Dub and Reggae» album

Win a free copy of Genesis by Maikal X

dubman — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 05:21:28 +0000

Rock’N Vibes & United Reggae are running a contest until February 26 to allow fans to win 1 of 5 copies of the new Genesis album by Dutch reggae star Maikal X.

One of the most promising young international talents in all of reggae music, Dutch star Maikal X, has just made his first contribution to the betterment of Reggae shelves around the world by dropping what has to be one of the most anticipated debut albums of the year, Genesis. Over the past couple of years or so, and particularly within the last year, Maikal X has established his name as one of the strongest singers in the game and in doing so has made this project a really big deal for fans.

Genesis comes via the same Rock’N Vibes imprint which listeners should know from having previously put Ziggi Recado on the map and if that was any indication, this one should be big. The album features previous grand hits such as Best In You, Warning, and Bear With Me. It also includes combinations alongside other reggae stars, including Luciano, Peetah Morgan, and Hawaiian songstress Irie Love.

You can hear Here She Comes, one of the tracks from Genesis and enter to win a copy of the album here. (Enter by providing them with an email address – expect to receive more emails from them at that address.)

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Elephant Man, Etana, and Reggae Love songs sale at VP Records

dubman — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 11:00:34 +0000

VP Records has announced 3 sales on their albums, for Etana‘s Free Expressions, Elephant Man‘s Dance & Sweep, and Songs for Reggae Lovers 4, a compilation album created specially for Valentine’s Day.

Free Expressions from Etana

Etana‘s Free Expressions is a 14-track album that display the artist’s unique brand of pop reggae, soulful vocals, and personal lyrics. Etana’s powerful voice and perfectly complements the progressive one drop riddims and rock-flavored instrumentation on this album through the variety of musical moods that appear on these tracks. Etana’s debut The Strong One garnered multiple hits and established Etana as a fresh new female voice on the international scene. Her sophomore effort will elevate her to an even broader audience with infectious hooks of I Know You Love Me, My Name Is (a remake of the hit by Japanese artist Pushim), Free and the first single, Heart Broken.

The Free Expressions album is on sale for only $10.99. You can get the album here.

Danve & Sweep from Elephant Man

Elephant Man‘s Dance & Sweep is 13 tracks of pure dancehall party music to turn up the heat. Dancehall’s #1 entertainer is back in action; bringing the fun back to dancehall and living up to his moniker the “Energy God”. Elephant Man is the ultimate party starter, whose spirit and humor on the mic have made him a staple of Jamaican media and an icon of dancehall reggae. Loved and revered by friends and fans, Elephant Man is defending dancehall, single-handedly battling blah parties and bad vibes with the songs to get the party started and keep it going. Elephant is bringing the heat in 2011 with the #1 hits Nuh Linga,Dance And Sweep plus the new hit Wine & Dip.

Dance & Sweep is currently available for $9.99. You can get the album here.

Songs for Reggae Lovers 4
Songs for Reggae Lovers 4 is 30 (yes, 30) top reggae love songs, including both old and new favorites. Songs for Reggae Lovers 4 aims straight for the heart; presenting 30 top hits from reggae’s brightest stars, all singing about love. This Valentine’s Day collection showcases old and new favorites including the latest hit (and exclusive track) Just the Two of Us from rising UK vocalist Gappy Ranks. Designed with collectors in mind, this disc gets better with each listen! Other feature tracks include the #1 reggae classics Everything I Own by Ken Boothe, Delroy Wilson‘s I’m Still Waiting, John Holt‘s Love I Can Feel and tracks from the Mighty Diamonds and Marcia Aitken.

Songs for Reggae Lovers 4 is available at a total price of $12.99 — that’s about 43 cents per track! You can get the album here.

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Collie Buddz Playback EP free reggae music download

dubman — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:36:50 +0000

Collie Buddz has returned to the music scene with a bang, making every track of his latest EP, Playback, available as a free download from his website. Originally released on January 18, 2011, Playback kicked off with Holiday, the first reggae single. The initial response to Playback was overwhelmingly positive, including strong support from NYC Hot 97′s DJ Enuff and Jamaica ZIP 103′s ZJ Elektra.

