LYRIC MUSIC GROUP PRESENTS THANKSGIVING LONG …caribbeanmusic.ca/NewFiles/sept07.pdf · lyric...

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CULTURAL NEWS, VIEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS VOL. 5 ISS. 3 SEPTEMBER 2007

LYRIC MUSIC GROUP PRESENTS

THANKSGIVINGLONG WEEKEND

MUNGA HONORABLE“Bad From Mi Born”

MARLON ASHER“Ganja Farmer”

REGGAE ICON

SIZZLA KALONJI

OCTOBER 5, 07KOOLHAUS (TORONTO)

OCTOBER 6, 07 CLUB NEMESIS (BRANTFORD)

More Info On Page 2

FREE?WOW!

reggaeXclusive -- Web Site: www.reggaexclusive.com --- Phone: 416-287-1335 -- Email: [email protected] Pg - 2


ACTION PROMOTION 12 YEAR ANNIVERSARY &

CAVEMAN 32 YEAR ANNIVERSARYFeaturing

and moreSAT. DECEMBER 1ST, 2007

Inside: JAMAICA CANADIAN CENTRE(995 Arrow Rd, Etobicoke)

Music By: CAVEMAN SOUND and more

To become a Sponsor or Vendor for this event

Contact Action @ (416) 841-8326 or email: [email protected]

TAURUS RILEY NATURAL BLACK

Publisher: reggaeXclusivePublications416-287-1335All rights reserved.No part of this publicationmay be reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior permissionfrom the Publisher.(c) 2007 reggaeXclusive

Publisher:ReggaeXclusive Publishing

Editor: Loraine Gomes

Marketing & Sales:Fitz KnightLoraine Gomes

Writers:Lisa ConnorsHalina T. Di-LalloJuLionSophia “Iyamtheiah” DanielMichelle Ottley

Contributing Writers:Sweet Marie

Layout & Design:Paul Murton fromdbsduplication.com

Photographers:Halina T. Di-LalloLisa ConnorsSandi Destonis

Cover Design: dbsDuplicationSend Photo and ads to:[email protected]( 300 lines Tiff, EPS or Quark4, no “gif” from the web )

On The Web: Email: [email protected]/reggaex or:reggaexclusive.comReggaeXclusive is published everyquarter. 2007 Issues: March, June,September & December


What’s Inside ReggaeXclusive’s 19th Issue

pg 4 Artist Spotlight - Ra-Sa-Nai (Formerly known as Denny Dentonpg 5 JuLion’s Views - A Wake Up Callpg 6 Attention One And All; Reggae Musician Critically Injured in

Crash; Female Fronted Reggae-A Rare Prairie Sight;Korexion’s New Video Premier; Pop-Up: Ra-Sa-Nai.

pg 7 Multi-Award Winning Gospel Artiste Update; UpcomingEvent - 12 Tribes of Israe; Don Carlos - The Godfather

pg 8 Sizzla - Up Close & Personal; Morgan Heritage Interviewpg 9 Slingy; Iyah Roots; Real Roots Reggae - A Canadian Storypg 10 Prince Everald & Friends in Paradise; Gyptian Meets I-Wayne;

Jamaica Day “The Rock Rocks”pg 11 Prophecy - Capleton’s Official Band Reasons With ReggaeXpg 12 Eric Morgan of Action Promotion; Artist Spotlight: Janaya Ellispg 13 Souljah Fyah; Calgary Reggaefest 007; TOK In Concertpg 14 The Dynamic Duo “Sly & Robbie”; Pop-Up: Exco Levi;pg 15 Michael Thompsonpg 16 Canada Day Reggae Style; Rastafest 2007 in Review; Give

Thanks & Praise Concert Series; Lluidas Vale Fundraiserpg 17 Fyah Mumma Queen Ifrica Reasons with ReggaeXclusivepg 18 “Breakthrough” Shines for Nana at the 2007 Maja Gospel

Awards; Tarus Rileypg 19 Marlon Asher; Morgan Heritage Interview Continuedpg 20 Reggaeplanet.net; Ibo & Janaya Ellis; Morgan Heritage

Interview Continuedpg 22 Galaxie Top 10; Subscription Form; Resi Top 10 & Int’l. Top

10; Reggae Radio Program Listingspg 23 Ladies Night at Kabana; The Oprah of Dancehall - Natash Von

Castle of L3 Magazinepg 24 Munga Honorable; Natural Black; Natasha Von Castle Cont’d.pg 25 Dada Kalonji Interview Continued; Roger Steffens (Final)pg 26 Treson Chats with ReggaeXclusive; Prophecy Interview

Continued; Jamaica Day Review Continued; Don CarlosContinued

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S ARTIST WATCH

RA-SA-NAI (THE ARTIST FORMERLY

KNOWN AS DENNY DENTON)

Born Denton Cousins (akaRa-Sa-Nai) in the parish ofPortland in the beautifulisland of Jamaica, W.I. Likemany other artists he got his

early singing experience inthe church. Growing up inhis community, he joined theBoy Scout Cadets bandwhere he got the opportunityto perform on many localcharity events island wide.His musical influences andfavorite artists are DennisBrown, Bob Marley, LinvalThompson, Toots and theMaytals and many more.

In the early ‘80’s, he cameacross a program called“record jury”. This gave himan in-depth overstanding ofhow songs should be written.This program exploredmusical arrangement, lyricsand melody techniques. Afterappearing on several localshows, he gained theconfidence necessary topursue a musical career. In1979, he wrote his first songentitled “Nuclear Weapon”that was later released in

1984 on the June RoseLabel. This song had a fairamount of air play in theCaribbean and elsewhere.1986 marked his secondrelease entitled “Freedom”on the Music Mountain Label.That same year, he alsoreleased “Girl now-a-days”,“Wicked Apartheid” and “DonBonds” produced andreleased on the Dennis StarLabel.

Upon migration to Canadain 1993, he recorded “Lostmy Love” on the Bull’s EyeLabel produced by Mr. BevinJackson, who also co-produced songs for Kings ofKings CEO, Colin Levy’s (akaIley Dread) first album. Notone to sit and wait, Ra-Sa-Naicontinued laying tracks. In1995, he recorded “DollarsNah Value” on the LittleMelody Label out of Miami.He continued on his musical

journey with the 1997recording of the thoughtprovoking “Tell Me Why”produced by Colin Levy andpublished by the Kings ofKings Label. This song wasone of his most popularsongs to date.

Armed with his arsenal ofprofound musical lyrics, henow performs on many stageshows all over North Americaand Jamaica with artistssuch as Luciano, DennisBrown, Buju Banton, BeresHammond, Capleton, BeenieMan, Sizzla, Anthony B, ErrolDunkley and many more.

Words of Wisdom fromRA-SA-NAI: Ra is Love, so letus continue to live in loveand respect each other.Build the unity so that we cangain the strength. HighlyBless!


REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S VIEWS

JULION’S VIEWS

“A WAKE-UP CALL”

When I was a childgrowing up in

Jamaica, whenever one of myelders wished to ask aquestion that needed somelevel of intellectual responsefrom my little head, they wouldstart the questioning with thatdreaded “Stick a pin….”. Onceyou heard that, you had betterget on the thinking cap andstay focused. So I took a pagefrom the elders and stuck apin with the letter I wrote,basically to the ‘industry’. Iput industry in quotation as, inmy humble estimation, therereally isn’t one. Mind you,reggae is getting spun onturntables, CDs and singlesand albums getting made instudios, live performanceshappening, burnt CDs gettingsold and burnt some more, butwe don’t generate enough forthe music buyer to take usseriously. When we can sellmusic inside and outside ofCanada I will certainlyconcede that there is such athing as a reggae industryhere.

***************

“Hail community radio DJsand artists...

As you are all aware, I writefor the ReggaeXclusivemagazine, published everyquarter. Each quarter, likeclock work, ReggaeXclusivesends me my reminders towrite something about theCanadian reggae scene. Myfocus in the past little while,has been the “Real RootsReggae - A Canadian Story”, aproject that I have GREATpride in and do believerepresents some of the best

our industry has to offer.

What I am about to writeabout is the fact that LeoCripps, a radio show host inCalgary and Janaya Ellis ofSouljah Fyah is about tooutsell every radio personalityin Toronto as well as artist inToronto 100 to 1. They areenthusiastic about what theyconsider to be a great projectand are selling them to theiraudiences. A part of mystrategy was to involve asmany people as possible so if10 of the 20 took on theseroles, we might sell a few unitsand make a mark and opendoors for other artists andother projects.

A part of my article willtouch on the ineffectivenessof the Toronto radiopersonality as it pertains toselling an artists product. Ifthe role of the DJ is to justplay good reggae music, all ofyou have that covered, as I,like many other fans do enjoymuch of the music that youspin. So keep playing whatyou like and enjoy hearing foryourself, but you are notaiding effectively in myproject. I am letting you knowin advance so that you caneither:

1. ‘bun me out’ and saythat I am crying sour grapesand the real problem is CRW’sinability to be creative or pointto my poor marketingstrategies. Or,

2. Cut up the compilationsaying that you don’t like theattempt at a ‘lame’ radio showin-between songs. Or,

3. The music is soft andlame and if you had a choice,you wouldn’t pick any of thosetunes or artists. Or,

4. Point out the vibe of itand say it is stuck in a timewarp and no one listens to thatstyle of reggae anymore. Orany other negative point that Ihave missed.

I am giving you allsomething to say, so that youcan send me your responsesprior to me putting my ‘views’

in print. I believe that you areall ineffective as ‘musicsellers’ for the Canadian artistand have been so for a LONGtime and that this trend mustchange in order to grow thisindustry. Many artistsquestion why we either listento you all in the first place.Many veterans have told mepersonally that they wouldnever give any of you theirmusic as it is a waste of spaceand time. I will be sayingmuch of this, so I give you achance to rebut in print or onyour shows in advance.

Many of the current artiststoday feel the same way aboutall of you! There is noeffective way to sell Canadianreggae if you folks areinvolved! Maybe, we areputting undue pressure onyou, as the ‘system’ is set upagainst you. Mainstreamradio with it’s ‘rotation’ systemare able to grow and sellartists from even foreignlands. With only 2-3 hoursper week, you are not able touse such a system. But doyou play the artist music in thefirst place? Do youcommunicate amongstyourselves to bus’ artists orprojects??? Well, I give you achance to respond folks!What’s wrong with selfishlyplaying Canadian? This iswhere we live, pay taxes andgrow our children!

I will touch also on may ofthe artists on the project whohave not lifted a finger to sellthis current project. I won’tname names, but may havethe means to come and grab acouple of copies from me andsell to their family, fan base orparties and have donenothing!!! They are waitingfor me, or the radio DJ orsome divine intervention tosell music. Well the Canadian‘reggae industry’ will alwaysflounder with my abrasivestyle or your ineffective ways,so lets continue to sinktogether.”

What has come back todate is that it is not the job ofa community radio personalityto sell Canadian producedreggae music. Of that I and

many were already aware! ButI have been around and a partof the scene for a time nowand am really tired of “secondplace”. That isn’t exactly theplace we are really in; I’malluding to a mind set when Isay “second place”.

This is a competitive worldand a competitive businessand having performed, played,spun, sung, created, pressedand burnt reggae music forclose to 40 years now, it isunacceptable to me that wedon’t have a strongerpresence in our own country.

There is an old saying thatgoes something like, “Youcan’t be a king abroad untilyou are a king at home.” Andthat adage is true! Many in thecommunity spend timebitching at mainstream radio,especially Flow 93.5FM as ifONE station is supposed tosave our plight. The problemisn’t Flow! It is my askewedperception that ‘someone’else will come along and saveus and sell the reggae music!There is no one!

I realize now, that theproblem isn’t the communityradio DJ, but more accuratelymy misguided dependence onwhat seemed to be our onlyoutlet for exposure and viablesales opportunities. The realproblem is me and the many,many, many artists in thisbroad country not stepping upand creating a stronger force.

Well the time for revolutionis now and I am seekingforward thinking, businessminded, level headed, creativethinkers to move this greatreggae music to its rightfulplace. Selling our reggaemusic in OUR own country aswell as exporting and sellingon foreign lands… Come showme how, because I don’t know,but am willing to learn and towork to achieve it! I dun bunout some of the artist dem tooand blaze a little fire on myselfalong the way, but don’t take itpersonally, mek we tek de bullby the horns. It’s only been 40years…JuLion


REGGAEXCLUSIVE NEWSATTENTION ONEAND ALL!

In support of Ibo &KinDread, The Calgary

Reggae Festival Society isselling the First CanadianReggae Compilation CD - RealRoots Reggae, A CanadianStory which features Ibo &KinDread’s track “Sweet like aSugah”

The CRFS is selling thisdouble disk set for $25.00Fifteen dollars from each salewill go directly to Ibo and theband. Please show yoursupport and call 403-399-3705to purchase a copy. For moreinformation on the CD visitwww.calgaryreggaefestival.com. Our thoughts and prayersare with Ibo & KinDread at thistime.

