MORE MARLEY FLICKS
On the heels of the news a musical based on Bob Marley’s childhood that will debut in Jamaica, next January, another musical chronicling the attempted assassination of the legendary singer and his self-imposed exile to the U.K., will debut in Maryland next May. The musical, simply titled Marley was written by Kwame Kwei-Armah, the artistic director for Center Stage theatre in Baltimore, where the musical will run from May 6 to June 15 of next year. The premiere will be a collaboration between Centre Stage and New York’s Public Theatre. Marley focuses particularly on the period of 1976-1978, especially December of 1976 when Marley, his wife Rita Marley and then manager, Don Taylor were shot following an ambush at the singer’s Hope Road residence, Kingston. Two days after the shooting, Marley performed the Smile Jamaica concert as scheduled, but would relocate to England with his family due to fears over his safety. In a recent interview with the Baltimore Sun, Kwei-Armah said he always had an intention to do a musical based on a specific moment of his life rather than his entire life and had been ‘blown away’ by the singer’s music. He agreed to do the musical after theatre producers in London approached him about the idea, but delayed the project after initially being unable to acquire the rights to Marley’s life story.
Lucky Natty King
Reggae Artiste Natty King who admitted that he was wrong, after hitting his wife with a machete over a plate of pork that was in the refrigerator, says he has put the incident behind him and is now focused on releasing his latest single titled ‘Got Problem’. Natty King who’s popularly known for the single ‘No Guns to Town’, says fans should not jump to conclusion about the incident, or use the incident to determine his character. The singer was hauled before the court by his wife over the incident, but was spared by the magistrate, after the wife decided to drop the charges.
WORLD MUSIC AWARDS
Universally acclaimed Jamaican singers, Chronixx and Tessanne Chin are two of the standout nominees for the upcoming International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA), set to take place at the Coral Spring Center for the Arts, in Florida on Oct. 4. Chronixx scored four IRAWMA nominations, including the Bob Marley Award for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Best Song for ‘Smile Jamaica’ and Best Music Video for Here Comes Trouble. Chin, season five winner of American talent show, The Voice copped two nominations: Female Vocalist of the Year and the aforementioned Entertainer of the Year award. Crossover stars, Sean Paul and Shaggy earned three nods each, with the former nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Best Caribbean Entertainer and Best Crossover Song (alongside Arash) while the latter scored nods for Best Song (‘Fight This Feeling’ alongside Beres Hammond), Best Album (‘Out of Many: One Music’) and Best Male Disc Jockey/Rapper. Former Alliance teammates Mavado and Busy Signal also earned three nominations with both vying for the Best Crossover Song honor with ‘Give It All To Me’ (feat. Nicki Minaj) and Bumaye (alongside Major Lazer) respectively and Best Music Video with ‘Take It ‘(feat. Karian Sang) and Bumaye respectively.
CE’CILE STILL RUNNING
Female Recording Artiste Ce’Cile who is set to release her new album ‘Still Running’ on October 14, says the album will showcase her versatility. Already the first single, ‘Turn It Up’, is said to be receiving rave reviews and will soon be accompanied by a video comprising local dance crews. Premiered on International radio with radio personality Nikki Z, the single boasts production from Vinny Venditto, who has worked with Eminem, Rick Ross and 2 Chainz.
Turtle River Park
Bounty Killer, Beenie Man and Sizzla are just a few of the headlined artiste that are heading to Ocho Rios, on Saturday September 27, for the event called March Out at the Turtle River Park.
Mr. Vegas’ Loss
Mr. Vegas is today mourning the loss of his mother, affectionately referred to as Mama Lucille.
After suffering from a stroke recently, she developed pneumonia and was hospitalized in critical condition at the University Hospital of the West Indies, she however never recovered from the effects of the stroke and died recently. Mamma Lucille would have been 83 later this month.
Mr. Vegas has been hit hard by this sudden tragedy. He has decided to properly focus on family and making the necessary arrangements for Mama Lucille, within the coming weeks. Just days ago Mr. Vegas posted to fans on his Facebook Page “I ask that you continue to pray for my family and I as we mourn our beloved mother. I also thank you in advance for privacy during this very difficult time. R.I.P. Mama Lucille…Love you forever!!” An overwhelming show of support has already started over social media sites, specifically twitter and Facebook, as fans express their condolences for the artiste and his entire family.
Hip News International
Jay Z
Jay Z is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit from a sound engineer seeking credit for work he allegedly carried out on the hip-hop superstar’s Roc-A-Fella Records label more than 14 years ago. Former intern Chauncey Mahan launched legal action in July, claiming he should be named a co-owner of the copyright of six Jay Z albums, including 1999’s Vol. 3. Life and Times of S. Carter and 2000’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, because he was allegedly key to creating the sounds of the releases. His lawsuit was filed three months after the producer allegedly tried to extort money from Jay Z’s representatives in exchange for a number of the rapper’s master recordings, which were presumed lost after going missing in 2002.
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