The Bermuda reggae singer Collie Buddz kicked off his career with his 2007 eponymous release, Collie Buddz, which debuted at the #1 position on the Billboard Reggae charts and hit the top 100 overall. It seems success is treating young Mr. Buddz very well – not only does his new 7-track album boast catchy melodies and excellent production values, it’s available for free to all of his loyal fans and the new listeners who want to hear the latest from one of reggae’s rising sons.

Click here for dates and information about Collie Buddz’s Playback tour.

Listen to Collie Buddz Playback EP

Playback has a generally mellow feel, the perfect soundtrack to a laid back afternoon or weekend morning. It forecasts the warmer weather that so many Collie Buddz fans are waiting for, with tracks like Hope, featuring guest vocals from Demarco.

But Playback‘s sunny, casual sound belies the effort that Collie Buddz put into it, having spent 3 years crafting every track. “The EP was entirely written, recorded and engineered in Bermuda with my brother Smokey at Harper Digital Studios,” Collie once explained. He had help from some top-ranked producers including Supa Dups and Baby Dee.

You can hear the tracks before you download them here (JavaScript-enabled browsers only):

Official music video for Playback EPK

Playback EPK is the first single from the new Playback EP.

The official music video for Holiday from Playback

Holiday is the 2nd single from Collie Buddz Playback EP. The video was directed by Jeff Pliskin and edited by Collie Buddz himself. The artist filmed the track on location in Bermuda, in advance of the release of the EP. This is a great track to relax to after a long day of work.

Get the Collie Buddz Playback free music download

Collie Buddz has made Playback available as a free music download from 2 links off of the official Collie Buddz website. The main music download link is here. The second free music download link is here.

These free music links to download the Playback EP come direct from the official Collie Buddz website, so you can be sure they’re safe.

The total download is 77MB so a high-speed internet connection is preferred for downloading the tracks. There are no requirements for downloading the free music tracks – no giving up your email address or anything else.

This isn’t the first free Collie Buddz music download that has come our way – last summer Slightly Stoopid shared 4 free music tracks to download, one of which was a remix of Collie Buddz’s Come Around (the other 3 are tracks from Slightly Stoopid and Cypress Hill). Collie Buddz recently wrapped up the Slightly Stoopid Legalize It 2010 summer tour with Slightly Stoopid and Cypress Hill. He’s also done some solo touring, launched a new official website last year, and kicked off his own radio station, Vibe 103. “The pieces are all falling into place, allowing me to focus on doing what I love most, making music,” explains Buddz.

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Jah Sun’s new single Ganjah Don

dubman — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:09:59 +0000

Jah Sun has announced the release of his new single, GANJAH DON, featuring Italian reggae music star Alborosie, from More Love Productions.

The reggae song hit the Italian charts and is on the Reggae Nation Top 10 video charts. You can get the reggae single now on CDBaby, iTunes, and BandCamp.

Here’s the video from the single Ganjah Don, with Alborosie and Jah Sun. Enjoy:

The video was produced by More Love Productions, directed by Tim Cash, and art direction Chris Kas. You can check out all of Jah Sun’s videos at Jah Sun TV.

Ganjah Don is the first single from Jah Sun’s new 14-track LP CD, due out this winter. Jah Sun meets Special Delivery for Battle the Dragon. Battle the Dragon promises to mix modern roots reggae with and conscious dancehall music. It’s being produced by the French label Special Delivery. Album cover art by Ras Terms.

Battle the Dragon features special guests:

Lion Camp
Gappy Ranks
Stevie Culture
Perfect
Rocker T
Alborosie

and more.

Jah Sun’s 2nd single, Plastic City, from his forthcoming Battle the Dragon reggae album, will be released February 1, 2011.

If you want more Jah Sun news you can sign up by contacting amy@soyoucan.com.

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Buju Banton mistrial, new trial in December

dubman — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 01:31:09 +0000

Rastafarian reggae singer Buju Banton‘s trial ended in a mistrial decision today, meaning the artiste will have to wait until December for a new trial and verdict. The Jamaica Observer reports that “Banton seemed relieved when the announcement of a new trial date was made.”

