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REGGAE UPDATES FROM JAMAICA: Urban Music Alliance; Konshens' 'Winner;' MBC's 'Busted;' Mario C and TOK
*Urban Music Alliance provides digital distribution for the reggae, dancehall and urban market Jamaican artistes have been complaining that they are being treated unfairly by record labels and management alike, there is little opportunity for them to be exposed in the US and global markets. This limited exposure, it is said, generally rewards the record labels and management to a far greater extent than the artistes who do the hard work.
In response to that, digital distribution company, Urban Music Alliance has set about addressing that disparity, giving artistes an opportunity to sell their product internationally at royalty rates generally reserved for record companies, and with complete transparency.
Urban Music Alliance provides various distribution and marketing services for its artistes/labels. According to the principals of the company, "Our network of digital retail partners includes all the major distributors such as iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Rhapsody, Napster, Sprint, Verizon and T Mobile, as well as dozens of newly emerging outlets. We distribute to retailers around the world and are tapped into the most efficient delivery and content management systems in the business.
"Our console allows our clients complete access to view the status of their sales and releases. Clients can view where their releases have been delivered, where they are in the distribution process and most importantly, see a very detailed sales history," Morgan Carey, who is the brother of singer Mariah Carey, stated in a release.
Inquiries contact Morgan Carey at morgan@urbanmusicalliance.com
Konshens is red hot with Winner
Newcomer Konshens seems to have hit the right notes with the single Winner. Recorded late last year, the song has become a sort of an underground hit, making its way onto various mix tapes and drumming up solid rotation in the dancehall.
‘Winner is a song that I wrote shortly after the birth of my daughter. It was an expression of the mood that I was in and the bills were piling up and I just didn’t see a way out’, Konshens said in an interview earlier this week.
Though not surprised at the response that the song has gotten, Konshens who has steadily built up a fan base among the innercity, said he wanted a song that everyone could relate to. ‘I basically did a song that everyone can relate to. I guess it pushed the right buttons and people are now reacting to it’, said Konshens.
Born Garfield Spence, Konshens is from the Sherlock area of Duhaney Park. A former student of the Excelsior High School, he graduated with eight CXC subjects.
Konshens made his entry into the musical field in 2005 when he and his older brother Delus formed the duo Souljah. They got their big break in Japan after recording the hit single Pon Di Corner on the Guilty rhythm from Cash Flow Records. The song figured on various reggae charts in Japan and earned the duo a performance in the Asian territory. Later on the album Sons of Jah earned them a successful four week tour in various cities of Japan.
Currently signed to the Natural Bridge stables, Konshens has been churning out singles one after the other. Among his most recent efforts are Music, Warriors (troop rhythm), Don’t Waste Your Talent, and Rasta Imposter (Young Veterans label).
Asked what he brings to the table as an artiste, Konshens said ‘I bring realness. I don’t see myself as a big artiste. I am expressing things that people tend to overlook’.
The video for the song Winner which was directed by Winston Mayhew, was released a week ago. The clip is quite entertaining and it is obvious that some amount of thought and coordination went into the making of the video. Good camera movements, nice colouring, effective wardrobe, and interesting storyline make this video stand out as one of the best videos shot locally so far this year.
Girl group MBC making waves with Busted
Girl group MBC is finally getting some attention with its latest single Busted. The video which was directed by Anju Val has been getting a lot of attention lately. MBC comprises of Foxy, Diamond and Miss Chin.
Busted sees director Anju Val delivering yet another exciting body of work as the video unfolds, with the beginning of what turns out to be a very spicy telephone conversation, between Foxy and Diamond. The video segues into another song with the sexy Divas performing a little piece of their steamy bedroom anthem Hot Lava Sex.
This video is yet another step in the right direction for this hard working girl group. Busted is currently riding RETV’s MVP Top 10 video countdown chart.
Mario C now a part of TOK’s management
Dancehall producer Mario Campbell better known as Mario C, is reportedly a part of the management team for dancehall male group TOK.
Mario C is said to be working on the group’s forthcoming album. He won the EME Award earlier this year for Best Dancehall producer, having scored three number one hits last year namely Give it Up by Beenie Man and Barbee, Back it Up by Beenie Man and Tease Her by Anthony B.
Mario C is best known for the dancehall rhythms Scoobay and Revenge.
BITS AND PIECES
Bahamian reggae artiste Sammi Starr is featured in the latest issue of the Bahamian magazine Nu Woman. The magazine went on sale on June 16. Nu Woman is a lifestyle magazine featuring fashion, health, music, culture and topics geared towards the Caribbean woman.
Canada based reggae artiste Steele walked away with three awards at the recently held Reggae Music Achievement Awards in Toronto. The awards included Album of the Year for the CD The Love of Jah.
Mr. Vegas will mark his tenth anniversary on the entertainment scene with a West Coast Tour. Vegas’ management team Irish and Chin have thrown their muscle behind this initiative. Throughout his career, Vegas has scored a long list of hits including the recent chart toppers Raging Bull, Hot Wuck, Tek Weh Yuself and Nuh Fren From Dem. Vegas recently completed his Campus Rave tour in the US.
The video for Etana’s latest single Don’t Forget was recently directed by Winston Mayhew. The video was shot at various locations around Kingston including Villa Ronai and Shortwood Practicing School.
World-renowned sound system Mighty Crown will be hosting their annual Reggae Festival - Yokohama Reggae SAI - on August 16 at the Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama, Japan. The Festival, in celebration of Crown's 17th anniversary, promises to be chock-full of excitement. Billed as Japan's largest Reggae Festival, Yokohama Reggae SAI attracts revellers from around the world. The highly anticipated event boasts an intense roster of Japanese Reggae/Dancehall artists and surprise guest artists from Jamaica. In recent years, the likes of Beenie Man, Tony Matterhorn, Voicemail and others have performed at the festival.
Cayman reggae singer KK Eleese recently shot the video for her single Get Loose right here in Jamaica. The video was directed by Ras Kassa.
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