REGGAE MUSICIANIBO INJURED INCRASH HEADING TOCALGARY FESTIVALPublished: Monday, August 20,2007 by Jason van Rassel - CalgaryHerald

One of the city’s best-known reggae

musicians was critically hurtand members of his backingband seriously injured in ahighway crash near Brooks.Ibo and his band Kindread,were on their way from a showin Regina to Calgary, wherethey were scheduled to play atthe Calgary InternationalReggae Festival on Saturdaynight. Their van, carrying sixpeople, left the Trans-CanadaHighway a few kilometers westof Brooks about 9:15 a.m.Culture Brown, a vocalisttouring with Ibo and his band,said he was asleep in thesecond row of seats when thevehicle left the road. “I wokeup to a rolling van and I toldmyself, ‘I don’t want to die,’ “Brown recalled Sunday. Thevan landed on its wheels.Brown — who was wearing hisseatbelt — was able to quicklyjump out because the sidedoor had come off.

Ibo, who was driving was

also wearing a seatbelt, butwas trapped inside the wreckand critically hurt.Ambulances took Ibo andthree band mates to hospitalin Brooks, while Brown andanother musician escapedwith minor cuts and bruises.STARS air ambulance laterflew Ibo and his keyboardplayer, known by the stagename Lee, to Foothills Hospitalin Calgary. The other twoinjured men are alsorecovering at Foothills afterambulances drove them intothe city.

Lee’s and Ibo’s conditionhas since been upgraded tostable, Ibo is now speaking afew words which is somethinghe could not do before. Priorto becoming a solo artist, Ibowas a longtime member of theveteran Calgary reggae bandStrugglah. He has touredNorth America and opened forreggae legends like theWailers and Jimmy Cliff.

News of the crash spreadquickly Saturday and cast apall over the normally joyfulreggae festival atmosphere.“When we pulled up to thehospital, there was a largegroup of people who wanted toknow the latest about (Ibo’s)condition,” Andrews said.Ibo’s ties to the reggae festivalare long and strong. He is oneof the event’s foundingmembers.

“We were setting up for thereggae festival and all you hadwas a bunch of crying people,”festival president Leo Crippssaid. “It’s family, its friends.”Brown took the stage at thefestival Saturday night todeliver the news to theaudience, and the remainingmusicians performed a tributeto Ibo. “We had a tribute forhim and for all he’s done forreggae music in Calgary,”Cripps said. Ibo was born onthe Caribbean island of Nevis,and his mother was trying tomake arrangements to be athis bedside, officials said. Iboand his tour companions weresupposed to head to B.C. aftertheir show on Saturday, butBrown said his only concernnow is for the musicians he

spent the summer touring thecountry with. “Every one of usare family. My family meansmore to me,” he said. TheRCMP are probing the causeof the crash.

FEMALE-FRONTEDREGGAE A RAREPRAIRIE SIGHT:Edmonton’s Souljah FyahVows to Fill the Void with Tour

One of Edmonton’smost-loved urban

music acts is set to embark onan extensive westernCanadian tour. With theirsophomore recording TruthWill Reveal setting fire toairwaves across the country,Souljah Fyah will soon beshowcasing their scorchinglive act in a string of cities,with stops along the way toheadline the 2nd annualWinnipeg Soca and ReggaeFestival, and the ForwardFestival in Sooke, B.C.

“We’ve built a strongfollowing in Edmonton and inCalgary,” says lead singerJanaya Ellis, “and Edmonton isa great city for festivals in thesummer, but it is definitelytime to branch out.” Indeed,this past winter Souljah Fyahmanaged to draw crowds of200+ to local establishmentBlues on Whyte on a weeklybasis and now they have theconfidence to go after thenational stage. WhileEdmonton may not a be atraditional bastion of reggaemusic, Janaya Ellis and hertroupe of Souljahs havemanaged to impress a numberof the genre’s top names.They opened for reggaelegends Morgan Heritage andMikey Dread twice, and havepaved the way for Buju Bantonin Calgary last July. “It’s greatto rub shoulders with the‘forefathers’” says Janaya,“and while we respect andlearn much from them, we feelwe bring a unique aspect,given the strong femalepresence in the band.”Souljah Fyah’s first singleAbundance of Good will be oneof two tracks featuring femalevocalists that will appear on

the first ever Canadian reggaecompilation, produced byCanadian Reggae World.

Souljah Fyah’s musicranges from songs of love andlament to passionatelypolitical diatribes but it’s theirability to fill the dance floorthat is fast making them one ofthe most sought-after andtalked-about Canadian acts ofthe year. For a completelisting of Souljah Fyah’s tourdates, visitwww.souljahfyah.com. Ifyou’d like more informationabout this topic, or toschedule an interview withJanaya Ellis, please contactLove Empire Entertainment at780/479-5265 or email:s o u l j a h f y a h @ g m a i l . c o m .Contact: Janaya Ellis: Tel.780/479-5265 Email:[email protected]

KOREXION’S NEWVIDEO PREMIER

It is here finally when GPPromotions and Island Viewpresents AnonymousSaturdays starting September15, 2006 inside Island ViewNiteclub at Markham andLawrence in Scarborough.This is a Scarborough ClubDistrict event hosted byKorexion (2007 Juno AwardWinner). Also, come and seeKorexion's video premieringfor the first time anywherebefore. Music by King Turbo,Black Reaction, D'Enforcers,Infinity Sound Crew. Nuffprizes and surprises.

“RA-SA-NAI”

The singer formally known asDenny Denton is now knownas “RA-SA-NAI”. Lookforward for new releasessoon.

POP UP


REGGAEXCLUSIVE CULTURAL NEWS

MULTI-AWARDWINNING INT’L.GOSPEL ARTISTEUPDATE

Kay Morris is currentlyworking on a new single

featuring Luciano, with her fullCD to-follow. While in Jamaicain May 2007 Kay (Nana Sika)met several representatives ofthe United Nations (UN AIDS& UNDP) who applauded her forher work in Africa. Themeeting aimed at discussingKMF role in assisting peopleliving with HIV/AIDS inJamaica her native country.

During the meeting with theUN, Kay stated that she wouldlike to see fellow successfulJamaican artists join in thefight against HIV/AIDS and giveback to Jamaica. She

suggested that she couldcollaborate with a majorJamaican music entertainer tobring forth a powerfulmessage that would uniteJamaicans and people aroundthe world in the fight againstHIV/AIDS. She contactedLuciano about collaborating onthe project and he embracedthe idea. Kay is the writer ofthe song “When You Cry”,which addresses the variousissues associated withsickness, disease, povertyespecially HIV/AIDS.

The UN invited Kay to comeback to Jamaica on UN DayOctober 24th, 2007 andparticipate in various projectsthat will benefit orphanagesand HIV/AIDS agencies in theIsland.

On October 13th, 2007 KayMorris (Queen Nana Sika) willbe honored at the 2007Planet Africa Awards Galawhen she will receive theprestigious Nelson MandelaHumanitarian Award. Theawards gala will be held at theRenaissance Hotel on DixonRoad. The public is invited. Formore information please log ont o :www.PlanetAfrica.net;www.silvertrust.net

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S FOUNDATION ARTIST

DON CARLOS - THEGODFATHER“Laser Beam”

Don Carlos (born EuvinSpencer) Legendary

Reggae Artist was born andraised in one of the mostdeprived regions of WesternKingston, Jamaica, in adistrict notoriously known as

Waterhouse, whichincidentally is also a musicalspawning ground for many ofReggae's greatest evertalents, such as King Tubby,Black Uhuru, The Jays, JuniorReid, and King Jammy to namea few. Don Carlos started hissinging career in 1965 inconjunction with other artistsand quickly moved on tocreating solo singles. In 1972,Don moved into a trio as oneof the original contributors ofBlack Uhuru, alongside otherfounding members GarthDennis (who later went on tojoining the Wailing Souls) andDerrick Ducky Simpson. Twoyears after the trio's ground-breaking debut, the group splitin different directions and Doncontinued to pursue a solocareer. Within three years of

developing his songwritingskills and grooming hisdistinctive vocal style,“Suffering” was released inMay 1981. This strong releasetook the industry by storm,courtesy of a heavy roots andculture flavored showcase forthe Negus Roots Label. Thisalbum was a massive hit inAfrica, selling inunprecedented numbers.

At this time, he workedalongside Gold, his co-writerand back up vocalist.Together, they broughtthrough such timelesscreations as “Harvest Time”,“Day to Day Living” and “ThemNever Know A Natty Dred HaveCredentials” between 1980 to1984. Don continued on withmore releases including

“Laser Beam”, “RavingTonight”, “Never Run Away”,“Just A passing Glance”,“Ghetto Living” and “DeeplyConcerned”.

During the eighties, Donwas a popular artist in theDancehall scene withnumerous Top Ten hitsbetween 1982-1985. Don isstill churning out solid,melodic roots reggae. There'san old saying in the musicindustry that claims: Whatgoes around, comes backaround. In Don's case, arequest from Duckie for Don tocontinue his former role aslead vocalist in a rejuvenatedBlack Uhuru reunion resultedin another strong Black Uhurualbum - “Now”. 1989 marked

(Continued on page 25)

UPCOMING EVENT12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL (CANADA)

presents

The 77th CORONATION CELEBRATION OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE

& STAGE-SHOW

ON NOVEMBER 2ND, 2007JAMAICAN CANADIAN CENTRE

(995 Arrow Road, T.O.)

Infoline: 416-725-9891STAY TUNED FOR MORE!


SIZZLA – UP CLOSE& PERSONALBy: Stephanie Aleung(Final from March 2007 issue)

S.A: Does the I them liveas a commune?

Sizzla: Yes. We areRastafarians. We keep theSabbath. We’re like specialImples that see to it that allthe Rastafarians sticktogether. Whenever you havea banquet, celebration orcoronation and Black Historymonth is coming up.Judgment Yard has beenknown to go around and helpand assist all the mansions.Whether financially or through

transportation or throughfood, based on the fact thatthe artists’ from JudgmentYard reaches out to the worldso his duty is to make sure theculture is being maintained.Whereas with the nation is notseeing. Through the world wesee what is going on, so it’sour duty to take care of theelders, the elder Rastafariansand things like that, knowwhat I mean? So when wecome in the world and we dotours and we get money, youdon’t know what’s happeningback there but we know. Weknow. So then we just go andmake drums and we’ve got tokeep the drums clean, knowwhat I mean? You’ve got toalways have drums and tomake sure the priests’ havetheir royal garments. Theirturbans and robes. You’ve gotto make sure those things arethere.

S.A: Knowing andoverstanding the way in whichmodern day slavery exists, InIhave personally faced peoplewho fight I positive works andRasta livity. In yourexperiences and coming up asan African Rastaman in themusic industry today, have youhad to face any discrimination

and how have you dealt withit?

Sizzla: To be truthful, Ihaven’t faced anydiscrimination. Coming in asRastafari, it’s like we get theicing on the cake you know?You know what I mean? Ihaven’t faced anydiscrimination. Ras Tafari isthe king of Africa, what youshould know. When I’m comingto this country I’ve got toabide by the principles so ifRas Tafari is our King, whyshouldn’t we abide by hisprinciples? If he’s Ras Tafari,we are Ras Tafari. So we’vegot to maintain the principlesof The Most High. So that theworld is used to hearing aboutRas Tafari but the world needsto research to know who RasTafari is and why we areRastafarians. I didn’t face anydiscrimination; I was moreaccepted and respected to betruthful.

S.A: Very happy for the I.All of InI give thanks and lookat the I with such gratitudeand respect for paving the wayfor other Rastafari artists’ andfor helping to diminish thestigma that is sometimesassociated to Rastafarians bythose who do not overstand InI

livity. InI look to you likeanother Bob Marley. I alsolove the way you will ride a hiphop rhythm or any type ofrhythm like you’re riding aproper reggae rhythm.

Sizzla: Yes. Because this isit. Sometime you need tobring something new to themand show them they areRastafarians. Not because ofthe music, it’s not just aboutsinging. It’s to unite theyouths and we got aresponsibility. Don’t forgetabout slavery! Children overhere in the real hip hopculture, they are my brothersand sisters but they have beenbrought here because ofslavery. Their parents weretaken from the Caribbean andscattered all over the world.They’ve become accustomedto the principles there.They’re growing that way andit’s the same thing in Jamaica.Real Rastafarians know wherethey’re coming from, beforethey had even start living inAmerica, know hat I mean? SoSizzla going through the worldnow can’t stray from thatpoint. It doesn’t matter whatyou do, no matter what thoserappers say. They are yourbrothers and they are yoursisters. (Cont’d on page 26)

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S INTERVIEWS

MORGAN HERITAGE Interview by Lisa Connors

LC: Greetings to you andwelcome to Calgary on

behalf of all your fans. Is thisyour first visit to Alberta?

Peter Morgan: Actuallywe’ve been here before butnot on our own tour. It was ona punk rock tour, the vanswarped tour. We came throughCalgary; I don’t even knowwhere we were, just on a bigfield. We drove in during the

night, hooked up performedand left the same night. So wedidn’t really get to experienceCalgary.

LC: Could you talk a littleabout your beginnings inmusic and when you firststarted to play musictogether?

PM: At home still, youknow music was a part of ourupbringing. Our father DenroyMorgan, reggae singer fromthe mid 70’s, late 70’sthroughout the 80’s and afterhis album with RCA Records“I’ll do anything for you” whichwas around 80, 81 he decidedto put it to us because he sawthe talent in us, we used tojust learn a lot of top 40 songs,what was on the radio anddevelop ourselves. We did getsome formal training me,Lukes, Gramps not muchthough just enough to knowwhat was what in music. Otherthan that the developmentwas done on our own just

teaching each other along theway.