At the Gibbons federal court in Tampa, Florida federal court today, United States District Judge Tim Moody gave the announcement and declared December as the time for a new trial. The mistrial decision came after 4 long days of deliberation by a jury.

It seems that the 2-night drum vigil held by Rastafarian elders at Buju Banton’s Carlisle Avenue Gargamel Studios actually worked. Twice today the jurors told Judge Moody that they could not reach a decision, prompting the mistrial declaration.

This is a temporary reprieve: Banton remains charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5Kg of cocaine. If he is found guilty in December he’ll face a possible sentence of 20 years to life in prison. Both of Banton’s codefendants have already signed plea agreements in exchange for lesser charges.

David Markus, Buju Banton’s lawyer, has begun the process of requesting bail for Banton; we’ll know more about whether bail is awarded tomorrow.

The case has already been running for nearly a year after Banton was arrested in a sting operation last December and accused by an FBI informant of attempting to purchase cocaine with the goal of reselling it. He is also charged with aiding his codefendants in possessing a firearm during the course of cocaine distribution. The event was captured on a surveillance camera but Banton was not present for the actual purchase.

Buju Banton has maintained his innocence from the beginning of this ordeal, claiming that the government informant pressured him to make the purchase. Specifically, he explained that he only discussed cocaine to impress the informant, who he believed to be related to the music business. Banton’s lawyers have used this to build an entrapment defense for the singer.

Stephen Marley, son of Bob Marley, spoke as a character witness for Banton during the trial.

Buju Banton’s next album, Before the Dawn, containing 10 songs recorded in 2009, is scheduled to be released tomorrow.

This article is part of a continuing series about Buju Banton’s arrest, accusations, and trial. For more information about the trial, please see these related articles:

Buju Banton mistrial, new trial in December, September 27
Buju Banton still waiting for drug trial verdict, from September 24
Buju Banton cocaine defense lawyer claims entrapment, from January 27
Buju Banton drug arrest: dancehall reggae star buys cocaine from undercover cops, from December 15, 2009

In the meantime, here’s a Buju Banton music video, Power of Prayer by Gargamel himself.

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Damian Jr. Gong Marley biography

dubman — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 05:26:10 +0000

Damian “Junior Gong” Marley is one of Bob Marley’s children and a successful reggae musician whose most recent album, Distant Relatives, a collaboration with hip hop artist Nas, has earned him widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. Damian currently continues his life-long musical career, living between Miami, Florida, and Kingston, Jamaica. He continues the practice of Rastafari, records and produces music, and tours.

Damian Robert Nesta Marley was born on July 21st, 1978 in Kingston, Jamaica to his mother Cindy Breakspear and father Bob Marley. Cindy Breakspear was Jamaica’s Miss World in 1976.

Damian Marley was raised in a Kingston suburb by both Cindy and Rita Marley, along with 12 siblings; 10 on his father’s side and 2 on his mother’s side. As a teenager, Damian performed with musical group The Shepherds alongside Shiah Coore (son of Cat Coore of Third World) and Yashema Beth McGregor (daughter of Judy Mowatt of the I-Threes and Freddie McGregor). The group had moderate success in Jamaica, performing at the Reggae Sunsplash music festival in 1992, but ultimately disbanded.

After leaving The Shepherds, Damian turned to deejaying (the Jamaican equivalent of rapping), and in 1993 releases his debut single Deejay Degree, on his family’s Tuff Gong label. He followed it the next year with his release of Sexy Girls on My Mind for the Main Street label and in 1999 released School Controversy, a song featured on the Epic/Sony Wonder compilation Positively Reggae. The compilation raised money and awareness for the Leaf of Life Foundation, an organization assisting children who are HIV positive. Although he was only a teenager, Damian Marley was selected as the spokesperson for Positively Reggae, and was introduced to the international press and public.

In 1996 Damian Marley collaborated with his older brother Stephen Marley to release his first album, Mr. Marley, while still in high school. The album featured upbeat dancehall-style songs, many of which were co-written by Stephen and Damian. The Marley brothers recorded the album at the Marley Music 48 track-recording studio. Included on this album is the infamous track, Me Name Jr. Gong, in which Damian tells of his nickname, derived from his father’s nickname “Tuff Gong”. “Tuff Gong” also became the name of the label created by Bob Marley in the mid-60′s (before he signed with Island Records), an independent record label still in existence, controlled by the Marley family, and part of Damian’s future musical career. Me Name Jr. Gong held the number 1 slot in Hawaii for many weeks.

