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Archive for July, 2010

With her new album set for release in September, Etana is spending some time developing her fashion line with the hope of bringing new and exciting clothing to the public.

The album, Free Expressions, she says will have something for everyone. “All the songs (on the new album) are my true thoughts expressed freely, some with an uptempo vibe and some with a mellow vibe. All-in-all, there will be something for everyone,” she says.

She is hoping her clothing line will be the same. The soulful reggae singer has merged her clothing line, RawSoul with Dattawd, to create an even more exciting line of casual fashion catering to the needs of both men and women looking for something fresh and something different.

RawSoul has been around since 2006 with its line of tee-shirts and with Dattawd that is owned by fashion designer and model Andre Morris, they plan to offer even more exciting fashion including sexy short shorts along with other forms of casual wear. Currently, a line of shorts and pants for men is in development, she reveals.

Additionally, over time, there will be a gradual development in the designs coming out. “Later designs will show a development from casual wear to a more elegant look, but for now, we are moving forward with the exciting casual wear,” Etana says.

Much of this evolution, she believes, will occur through Morris’ vision. She sees him as a worthy partner.

model and fashion designer

Described as a young entrepreneur of the arts, Morris is also a model and fashion designer and has appeared in several local commercials and in the recent video, We Shall Rise, done to raise funds for the Haiti relief effort. In 2008, he was the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Youth Award and won the Louise Bennett trophy for Excellence. “I chose to partner with him because I see him as a talented individual and his ideas are always unique,” she said.

The fashion line is in several stores across the island including Treasure House, Collectibles, Stacie’s Boutique, Secrets Hotels and Spicy Couture.

In addition to the new album and evolving clothing line, Etana also plans to spread positive messages through a line of notebooks that has been on sale since May this year. The notebooks will have on their covers the lyrics to her songs Free and I Am not Afraid, as well as other motivational quotes on the inside cover. The Etana notebooks are available at Kingston Bookshop.

 Courtesy of www.jamaicastar.com

There have been rumours for some time the Haitian-born entertainer might enter the 2010 presidential contest, ever since his 2007 appointment as ambassador-at-large for the Caribbean nation by President René Préval, who cannot seek re-election.

In a statement emailed to reporters, the family said, “Wyclef’s commitment to his homeland and its youth is boundless, and he will remain its greatest supporter, regardless of whether he is part of the government moving forward … If and when a decision is made, media will be alerted immediately.”

The letter was signed “The Jean Family.” A spokeswoman for the musician confirmed the message’s authenticity.

Jean, 37, was born on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince but left the hemisphere’s poorest country as a child and grew up in New York City’s borough of Brooklyn.

He told The Associated Press in a recent interview he intended to be involved in the November 28 election, but not necessarily as a candidate. “Do I have political intentions? At this time, no. But what I do have is a movement _ it’s called Face á Face, ‘Face to Face’,” Jean said. “The youth population … we are going to encourage them to vote.”

fund-raising events

The singer has been active in recent years in raising money through his Yéle Haiti Foundation. The organization was widely criticised for alleged financial irregularities after the January 12 quake, when scrutiny revealed it had paid Jean to perform at fund-raising events and bought advertising air time from a television station he co-owns.

The organisation hired a new accounting firm after the allegations surfaced.

Jean, who said he voted for Préval in 2006, would not have an easy road as a candidate. Haitian elections are contentious and often violent.

Dozens of candidates are expected to declare themselves by the August 7 deadline. Préval’s opponents have threatened to block the November 28 vote if he does not replace the presidentially approved electoral council, which he has refused to do.

To enter the race, Jean would have to prove he has resided in Haiti for five consecutive years, own property in the country and have never been a citizen of any country other than Haiti.

Whoever wins the presidental race will face the gargantuan task of rebuilding a country devastated by the January 12 earthquake. Haiti has not had a functioning economy in decades, and its presidents have only rarely completed a constitutional five-year term – more typically being overthrown, getting assassinated, declaring themselves “president-for-life” or some combination of the three.

Courtesy of www.jamaicastar.com

Deejay Elephant Man wants back his Mercedes Benz after what he feels was abuse by the Inland Revenue Department.

Last week, the deejay, born O’Neil Bryan, got a rude awakening when the Special Enforcement team at the Inland Revenue with assistance from the St Andrew police swooped down on his house off Hope Road and seized his red Mercedes Benz. The operation was aimed at seizing assets to settle millions of dollars in unpaid taxes.

When THE STAR spoke to the deejay’s lawyer Roderick Gordon yesterday, he explained that his client is adamant about getting back his vehicle. He commented, “Elephant Man wants back his car, he feels he has been abused by the authorities, and used as an example to the entertainment community, he’s very upset about it.”

