QUEENS, NY.  - On a perfect day, without even a menacing cloud in sight, some 15,000 patrons descended on Roy Wilkins Park in Queens for the 6th Annual Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival. Diehard Jerk Festival fans and some first-timers came for their "taste of fun" but got that and so much more. The event  on Sunday  (July 17, 2016), was marked by an infinite variety of delicious Jerk foods and all-day fun with cooking demonstrations and competitions, cultural presentations and the riveting entertainment on the Main Stage.   Epic Battles   Over by the Jerk Cook-off Pavilion, epic battles were fought and the chefs and celebrities with the best cooking chops took the top spots in the fiery competitions.  In the Celebrity Quick Fire Challenge Miss Jamaica World 2015, Sanneta Myrie took the crown with her "Miss Jamaica World Mix Up", deftly staving off challenger NYC Public Advocate,Letitia "Tish" James who...

By Chris Yuscavage Amar’e Stoudemire was drafted by the Suns with the ninth pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. He then went on to spend eight years with Phoenix, and even though he struggled through a series of knee injuries during his time with the team, he enjoyed some of the most successful seasons of his career with the Suns. He was voted NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003, made NBA All-Star teams in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 2007. So while he went on to play for the Knicks (2010-2015), Mavericks (2015), and Heat (2015-2016) during the second half of his career, it always seemed like he would return to Phoenix one day to retire for good. That didn’t turn out to be the case. On Tuesday afternoon, Stoudemire announced he was signing a one-day contract with the...

By Carly Ledbetter   TV psychic Miss Cleo, whose real name is Youree Dell Harris, died Tuesday morning  at a Palm Beach County, Florida, hospital, her rep confirmed to TMZ. She was 53 years old. According to her representative’s statement to the celebrity gossip site, the psychic was a “pillar of strength” while battling colon cancer. Harris was released to a hospice center last week.  Harris was born in Los Angeles, California, in August 1962. She found fame as Jamaican psychic Miss Cleo, who was well-known in the late ‘90s for her commercials that asked viewers to “Call me now.” Harris later found work voicing a character in 2002’s video game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.  

Marvel Studios  officially confirmed at their San Diego Comic-Con panel that Brie Larson ( Room , Short Term 12 , Kong: Skull Island ) will star as Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, in their upcoming feature film! In the regular Marvel Comics continuity, Carol Danvers made her first appearance in 1968’s “Marvel Super-Heroes” #13. A Security Chief in the US air force, Danvers would later be transformed  into the superhero Ms. Marvel following an explosion involving Kree technology. More recently, Danvers took on the identity of Captain Marvel after being “promoted” to the moniker of the former Kree superhero.     Little is known regarding Marvel’s specific plans for  Captain Marvel   outside of the fact that the film will feature the Danvers version of the character. It was confirmed last year  that a Captain Marvel cameo was, at one point, part of the script for Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron . Marvel...

  Following their Spring 2016 U.S. tour with Stick Figure and Summer 2016 European run, Raging Fyah is back on the road again. Their tour kicks off this week in the United States with headlining shows in the Northeast and Midwest. In Colorado, they will join fellow Jamaican artist Protoje on select dates. The five-piece Kingston collective is touring in support of their brand new album   Everlasting  on the Dub Rockers imprint. This week, the band also dropped a visual for their contribution on We Remember Dennis Brown tribute compilation.               Most of Raging Fyah's members met at Edna Manley College of Visual & Performing Arts in Kingston before officially forming in 2006. The band consists of Kumar Bent (lead singer), Courtland White (guitarist) Anthony Watson (drummer), Demar Gayle (keyboardist) and Delroy "Pele" Hamilton (bassist) - carries the tradition of the island's enduring roots rock reggae spirit with an expansive...

NYC Album Release Event on 7/23 at Knitting Factory New York City — Feel Up Records, the label co-owned by Jillionaire of Major Lazer, presents Fire Alarm, a dynamic DJ and MC collaboration between nightclub veteran Proper Villains and the Trinidadian lyrical juggernaut Metric Man. Their alliance as Fire Alarm captures the essence of their musical chemistry on their anticipated 5-track self-titled EP of raucous beats and rhymes, available August 5, 2016 . The album is sparked by “Two to the Chest,” a nostalgic moment that borrows the classic Stalag Riddim, that birthed 80s dancehall hits from Tenor Saw, Sister Nancy and Super Beagle. Metric Man’s brassy vocals shine effortlessly, toasting as if he was at a sound clash. Throughout the EP, the San Juan, Trinidad native’s vocals flow over a mixture of contemporary EDM sounds and the soca and calypso that raised him. Metric Man, whose name is a...

  » by Omar Mazariego Jul 18 2016, 9:42pm Share This Tweet This Email This Gucci Mane ain’t been home but a minute and in that time he’s already put out more work than your favorite rapper. But Gucci knows that all work and no play makes life dull, so in the visuals to “No Sleep” Guwop takes a break from recording and enjoys the company of a bevy of thick young women who twerk and partake in a sexy pillow fight. Clone or not, you know he enjoyed that scenery. Waka Flocka Flame’s home life’s been so turbulent lately that we wouldn’t be surprised if he was running on fumes when he went overseas. But the visuals to “Real Friends” show the rapper making the most of his European tour and tearing down his shows when he isn’t interacting with fans and passing the sticky...