Damian Jr. Gong Marley’s next album, Halfway Tree was produced by Stephen Marley and released in 2001 by Marley Boyz productions. The album’s title was both a reference to the Halfway Tree area of Kingston, where the privileged rich and the desperate poor geographically meet (a theme common in Damian’s music) and the fact that his father is from the ghetto and his mother is from uptown, leaving Damian like a bridge between the two. In this musical expression, Damian mixed hip-hop and dancehall styles with fantastic results; the album received a great deal of critical acclaim. Both Stephen and Damian are awarded praise and recognition for this project, including the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album, a category not added to the Grammys in the mid-1980s.

2004 was a big year for Damian Marley. In addition to participating in the 27-city Bob Marley Roots, Rock, Reggae Festival tour with his four brothers, Ziggy Marley, Julian Marley, Stephen, and Ky-Mani Marley, Damian released the hit single Welcome to Jamrock, a song released on the Tuff Gong label that makes a big splash on the commercial scene.

In December of 2004, Damian performed with brothers Stephen and Julian in Stephen’s music video Traffic Jam on Stephen Marley’s Mind Control album, which goes on to win the 2008 Grammy award for Best Reggae album. In the same year, Damian also records a tune called Ganga Bus with Cypress Hill (from the Till Death Do Us Part album), appears on the song Get a Light by Snoop Dog (from Tha Blue Carpet Treatment album), creates songs with both Method Man and Redman, and is featured on the Gwen Stefani remix Now That You Got It, amongst many more amazing collaborations.

Welcome to Jamrock enjoyed a great deal of commercial success and led to Damian Marley signing with Universal Records, with whom he released the Welcome to Jamrock album in 2005. This album blended even more musical styles than Damian’s previous work, incorporating elements of reggae, R&B, and hip-hop, and reached the charts in each of those genres. The album also reached as high as number 7 on the Billboard top 200 albums. Welcome to Jamrock received a Grammy award for Best Urban/Alternative performance, and the album won Damian and Stephen yet another Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2006.

Damian also appeared on the song Girlz ‘Round the World with Morgan Heritage on their album Full Circle. The 2006 Ben Harper tour landed Damian on many famous stages including Central Park, New York and further touring takes him to the Osheaga Festival in Montreal. Damian appeared at Bonnarroo Music Festival, headlined the Peace Fest in Trinidad, performed on the PBS show Austin City Limits, and the list goes on…

Most recently, in May of 2010, Damian Marley collaborated with Nas to release the Distant Relatives album and joint tour.

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Jah Sun Meditation free reggae download and 2 reggae albums

dubman — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:28:44 +0000

Jah Sun has announced a new reggae hip hop EP released for the summer: Gravity by Jah Sun & The Far East Band, featuring Queen Omega and Stevie Culture.

Jah Sun has also announced the forthcoming Battle The Dragon dub album, due out fall 2010, where Jah Sun meets Special Delivery with additional featured artists including Gappy Ranks, Alborosie, Lion Camp and others.

Download free reggae song from Jah Sun: Meditation

Here’s Jah Sun’s latest hit, Meditation featuring Queen Omega.

Want to download this free reggae song? Check the music in this widget for free download access:

Jah Sun reggae tour dates

Jah Sun has announced the following summer tour dates. If you’re interested in booking Jah Sun, you can email him at booking@jahsunmusic.com . 

June 1 at the Ashland Armory in Ashland, OR w/ Alborosie
June 2 at the WOW Hall in Eugene, OR w/ Alborosie
June 11-12 at the Conscious Culture Festival in Tonasket, WA
July 24 at the Cougar Mountain Reggae Festival in Saginaw, OR
July 27 in Paris, France (location to be announced)
July 30-31 at Reggae Jam in Bersenbruck, Germany
August 14 at Northwest World Reggae Festival in Marcola, OR

About Jah Sun

Jah Sun mixes reggae, hip hop, and world music with a goal of social change and global healing. His conscious lyrics strive to inspire and uplift listeners from his hometown of Humboldt County, CA to the far corners of the globe where his music is heard. Jah Sun first appeared on the reggae music scene with his 2006 reggae debut Height of Light. Height of Light includes performances by reggae stars including Luciano, Junior Reid, Lutan Fyah, and Grammy Award winner Yami Bolo.

