing dancehall across the globe. From their early hits, including the classic “Big Up“—which as far as we can tell was the first tune to popularize that universally recognized slang term—to the smooted-out jam ’In The Summertime‘ to the history-making international chart topper ‘Angel,’ these two have a natural chemistry. But Rayvon is also a solo star in his own right who shows no signs of slowing down. Why should he? We caught up with Rayvon recently and spoke about how he’s been stepping out on his own. From managing his very own production company, to touring and recording, Rayvon is focused and poised for even more success. After all, to whom much is given, much is required—don’t it?
That boy Sand stays on the grind. To prepare for his homecoming show last night at the Bowery Ballroom, he sat down with the folks at The Village Voice to chop things up. Check out their interview here.
After successfully raising $50K in 50 days, the producers and writers behind East WillyB are garnering more attention then ever. Today, their story was featured as part of a write up covering the traditional television networks’ disconnect with their increasingly Latino audiences.
Check out their video on the show below….
Latino Show for a New Generation
“East WillyB,” a Brooklyn-based Web series, is taking on issues facing a growing Latino population.
Not really much to say here as this speaks for itself.
Check out the info below…
Bob Marley’s universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. MARLEY is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best.
From Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald (One Day In September, The Last King of Scotland) comes the story of a towering figure of musical history, whose music and message has transcended different cultures, languages and creeds to resonate around the world today as powerfully as when he was alive.
MARLEY will make its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival this month followed by its North American premiere at SXSW. Magnolia Pictures will release theatrically and on VOD on Friday, April 20th
In the graffiti underground, Piece Books—or sketch books—have been a secret weapon for the mysterious artists who pioneered the culture back in 1970s New York. Reebok explores this history through the eyes of graffiti legends like Cope 2, Erni “Paze” Vales, West, SP.One, Wane COD, Rime MSK, Chino BYI, Ewok 5MH, PEZ, How and Nosm.
Photos Courtesy of Henry Chalfant, How and Nosm, Erni Vales, WANE, Ellen Wattson Foto 156, David Villorente / Chino BYI, Greg Lamarche SP.ONE, Ven AOK, and James SEXER Rodriguez.
Mun2 takes the time to tackle a subject that is, perhaps, not spoken on often enough. Check out their interviews with a diverse group of actors, entertainers, writers and everyday folks in the video below…
What does it mean to be black and Latino in the U.S.? Featuring interviews with Latino actors Laz Alonso (“Avatar”, “Jumping the Broom”), Tatyana Ali (“Fresh Prince of Bel Air”), Gina Torres (“Suits, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”) and Judy Reyes (“Scrubs”), musicians Christina Milian (“Dip it Low”) and Kat DeLuna (“Whine Up”), and journalist Soledad O’Brien (CNN), among many others.