LC: What was it like foryou as a Jamaican family livingin a place like SpringfieldMassachusetts?

PM: It really didn’t makemuch difference to us becauseas far as were concerned wedidn’t know the differencebetween an American thingand the Jamaican thingbecause in our house thelifestyle in our family was as ifwe were living in Jamaicabeing born in America but ourupbringing was straightJamaican because our parentsweren’t American. We used toget in trouble because werefused to speak American inthe house. My dad used to tellus we were born in America sowe should speak it!

LC: How does it feel foryou to work as a family unit?

PM: Great man! As far asthat is concerned we don’t

know nutten else. I wouldn’trather it any other way. Itworks for me. I’m always withmy family and I’m greatful forthat.

LC: When you got signedto MCA in 92, after ReggaeSunsplash was that when yourealized your career was reallygoing to take off?

PM: Well it was like adream for us because growingup we used to love listening toNew Addition, Bobbie Brownand all those acts were signedto MCA Records, coming outof high school and going toJamaica on a vacation anddoing the Reggae Sunsplashconcert, we didn’t go toReggae Sunsplash looking fora recording deal. We didn’teven know there were scoutsthere, and then all of thatcame out of it!

LC: I heard you didn’t haveso much creative freedom with(Continued on page 19)


BLACK ARROWRECORDING ARTIST“SLINGY”“Untouchable”

Slingy aka KemarDonaldson was born in

the parish of Clarendon,Jamaica. Slingy startedsinging and Deejaying at theage of ten. His big break cameat the age of fifteen when heperformed at Teen Splash in2002 and Island Explosion in2003 in Jamaica. Slingy hasopened up for such artists asHi Octane and Emanuel Steele

just to name a few. Slingy'smusical talent is a blend ofsinging, singjay and deejaying,which makes him very versatileand a hit with the ladies. He isnow working on his debutalbum called "Untouchable"being produced by CourtneyBuckley and Shawn James atBlack Arrow Studio here inToronto. This will be a blend ofdancehall reggae, R&B, andHip-Hop.

Get news, entertainmentand everything you care aboutat Live.com. Check it out!www.live.com/getstarted.aspx

REAL ROOTS REGGAE - A CANADIAN STORY

History!!! The First Ever Canadian Reggae Compilation!!!Available For Sale - Online @ www.canadianreggaeworld.com

Also Available at: Trejah Isle - 1514 Eglinton Avenue West - 416-787-7615; Roach-A-Rama - 191A Baldwin Avenue (Kensington Market) - 416-203-6990

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S “LIVE SHOW” REVIEWS

reggaeXclusive -- Web Site: www.reggaexlusive.com --- Phone: 416-287-1335 -- Email: [email protected] Pg - 10

PRINCE EVERALD &FRIENDS INPARADISEBy: Sophia “Iyamtheiah” Daniel

On Friday June 22, 2007Prince Everald

celebrated his birthday andthe launch of his latest CDentitled “Prince Everald &Friends Vol 2”. The venue wasClub Paradise andappropriately so. Theaudience witnessed anunforgettable show, one thatincluded some of Toronto’smost talented upcomingartists and legends. Inaddition to that, they werebacked by Reggae MusicAchievement Awards “TopBand Of The Year” MountainEdge Band.

The night opened with atribute to Bob Marley byfemale vocalist Megan. Paramforwarded chanting his newrelease “Jah Ever Living”.Recently awarded “MostPromising Artist of The Year”Exco Levi did no harm singing“What One Dance Can Do”andof course his “Oh Canada”.Clement Gordon belted“Darling Whoo”, “I Want a LoveThat Is Real” and “Better DaysAre Coming”.

Later we heard the voice ofthe Rasta woman. To be moreprecise “The DancehallEmpress” Donna Makedaentered chanting “Babylon YuThrone Gone Down”. Herperformance included “HoldOn” and “Jah Ah De Rulah”. Itis truly refreshing to hearuplifting tunes in Dancehallstyle. Soon “The Visionary”Michael Thompson graced uswith “Amazing Grace”. “TheArmageddon Man” Willi

Williams made a choir from theaudience with “A Lot OfPeople Nah Get Nuh SuppaTonight”. By that point weshould have realized howblessed we are to live amongseveral Reggae veterans inCanada.

After much anticipation,Prince Everald entered singingthe Lord’s prayer. His soothingvoice caressed the rhythmssinging songs including“There’s A Land Far FarAway”, “Wake Up Man Kind”and “Glorify The King”. Thisman SINGS! Some of theduets on the new CD wereperformed live including“Come Into My Life” withDonna Makeda. The vibes oflove, peace, unity, andconsciousness were sureevidence of what great musicdoes.

Although the upcomingartists and legends sang theirheart felt songs, a lot ofpeople got no knowledge thatnight. The show was poorlyattended resulting once againin a cultural/consciousstarvation in the reggae musicfraternity. In any regards, theones who attended either leftwith CDs or the intention topurchase at a later date.

GYPTIAN MEETSIWAYNE By Sophia “Iyamtheiah” Daniel

Sunday July 15, 2007perhaps marked one of

the hottest nights inside theJamaican Canadian Centre.Action Promotion did it againfilling the venue almost to itscapacity. Although I Wayneand Gyptian had alreadyperformed in Toronto it wouldbe different. Almost everysong performed by both artistswere known and sung by theaudience. Ja Pong opened the

show and perhaps nervouslyso. Those who had thepleasure to see him previouslymay agree that he’s been moreeffective. However, reggaeconcert attendees understandthe pressure of being the firstperformer of a highlyanticipated show. His lyricswere clear as he sung aboutlove and his relationship with“weed”.

Shadae appeared in a pairof daisy-dukes. Unexpectedlyshe alarmed the audience withan RnB vibe complimented bysoft vocals. She had difficultyhearing herself at times due toreasons beyond her control.Feedback from themicrophone could not beadjusted without adequateequipment but the soundissues appeared to cease themoment Fire Chess steppedon stage. “No Guns” createdwaves. He also spoke to theaudience saying “It‚s not ahype thing”. His fans must bepleased with his decision tomake Toronto his home. FireStar perhaps made his firstappearance in Toronto thatnight and judging from the firein the upcoming star ∑he willreturn. Otis I was also presentand his fans enjoyed thepopular “Youths Dem NahHear”.

Gyptian emerged singing“Serious Times”. Theaudience sang louder than hecould. His fired-up audiencelater received somecounseling when he spoke andsang of his disapproval of men“Troubling little school girls”.The shy artist Toronto saw ayear ago no longer existed.The ladies loved him and heteased them with roaringsounds between songs.Gyptian’s multi-hitperformance included “MyFather Say”, “BeautifulWoman” and “Oh Mama”.

I Wayne took the show toanother level. He immediatelybegan schooling ladies with“Dash Weh Nuh Belly YoungGirls”. The “Fire Soldier” hadthe crowd at full attentionduring his acappella sessions.“Can’t Satisfy Her”, “Living InLove” and many others hadthe crowd singing and

dancing. It is not surprisingthat I Wayne introduced NewYork’s popular Hip-Hop radiostation (Hot 97) to rootsreggae. Everyone wants tohear I Wayne and seeing himlive is a plus. Besides thelack of a band and Fire Lion’shostile performance (swearingon stage), the show wasenjoyable. Action Promotionmust be commended for a fun,peaceful, and entertainingnight.

JAMAICA DAY 2007 “THE ROCK”ROCKSBy Sweet Marie

Independent PromotionsEntertainment Inc.,

promoters of The AnnualJamaica Day Celebrations inToronto, Canada has done itagain with yet anothersuccessful staging of the 17thJamaica Day Celebration. AsLoague, Karen and Funky putit, ‘The Rock’, one love for‘The Rock’, standing togetheras a community”.

The Jamaica Day vibeswere peace, love and a lot offun. Everyone were relaxingand enjoying the activities anddiverse performances byworld acclaimed artists fromboth Canada, Jamaica andabroad. When special guestSanchez from Jamaica gracedthe stage belting out hit afterhit the crowd went wild. Allthrough his performance theaudience cheered and raisedflags for more and more ofSanchez, they couldn’t getenough of him. The good-looking romanticistpassionately pleased hisaudience, who did not want tosee him leave the stage. ErnieSmith, a veteran to the reggae(Continued on page 25)

Photo By: Sandi Destonis

Tanya Mullings

Gyptian


REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S INTERVIEW

PROPHECY -CAPLETON’SOFFICIAL BAND REASONS WITHREGGAEXCLUSIVEStory/Photo by Iyamtheiah

Capleton’s ProphecyBand blessed us with a

solid reasoning about themusic industry. Two of thefour members were available.It was like being in Jamaicaunder a coconut tree by theriver with ancient Rastaman.

R.X: Blessed love. Thanksfor taking the time out forReggaeXclusive. Welcome toToronto again. Pleaseintroduce yourselves.

Prophecy’s Iyakimo:Blessed. Give thanks.Prophecy is Capleton’s officialband. My name is IyakimoA.K.A Israel.

Prophecy’s Buba: I amBuba the bass player.

R.X: Give us the history ofthe band. How long has itbeen since the four-piecestarted playing out?

Prophecy’s Buba:Prophecy started specificallyfor Capleton as a backingband and we’ve been comingto Toronto with him for morethan 9 years now. Prior to thatwe had different members andwere called The RootsExplosion.

R.X: So you playexclusively for Capleton?

Prophecy’s Buba: We playfor other artists too like CocoaT and Gregory Isaacs, mostJamaican artists really.

R.X: Capleton doesn’t useanother band though so whenhe’s touring Prophecy iscommitted to him. Is that

right? Prophecy’s Buba: Yes, we

play for many other artistswhen Capleton isn’t touring.

R.X: Let’s talk about themusic industry. How do youview the international reggaescene?

Prophecy’s Buba: Ah justglobal love from theinternational scene. We’vetoured around the world andit’s just love everywhere.

R.X: How do you feelabout the influence of moderntechnology in the musicindustry? For example,nowadays artists sometimeswork without live bands.There is a lot morecomputerized sound. How doyou think that affects reggaemusic?

Prophecy’s Iyakimo: Theway I feel about the live thing,man use tracks and all thosethings but I think the peoplefull-joy the live band morethan the tracks because of thenatural energy. You knowtogether we stand and unitedwe get a stronger force. Thepeople love the live band. Thepeople full-joy the live musicmore. Everywhere we go theywelcome us. So it doesn’treally affect us.

R.X: What about piratingthe music? Many people ownCD/DVD burners. Statisticsshow that reggae sales areimpacted more than othergenres. What are your viewson this matter?

Prophecy’s Iyakimo: Don’tfeel dismayed about that. Lifestill remains life and thecomputer remains computer.This is life and whatevermanifests in this life is life,you understand, whether it’sevil or righteousness.Computer can’t get out life.The devil comes trying to takeout life. It’s not just about themusic because the messagehave to come through thevessel that the Almighty blesshim with. Things have to getback to the roots so themessage comes into the musicbut it comes from an ancienttime. Everything has to takeback its course. So when you

make a CD and a man burn itand sell it then get all themoney and you don’t evenmake any, remember themessage have to get through.

Prophecy’s Buba: Yeah themessage has to go cross. Wecan’t stop it.

Prophecy’s Iyakimo: So Idon’t feel any way about that.The message is life and whenyou understand life you don’treally worry about that still.

R.X: In terms of content(lyrics) where do you see themusic industry heading?

Prophecy’s Iyakimo: Yousee this year 2007 isperfection. Whosoever is notdealing with righteousnessthis year whether artist ormusician will get weed out.Like I come and talk to thebrethren who put on this showand he showed me that thehip-hop artists are getting abeating now. That is becauseof how they are trying tobroadcast an evil mentality,gun lyrics and degrading thefemale gender. That has to getweed out because whosoevernot dealing with righteousnessin these times I am sorry forthem. Everything has to getback to reality; and when wespeak we speak biblically alsobecause the bible says thatyou must sing a new song andthat mean songs ofdeliverance. What are songsof deliverance? Something tosave the nations youunderstand me? Only a fewpeople understand what itmeans and it’s a few who evenread. Some don’t know; sowhosoever don’t know willface their judgment too ‘causeI and I know that we have tosing songs of deliverance.Whosoever jumping up outthere thinking this is a moneything should know it’s notabout money. It’s a work andyou are a messenger asLuciano would say. You are amessenger for The Most HighJah Rastafari. So your duty onthis domain here is to makesure that Rasta children eatright and live right – lovingtheir brothers and sisters. Sowhen some men come andjump into the music businessand talk lots of things, makelots of money and bank it all

for himself - Judgment!

But then, we can teachthem too because we knowthey don’t know. Music is thebiggest influence in the worldnow spoiling people on a widescale especially we Israelitesor we can say Jamaicans orEthiopians in Jamaica. Plentyjudgment is on our heads. Thefew warriors that know see itlike I. I sing you know, and Iwrite I tunes too. I’m steppingout this year with my lyrics sowhen you hear of Iyakimo youwill remember it was I talkingto you. If we sing to pleaseourselves Rasta say woe to theleaders who lead the childrenastray. Jah will judge you withfire. So many are just trying toget rich and mighty but withinthis domain that’s all they cando. We don’t work for thefame of men because mencan’t please us. We do theworks of the Almighty. As aRasta sister you know theheavens so it’s just clean livity.