The Beat Magazine‘s Chuck Foster describes the debut by writing that “Jah Sun shines brightly on the Height of Light…the message remains positive and focused throughout…and offers some solution to the social problems addressed.”

Jah Sun’s next album, 2007′s Stronger includes guest performances by KRS-ONE, Norris Man, Chezidek, and Messenjah Selah.

Shortly thereafter, Jah Sun met German reggae superstar Gentleman and the Far East Band at the 2007 Raggamuffins Festival in Santa Cruz, California. The meeting grew into friendship, culminating publicly in a performance with the artists at California’s 2009 Reggae Rising festival. From that friendship comes Jah Sun’s 3rd release, the Gravity EP, created in collaboration with The Far East Band.

Jah Sun’s is currently working on his 3rd album, the eponymous Jah Sun, with production assistance from Stevie Culture.

But Jah Sun isn’t content to stop there. He has also formed Jah Culture, a partnership with Stevie Culture that has toured for 8 months and has a CD, 2012, scheduled for release this summer. He has also founded the Lion Camp with Ishi Dube, Soul Medic, Rocker T, Jah Works the Revolutionary, Winstrong and Stevie Culture. Lion Camp released their first single King of Kings, in 2009.

You can find more Jah Sun at www.JahSunMusic.com.

You can find more reggae videos from Jah Sun on Jah Sun TV. You can also visit Jah Sun’s MySpace page, Facebook page, or Jah Sun’s official website.

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Damian Marley and Nas Distant Relatives 2010 tour

dubman — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:29:10 +0000

Reggae royalty Damian “Junior Gong” Marley and hip hop star Nas are teaming up again for their summer 2010 Distant Relatives tour, supporting their co-created album of the same name.

Distant Relatives is the hotly-anticipated reggae / hip hop crossover album that is the result of a long collaboration between Marley and Nas. Although Nas and Damian Marley have toured together in the past (most recently in their 2009 Distant Relatives pre-release tour and again in a Distant Relatives promo show and interview in Washington DC in December), this is their first album together.

The Distant Relatives tour doesn’t official begin until May 21 with the Distant Relatives kickoff show in Arcata, California, but fans can get a sneak peek of the duo’s performance on May 2 in West Palm Beach, Florida, at Sunfest. The Distant Relatives tour runs throughout the summer, ending on August 1 in Bridgeport, Connecticut at the Gathering of the Vibes festival. Additional venues of note during Damian Marley and Nas’s tour include May 28 and May 31 performances at The Wiltern and UCLA’s Jazz Reggae Festival in Los Angeles, a June 9 show at Waller Creek Amphitheatre in Austin, Texas, a June 11 performance at the wildly popular Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee, and a July 31 gig at Williamsburg Waterfront in my hometown of Brooklyn.

Many of the US shows (in May and June) will be opened by Nneka, a rising Nigerian hip hop artist. Nneka just released her US debut album, Concrete Jungle.

In late June and through most of July, Nas and Damian Marley are planning to take the tour international in a 4-week blitz of several European music festivals, including the Paris Hip Hop Festival and Germany’s Summerjam and Splash! Festival.

Ticket prices range from show to show, depending on the venue, but most shows are cost between $30 and $50 to see the duo.

Damian “Junior Gong” Marley & Nas Distant Relatives tour dates

Below are dates and venues for the Distant Relatives tour. All events are subject to change, so check when you purchase tickets.