According to Gordon, it was “coincidental” that the vehicle was seized last Tuesday, two days before Dancehall Night of Reggae Sumfest, which was held in Montego Bay.

delinquent

Gordon explained that the deejay had made a payment, in the millions, to the Inland Revenue at the end of March, with discussions made for him to continue making payments in the future. In March, the tax department had placed Elephant Man on a list of 50 high profile delinquent taxpayers.

“He feels they are giving people the impression of him being a chronic delinquent which he’s not,” Gordon stated.

He told THE STAR that the deejay wants his legal team to look into his legal and constitutional rights concerning the matter. He elaborated that the legal team received all the documents from the deejay yesterday, after his slew of recent performances were over, and are now looking forward to proceed to the next step.

While they have not made contact with the Inland Revenue Department as yet, Gordon said they plan to contact them soon. Currently, they are looking into three options which includes a payment for the redemption of his vehicle, a settlement between the deejay and the Inland Revenue or to challenge their position through court proceedings.

Meris Haughton, the director of communications at the tax department, had previously explained to THE STAR that in cases like these, delinquent taxpayers have 10 days to pay off their arrears or the confiscated asset will be auctioned. She said if the proceeds from the auction does not cover the debt, the taxpayer could face criminal or civil charges.

Elephant Man is known for songs such as Sweep and This is How We Do It featuring Bounty Killer.

 Courtesy of www.jamaicastar.com

WESTERN BUREAU:

CLASSIFYING ‘SHOTTAS’ as “waste sperm”, the man tagged ‘Five Star General’, Rodney ‘Bounty Killer’ Pryce, said it was time for the Government to replace dons, commence the fight against poverty, and leave the police to carry out the job of crime fighting.

A seemingly new and mature Pryce, in a militant and philosophical performance, surprised the thousands who turned out for Dancehall Night at Reggae Sumfest on Thursday when he openly supported the security forces and called on the Government to act now, with the state of emergency out of the way.

State of urgency

“We now need a ‘state of urgency’,” he asserted, adding that it should be geared towards correcting the ills that had been meted out to the people of Jamaica by successive governments.

“Poor people fed up,” he stated, making reference to his 1999 hit song of the same name, while using his 45-minute stint to call on the other artistes at the Catherine Hall, Montego Bay, complex to collaborate in restoring peace to the country.

The DJ, dubbed ‘Warlord’, is known for belting out unbridled gun lyrics.

But as he preached and taught from his pulpit – the stage – Pryce, who says he is now being managed by his mother, encouraged the people in the audience to show love by holding the hand of the person next to them. His words of encouragement were met with loud cheers.

Pryce was later honoured by Summerfest Productions, organisers of the event, for his outstanding contribution to reggae music and in particular, Reggae Sumfest.

Courtesy of www.jamaicagleaner.com

Roots singer Lincoln ‘Sugar’ Minott, who influenced a new generation of
reggae artistes in the 1980s, died at the University Hospital of the West
Indies Saturday evening at the age of 54.

Minott’s wife, Maxine Stowe, confirmed his passing yesterday but gave no
cause of death. The singer had cancelled shows in Canada in May after
reports that he had experienced chest pains.

Minott was best known for roots anthems like Vanity, Mr DC, No Vacancy and
Herbman Hustling. But he was just as adept belting out lovers rock songs
such as Lovers Race and Good Thing Going.

Good Thing Going was originally done in 1972 by the Jackson Five. Minott’s
reggae version entered the British national chart in 1981 and remained his
biggest commercial success.

He was also a prolific producer at his Youthman Promotions company which
recorded countless upcoming acts. Tristan Palmer, Tenor Saw, Little John,
Barry Brown, Yami Bolo, Garnet Silk and Junior Reid all recorded for the
label which Minott started in 1979.

He co-produced Foreign Mind, Reid’s first big hit. Yesterday, Reid
remembered Minott as someone who did ‘great works’.

“Him gi a lotta strength to the music but neva get a lotta love from the
business,” said Reid.

Born in the Maxfield Avenue area of Kingston, Sugar Minott was strongly
inspired by rocksteady singers John Holt and Alton Ellis. He started his
career in the early 1970s as a member of the African Brothers vocal group
but went solo later that decade at the famed Studio One with producer
Clement ‘Coxson’ Dodd.

Using rocksteady beats from the 1960s, Minott, Freddie McGregor and Willie
Williams led a Studio One revival One during the late 1970s. Among his
songs for Dodd were the breakthrough Mr DC and Vanity.

Minott became a regular on mainstream radio in the early 1980s with
rockers such as Herbman Hustling, Lovers Race and Dancehall Stylee. He
also toured Japan, promoting the emerging dancehall culture.

In a 2003 interview, Minott said he was disappointed his career never took
off internationally. He blamed that on poor management and un-professional
record companies.

“Independent companies don’t market the artiste, they market the albums,”
he said. “If yuh don’t have a label like a Virgin or a Columbia wey
promote the artiste, then forget it.”

Courtesy of www.go-jamaica.com