This past weekend, coming off the heels of the 25th anniversary of his death, and in celebration of what would have been his 68th upcoming birthday, Peter Tosh was celebrated in his native Jamaica during its Day of Heroes ceremony with a posthumous Order of Merit. Additionally, his life was the focus of a symposium at UWI, with panelist including his children.
See the details below…
…Tosh, one of Jamaica’s undisputed reggae icons, was not only one of the founding members of one of the greatest reggae groups ever to come out of Jamaica, The Wailers, but was also known as an unapologetic revolutionary and champion for equal rights and justice.
Tosh was more than just a musician, he was an agitator, advocate, activist and protagonist and epitomised in every way the political dimension of Rastafari in all its glory….
…Twenty five years after his passing in this 50th commemorative year of Jamaica’s Independence, Tosh now joins his former band mate, Bob Marley, in being awarded Jamaica’s third highest-honour. No other reggae artistes, other than the indomitable Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley, have achieved this distinction…
For those who may need a primer on Mr. Tosh, look no farther than Stepping Razor Red X, the 1993 documentary on the artist and activist’s life, which can be viewed in it’s entirety below.
25 Years ago today reggae star Peter Tosh was killed, along with two others, during a robbery in his home in Kingston, Jamaica. To honor his memory, the folks over at Midnight Raver have put together some great content. Check out their tribute mix below….
I wanted to take the time out to give some well-deserved respect and love to Heavy D, who passed away suddenly last week.
Heavy D was, without a doubt, a unique artist. In the 80′s he took the Fat Boys’ schtick and ran with it, dubbing himself “The Overweight Lover,” all while creating music that was distinctly in its own lane. Heavy mixed hip-hop with R&B, Soul, House, Reggae and more. He even took it a step further in recent years, releasing a Grammy-nominated Reggae album, Vibes, in 2009.
Simply put, he was way more than a rapper. He expanded into acting, production, and, as a record executive, introduced the world to Mary J. Blige and Diddy, just to name a few.
What I loved most about Heavy D was the fact that he repped his heritage, continuously. I, obviously, am proud of my Caribbean background. To see a prominent artist rep for Jamaica so heavily was inspiring to me, and still is.
All in all, he’s left a legacy of music that can speak for itself….
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I got word on this yesterday but wanted to wait until something more official came through before reporting it. See the info below….
Piri Thomas, a Latin American poet and novelist who gave lyrical voice to the “gente” of New York City’s barrios, has died. He was 83.
A longtime resident of the city, Thomas gained fame for his 1967 best seller, “Down These Mean Streets,” an unvarnished account of racism and economic hardship he experienced while growing up in old Harlem’s rough-and-tumble blocks.
“I feel a profound loss for my father. And it’s a loss for the community, as well,” said his stepdaughter, Renee Shank, 33. “All of his children are so incredibly proud of the person that he was during his life.”
He was born in Harlem Hospital to a Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban father. He fell in with the wrong crowd and was once arrested for armed robbery. He was sentenced to 15 years, and served seven between Sing Sing and an upstate prison….
For those who have never read his powerful memoir, Down These Mean Streets, or his equally strong prose, check out the NPR report that summarizes Mr. Thomas’ life and writing below….
He was a giant of the Jamaican sound system, hiding in plain sight. Hear him tell his story in the video below…
Cyril ‘Count C’ Braithwaite (1926-2011) was an original Jamaican sound system success story. From his yard at 6 Wellington Street in West Kingston, Jamaica Count C helped to shape modern pop culture and personally mentored more than a few international music careers. A contemporary of Tom the Great Sebastian and a rival to Duke Reid, Count C was a trendsetter and tastemaker before dancehall, reggae, rocksteady or ska. Little known outside of West Kingston… inside he was the Wizard of the West.
Read more on Count C in the latest issue of Wax Poetics.
VP Records Joel Chin was on Tuesday night shot and killed at his home in Stony Hill, St Andrew.
The grandson of VP Records founder Vincent Chin, son of famed reggae producer Clive Chin and nephew of the owners of VP Records, Chris and Randy Chin, Joel literally grew up in the reggae business and put his vast knowledge and connections at the service of the music he loved passionately.
Joining the company in the 90s, Joel was instrumental in launching and fostering the careers of international reggae stars such as Sean Paul, TOK, Beres Hammond, Wayne Wonder, Beenie Man, Sizzla, Morgan Heritage, Tarrus Riley and Etana while creating the top reggae compilations in the world: Reggae Gold and Strictly The Best. Joel was loved by the creative community in Jamaica and around the world
and had a long-standing relationship with some of the top producers in the island such as Dean Fraser and Steven “Lenky” Marsden. Joel’s signings helped VP Records become the largest reggae label in the world and brought reggae into the mainstream music market culminating with Sean Paul’s Dutty Rock album which sold over seven million units worldwide.
An accomplished producer, Joel had moved from New York to Jamaica two years ago to spend more time on music production, songwriting and developing rising talents. Joel wrote hit songs for many artistes such as Elephant Man and Etana among many others.
Joel is survived by his mother Juliette, his father Clive, his newborn daughter, two brothers, and three sisters.
Funeral service and arrangements will be announced at a later date.
Roberto Clemente, the greatest right fielder of all time, records his 3000th hit on September 30, 1972—it would be his last regular season hit. Sadly, three months later, Clemente died in a tragic crash of a cargo plane carrying relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua on December 31, 1972.
In the Caribbean, Clarks‘ Footwear is as common as the palm trees. The popularity of the brand is due in large part to the vision of Nathan Clark, great-grandson of the company’s founder. This past week, Mr. Clark passed away at 94, leaving behind a legacy of footwear loved the world over.
The folks at GQ recognized. Check their writeup on the pioneer of footwear below…
The iconic desert boot as we know it today, worn by everyone from Steve McQueen to the dude on the subway next to you this morning, wouldn’t have existed without the passion of Nathan Clark, who died on June 23rd at the age of 94. Clark was the great-grandson of the founder of Clarks and he developed an admirable zeal for the lace-up ankle boots worn by desert fighters in Burma during World War II. The suede material and crepe sole of the boot wasn’t an immediate hit with the Brits upon Clark’s return from fighting, but the Americans loved them; most notably the, ahem, lack of maintenance and comfort factor…