May 2 – West Palm Beach, FL – SunFest
May 21 – Arcata, CA – Arcata Community Center
May 22 – Eugene, OR – Cuthbert Amphitheater
May 23 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
May 25 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
May 26 – Santa Barbara, CA – University of California
May 28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
May 29 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint
May 30 – Valley Center, CA – Open Sky Theater
May 31 – Los Angeles, CA – UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival
June 2 – Santa Fe, NM – Paolo Soleri Amphitheatre
June 8 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
June 9 – Austin, TX – Waller Creek Amphitheater
June 11 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music Festival
June 12 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
June 13 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues
June 27 – Brussels, BEL – Couleur Café Festival
June 28 – Paris, FRA – Paris Hip Hop Festival
July 1 – Ardenal, NOR – Hovefestival
July 3 – Cologne, GER – Summerjam
July 4 – Gdynia, POL – Heineken Open’er Festival
July 6 – Copenhagen, DEN – Vega House of Music
July 7 – Hultsfred, SWE – Hultsfred Festival
July 9 – Frauenfeld, SWI – Openair Frauenfeld
July 10 – Montreux, SWI – Montreux Jazz Festival
July 11 – Rotterdam, NET – North Sea Jazz Festival
July 13 – Hamburg, GER – Stadtpark Open Air
July 14 – Munich, GER – Tollwood Festival
July 16 – Manchester, ENG – Manchester Academy
July 17 – Dublin, IRE – Tripod
July 20 – London, ENG – Hammersmith Apollo
July 23 – Grafenhainichen, GER – Splash! Festival
July 31 – Brooklyn, NY – Williamsburg Waterfront
August 1 – Bridgeport, CT – Gathering of the Vibes Festival

Nas and Damian Marley – Distant Relatives video trailer

Here’s a video trailer of the 2 artists, hyping the upcoming release:

Distant Relatives, reggae hip hop cultural opus

The Distant Relatives album has been in production since 2008 and after an initial release expected in the summer of 2009 is finally scheduled to see the light of day on May 18, 2010. Damian, Bob Marley’s youngest son, will join his instrumentals and distinct vocals with Nas‘s distinct lyrical stylings and beats. Marley told Rolling Stone magazine that the artists are “trying to have a sound that’s reminiscent of both of us, but not exactly like either.”

This will be Damian Marley‘s first studio reggae release in 5 years, and Nas‘s latest since 2008.

Buy Distant Relatives today.

Nas first leaked news of the Distant Relatives production at the 2009 Grammys, telling MTV that “I’m working on an album with Damian Marley. We tryin’ to build some schools in Africa with this one, and trying to build empowerment. We’re tryin’ to show love and stuff with this album. So, the record’s … all about really the ‘hood and Africa also as well.”

Distant Relatives began life as a compilation of tracks that were discarded from both artists’ previous releases, but over time they took a more ambitious approach and redesigned the work as a completely new cultural piece. In its current incarnation, Distant Relatives is a concept album that traces the roots of hip hop and reggae music and culture to a single, unified whole. The album takes a hard look at issues around the daily struggle of many Africans with tracks like Count Your Blessings. Bringing subjects of empowerment and African heritage to the fore, the album’s live recordings are dubbed with samples from African music as well. Additional tracks on the album include similarly-themed songs Only The Strong and Africa Must Wake Up.

Distant Relatives‘ 1st single, As We Enter, was released on iTunes on February 23, 2010. At the time of this writing, it sold 33,000 units, peaked at number 10 on the iTunes Hip Hop/Rap charts and went to number 41 on the iTunes Music charts. It also peaked at number 18 on Billboard’s Rap Digital Songs chart and number 23 on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs.

Check out this sample from Nas and Damian Marley singing their hit As We Enter:

The album’s 2nd single, Strong Will Continue debuted on February 5 on BET’s Help for Haiti telethon. It’s a darker sound and hit download stores April 13 but wasn’t pushed for radio airtime. Here’s Damian Marley and Nas singing Strong Will Continue:

Damian Jr. Gong Marley and Nas – Distant Relatives track list

The full track list includes:

As We Enter
Tribal War (featuring K’naan)
Strong Will Continue
Leaders (featuring Stephen Marley)
Friends
Count Your Blessings
Dispear
The Promised Land (featuring Dennis Brown)
In His Own Words (featuring Stephen Marley)
Nah Mean
Patience
My Generation (featuring Joss Stone & Lil Wayne)
Africa Must Wake Up (featuring K’naan)
Ancient People (bonus track featuring Junior Reid)

Yes, a free Distant Relatives download

The album’s 3rd single is Land of Promise. It’s a recreation of the original Promised Land, which was performed by Dennis Brown. (Brown’s original singing was dubbed into this new version as well.) To get a free download of this track, enter your email address into the form below – you’ll probably also be signed up to hear more news about the album.

