Since 2019, Lila Iké’s releases like the single “Where I’m Coming From,” EP The ExPerience, and feature on Samory I’s “Outside” have shown her talent and promise as an emerging reggae and dancehall star. Now, the Jamaican singer-songwriter is ready to step into the spotlight with her debut album, Treasure …
Read More »Dancehall Legend Vybz Kartel on Life in Prison and His Miraculous Return
I t’s New Year’s Eve, and the roads that lead to Jamaica’s National Stadium are filled with food vendors manning their oil-drum grills. Some sell orange bandannas like the pair Vybz Kartel wore when he walked out of the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre five months earlier, on July 31, …
Read More »Vybz Kartel Freed After Appeals Court Declines to Retry Murder Charges
A Jamaican court of appeals declined Wednesday to retry Vybz Kartel after the dancehall star’s 2014 murder conviction was overturned earlier this year, making Kartel a free man after a decade in prison. In March, the United Kingdom-based Privy Council overturned the conviction against Kartel — who in 2014 was …
Read More »Masicka Has Big Dreams for Dancehall's Future
The first sign that Masicka doesn’t stick to any preconceived path arrives when the new-generation Jamaican dancehall artist talks about some of his favorite musicians, like Bob Marley, Shabba Ranks — and Lukas Graham, the sensitive Danish pop band that scored a string of hits in the 2010s? “I like …
Read More »Jamaican Star Teejay Goes From 'Drift' to 'Dip' Ahead of His Debut EP
Rising dancehall star Teejay is prepping to release his debut EP with single, “Dip,” featuring fellow Jamaican singer, Tommy Lee Sparta. The song, which dropped Friday, opens with an ominous intro as Teejay joins in for his verse. “It was inspired by the streets and the skankers,” said Teejay of …
Read More »Bad Bunny Lawsuit: Judge Concerned Reggaeton Copyright Claim Might 'Stifle' Entire Genre
A federal judge voiced concern Friday that a sprawling copyright infringement lawsuit against reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny — and more than a hundred other artists including Karol G, Pitbull, Anitta, Drake, and Daddy Yankee — could put a chokehold on the “creativity” of an entire genre of music. Still, U.S. …
Read More »Janelle Monaé Gets Wet and Wild in 'Waterslide' Video
Janelle Monaé is making more waves with the release of the second music video from her latest album The Age of Pleasure. She and director Alan Ferguson (who also worked on “Lipstick Lover,” Solange’s “Cranes in the Sky” and Lizzo’s “Good as Hell”) collaborated to bring “Waterslide” to life. Like …
Read More »Skillibeng Is Breathing New Life Into Dancehall
Jamaican artist Skillibeng is looking to breathe new life into dancehall. He recently caught the attention of Nicki Minaj, who remixed his song “Crocodile Teeth” on her recent reissue of Beam Me Up Scotty. Now, the 25-year-old joins Rolling Stone for an episode of On Your Radar. “By the beat …
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