I got this story off of First-Magazine’s blog. This is a nice piece of history that relates to the men from the Caribbean who served in the British Royal Air Force. Cy Grant was a former airman who died at the age of 90 on February 13, 2010. Before he passed away, he was able to put a website together that commemorates the contributions of Caribbean airman who have been forgotten by history.

Volunteering as navigator for a Royal Air Force bomber, Grant spent two years in a German POW prison after he was shot down in the Netherlands; became ‘Britain’s best-known black person’ as a famous Calypsonian and then actor…and all before finishing up as a cultural activist.

“Of course, I was aware of the racism in British society – witness what happened to me, an ex-RAF officer and a prisoner of war. After qualifying as a barrister – no job opportunities,” he told the Islington Tribune. “I was forced to confront myself, to stand up and be counted, so to speak.”

- First Magazine

Rex Nettleford performing in 1965; photo by Maria LaYacona

I made the mistake of not getting this out last week, when The Hon. Rex Nettleford, OM, FIJ, OCC passed. For that, I apologize. For those unfamiliar with Rex Nettleford, and the legacy he leaves behind, see the passage below…

Jamaica lost one of its most revered cultural figures last night when Professor Rex Nettleford, vice-chancellor emeritus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and founder of the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC), died, just hours before he would have celebrated his 77th birthday…

…”Jamaica and the entire world have lost an intellectual and creative genius, a man whose contribution to shaping and projecting the cultural landscape of the entire Caribbean region is unquestionable,” (Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce )Golding said….

In the time since his death, numerous pieces have come up all over the net, a few of which I’ve compiled below…

• BBC Caribbean: Rex Nettleford: Death of a cultural icon.
• Jamaica Gleaner: Icon lost - Golding, Simpson Miller mourn Nettleford.
• Jamaica Observer: Nettleford ’soars like an eagle’, says former UWI head.
• Yahoo! News: Jamaican scholar, choreographer dies in US at 76.

For more on the life of Mr. Nettleford, see the video below, courtesy of The Jamaica Gleaner…

Not too much to say about the man that hasn’t already been said.

For some vibes to spin throughout the day to remember him by, check this out…

For more Bob Marley on Burden, click here.

I really feel like I didn’t give this man his full due last week, but this long weekend has given me enough time to get more together for the masses. Check out a Steely & Clevie video interview from 2005 below, which recounts their entire careers, courtesy of Red Bull Music Academy….

Steely Johnson was winding his waist to the original dancehall boom in the early ’80s, playing with Sugar Minott and Roots Radics. But things got kinda cloudy when he linked with Clevie Brown in Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Black Ark studio. Clevie was playing with these new drummachines that had just come out, which were totally dissed by the reggae drummers. That didn’t stop them becoming the house band at King Jammy’s before they really hit their stride and literally led Kingston down the path of electronic production by the scruff of a neck. By the time they’d formed their Steely & Clevie label in ‘88, they were in charge of runnings proper. Nice up!

If this is not enough for you, Boomshots has put together a strong retrospective of the duo’s work, including interviews and videos of some of their best known music.

Check that out here: Better Days: Reasoning With Steely & Clevie (Boomshots.com).

Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson, on the right.

One of Dancehall’s pioneers has passed away. Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson died yesterday morning in New York. Check out the info below…

Wycliffe ‘Steely’ Johnson, one half of the outstanding dancehall production duo Steely & Clevie, has passed away. Just a few days ago, a media report indicated that he was suffering from pneumonia and was in critical condition at a New York hospital. His long-time musical partner Clevie Brownie had reportedly said that the chance of his survival was slim; and so it was. Condolences to the family, friends and associates of one of the most outstanding and influential producers of dancehall music ever.

Check out the full story here: Producing whiz makes ’steely’ exit (Jamaica Gleaner).

And for anyone who needs a sample of Steely & Clevie’s music…

Download it here: Dawn Penn - No, No, No (Produced by Steely & Clevie).

Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr. was born on this day 122 years ago, in St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica. We’ll be giving him more proper tribute soon, but more on that is forthcoming.

For anyone who may need a primer on the man and his life, can check out a five-part documentary narrated by Ossie Davis below and after the jump…

(more…)

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…

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.

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…

(more…)

One of Guyana’s most accomplished and respected scholars, Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, died earlier this week at the age of 74. We’ve spoken a bit about his work before, and now is as good a time as ever to give the man his due. Oscar Ramjeet wrote a peice on Van Sertima that appeared online today. Check an excerpt from the article below…

…Guyanese have not only contributed to the Caribbean, but the entire world.

I just learned of the passing of Dr Ivan Van Sertima, a former professor of the University of Rutgers and an important son of the soil, who told the United Nations that Columbus did not in fact discover the Americas.

Van Sertima was a Guyanese-British historian, linguist and anthropologist. He was a noted for his Afrocentric theory of pre-Columbian contact between Africa and the Americas….

Van Sertima was a prolific writer on the history of Africa and The Americas. To purchase some of his work, including his most well-known, They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America, click here: Dr. Ivan Van Sertima @ Amazon.com.

Also, check out a few videos of Dr. Van Sertima at work after the jump…

(more…)

This is a bit ahead of schedule but I figured now was as good of a time as any to get the info out there. Later this month (March 23rd is Dr. Rodney’s birthday…), The Morehouse School Of Medicine will play host to The Sixth Annual Walter Rodney Symposium in Atlanta. The Symposium will take place on March 20, 2009 at The Lyke House located at the Atlanta University Center (809 Beckwith Street, SW Atlanta, GA 30314; (404)-755-2646).

Dr. Patricia Rodney, The Director of the school’s Master of Public Health program and widow of Walter Rodney, organizes the event annually.

I’ll post more info on the event as it I get it. You can purchase our Walter Rodney Tee here: Walter Rodney Men’s Tee.

A little music for your Sunday. I should have maybe put this up a few months back, but better late than never, right? Check out the music below….

Tracklisting is after the jump….

Imag via siobhanart on Flickr.

(more…)