Damian produced most of the tracks with his older brother Stephen Marley. There are also rumors of additional production coming from Large Professor, The Alchemist, J. R. Rotem (who produced Sean Kingston once upon a time), and DJ Khalil. The album will include guest appearances by and rappers Lil Wayne and K’Naan.

Learn more about Distant Relatives

Past live Distant Relatives concerts have been well-attended and fans have raved about the performances. Nas and Damian Marley also recently spoke about the social vision of the distant relatives album, exploring the diaspora of humanity across space and music.

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Nas met in 1996 but didn’t build a collaborative voice until their 2005 release Road to Zion, which was a single from Marley’s Welcome to Jamrock album. Welcome to Jamrock peaked at number 7 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 764,000 albums, while Nas’s 2008 release, Untitled, took the number 1 spot on the Billboard charts and sold 463,000 albums.

You can learn more on the Distant Relatives MySpace page, which includes clips of songs from the album such as As We Enter, the first single. To visit Nas on MySpace, visit www.myspace.com/nas. To visit Damian Marley on MySpace, visit www.myspace.com/damianmarley. You can also visit the official Distant Relatives website.

The proceeds from Distant Relatives will be donated to a project in Africa, with the possibility of building a school frequently mentioned.

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Mos Def dub remix free download from Max Tannone

dubman — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:16:24 +0000

Max Tannone recently joined the Dub and Reggae community and messaged me about his latest release: Mos Dub, a dub remix of Mos Def.

I’ve heard other great dub covers of popular music, most famously Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band by Easy Star All Stars and the VP Records tribute to Michael Jackson as well as Reggae Spirits, who cover Police tracks.

I was intrigued by the Mos Def angle, so I took a listen and loved it. I asked Max to tell me a bit more about his creative process, and he sent me this information:

Max’s explanation of the Mos Def dub album

I’ve been listening to reggae for a long time, but only recently began listening to dub music. I had heard the term “dub” before, and knew that it was a offshoot of reggae in a way, but never really understood it. Curiously, I began with some of the dub heavyweights like King Tubby and Lee Perry, and before long got into a number of other artists like Scientist (my favorite), Dennis Bovell, Black Uhuru, Horace Andy, Easy Star All-Stars, Prince Jammy, and many more. I loved the mystical and sometimes spooky sound, and was fascinated by the technical aspect of dub creation. The use of delay, reverb, sound effects, and editing always catches my ear.

Being a remixer myself, I wanted to do something with my favorite dub tracks, and I always thought many would sound great as hip-hop tracks. Dub of course heavily features drums and that infectious bass – similar to hip-hop. As a big Mos Def fan and supporter, I’ve wanted to create something with him for a while. When his last album The Ecstatic came out, I realized I could create new “dubs” and lay him over them. It was important to respect the original tracks of both artists. Remixing classics like “Johnny Too Bad” and “007 (Shanty Town)” is not something to be done lightly. This project is an homage to this incredible music, I want to turn more people on to dub and classic reggae tunes.

That being said, I think this project works well because dub music is so heartfelt, its another form of soul music, and Mos Def’s raps are often socially conscious and interesting…he is really saying something. It felt natural to put them together, and I hope you enjoy it.

-Max Tannone

More Dub work from Max

You can hear and download the Mos Dub remix at www.mosdub.com.

Max’s other works include:

You can follow Max on Twitter at http://twitter.com/maxtannone.

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Best of Bangers R Mashed, Volume 2, with free dub music sample from Slinky Music

dubman — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:54:22 +0000

Slinky Music has just released the BEST OF BANGERS R MASHED VOL. 2 from the Nuffwish crew. The new album collects 14 tracks of pure dub reggae joy, with tracks from reggae music artists including

Bob Marley
King Tubby
The Upsetters
Beenie Man
Elephant Man
Ashanti
Streets
Big Youth
Fatback band
And others…

Some of these dub reggae tracks are new, many have been previously released.

You can hear a sample here.

You can purchase the CD from Slinky Music here. It’s about $18 and change.

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