RX: Thank you. Would youlike to add anything to thatBuba?

Prophecy’s Iyakimo: Yes.The gangster thing isn’tworking out. We have to keepthe music positive. Manyartists are singing about whoshould die, guns and teachingthe youth gangster messages.That is all violence. Reggaemusic is about teaching anduplifting the people. Even inJamaica the gangster life iscoming across but I trod manyplaces in the earth and knowthat the people really want tohear positive messages. Evenyou as a writer for themagazine should write realityin reference to The Most High.You have to let them know toput out clean lyrics. Theentire music fraternity shouldhave the right messagecarrying a right vibration andright spiritual energy to thenation in order for things to bein harmony with creation.(We’ll touch the clothingindustry another time). Live toplease Rastafari. It’s notabout us ‘cause we didn’tmake ourselves. The Almightymade us and placed us herefor a reason: to do his works.(Continued on page 25)

reggaeXclusive -- Web Site: www.reggaexclusive --- Phone: 416-287-1335 -- Email: [email protected] Pg - 12

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S PROMOTER SPOTLIGHT

ERIC MORGAN OFACTIONPROMOTIONPromoter

Action Promotion hasbeing hailed as one of

the most popular promoters inthe dancehall industry withover 11 years of experience inthe business. Mr. Actionlearned the music business ata very early age, when it allstarted back in 1986 while hewas still living in Jamaica,under the promotional nameand record label “Bammer”.

He promoted his first dance atDuhaney Park in Jamaicawhere sounds like LoveVibration played. With Mr.Action’s background, andfriends like Tumpa Lion,Simpleton, Pan Head, RonnieTwate, Admiral Bailey, SingingSweet, Roundhead, PowerMan, Johnny P, Capleton, BabyWayne and Penny Irie, nowonder being able to promoteremains one of his greatestpleasure. His other interestused to include making tunesin Penthouse studio withCleavy and Steely.

During the summer of “95,Action Promotion did a BBQfeaturing sounds like Military& Glamatone at Fresh WayDrive. This was the first ofmany. In ‘98, a stage showcalled “Heads High” featuringVegas and Sean Paul atConnections Nightclub, thefirst ever promoter to bringSean Paul to Canada. In 2000he brought Super Cat to theBase Nightclub. In 2001, adance called “Link up in theWest” featuring David Rodiganat the Base Nightclub. Thesame year he did a dancecalled “Stop the Violence”

featuring Tony Matterhorn toopen the dancing industry sothat people could feel safeagain in dancehall.

In 2002, Mr. Actionpromoted his first “Lock DeCity” dance and Black-O-BBQ& Picnic which became a yearto year event, with a pasthistory of a variety of soundstaking part including: StoneLove, Tony Matterhorn, BassOdyssey, Black Chiney andCash Money. The same yearthat he started Lock De City,Mr. Action was alsoresponsible for “Road to WorldClash that occurred at theBase Nightclub where RebelTone was crowned the winner,the first sound from Canada toenter the world clash in NewYork City and bring home thechampionship. In 2003, Mr.Action promoted BassOdyssey and Mighty Crown ina dance called “Two WorldChampion”. In 2004 Mr. Actionbrought Capleton, Mad Cobra,and Assassin together in aconcert called “Heat” at theFive Star Banquet Hall.

Mr. Action has otherinterests like “Pink N Jeans”,

with Vibrant Promotion. Not tomention in 2005, his “Reign ofFire” tour with Capleton, alongwith Jah Thunda and MilitaryMan, which occurred at theKool Haus and Mr. Action’s10th year anniversaryfeaturing Beenie Man whichoccurred at the Kool Haus. In2006 he had Baby Cham live inconcert at Zone 1 Nightclub,also in the same year he hadMorgan Heritage live inconcert at the Kool Haus andthe Toronto InternationalCultural Reggae Festival withGeorge Nooks and Ja Melody.Finally in 2006, Mr. Action’s11th and Caveman’s 31stAnniversary with Turbulence,Natural Blacks, Fantan Mojahand Ninja Ford at Zone 1Nightclub. Then in July 2007he had Gyptian meet I-Wayneinside the Jamaican CanadianAssociation. Mr. Action wantsto thank all of his supporterswho have supported hisevents for over the past 11years. Stay tuned for Mr.Action’s 12th and Caveman’s32nd Anniversary eventcoming in December 2007.

JANAYA ELLIS“Feel Like Smiling”

Janaya “Sista J” Ellis haslong been involved in

music. Trained classically onpiano for 17 years, Janaya hada good foundation forbranching out. Raised in amusical family, she also playedflute, drums, and steel pan. At8, she was an original memberof Edmonton’s first steelorchestra, TRIN CAN. Janayabegan studying keyboards injazz-drenched Grant MacEwan

College. From there, her loveof Jamaican and Africanbeats, along with her WestIndian roots, influenced herartistic direction. She hasplayed with Caribbean bandslike RISASA, TROPICANO’s,EXODUS, and HARMONICSband in Florida. She hastoured the State of Floridawith St Kitts’ LORD SAINT.She performed in 1999 atMoonsplash in Anguilla, BWI.

Sista J composes,produces, plays bass guitar,keys, and is the lead singer inSOULJAH FYAH, an Edmonton-based reggae band. She is theleader, manager, and promoterfor SOULJAH FYAH, and theband has had excellentsuccess in becomingEdmonton’s leading reggaeaction. Playing everywherefrom the Sidetrack Café to theamazing Winspear, the bandhas rootical energy with wide

spread appeal.

Sista J is also working on asolo project, produced by Ibofrom Nevis (of Kindread band).In 2003 she returned fromNevis, St.Kitts, and St Martinpromoting this project. Theresponse to the first single

“Feel Like Smiling” has beenoverwhelming. SOULJAH FYAHreleased the debut LP in 2004,and it is available at all localrecord stores in Edmonton, online at Souljahfyah.com, and isavailable on order at HMV,Chapters, and Indigo.

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Purchase 1,000 Pressed Retail ReadyCDs from DBSduplication.com and get

a free “u-tube” video of your bandDetails at

www.freevideo.dbsduplication.com416-693-9413

reggaeXclusive -- Web Site: www./reggaexclusive.com --- Phone: 416-287-1335 -- Email: [email protected] Pg - 13

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S BAND/GROUP SPOTLIGHT

REGGAEXCLUSIVE “LIVE SHOW” REVIEWS

CALGARYREGGAEFEST 007Photo & Article by Lisa Connors

What should have beena joyous day for

Reggae fans in Calgary,instead turned out to be avery sad one. The fourthannual Calgary InternationalReggae Festival was justabout to get underway whenits organizers receiveddevastating news. Calgary’sown Ibo and KinDread were ina serious car crash while enroute to Calgary to perform atReggaefest 007. Long timebrethrens and band mates Iboand Yardie sustained criticalinjuries. Chris and Robbie,two of four musicians on tourwith Ibo and KinDread

sustained serious injuries.The other two musicians,Culture Brown and Juanfortunately escaped the crashwith only minor injuries. Thecause of the accident is yetunknown.

The news of the accidentwas announced at theFestival. Although the parkwas filled with families,friends, and great Reggaemusic, the mood wasdefinitely a somber one.There was a deep sense ofsadness as well as a deepsense of hope that ourbrothers would pull through.The Reggae community inCalgary came together muchlike a family, and held eachother up with love andsupport to get through thisvery difficult day.

Reggae music, being asspiritually uplifting as it ishelped to elevate the mindsand hearts of those atReggaefest. All acts were intop form and did their best tokeep spirits high. Abijah, Dub

Station, Tanya Mullings andRichie Stephens gave someoutstanding performances.The most memorableperformances were thosefrom Causion and Kirk Daviswho both dedicated songs toour brothers. Causion sang aheartfelt song entitled “OneLife to Live” which theaudience loved. Kirk Davissang “One more chance”beautifully, while CultureBrown jumped and waved hisflag in celebration of life andof love for his brothers.

At this time, two weeksafter the accident, Chris,Robbie and Yardie’sconditions are all improving.Ibo is recovering slowly due tothe severity of his injuries.Our thoughts and prayers arewith them and their families.May Jah Bless them all.

TOK IN CONCERTPhoto and article by: Halina T. Di-Lallo - Photo Journalist, Calgary,Alberta, Canada

After a full day ofCarifest events held at

Princes Island Park, the partygoers continued well into thewee hours of the morning.Tunda Clap Promotionspresented a full night of nonstop entertainment at LadyFatima Hall on Saturday June16th. Calgary rappers, “VexCobo” and “King Khan”opened the show, followed by“Shayne Bailey” direct fromTrinidad who was promotingher new single “Leggo MehMan”; keep an eye out for this“hot” performer! Duringbreaks, DJ’s “Black Emperor”,“Nu-Tek” and “Jamsta J” keptpumping out the vibes.

When “Rupee” (direct fromSt. Thomas, Barbados) hit thestage the crowd went wild!What a stellar performance,singing hit after hit including“Tempted to Touch” and“Jump”. After a short break“TOK” stepped on stage whenthe mass just rushed to thefront. This Dancehall Quartetof four young men exceededmy expectations. What anexceptional group. Theyperformed one song after theother, including my favourites“Chi Chi Man” and“Footprints”. This wascertainly an evening toremember.

For more information onupcoming events, check out:www:tundaclap.com andCalgary Dancehall.com.

SOULJAH FYAH

The top drawer ofAlberta talent! . . .

Lionel Rault, CKUA host of theNine to Noon show -

“Souljah Fyah showed upin top form, inspirationalleader Janaya Ellis setting theroom on fire with her heartfelt

presence and constant callfor positive action. Ellis’ tinyframe practically raised fromthe ground, glowing as herwild, dreadlocked manespiraled around her head,following the beat. As thenight went on and sweatpoured from every pore,Souljah Fyah solidified theirreputation as one of the mostdedicated and beloved localacts around . . . the supremeleaders of Edmonton’s reggaescene.” See Magazine.January 12, 2006

Edmonton group SouljahFyah is part of the changing ofthe reggae guard in a numberof ways . . . Shereen Tuomi,

2005 Calgary Reggae Festivalpreview

“If Janaya Ellis everdecided to enter CanadianIdol, she’d annihilate thecompetition . . . “ SandraSperounes – The EdmontonJournal – July 24, 2003

Souljah Fyah is a reggaeband from Edmonton, Alberta,with members hailing from allaround the globe. Abombastic live vibe andmeaningful lyrical contentmake for a mystical musicaltrans-sperience.

Front woman Sista J’ssingle entitled “Feel like

Smiling” is featured on thesoon to be releasedcompilation CD by SmokeyRoom Productions. This CDwill feature many other greatCanadian Reggae artistes,both male and female.

Souljah Fyah’s“Abundance of Good”appears on history’s firstCanadian Reggaecompilation, released in July2007 by Canadian ReggaeWorld. Souljah Fyah will bereleasing “Truth Will Reveal”summer 2007produced byIBO. Contact:www.souljahfyah.com or call:780-479-5265.

Causion

Errol Blackwood

reggaeXclusive -- Web Site: www.reggaexclusive.com --- Phone: 416-287-1335 -- Email: [email protected] Pg-14

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S “LIVE-SHOW” REVIEWTHE DYNAMIC DUO"SLY & ROBBIE"Editorial and photo byHalina T. Di-Lallo

On Sunday August 19th,Deep Entertainment

Social Club showcased thelegendary "Sly & Robbie"better known in the industryas the "Riddim Twins" atQuincy's on 7th in Calgary.

Back in the mid 70's, thesetwo youths had alreadybecome established figureson the Jamaican scene, Sly asa drummer and Robbie onbass. They merged togetherand formed a rhythmic drum

and bass partnership, and "Sly& Robbie" was born! Back inthe day, the duo literally livedoff only bread and water whileon a world tour with PeterTosh in order to save upenough money to start theirlabel. After the tour, TaxiProductions was launchedfeaturing the breakthrough ofBlack Uhuru.

Nobody could accuse themof taking things easy asDrummer Lowell "Sly" Dunbarand bassist RobbieShakespeare have beenpioneers in reggae music fordecades with legions of loyalfans worldwide and they arestill going strong. Theirriddims have been the drivingforce behind countless songsand it is estimated thattogether they've played onapproximately 200,000 tracks,and that does not includeremixes, versions, or dubs.

Sunday's showcase inCalgary was one of their stopson their North American Tourfeatured the Taxi Gang,highlighting Jamaica's RisingStar "Cherine Anderson".

The legendary riddim

section took to the stagearound 10:00 p.m. With everyinstrument playing their part,keyboards, saxophone, andtrombone comprising the restof the backing band, Sly andRobbie took the crowd fromone mood to another withease, with playful keyboards,or with killer bass riddims thatechoed into your bones. Theyhit the crowd with classicriddim after riddim from theirextensive repertoire.

