L3 MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2012 | NO. 015 by L3 Magazine

OCT0BER 2012 | L3MAGAZINE.COM

BUGLE

COVERING THE PLANET LIKE GOOGLE! THE AUDIO ANGEL

KAYLA BLISS M

GETTING TO KNOW THE

BAHAMA BOYZ

HONORING

DR. ERIC WILLIAMS, MARCUS GARVEY & HAILE SELASSIE! REMEMBERING CHARLES ROACH | MARKETING 101 | NEW MUSIC RELEASES MUSIC CHARTS | REPRESENTING ANGUILLA THROUGH FASHION AND MORE!

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REMEMBERING DONNA SUMMERS

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WELCOME

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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LIFE

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FASHION

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MARKETING

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LOVE

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LYRICS

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LIFE

CAFE AFRICA

LIFESTYLE NETWORK THEFAMOUSFACE.BLOGSPOT.COM TROPICALFETE.COM EDGE-AGENCY.COM MY.COM L3MAGAZINEBLOG.TUMBLR.COM BEHANCE.NET/L3DESIGNS BECAUSEIAMAGIRL.CA FFAWN.ORG iTUNES.COM REGGAE4US.COM HARBOURFRONTCENTRE.COM SOUNDCLOUD.COMBYZEONE CONCRETELOOP.COM WWW.DAFLAVARADIO.COM WWW.TOKYOTRINBAGO.COM

A FIRST FOR JAMAICA CAFE AFRICA

n Jamaica has its first African restaurant, appropriately named Café Africa! The outdoor restaurant which officially opened in February 2012 is an authentic and enjoyable experience from ambience to the food. With African music, such as Fela Kuti, playing in the background guests sit on tables bearing the Ashanti symbols for nurture, adaptability, quality, return and democracy. They dine in the outdoor space in front of a wall painted with flowers and plants, decorated with conch shells, African masks and flags. The environment is welcoming, rootsy and colorful as the red, yellow and green of the Ethiopian flag, adopted by Rastafarians, is ever present. The use of bamboo and wood underlines the natural feel of Café Africa.

HEIKE DEMPSTER

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CAFE AFRICA

WELCOME

CAFE AFRICA

At the kitchen the “wall of fame” shows a string of photos depicting African heads of states. Any guest who can name every single leader will get the meal on the house but so far nobody has accomplished the task. The motto of Café Africa is “A Taste to Remember.” As owner and head chef Steven Golding explains, the motto goes beyond the reference to good food. It is intended as “a message to black people to remember their roots.” Says Steven, “We have been dismembered from our roots and we want to remember and reconnect.” He is concerned with the lack of knowledge about Africa in Jamaica and since “love goes through the belly,” Steven and wife Empress are determined to create an inspiring African experience and create authentic dishes they can be proud of, convincing every doubter who gives Café Africa a chance. Together with sous chef Godstine Ohia, an Ibo who hails from Nigeria’s Biafra region, Steven cooks up dishes from across the African continent. Want to try food from the West? Café Africa serves dishes from Senegal, Benin or the Gambia. There is also food from East, Central and Southern Africa via dishes from Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, Congo, Mozambique, Mauretania or the island of Madagascar. If you love Caribbean food many of the ingredients may strike you as familiar. Fish, chicken, okra, plantain, calalloo or cassava are all part of Caribbean cuisine, inherited from African ancestors. It is no surprise then that the dishes at Café Africa are similar yet distinctly different at the same time. The difference lies in the use of spices and flavors from Africa. Palm oil, cardamom, turmeric and peanuts are used in African cuisine. Your African dining experience starts with the waiter bringing a calabash with water to wash your hands followed by your meal served in calabash halves on golden plates. A selection of natural juices, South African wines as well as the Ethiopian honey wine Tej is available to guests. Some of the dishes you will find at Café Africa are a traditional salad made of cucumber and zucchini (the secret ingredient is a dash of sugar) from the Ivory Coast or a side dish of Matoke, which is a very delicious plantain polenta stew from Uganda. Another excellent side dish is M’chicha, sautéed calalloo with peanuts, Tanzanian yellow coconut rice (Wali wa nasi) and of course one has to dip some fufu into the sauce. The West-African pounded cassava dish has to be eaten by hand so put down the fork and enjoy! Some main dishes to try are the Congolese saltfish and okra stew Dongo Dongo, Piri Piri chicken from Mozambique, the Senegalese national dish Thiebouienne consisting of fish, rice and vegetables or Domodah, a Gambian beef filet stew in peanut and tomato sauce. I tried and tested various dishes on the menu over three days and found all of them quite delightful. Each dish had a unique taste and was a different experience. I have eaten various African foods in Africa and Europe before and found the food at Café Africa to taste authentic. The dishes were full of flavor and the seasoning complemented the composition of each dish. The presentation and overall experience was one I would like to repeat and can recommend without hesitation to every real foodie as well as everyone who enjoys a good meal or who may want to try African food for the first time. Main dishes at Café Africa range from JA$ 500 - $850 and the side dishes from JA$ 200 - $400. Café Africa, Regal Plaza, Kingston, Jamaica Open daily 8 – 8 Follow Heike on Twitter >>> @axesmedia

