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Thursday night was Dancehall Night for ReggaeSumFest 2008 and it was a great show with some of the biggest names in Jamaican music on hand for a show which proved to be an arresting experience for Bounty Killer and lots of fun for me and a few thousand others. It was my first backstage experience with permission to interview artists and straight up I was out gunned. Me and my little JVC handheld camera could not compete with the professional level equipment and setups that the big players had. These guys came prepared to interview and they got all the interviews they wanted. I was able to get some great pictures and hang out with lots of the artists but the few interviews I did do were horrible as the lighting was crap and the noise in the room made it almost impossible to hear anything beyond the crowds of people. My mission over the next year is to invest in a better video camera and audio microphone for interviewing people properly. I’ll be better prepared for next year presspass access.
I spent much of the evening in the press tent and missed much of the show hanging out backstage with other press people and lesser known artists like Jamaican culture artist Nature and more popular stars like Anthony B and Macka Diamond to name a few. I spent more time with the press people and the event turned more into a networking opportunity as I met many of the top people in the Jamaican music business. I discussed working with a number of artists in developing and promoting their music online and I think the evening went well for me in that regards. I already have lots of work to do from this show and I’ll probably be busy until next years event.
I got some decent photos from the show with lots more to write about in the coming days and weeks but here are some pics from Thursday Night Dancehall night at Sumfest 2008.
Sun sets before the first evening of ReggaeSumfest 2008
It seems like all of Jamaica is getting ready for Sumfest 2008 and I know I am excited about the line-up for each evening. My good friend Ras Slick has an opening slot for Thursday evening so I’ll be there for that for sure and my new buddy Anthony Able will be performing on Friday evening so I guess I’ll be there for that also. I may not make Saturday as I will have the kids with me and they probably cannot handle that much.
The Smile JamaicaAfrica Unite concert was some months back but its still with me. I’ve been listening to some of the new music I was exposed to at the show and I’m very glad I went. I’m most impressed with K’naan, the Dustyfoot philosopher from Mogadishu, Somalia in the Horn of Africa. I have no doubts you’ll hear lots more from this young man. He’s got something to say and we should all take an hour an listen to his new album at least once.
K’naan offers some of the most original new music I’ve heard in a long time. His music is powerful, his beats are infectious and will have you bumping along in no time. His lyrics are raw and untamed and songs like “Whats Hardcore?”, “If Rap Gets Jealous” and “My Old Home” deliver what hardcore rap has not been able to in over a decade. A real hardcore life experience. Something in his lyrics rings true and you can tell that he’s lived a truly hardcore life. Songs like “Strugglin” and “Smile” were written by someone who has seen the bad side of life and lived through it. Everyone should smile when they’re bleeding! I think my favorite tune may be “I Was Stabbed by Satan”. You’ll have to listen to it to understand it but other songs like “Soobax”, “Hoobalee” and “The African Way” offer an awesome blend of African music and American hip hop that everyone should appreciate.
This is one of the few new releases that I can honestly say I enjoy from beginning to end. The CD flows well and although the message is harsh at times so can life be and there is a constant upbeat tempo to the music that invigorates. It’s inspirational music for me. I have no doubt we were all Stabbed by Satan
If you have never had he chance to listen to K’naan then I suggest you buy the CD today because its better played from beginning to end.
I bought this travel guide for our planned move to Jamaica because it was the most up to date book on Jamaica travel that Amazon offered and I had a bad experience on my first trip trip to Jamaica by carrying an outdated guide. On my first trip to the island many of the locations in the guide had closed or changed hands and things were not what they were supposed to have been. I was very disappointed and made the decision my next handguide on Jamaica vacations was going to be the best one available. I think I made a great choice with The Rough Guide to Jamaica 4 by Rough Guide Travel Guides. It's been an incredibly valuable tool in my adventures and I think it will do much to help you with yours.
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