While Sly and Robbie tookcare of the drum and bass,guest singer CherineAnderson stepped on stage toaccompany the reggaelegends. Cherine calls hermusic "Dancehall Soul: amixture of reggae dancehall,soul, R&B and a little Lover‚sRock". She says that "behindthe beat is a message, itincorporates the grittiness ofmy past with the sweetness ofthings I've been exposed to".This highly educated,intelligent young ladypossesses so many qualities;she has a superb voice, is anactress and a songwriter. Herstage performance wasoutstanding. Keep an eye out

for this multi-talented lady.

The show finished at 11:30p.m. with patrons calling outfor more for several minutes.Even though an encore wasnot to be, all the artistsmingled with the audiencesigning autographs. Althoughthe venue was not filled tocapacity, the enthusiasm ofthe crowd was certainly high.Link with Sly & Robbie andCherine Anderson on theirsites on My Space Music fortheir upcoming events andnews.

POP UP

EXCO LEVI will be going toJamaica for CureFest 2007.He recently won an Award atthe 2007 Reggae AchievementAwards and has beenperforming at numerousshows during the Summer.Look out for Exco Levi.

416-656-7926 or 416-656-7756

www.studioquality.net

& PA SYSTEM

Cherine Anderson


be a part of the destiny...Excellent Album, Nice Mix of Roots, Rockers, Rub-a-Dub & Lover’s Rock

Now Available on Itunes, Napster, Rhapsody, MSN, Music Match, Puretrackers and many other outlets near you.

For more info/contact/inquiries: www.myspace.com/michaelthompsonvisionary or [email protected] 416-315-2952


CANADA DAY“REGGAE STYLE”Photos and article by: Halina T.Di-Lallo - Photo Journalist(Calgary, AB, Canada)

The “Sweet Like a SugarTour 07” which covers

one end of Canada to theother, gave Calgary fans aCanada Day to remember -reggae style. Smokey RoomProductions presented IBO &KinDread featuring fromJamaica, cultural Deejay“Culture Brown” who ispromoting his new single“Strong & Bless”. The multitalented “Five Star Affair”band who play a mixture offunk, ska and rock opened theshow. Tristin Chanel who is

the lead vocal and playsrhythm guitar entertained thecrowd when she played theDidgeridoo. The venue washeld at the Tropicana Bar &Grill, Marda Loop, Calgary.Check out all artists on MySpace Music for moreinformation.

RASTAFEST 2007IN REVIEWBy Lisa Connors

It was time to wave theites, green and gold

banner once again whenMasani Productions presentedRastafest 2007. This long-standing festival started outas Cuture Jam back in 1985and has since evolved into a

four-day celebration of Rastaculture. Events includingworkshops, seminars, plays,arts and crafts exhibits, familyfun day, and the main event"Back By Popular Demand"gave the city of Toronto thevery best of Rasta vibes!

"Back By PopularDemand" held at the JamaicanCanadian Centre on July 19th,was an evening of positivity,true Rasta livity, including nosale of alcohol, andedutainment, music with amessage! It all got underwaywith a Rasta fashion showfeaturing D. Grant CustomizedKnitwear, African Bloodlineand Zin Zen Collection. Alllines were impressive, andcould hold their own on anyInternational runway! Theevening continued with a hostof talented artistes includingSteele who sang a soul-stirring rendition of "SlaveDriver" that would have madeBob himself proud! CultureQueen, Donna Makeda wasfirst to get the crowd to itsfeet performing tunes like"Hold On" and "Come Into My

Life" (alongside PrinceEverald) in high spirits. I-wayne caused a frenzy whenhe burst on stage for asurprise appearance! QueenIfrica wowed the crowd as shecommanded the stage withpower and grace. HeadlinerTony Rebel put on a scorcherof a performance, firing offhits like "Fresh Vegetable","Know Jah" and many more.Rebel closed the show withRasta anthem "Jah Is StandingBy My Side". What an upfullnight!

"Family Fun Day" tookplace at York University onSaturday, July 21st. Theafternoon featured severalgreat performances by artistessuch as Prince Everald, CherryNatural, Trinity Drummers,Mutabaruka and many more.The event was well attendedand much enjoyed. Rastafest2007 wrapped up on Sunday,July 22nd with plays "YouthRevolution" and "Curse OfHam". Big Thanks and raspectto Masani Montague and allwho helped to make theseblessed events possible.

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S “LIVE SHOW” REVIEWSCultureBrown

Donna Makeda

GIVE THANKS ANDPRAISE CONCERTSERIES

Lyric Music Grouppresents Sizzla Kalonji,

Munga Honorable and MarlonAsher on Friday October 5th,2007 inside the Koolhaus,Toronto and on SaturdayOctober 6th, 2007 inside ClubNemesis in Brantford,Ontario.

Canadian reggae fans arein for a special treat onThanksgiving Weekend.Sizzla Kalonji (Reggae Icon),Munga Honorable (Bad FormMi Born) and Marlon Asher(Ganja Farmer) in one concert.This could be the biggestreggae concert Canada hasever seen in recent history. Itis rare for Canadian reggaefans to watch three reggaeartists of this magnitude inone concert, on one stage.

Munga Honorable blazedhis way into super-stardom

faster than any other reggaeartist in the last ten years.With his crossover Reggaeand Rap style, some arealready calling him the nextreggae superstar.

Over the last ten yearsSizzla Kalonji has given us hitafter hit. A show of thismagnitude can only bring outanother legendaryperformance! With over 40albums to his credit it’s nosurprise why some call SizzlaKalonji “DADA the King”.

Not to be outdone isTrinidadian Superstar MarlonAsher with hits like GanjaFamer and his latest hitShorty. He is a living legend inhis own right. Perhaps thistour’s name should bechanged from “The GiveThanks and Praise Tour” to“Tour of Legends”.

I Have only one thing to sayabout this show and that isthat YOU BETTER BUY YOURTICKETS EARLY!!!



“FYAH MUMMA”QUEEN IFRICA ATRASTAFEST 2007Article & Photo by Lisa Connors

ReggaeX: GreetingsQueen Ifrica. Thank you

for the beautiful show you justgave us at Rastafest 2007. Theway you command the stage isjust unbelievable, seeing youin person is like larger thanlife!

Queen Ifrica: Give Thanks!

ReggaeX: How do you likeCanada?

Queen Ifrica: So far it’s likeas Rasta I n’ I have to cometogether now wherever we arein the world. When we aredoing Rasta functions like thiswe put all the efforts aroundmaking sure that people comehere and the message goesout. I n’ I are alreadyconvinced. We done love italready so we just bring in theoutsiders to come see theglory of Rastafari. Who love itah go deh yah, which is I n’ I.

ReggaeX: I understand youare more than a recordingartiste; you are also veryinvolved in community issuesin Jamaica, speaking outagainst gun violence.

Queen Ifrica: That is why Iam so passionate about itbecause it is not just aboutgoing up on stage and makingpeople ‘wine’ up themselves.But it’s about having theresponsibly of making sureyou leave a message. Singersand players of instrumentshave a serious role to play.When you go on a stage andyou stand in front of one or

five hundred thousand peopleI personally think that youhave a responsibility to atleast bring a message.

ReggaeX: That is definitelywhat you are getting across.You are using your music forhumanitarian works.

Queen Ifrica: That is theword! That is exactly it. Thecommunity work that we do inJamaica, the organization iscalled Committee forCommunity and it consists ofmyself, Tony Rebel, Luciano,an entertainment lawyer, asocial worker, and a fewothers. We have a vital roletogether to go into thecommunities to take out therivalling gang members fromeach side and sit them at aconference table. We sit inthe middle as mediators andhave them discuss what theyare fighting about, and how wecan come about getting somesolutions.

ReggaeX: The situationseems to be a volatile one. It’sa brave act for you to get inthe middle of it.

Queen Ifrica: It’s not asvolatile as you may think. Theproblems that we have inJamaica are concentrated inspecific areas but for somereason you have people in themedia who put it on theInternet as if the entire Islandis at war. Trust me if you havenever been there, it’swonderful, Kingston iswonderful you can goanywhere, safely.

ReggaeX: Yes I did go toKingston, safely.

Queen Ifrica: Safely, youknow! There is a stigma.There will always be enemiesthat don’t want to see thecountry rise for some reasonor another but we are there asa reminder that good is there.Good and evil is everywhere.

ReggaeX: Are you seeingthe results for your efforts thatyou are looking for?

Queen Ifrica: Yes. What wefind is that it’s a lack of love,that’s a reminder thatsomething’s wrong. Theseyouths are very young andwhen we embrace them andgo to their hearts, we go to

their conscience. We don’tmake promises to them, wedon’t promise to buy themanything or take themanywhere. We just let themknow that police will not askyou any questions. They willjust kill you. We as acommittee, if the policeshould arrest somebodywrongfully what we do isprovide a lawyer to defendthem, to get bail. We makethem promise that if we are todefend them they must stay inaccordance with the law. Wedon’t defend the wrong inwhat they do.

ReggaeX: If people want tohelp out with yourorganization, what can theydo? Check your website?

Queen Ifrica: Yes,sometimes people do freeshows and then we split themoney amongst thecommunities for things likegoing back to school, forpeople who want to dosomething positive.

ReggaeX: Your message ismaking its way around theworld now that you aretouring, and travelling. Youcame on to the scene around‘95 and you have justblossomed from there.

Queen Ifrica: Yes, becausewe believe in growing. Wedon’t believe in massproduction. We believe inorganic growth, timely. Causeyou can’t build a house byfoundation alone.

ReggaeX: I’m sure you aregetting a good receptioneverywhere you go. Do youhave any favouritedestinations?

Queen Ifrica: No. Myfavourite would be Africa and Ihaven’t reached there as yet.I’m on my way there. I lookforward to experiencing that.

ReggaeX: Fyah Muma isdoing well there too, and alsoglobally.

Queen Ifrica: Yes and Ireally give thanks for that. Thereal message of that albumwas to put myself in it. To sayyes we have problems but letus find solutions.

ReggaeX: Your music is not

just entertainment. It’s farfrom just entertainment. Itmakes you stop and listen andsay yes I’m going to go outthere and do something.

Queen Ifrica: Yeah man,that’s the mission.

ReggaeX: The mission isaccomplished!

Queen Ifrica: Yeah man,definitely. It’s a seriousenergy. We are very true to it.I don’t preach sexist war ordivision. I preach balance.Come together and meditateto find solutions to theproblems.

ReggaeX: You are arevolutionary and so is yourmusic.

Queen Ifrica: Yeah man,give thanks. I intend to stickto it.

ReggaeX: How are you ableto find a balance betweenbeing a mother, a musicianand an activist?

Queen Ifrica: A good familyunit comes in right there. Ihave a very great family unitthat creates that comfort,always checking in with me.As soon as I get to Jamaicaeverybody is with me.

ReggaeX: Then you haveyour extended family, yourmusical family with people likeTony Rebel.

Queen Ifrica: I give thanks.I can’t say enough about TonyRebel. He is such a selflessindividual. He has come intothe business and he has beenRasta before he came in likemyself, and he has done 100%cultural music. I give thanksto the Most High for hissupport and FlamesProductions camp. It is notnecessarily about making themoney but spreading themessage. We give thanksevery time. Edutainment iswhat we say. We give thanksfor people like John Legendwho says “Imagine the worldwith love”. We stronglybelieve that good over evil willbe the ultimate force, so westay close to that.

ReggaeX: Thank you QueenIfrica. God Bless.

Queen Ifrica: Give thanks,same to you.


REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S GOSPEL SPOTLIGHT

TAURUS RILEY“Beware”

Not even ten chariotswith horses can stop

this new Reggae voice on thescene. No, it's not a noveltyact, but one that is destinedfor legendary status. A naturalman of superb talent has risenlike a Phoenix, some would say"its Jah will". The singer whogave us "Larger than Life" and"Barber Chair" on his firstalbum "Challenges" on theYaman Label is back at it, andeven better than before. Theintroduction of his 15-trackalbum 'Parables' producedunder Dean Frazer's CanonProduction was launched inthe heat of his career. Fanswere introduced to themusical shooter as they sawhow well he used wordsemphatically. "Beware" is onetrack that is conscious andwell received across the

airwaves both locally andinternationally. Boasting 14original tracks out of 15"Parables" is a respectableachievement for this youngartiste. The album is currentlybeing distributed by VPrecords.

The name Taurus Rileyoriginated from him beingruled under the sign Taurusand the style he first came onthe scene with, his friendssaid he fired musical shotswith the fast pace that hewould deejay, both werecombined hence the nameTaurus Riley. The new musicalsensation got hands onexperience from his dadJimmy Riley who is a veteranin the music fraternity, he saidthat life was always in thestudio and traveling with hisdad and so he was exposed tothe music and to otherveterans which he looks up tosuch as Beres Hammond andinstrumentalist Dean Frazer.Taurus expresses the love andrespect he has been receivingfrom his fans, throughout allhis recognition andachievements he maintains hisgoal in music, which is not topreach to people but to upliftyouths and to increase peaceand love in societies.

“BREAKTHROUGH”SHINES FOR NANAAT THE 2007 MAJAGOSPEL AWARDS

Jamaican-born, Torontobased songbird Nana

McLean has been on theReggae Music scene for morethan two decades and hascaptured the hearts of many.This year, at the Annual MajaGospel Awards, Nana walkedaway with three awards, shewas nominated for six. Theawards she won are “FemaleArtist of the Year”,“Reggae/Soca Performer ofthe Year” and “Album of theYear”.