  Travis $cott sat down with DJ Whoo Kid this past weekend and gave some key updates on what’s he’s been up to lately. In the interview Travis $cott talks about his new deal with Apple Music, working on new music with Jay Z and the stuff he’s been cooking up with Kamaiyah. Most importantly, he revealed that his next album Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight is set to drop any day now. Photo: Instagram Comments: 0 Tags: travis $cott Share This Tweet This Email This Original link

  The jokes truly do write themselves. Former The Apprentice star Omarosa Manigault has been named Donald Trump’s director of African-American Outreach.  Says Fortune : “I’m happy to take up that cause for Donald Trump,” she told MSNBC. She said her new role is “an extension” of the work she’d been doing at the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. Recent polls have shown that Trump had 0% approval among black voters in Ohio and Pennsylvania, key states. Trump recently was invited to speak at the NAACP annual convention, but he declined. Manigualt, however, insisted that Trump has big support in the African American community. “I’m just wondering who they called because those numbers would be flawed,” Manigualt said. “My reality is that I’m surrounded by people who to want see Donald Trump as the next president of the United States, who are African-American.” If that is truly Omarosa’s reality then...

Along with “No Shopping,”  which featured a Drake verse dissing Joe Budden, French Montana used Saturday’s OVO Sound Radio to premiere his new track “Two Times.” The CDQ arrives today. The aforementioned records were actually a part of a trifecta of releases from the Bronx rapper, including a proper “Lockjaw (Remix),” featuring Gucci Mane and Kodak Black. While we await the CDQ version of that, listeners can stream French’s “Two Times” in Wired Tracks below. — Photo: Instagram — Nipsey Hussle ft. Bino Rideaux & Dave East – “Clarity” Prodigy – “Mystic/Live From Bushwick” OG Maco & Rome Fortune – “YEAH!” Kid Ink – “GoldenEye” Zuse – Bullet 2: Banana Clip Young Buck – 10 Bodies Chase N. Cashe & BankSkee – “Playing Games” Ric Wilson – “Soul Bounce” Rated: Comments: 0 Tags: kid ink , og maco Listens: 81 Share This Tweet This ...

  Why does the oppressor want to make you think that they are the ones being oppresses so bad? A tweet has been making the rounds of an image of the words “Black Rule” that was allegedly spraypainted onto the driveway of his home.   The problem is that 1. Who the hell says “Blacks Rule”? and 2. What kind of vandal would leave such a struggle filled note? What’s really of interest is that this incident actually happened LAST YEAR when a man’s Mississippi flag (that featured the Confederate flag) was burned in the front of his home. Reported WLOX (seriously, shout out to Styles P, Jadakiss and Sheek Louch, too) Police are investigating a disturbing discovery in front of a home in Pascagoula, a burnt Mississippi state flag lying next to racial graffiti. Bob Comans has lived in his home on Jackson Avenue for nine years, and said he...

  Hip Hop’s favorite foodie, 2 Chainz is entering the restaurant market. The rapper has revealed plans to open a new place, Escobar Lounge, for the upscale celebrity crowd to eat. The Felt Like Cappin’ rapper broke the news on Instagram saying: So I think it’s time i let y’all in on my newest venture as an entrepreneur this spot is called @escobarlounge my first club/lounge in the city of Atlanta off Peter St… #GodisGood…will be given opportunities and hiring reliable employees in the near future 1love 2Chainz 2 Chainz spokesperson Giselle Warren tells What Now Atlanta : “We want [Escobar Lounge] to be one of the top spots for the upscale and celebrity crowd in the city. 2 Chainz has been looking to get into the restaurant industry for a while now, and this is an opportunity to do something unique.” The restaurant will be a partnership between 2 Chainz and Mychel...

  » by Patrice Nelson Jul 18 2016, 3:47pm Share This Tweet This Email This So. R&B singer Kelly Price is “very angry” that she was confronted by gospel concert promoters after she sang the infamous mistress anthem “As We Lay” at their event. Yep. In case you missed that, Kelly Price sang a song about a woman laying in bed with a married man who is not her husband at a gospel concert. Price says that she was invited to sing “her music” not “gospel music” in a gospel showcase at the Black Expo in Indianapolis. So she figured it would be a spectacular idea to perform the pro-infidelity song. She says that after she was done performing that one of the organizers approached her and let her know that she didn’t appreciate that at all. Price says: “After I got off the stage, the...

Reggae music is no longer confined by race, skin color or nationality. It always did have a global message, but the culture that it represents has now extended way beyond Jamaica. Alborosie’s success is symbolic of this new spirit sweeping the reggae world. The Sicilian born artist, who has spent over a decade living in Jamaica, delivers revolutionary songs with deep, heavy roots rhythms that have become his trademark. He is the complete package – a festival headliner who’s written, played and produced a succession of bestselling albums since his 2008 debut Soul Pirate, and now culminates in this latest set Freedom and Fyah (out today May 20, Greensleeves)   Alborosie explains that the new album has “a very strong dub influence, and with signs of dub-step and electronic music in some of the tracks."  Lyrically, he covers similar topics, including love, revenge, politics and other social commentary. Freedom & Fyah...