Nana's career has beenlittered with numerousawards, nominations,presentations and recognitionfrom such organizations as the

Canadian Black MusicAssociation and the CanadianJUNO Awards. Her album“Nana McLean - Collector’sSeries, produced by Jamaican‘ace’ Donovan Jermaine, wonthe 1997 JUNO for BestReggae Recording. Nana's 90-minute world premiere concerton Bravo television is a regularrepeat programme.

Since her entry to thereggae music industry manyyears ago, Nana has notslowed down. With numeroussingles and albums, Nanacontinues to shine and inspiremany with her music. Nana isa first class performer, apowerful, emotional balladeer,and a classic reggae singerwith a bluesy R&B style. Sheis now a born-again Christiansinging for the Lord andwriting and recording Gospelsongs. More blessings to youQueen Nana, much respect.

Photo by Eddie Grant

reggaeXclusive -- Web Site: www./reggaexclusive.com --- Phone: 416-287-1335 -- Email: [email protected] Pg - 19

REGGAEXCLUSIVE SINGERS SPOTLIGHT

MARLON ASHER“Ganja Farmer”

Marlon Asher, a nativeTrinidadian started

singing at the age of seven inthe choir of his grandparent’schurch. The name “Asher” wasderived from the 12 tribes ofIsrael and “Asher” is the tribewhich represents Decemberand the Spirit of Christ. Hismusical style is that of aconscious reggae artist and hecites Bob Marley, DennisBrown and Barrington Levy as

some of his musical mentors.Marlon feels that reggaetouches his soul and he wantsto communicate that extensionof spiritual soulfulness withthe world. A gifted musician,Marlon teaches musicalarrangement of the steel pan,the national instrument ofTrinidad and Tobago, to youngenthusiasts with an averageage range of 7-17 years old.

Marlon Asher’s talent andingenuity was revealed withthe release of the song “GanjaFarmer” which became a hugehit via aggressive undergroundmarketing. The song “GanjaFarmer” was derived from anolder selection named “GanjaMan”, which was also writtenby Asher. Asher maintains thathe is not a ganja farmer andthat the song does notpromote the cultivation or useof the illegal substance.However, he hopes to createawareness for the work thatfarmers do, and to be mindful

that regardless of their crop,destroying any farm takesaway someone’s livelihood.

Marlon has beenperforming throughoutTrinidad and Tobago, theCaribbean as well as theUnited States. He has takenthe stage amongst renownedperformers such as Damien“Jr. Gong” Marley, BeenieMan, Shaggy, Maxi Priest,Sizzla and even R&B sensationBoys II Men. Since his debutin the United States at ReggaeCarifest in July 2005, Marlonhas been performingextensively in the Tri-Statearea as well as in Miami,Toronto, Baltimore, Boston,Virginia and in 2006 heperformed his music in Europeas well as Japan and Africa.

Asher feels that he hasbeen blessed and his future isone that will involve himsinging. He said “God has hisplans for me. I believe I am a

messenger here to deliver aserious message. I am justwaiting for Him [God] to revealhis message”. Asher has amessage for the youth: “yourtalent should never go towaste, with God all things arepossible. Pray hard and youwill succeed”. Marlon’spreview album was producedby Carl “Beaver” Henderson inTrinidad. He is co-managed bybrother and sister duo Geron“Big G” Woodruffe and AnjeWoodruffe of CaribbeanUnderground Productions.

With the success of the“Ganja Farmer”, Marlon hasnow released the love song “ILove You” on the same riddimand has been performing hisnew tracks “Love of Jah”,“Standing” and the title trackof the album “Locked out”.The 45 is available at MusicAmbassador & Beat Streetrecords in Brooklyn, New York.For bookings/information:[email protected]

MORGAN HERITAGE(Cont’d form page 8)

MCA and the first album.Of all the albums you’ve donefor VP is there a particularfavourite?

PM: Not necessarilybecause we were alwaysworking on new albums whenthree in one came out we werealready working on full circleso we never really get achance to sit and listen to ouralbum and really burn it out inour heads because once it’sfinished recording we startrehearsing it for the stage andthat’s where we know ourmusic, on stage. The audienceand the fans know our recordsbetter than we do! A lot oftimes the songs we rememberare the ones we pick for the

stage. We’re always writingnew material. When we getolder we can sit back and saywhich one is our favourite!

LC: What was it like to dothe Vans Warped Tour in sucha non-Reggae environmentand would you do it again?

PM: Yeah man! It was adifferent vibe. It was an eyeopener. You see reggae music,rap music, you see punk musicand you say what kinda tingdat! You don’t get a trueunderstanding of what it’sabout, but being out there foreight weeks with 52 punkbands and you’re the lonestanding Reggae band youlearn a lot. To see that 80% ofthem on that tour arevegetarians, they are veryconscious and socially aware.Punk music is still like anunderground music almostjust like Reggae.

LC: So there are someparallels there.

PM: Yes a lot of parallels, alot of things that you cancompare the in two musics. Itwas almost like we met

another side of our family.Especially because of howradical they are and the thingsthat they rebel against. Maybethe music is a bit too hard andaggressive for you tounderstand what they aresaying. All the bands couldn’twait for us to come on stage toplay some Reggae. We stoodout so much the first year theycalled us back to do a secondyear! It was a greatexperience!

LC: Your music is soheavily inspired by Ras Tafariand your lyrics are clearlyteachings. Do you hope toinspire your listeners to learnmore about the faith throughyour music?

PM: Yes definitely! Thefaith is more than saying youare a Rasta. It isenlightenment in life. It isbeing aware of yourself, ofwhat we were created for,being a lover of all people. It isa universal love in a divinemanner. It’s not to just say youis just Rasta and all aboutHaile Selassie and smokeganja, it’s more than that. It’s

about how you live withpeople, how you entertain yourfriends; how you entertainpeople you don’t know. It goesmuch further than words fromyour mouth. What we hope ourfans get out of our music andour lyrics is an inspiration onhow to live a better life morethan just an inspiration to sayyes I am a Rasta. The music isnot just to convert people toRastafarianism but to showpeople that there is hope inthe world. There is love in theworld! Rasta is not to say it isthe lone Religion, becausewho can tell the FatherCreator how to reveal himselfto different people? So we asRasta respect all people of allfaiths, all religions. We don’tcondemn other faiths and saythat one is right and that oneis wrong. The goal is to tryand live an upfull life.

LC: Why did you write thesong “Don’t Haffi Dread” andwas it controversial?

PM: Yes major controversy!The true thing about that is Ididn’t have locks growing up(Cont’d on page 20)


Photo by Lisa Connors


REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTREGGAEPLANET.NET

The Reggae Version ofmyspace and youtube

is finally here - reggaeplan-et.net - October 4, 2007. Bea part of history as we unveilthe new look.

ReggaePlanet.net is whereyou can rep your music, yourcolors and your culture. Setup a page and claim yourspace while meeting otherswho share the same passionsas you.

If you are an artist or just

a fan, make reggaeplanet.netyour home. Take advantageof you free web page withyou own url before all thenames are taken up - reggae-planet.net/bobmarley

Watch the latest musicvideos or watch other mem-bers videos. Share yourfavorite music with others orlisten our 24 hour radio andmuch much more! If you lovereggae music then reggae-planet.net is for you.

On October 4, 2007 a newera in reggae music willbegin! Reggaeplanet.net

MORGAN HERITAGE(Cont’d. from page 19

and from the day I born allI know is Rasta, me grow upinna Twelve Tribe, andamongst Binghi and theteachings in my householdwas Ras Tafari and I didn’thave locks until 1997-98 so allmy years going through schoolI wore my hair braided, I didn’tcut my hair, my other brotherscut their hair but how youadorn yourself doesn’t tell uswho you are. Some peoplewant to be part of a fashionand adorn themselves thatway. Haile Selassie the Firstwas the first Rataman and hedid’t tell anyone to be a part ofthe movement you have towear locks. The whole lockwearing is from an ancienttime. Locks in this day andtime don’t really meananything to anyone except theperson who is wearing it.Rasta is more than just that.

LC: How much of yourlyrics are drawn from personalexperience? For examplewhat about that song “GnatsGroupie” talking about agroupie robbing you?

PM: Well that in particulardidn’t happen to us but ithappened to another artistthat was staying in the samehotel as us. It was a verypopular RnB artiste. All of ourlyrics are personal in thesense that it might not havehappened to us, just personalin that it could happen to anyman or any woman. We don’t

like to write fantasy songs.

LC: There seems to me tobe a bit of a Peter Tosh vibe tosome of your music. Some ofthe heavy guitar riffs and someof the vocals. Is this just acoincidence?

PM: Well voices do soundsimilar. Gramps has a veryclose tone to Peter Toshhimself. The music itself ismore than reggae because weincorporate our music withRock and RnB music becauseof our style of singing. Wenever learned to sing bysinging reggae music. Ourwhole development in singingwas based on RnB andAmerican Gospel music so allof that creates a differentsound and a different style. Wecan relate our music to BobMarley, Peter Tosh, JacobMiller and all the veterans.And at the same time to theRnB acts like Stevie Wonder,and Michael Jackson becausethese are the artistes welistened to growing up.

LC: Do any of you have anysolo projects in the works?

PM: Yes, Mr. Mojo isworking on a solo project.We're very excited about that.It’s very different. Everyoneknows that Mr. Mojo Raps andhe sings and there is more tohim than what comes acrossin Morgan Heritage and indoing his solo project its not tosound like Morgan Heritage itsfor the fans and the lovers ofMH and new fans who will beattracted to his music torealize that there will be a

deeper dimension to everyonein this group. When we’reworking as a collective bodyeveryone has to be on thesame page and share thesame view to deliver aoneness in the message. Sothis project is very interesting.

LC: What are some of yourmost memorable or favouritedestinations on tour?

PM: One of the first mostmemorable places was whenwe did our first tour in 1994, aU.S tour in Red Rock Coloradowhich is an amphitheatre, andthe altitude is so high wecould barely breathe! Theamphitheatre holds 20,000people and it is carved out ofthe rock! The seats go up sowhen you’re performing theaudience goes straight upwhich is very memorable.Then our first trip to Africa,the Ivory Coast, verymemorable situation. Thenour first trip to Japan when wewent with the Reggae JapanSplash tour in 2000 withThriller U and Maxi Priest. Thefirst time we crossed theborder into Canada was verymemorable to us. We thoughtwe were flying, but we endedup driving and it was a verylong drive.

LC: What do you do in yourspare time when you’re not ontour?

PM: We just chill at home.We get in trouble by the familybecause when we get homethey want to go out but we justwant to chill at home becausewe’re tired!

LC: Where do you allcurrently reside?

P.M: Between Jamaica andthe U.S. We were in Brooklynbut we moved to SouthGeorgia and Florida so arealways in between there andJamaica.

LC: Who are some of yourfavourite artistes right now?

P.M: Luciano, Sizzla, BujuBanton, Capleton.

LC: Do you want to breakinto the mainstream with yourmusic?

P.M: Not for the reasonsthat we thought we wanted to,but for different reasons. Tobring this music across to thepeople and to realize thatReggae is still alive and thatdancehall and Reggae are twodifferent things.

LC: What can we expecton the new album?

P.M: A little harder than thelast one, very differentbecause we’ve decided to goafter a different audience, alittle younger. We will stillhave the traditional side ofMorgan Heritage on it but fullcircle on a different level.

LC: What does the futurehold for Morgan Heritage?

P.M: Just more music,more touring and a lot of newmaterial!

LC: Thank you for yourtime. I appreciate it! P.M: You’re welcome!

Ras Ibo & Janaya Ellis hanging out. Ras Ibo was recently involved in avery serious accident in Calgary, AB. The staff of ReggaeXclusivewishes you Jah-speed, get well soon my brother.


Urban Space - Tony Barnes & Sweet T CKLN 88.1 FMMovements - Mercedes CKLN 88.1 FMReggaeMania - Ron Nelson CKLN 88.1 FMRebel Music - DJ Chocolate CKLN 88.1 FMMusical Triangle - Milton Blake CKLN 88.1 FMDelroy G Showcase -Delroy G CHRY 105.5 FMMix Supreme - Delroy Sterling CHRY 105.5 FMZion Train - Natty B & Bigga CHRY 105.5 FMRadio Dubplate - Richard Banton, Janet CHRY105.5 FMPositive Vibrations - King David CHRY 105.5 FMCool Runnings - Sir B CHRY 105.5 FMCaribbean Crucible - Luther Brown CHRY 105.5 FMRebel Vibes - Carrie Mullings CHRY 105.5 FMReggae Rhythms - Patrick Roots CIUT 89.5 FMMorning Ride - King Turbo CIUT 89.5 FMNorman Otis Richmond CIUT 89.5 FMHigh Praise CHRY 105.5 FMCaribbean Radio Show - Durmot Williams CIRV 88.9 FMReggae Plus Radio - Lee Marshall www.reggaeplus.netGalaxy Reggae - Stephen Neale Ch 932/ Bell Express VuCaribbean Express - Wayne Vernon CFRO 102.7 FMCrooked Beat - Nicky Dread (Guelph) CFRU 93.3 FMHyah Fyah Show - DJ Justice (Hamilton) C 101.5 FMReggae Pulse - Delroy Sterling CHIN FM107/AM1540www.indietalent.ca - Candi McNeil Internet RadioRamjam Radio - MsFlexin www.ramjamradio.comWikked Ackk Movements www.fusionradio.caVintage Love - Leslie Andrews CKCU 93.1 FM

SONG ARTIST

1. OH CANADA EXCO LEVI2. NO GUNS FIRE CHESS3. LION HAS PREVAILED (REMIX) HUMBLE4. NEW WORLD ORDER STEEL & QUEEN IFRICA5. GOD BLESS THE CHILDREN KENNY B6. I WANT YOU TONYA P7. I DON’T MIND TANYA MULLINGS8. ONE GOD MUZIK SOULJAH9. TIME & TIME AGAIN LINDO P10. LION OF JUDAH TASHA T

(AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007 - COMPLIED BY NATTY B AND BIGGA -ZION TRAIN - CHRY 105.5 FM - EVERY WEDNESDAY 1 - 4 PM )

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S TOP TENS / SUBSCRIPTION FORM

SONG ARTIST

1. SHE IS ROYAL TARRUS RILEY2. AFRICAN QUEEN 2 FACE IDIBIA3. BEWARE TARRUS RILEY4. BEAUTIFUL SEAN KINGSTON5. MOVING ON COLLIE BUDZ6. STAY WITH YOU TARRUS RILEY7. CONSCIENCE BABY CHAM8. WRONG ADDRESS ETANA9. BACK IT UP BEENIE MAN10. WINE PON IT MUNGA

AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007 - COMPLILED BY EMPRESS KIM & THETREAJAH ISLE RECORD CREW - EGLINTON AVE. WEST )

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S “RESI” TOP 10 / REGGAE RADIO PROGRAMS LISTINGS

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S “INT’L.” TOP 10

TRACK #1: JAH JAH LOVEARTIST: JahranimoALBUM: Real LifeLABEL: Utopia Records

TRACK #2: STRUMMING MY GUITAR ARTIST: SilvanusALBUM: Talk To JahLABEL: Silverglobe Records

TRACK #3: RIGHT TRACK ARTIST: Jah Cutta & Determination

ALBUM: Wha’ GwanLABEL: Stomp Records/Warner MusicCanada

TRACK #4: NO GUNSARTIST: Fire ChessALBUM: SingleLABEL: Independent

TRACK #5: NO MORE WARARTIST: Tasha TALBUM: Single LABEL: Ras Vibes Records

TRACK #6: ABUNDANCE OF GOOD ARTIST: Souljah FyahALBUM: Real Roots Reggae - A C’dian.StoryLABEL: canadianreggaeworld.com

TRACK #7: X-RATEDARTIST: KorexionALBUM: X-Rated EPLABEL: Kornerstone

TRACK #8: BURNING THE COALSARTIST: Ron WisemanALBUM: Mystical MoodsLABEL: Marshmellow Records

TRACK #9: WITH MEARTIST: Tonya PALBUM: SingleLABEL: Independent

TRACK #10: OH CANADAARTIST: Exco LeviALBUM: SingleLABEL: Rulaz Production

GALAXIE REGGAE - TOP 10 CANADIAN SPINS

Channel 915 on Bell ExpressVu - www.galaxie.ca Channel 540 on Videotron; Channel 632 on MTS; Channel 431 on SaskTel

Top 10 Canadian Spins for July - September 2007Compiled by Stephen Neale/Galaxie Reggae

SUBSCRIPTION FORM

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REGGAEXCLUSIVE DANCEHALL VIBES

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S INTERVIEW/BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

LADIES NIGHT ATTHE KABANA”Article and photos Halina T. Di-Lallo

On Saturday, April 14th,Kabana Bar & Grill

celebrated its 1st YearAnniversary with a live stageshow introducing an all“Ladies” cast. D.J. for theevening was “Lady Redz” (halfof RnR Sound). From the topto the very last drop Canada’stop Selectress mesmerizedthe audience with herexpertise in dropping theneedle. She always grants theReggae massive what theyreally wish for, as her mottogoes – “I always play for thepeople and not for myself”.From Foundation, Dancehall,Soca to Pop, “Lady Redz”shows her diverse knowledge

of music. She has on manyoccasions made it known tothe male selectas that she isone to be reckoned with!

The show commencedaround 11 p.m. with the Back-up Band for the evening“Infiniti”. “Trevor Rankin” (theother half of RnR Sound)introduced the first act,Calgary’s own CanadianReggae Music Award winner“Bianca”. Entering the venueshe began singing a version of“Heaven” a capella which shereleased last Spring. Once onstage, the familiar reggae beatcommenced and “Bianca”accompanied by her back upsinger Angie McGillivray, tookcommand with her powerfulvoice. Next, she broke outwith her newest single; arendition of Bob Marley’s “WhoThe Cap Fit”. Bianca lacks noconfidence when performingto a live audience and herpassion was electrifying asshe sang her slow version of“Waiting In Vain”. Toeveryone’s surprise, shefinished her set by bursting

into an old ska riddim byPhyllis Dillon, “Don’t StayAway”. Interacting with herfans she had everyone up onthe dance floor as she sang anextended mix of the tune.Fans kept crying out for her to“Pull Up! Pull Up!” which inJamaica this means that themusic sounds so nice, that youmust play it twice. Biancaobliged gracefully. Shecontinued singing as she leftthe stage and thanked herfaithful fans for theircontinued support. After ashort intermission with acomplimentary buffet for allpatrons in the Dining Area, thenext act appeared on stage.Originally from Kingston,Jamaica and now residing inFlorida, “Judy Bell” performeda set of three songs. Althoughshe was having mic problems,she scuffled through andthanked her audience for theirsupport. The final act wasalso an artist originally fromJamaica and now living inFlorida, “Paulette Pearce”.She gave a long performanceof approximately 11 songs,

including some from herupcoming album.Unfortunately, the vibes werelacking and the majority of theaudience unappreciative ofthis talented artist. Thebacking band “Infiniti”finished off the evening byplaying a couple ofinstrumentals. Bianca waselected to take on the leadrole in singing the final song ofthe evening. Gathering onstage, all of the lady artists,including Lady Redz,accompanied her as they sangone final song “One Love”, atribute to Bob Marley.

Final Thought: In a maledominated field, “femaleartists” are always strugglingto continue the legacy ofreggae music and keep italive. Although the featureartist Paulette Pearcedelivered a good performance,the most impact efforts of thenight came from Calgary’s own“Bianca” and DJ “Lady Redz”who both capitaved theiraudience with their magneticstage presence.

THE OPRAH OFDANCEHALL:NATASHA VONCASTLEBy Sophia “Iyamtheiah” Daniel.

In just over one year aToronto born reggae

magazine has gainedinternational recognitiononline. The website

L3magazine.com is a place forand about sound systems, diskjockeys, producers, and allothers contributing to reggaemusic. Editor-in-ChiefNatasha Van Castle spoke withReggaeXclusive about L3magazine’s success.

R.X: Greetings. Thank youfor taking the time to speakwith ReggaeXclusive. Weappreciate that.

Natasha: Thank you. It’s apleasure.

R.X: Tell us about L3Magazine.

Natasha: L3 Magazinestarted online in January2006. The L stands for Life,Love, and Lyrics. Specialprints are also available. Weinterview sound systems,artists, really everyone who isassociated with reggae musicin some shape or form. Weeven interview othermagazines. Without eachother we can’t be successful.

R.X: Can you share with us

the traffic to your site andlocation of your readers?

Natasha: Yes. We get over2,000 hits per week,approximately 8,000 eachmonth. People all over theworld read our magazine. Ourreaders are in Germany(thanks to Sentinel SoundSystem), England, Jamaica.

R.X: Why do you think thatyour site has become sopopular in such a short timespan?

Natasha: It is because ofour relationships with thesound systems. We don’tbelieve that only the artistsare stars. People behind thescenes are just as important.

R.X: Tell us about yourinteraction with soundsystems.

Natasha: I come from asound background so I’ve meta lot of people over the years.In fact I managed some soundsystems and artists. Theseinclude Desert Storms, KingTurbo, and King Aggression.The sound circle is small and

my passion and love for soundsystems was always there. Iwould go to Muscle’s so Icould relate to their work.That would always get themexcited as well as me.

R.X: Which artists haveyou managed?

Natasha: I’ve managed afew people such as radiopersonality Carrie Mullingsand poet J. Nicole Noel forexample.

R.X: How does a youngperson become a manager inthe entertainment industry?

Natasha: Paralegal inentertainment law was a resultof my education. I attendedRyerson University forParalegal. My first projectcame to me from a companycalled Narcotic Entertainment.I was approached by themregarding signing some artiststo publishing deals. They hadconfidence in my abilities andoffered me a position in thepublishing division. That wasin 1998. (See L3 Magazine pg 24)


REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S DEEJAYS/SINGJAYS SPOTLIGHT

L3 MAGAZINE(Continued from page 23)

R.X: Can you explain howyour management careerpaved the way to L3Magazine?

Natasha: I can’t pinpointexactly how. It is like a cardriving from Toronto toPickering but there are stopsin between. I was raised inreggae music. My parents arefrom Trinidad but reggaemusic just comes to me. Fromthe time I first heard BobMarley I remember thinking atage six “That is the greatestmusic on earth”. In 2003 Sesfrom King Turbo offered meemployment as manager andwhen you work for a greatsound system like King Turboyou are exposed to many.Because of the excitement in

the reggae industry, everyonewants to carry the news. I’m ajournalist and I like to callmyself the Oprah of Dancehall.Chris will video tapeinterviews and that is my wayto be journalist and interviewthe people.

R.X: Was it that easy?Natasha: No. It hasn’t

been easy. It is a lot of hardwork. There were a lot ofdisappointments along theway but there were alsobonuses that made me hold onand kept going forward.

R.X: Who inspired you?Natasha: My mom. She

could be the worst person atdoing a particular task but youcan’t tell her no. What I takefrom that is her determination.I am also inspired by a fewwomen in the public eye. They

are: Donna Makeda: Multi-award winning reggae singerand founder ofReggaeXclusive magazine,Tasha Roses: Owner of Gunsand Roses Sound System,Carrie Mullings: Radiopersonality, Sharon Burke:Organizer for Sting in Jamaicaand Solid Gold, TraciMcGregor: Vice-president ofGargamel Records (BujuBanton’s Record Label) andOprah Winfrey: Renowned talkshow host, actress, etc. Eachof theses women represent adifferent aspect of mypersonality.

R.X: Where is L3 Magazinegoing? What are your goals?

Natasha: Moreinternational. Being able towork with the clash mastersIrish and Chin now creates theopportunity to travel. It is truly

amazing. We plan for monthlyprinted issues distributing inToronto, New York, Australia,Germany, Italy, etc.

R.X: After launching thewebsite, did you expect this?

Natasha: No. I just knew Ihad a dream to follow throughwith. However, as long as youdo whatever you do withpassion you will succeed. Ithink passion is what made us.

R.X: Your journey isinspiring. Thank you forsharing. All the best with L3Magazine. Do you haveanything to add before weconclude?

Natasha: Live life to thefullest with joy in your heart.Be mindful of the lyrics youshare – people are listening.Inspire each other with Loveand the purest intent. Bless!

MUNGAHONORABLE“Bad From Mi Born”’

Eloquent, street smartand infectious dancehall

deejay Munga Honorableintroduced himself to thedancehall with an explosion ofhardcore rhymes. Born DamianRhoden from Islington St Mary,Munga joined the music sceneat the tender age of 18 whenhe entered the Red Label WineSuperstar Competition with theoriginal song “Who Drink Outthe Red Label Wine”?

Munga developed hisversatile style as a prodigy ofthe fireman‚ Capleton beforegrabbing the attention of thenation as a solo act. With anedgy rap style combined with aconscious mind and a “gangstaRas” image, Munga broke into

the business with his hit song“No Bad Like I”. Lyrically “NuhBad Like I” launched an attackon other upcoming deejayswho proved unable to matchMunga’s style. Following onthe success of the monster hit,Munga performed on stages allover the island, US East Coastand the Caribbean.

Coming under the tutelageof David House and DonCorleon proved a turning pointfor Munga. Under the guidanceof these co-managers, Mungahas unleashed an extensivecollection of singles onreggae’s hottest riddim tracks.Since releasing his hit single“Bad From Wi Born” in 2006,Munga has become one of thehottest commodities on stageshows. His Flippin Rhymes‚ ICame To Take My Place‚ Not AtAll‚ and Earthquake‚ are all onheavy rotations at parties andall the radio stations. His high-pitched Sizzla like singing stylehas producers clamoring tovoice the artiste who hopes toone day be as prolific as aCapleton, Sizzla or Bob Marley.

In the midst of making hisfirst album, Munga knows thathe too will soon take his placeas a dancehall great. “I want tobe somewhere at the top of themarket, where mi can busssome yute too, he says.

NATURAL BLACK“Far From Reality”

Natural Black representsan exciting approach to

Reggae music. This resilientbrother has over the yearsdemonstrated his ability to getthe attention of a wide cross-section of music lovers tolisten to his music. He hasinstilled a new awarenessamong his peers, with songssuch as 'Bad Mind', 'Songs ofFeeling', 'Never Leave YouLonely' and more recently,'Nice It Nice', 'Far FromReality', and 'Never Hurt You'from his album, 'Far FromReality'.