VP Records  is pleased to announce the welcoming of Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer  Jah9  to the family. This week, she unveils  "Humble Mi"  to the world  (out Fri. Jun 24) , the first single from her highly-anticipated label debut  '9' , slated for release on  September 9, 2016 .   9 | 9 | 2 + 0 + 1 + 6 = 9   "This song was inspired by my whole journey and life unfolding, teaching me that knowing is not the journey because you will always have to know more. The journey is peace, love and balancing the energies within,"  explains  Jah9 . Watch   live rendition of "Humble Mi" on  BBC Radio 1Xtra.   Listen (feel free to post) "Humble Mi" now:   https://soundcloud.com/ jah9online/jah9-humble-mi         Through the new addition of Jah9, VP Records, the premiere reggae label and distributor, will break new ground with her depth of talent. She joins...

For 22 years strong, the VP Records Soca Gold compilation series has become the staple release to the genre, rounding up the most in-demand songs from this Caribbean carnival season. Highlights for Soca Gold 2016 (available Fri. Jun 24) include Teddyson John's "Allez" (1M YouTube views), Hypasounds' "How She Like It" (1M YT views) and Ricardo Drue's "Professional" (500k YT views). The 16-track release -like its annual predecessors-maintains soca's signature uptempo sound that is a continued influence on contemporary pop and electronic dance music. Soca Gold includes soca ambassador Machel Montano's "Better Than Them" feat Timaya and Peternsky's "Non Stop" - two of the latest hits on the popular reggaeton flavored Jambe-An rhythm which spawned Charly Black's chart-topper "Party Animal."  In "Non Stop," Peternsky declares, "let me take you to Trinidad and Tobago, we are the greatest land of calypso." Soca Gold will take you on a sonic tour of...

For over two decades, the popular VP Records' series consistently delivers the year's more influential hits and showcases musical trends in reggae and dancehall. Available July 22, Reggae Gold 2016 maintains its heralded reputation and also features a bonus DJ mix disc by Chromatic Sound, "the taste of Jamaican youth" (The Fader). Jamaican music comes in many forms and facets and continues to push boundaries. Reggae Gold 2016 showcases the island's diverse range - from dancehall and roots reggae to it's influence in contemporary pop, EDM and Top 40.  Whether it is the #1 Billboard Top 100 single "Cheerleader" from OMI or the club banger "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" from super producer Jamie xx featuring Young Thug & Popcaan, the album has no shortage of mainstream appeal.  The compilation also features a heavy dose of dancehall from some of the most in-demand, breaking artists like Tanto Blacks...

Written by Anthony Couto of comicbookresources.com   Clearing up months of teasers and speculation,  Marvel  has unveiled its plans for  "Mosaic,"  an ongoing series written by  Geoffrey Thorne  and drawn by  Khary Randolph , about a new body-jumping Inhuman anti-hero. Before the launch of the new "Mosaic" series in October, Marvel is releasing a 10-page origin story for the new black character, which will go on sale at Barnes & Nobles on August 6. According to  Vulture , "Mosaic" will follow "...the exploits of a man named Morris Sackett. He starts out as a beautiful and successful professional basketball player, a selfish jerk, and — unbeknownst to him — a latent Inhuman," who, upon discovery of his powers, "...finds he no longer has his handsome body. Instead, he’s become a free-floating entity that needs to occupy other people’s bodies in order to survive." The site also debuted the full first...

One half of  P.M. Dawn  ... singer  Attrell Cordes , who was best known as  Prince Be ... has died.  Cordes passed away Friday at his NJ home from renal kidney disease. He was 46.  PM Dawn, which also included Cordes' brother, Jarrett, were huge in the early '90s. They're best known for their #1 hit "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss." It appears Cordes was also living with diabetes. A post on the group's Facebook page read, "Prince Be Rest In Peace forever more, Pain from Diabetes can't harm you anymore."

ADDIS PABLO - SON OF THE LEGENDARY AUGUSTUS PABLO - PERFORMING ON REGGAE ON THE RIVER - AVAILABLE IN AUGUST Addis Pablo, son of the legendary Augustus Pablo, is carrying on the torch from his father. This June in Jamaica there is a festival in honor of Augustus Pablo. Addis is a young lead instrumentalist who continues the musical tradition of his beloved father playing the melodica and keyboards in both the Roots Rock Reggae style as well as a modern somewhat new age production style. Addis and his business partner Jamal Ras Jammy Layne formed the Suns of Dub, a multi-faceted label, performing act and production company. Together they have been keeping the music works building. In his time Augustus Pablo was constantly working on musical works producing albums and putting them out to the world. That was his mission. In the Summer of 2013 Addis Pablo performed on...