Mortimer 'Natural Black'Softley was born inGeorgetown, Guyana. Hecame to Jamaica in 1995.Coming to Jamaica wasnatural, as he epitomizes theinherent culture of Reggae.Asked what attracted him to

Reggae music, Natural Blackpointed out that Reggae musichas a vibe that is differentfrom any other music. Hesays, “like life, Reggae musicinspires, and gives the artistean opportunity to expressone's self fully, regardless ofthe issues highlighted”. Hismessage is crystal clear, andhis impassioned pleas forwrongs to be made right andjustice applied in the case ofthe poor and oppressed, areindeed relevant in thesecrucial times.

His style and personalityhas made him a favoriteamong some of the top recordproducers and showpromoters in Jamaica andthroughout the Caribbean. Asa result, he has touredextensively and has performedto sold-out audiences inSwitzerland, Austria, France,Italy and Slovenia. He has alsoperformed on festivals such asSting, Reggae-Sumfest, RebelSalute, East Fest and others.P.G. Music's Marlon McCubbinproduced his current album'Far From Reality', andbelieves that the singer iscapable of taking his audienceto subliminal levels, whereonly in the depth of one'sconsciousness can one's mindcreate and conceive a truespiritual balance.

reggaeXclusive -- Web Site: www.caribbeanmusic.ca/reggaex --- Phone: 647-435-0637 -- Email: reggaexclusive@rogerscom Pg - 25

REGGAEXCLUSIVE’S INTERVIEWTRÉSON CHATSWITH REGGAEXCLUSIVEBy Iyametheiah

Tréson took some time outto speak with ReggaeXclusivebackstage. The singer,songwriter, musician isclimbing the ladder ofsuccess, yet he remains acontainer for a humble andpeaceful charisma. We arethankful that he sharedintimate details of his musicaljourney with absolutesincerity.

R.X: Tell us about Trésonand how you started to sing?

TRÉSON: I was born inMontreal, Canada but endedup in a foster home inJamaica. By 9 years old I wastransferred to a MandevilleVison Home. My new fosterparents were U.S missionariesand they got me a guitar.

R.X: They taught you howto play the guitar?

TRÉSON: No, I just pickedit up and played. It was justnatural to sing and play.

R.X: When did you startperforming?

TRÉSON: My parentsformed a band including mybrothers, and I, we had gigstwice per week. It was at thattime we started to play for ourcommunity. There was alwayssomewhere for us to play as aband.

R.X: What was next? Howdid you become a solo artist?

TRÉSON: I moved toToronto at age 16 and didn'tknow what I wanted to do withmy life as yet. Soon, I joinedthe Canadian Armed Force anddid five years. It was good andit woke me up to myself. I

would tell anyone who isunsure what to do to join thearmy. You learn discipline butI had one problem there. Icouldn't take the yes sir, nosir, so I left.

R.X & TRÉSON burst intolaughter.

R.X: So when did you startto sing again?

TRÉSON: I became self-employed as a constructionworker and also some farming.I did those for years but had astrong feeling about music.But it was more than just themusic. I was about 21 yearsold. I got a guitar again andmade myself play. The wordscame with the cords.

R.X: What happened atage 21 for you to pick up theguitar again?

TRÉSON: The birth of mydaughter. That changed me.My foster mom encouragedme also. All this time I felt likeI had living to do. Singing iseasy but I started to askmyself questions like "Whatyou gonna say with convictionfrom the heart?" I started to

write solid lyrics, playing a lot,hibernating in every park orisolated spot in Toronto. Iwould even get in my car anddrive up to Wasaga beach. Iwrote songs like "KeepTheChange" which starts: "I amdrifting from this ocean into acommercial world".

R.X: Tell us how your musicbecame known with a numberone single and global airplay?How did all that happen?

TRÉSON: CKLN Saturdays,singles with Version Xcursion,then that lead to MontrealReggae Festival, eventuallyUrban Space Award andpositive feedback from peoplein the Canadian Reggae scenelike DB Hawkes, Luther Brown,Carrie Mullings, Friendly Man,and so much more respectfulpeople.

R.X: How did you feelabout the fact that they likeyour music?

TRÉSON: Their listening tomy music is an award for me.

R.X: Your music has aunique sound.

(Cont’d. in Dec. 2007 Issue)

“PROPHECY”CAPLETON’SOFFICIAL BAND...(Continued from page 11)

Riches aren’t all. We haveto be humble, for the meekshall inherit the earth. Word ispower so we must watch whatwe say. When we send out aword it is created and becomesa living soul. So we have to saythe right words. As far as I amconcerned gangster is not agood word. When you are agangster you have war in yourhead, violent thoughts.Reggae music is not aboutthat.

R.X: We give thanks for thetime. More love, life, andprosperity. Blessed Love.

Prophecy’s Iyakimo: Yes I. Prophecy’s Buba:

Rastafari.

Note: Some translationswere necessary as the entireinterview was conducted inPatios (Jamaican dialog)*

JAMAICA DAY(Continued from page 10)

music business and truly aninspiration to all, captivatedthe crowd with hisperformance. He wasdefinitely in great form and didnot fail to deliver.

Other artists who gaveoutstanding performanceswere Professor Nuts, Symfoni,Tanya Mullings, Michael

Thompson, Demolition Man,Treson, Kay Morris, Tonya P.,Eyesus, Macomere Fifi, JimmyReid, Blakka Ellis and JakkiJames. Other artistsappearing on the bill wereTinga Stewart, VC, ChurchBoyz, Douglas Booth, LetnaAllen, Patrick Blair, O’neilDavis, Ibo, Projek RAW DanceGroup, Mountain Edge Bandand Black-X-Kimo Band. Hostsfor the event were CarrieMullings, Super V and GarviaBailey. Much respect goes outto the promoters for a verypeaceful event.

DON CARLOS (Cont’d. from page 7)

the reunion of the originalvocal trio with Don, Garth andDuckie. After six years, 1989-1994 and four albums, singinglead for Black Uhuru in thestudio and on the road, Donagain went back to his solocareer. His other titles withBlack Uhuru include MysticalTruths, Iron Storm and Strong.All of these four albums areclassics with Don up front onlead vocals. As well, each ofthese four titles werenominated for Grammy

Awards.

After the Black Uhurureunion, Don continued toshow his inspiration throughhis albums Ease Up, SevenDays a Week and Groove withMe. During this time donkept on touring and in the newmillennium he joined forceswith the California basedReggae Angels for four yearswith a solid backing band.New cds Live at Belly Up andElevate the Roots, due out in2007 available along with hisclassics atwww.DonCarlosRecords.com.


ROGER STEFFENSInterview by: Michelle OttleyPhoto by: Sandi Destonis

Sandi: Whom from theMarley family can you

say is sending a futuremessage of consciousnesswith the year 3000 coming upand who would you say isreaching the people.

Roger: I think the futuremessage is coming fromDamian, he has terrific lyricsbut unless you get amagnifying glass and read theminor notes in the book andthe lyrics printed in it you arenot going to catch a wholeheap of this speed rap whichis the young generation’s wayof approaching music, it is not

musical. The song of rap tome is the beat of a cell doorbeing slammed over and overand over! I do not like beingshouted at, a kind word turnsaway wrath and I think peoplehave to reconsider the rootsfor the 21st century and find away for the roots to live again.Artists like Turbulence andChrisinti, Jimmy Riley’s sonTaurus Riley and his debutalbum 2 years ago were aknock out, I played it on theradio everywhere I went. I am64 years old and I am stillbeing astonished, I want to beastonished, I am always outthere rooting for youngpeople. Turn me on man, letme hear something that I havenever heard before and I willscream it to the roof top foryou. Give me something to beexcited about; don’t give mesomething that I have heard16 times before. I thinkDamian is reaching hisgeneration more so than anyother artist and because he

has the Marley name he willcontinue to be awardedGrammies, anything that hasthe title Marley or the Wailersis an automatic winner byname recognition solely and itis interesting that youmentioned 3000, because atthe millennium, the new Yorktimes built a time capsule tobe opened by the year 3000and they wanted to put a pieceof musical art that could standthe test of time for the people1000 years from now. Andthey chose Bob Marley live atthe rainbow in 1977.

Michelle: So do you haveany final words?

Roger: For the Canadians,I have been coming to Canadafor the last 40 years. Since Icame back from 26 months inthe war in Vietnam and hadthe climate been better Iwould have chosen here andforsaken America in 1970. Ilove Canada! The people aregreat! And there is a

sophistication that is the bestparts of England mixed withthe best parts of America andif the blandness is the priceyou pay, well so be it!Because it’s a much better lifethan what I see in America,where our constitution isbeing shredded to pieces.And do not be ashamed ofbeing a Canadian artist,realize that you can contributejust as much to the world assome poor kid born in thebush in Jamaica without ahope in the world or any kindof future. And that was BobMarley and you are comingfrom a much more civilizedtime and place.

Michelle: Is there anyCanadian artist that you seeand like?

Roger: I like Odel andMichael St. George is abrilliant Dub Poet and guy. Ialso used to love Messenjah.

(This was the final portionof the Interview with Roger)


DADA KALONJI...(Continued from page 8)

Their ancestors werehere, it’s just because

of Columbus or some slavemaster that take them fromthere and their children areborn there that they becomecitizens. If the goat born inthe cow pen that doesn’t makethe goat a cow. Youunderstand it? It’s still a goat.It was just born there.Naturally, know what I mean?So the musician, every chord,every pattern, every beat, theplayer can play that so what’sdifferent? It’s just one musicand the same songs and tunesand players of instruments.The Most High dwells andabides in each and every oneof them. If we know thesechildren here are not fullywrapped in the culture, we’resupposed to be the ones to

step out and help. I’m notgoing to be like some artists’and just sing and go home. Youneed to be someone who whenyou’re not onstage and you’renot hype to talk to you aboutwhat you’re doing wrong andwhat you’re going to do. Youmight have the ‘bling bling’fans but I have a cultural fanthat’s really serious aboutslavery, raping, thieving,kidnapping, racism, prejudice.I got fans that, that BURN!Those things! So you’ve got toopen your eyes now my rapperbrethrens and my rappersistrens. Wake up to the worldright now; it’s what’s going on?So we have to unite someway,somehow. But, reggae can’tdie and hip hop comes fromreggae and reggae comesfrom Nyahbinghi, which is thechurchical music, know what Imean? So, it’s one.

S.A: Yes I that’s very true,and how lovely it would be ifeveryone could wake up andsee that we all need to uniteand work together. What isyour favorite color?

Sizzla: (smiles) my favoritecolor? I like all colors butumm... I would say red, gold,green, black, white and babyblue. These are the colors

that represent the flag, thebanner because it’s red, goldand green. Black because ofBlack Supremacy thronebearing and His Majesty as theBlack King. We representourselves with the color black.Before the Sabbath you wearblack. The days are with thecolors. Sunday is more of red.Monday is yellow. Tuesday isgreen. Thursday might beblue, Friday black and theSabbath is white again, knowwhat I mean?

S.A: What is your favoritefood?

Sizzla: My favorite food?Hmm...I like rice and peas,yeah. Of lately I’m like moreinto the soya products.Sometimes words affect me (inthe bible), know what I mean?Like knowing that I’m going onstage and you know thatyou’re supposed to have aturban on and you don’t haveyour turban on. Right now Imight be free. I might behaving a bath so I might notwear one. Once I’m going todeal with people, spirituallyyou’ve got to be like royallyadorned to fulfill livity!Chapter 21 verse 10 says thathe that is a high priest mustnot uncover his head amongst

his brethren or go naked or beaffiliated to anything deadbecause you’ve beenconsecrated and set aside todeal with the work of The MostHigh. So when I read thosethings, I say dead? But fish isdead. So let go the fish andthe chicken! They say, “Kingyou cyah stop eat fish!” Mi saywhy? Look how far I have togo to catch the fish. The fishis way out in the sea. Why amI going to his domain to catchhim? I start burn Fiyah! Fiyah!No meat, and all of a sudden Istart notice the soya productsstart take the supermarket.Know what I mean? At onetime there weren’t much soyaproducts. So after the cultureconsciousness come about Inotice soya products, right as Istart burning the fire! So yeahsoya products, tofu but notonly soya but a lot of different,savory vegetarian dishes madefrom spices of the earth.

S.A: If you had to chooseone word to describe yourselfwhat would it be?Sizzla: (smiling) I could saybenevolent. Sizzla is justtremendous. I want to thankyou ladies and ReggaeXclusiveMagazine. Blessed Love, RasTafari!


Featuring: MICHAEL ROSE,WILLI WILLIAMS, DONNAMAKEDA, NANA MCLEAN,

GLEN WASHIINGTON

Available at: Treajah Isle - 416-787-7615; Irie Music; Natia Fashion & Boutique - 416-242-5731;

DJ Records - 416-654-8336 and all leading Record/CD Stores.

Distributed by: SIMMIX RECORD & CD DISTRIBUTION -416-243-0656 Fax: 416-243-8402

reggaeXclusive -- Web Site: www.reggaexclusive --- Phone: 416-287-1335 -- Email: [email protected] Pg - 28

LYRIC MUSIC GROUP PRESENTS THANKSGIVING LONG …caribbeanmusic.ca/NewFiles/sept07.pdf · lyric...

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