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OCTOBER 2012 | NO. 015 CEO & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF VP & CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

NATASHA VON CASTLE DOMINIQUE RAPHAEL L3 GROUP OF COMPANIES - KEVIN SMALLS PAIGE HARRIS

EDITORIAL ALLIE MASON TRICIA SPENCE TRE CARN SAIDAH GOMEZ JILL MAHONEY LONDYN NIKOLE KEMARIO LINDO XAVIER RAPHAEL STARLETTAH BROWN NATASHA THOMAS HEIKE WOLLENWEBER, MARCUS WELLER, NIYAH MYC, KARLA ASHLEY, ANASTASIA SARADOC, AEYOLA GEORGE, MIMI MAMICHULA, MARCO, ZAKADA MILTON, LANRE DAVIES, KERRY K. TAYLOR, KENDON POLAK, JENNIFER MENSTER INTERNS EDWARD BISHOP, ALICIA KEMP, JONATHAN NEWTON

MANAGING EDITOR & LIFESTYLE EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR & CARIBBEAN AFFAIRS EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR & MUSIC EDITOR TRAVEL EDITOR MUSIC REVIEW EDITOR BEAUTY EDITOR TECHNOLOGY EDITOR COPY EDITOR SENIOR WRITER CARIBBEAN CORRESPONDENT CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

ART ART DIRECTOR SENIOR DESIGNER ART ASSISTANT RETOUCHER INTERACTIVE WEB DEVELOPER

SANDRA HERNANDEZ SANCHA DESIGNS JAMALL THOMPSON JEROME MABINI TENIKA JONES

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING & PROMOTIONS MANAGER CHRISTINE HALL ADVERTISING ASSISTANT TERESA MAGLOIRE CIRCULATION CIRCULATION/MARKETING DIRECTOR RICHARD NEILSON SINGLE COPY SALES MANAGER NIGEL COLLINS “L3” (ISSIN 1020-2000) is published monthly (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec) by L3 Group of Companies, 123 blank street, Scarborough, ON L1R2H2. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Copyright © 2011. Title “L3” registered CAN Patent and Trademark Office. Printed in Canada. MANUSCRIPTS AND ART: The Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, art, photos or negatives. SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES (CAN) 1-289-217-2800 or l3magazine@hotmail.com. SUBSCRIPTION RATES and Possessions: 14.95 CAD/Year plus applicable taxes. SUBSCRIPTION PROBLEMS call 1-289-217-2800 or email l3magazine@hotmail.com.

WELCOME

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR “With great power comes great responsibility.” Those are the famous words from Uncle Ben to Peter Parker in the movie Spider Man. The quote was originated by Marvel Comic character creator, Stan Lee, and is one that I would like to remix by saying “with great influence comes great responsibility.” Mr. Vegas recently went on a Twitter and Facebook rampage lashing out against his Wife (and mother of his baby daughter) for having an affair in the couples’ matrimonial home. While I don’t agree with him putting their business on social networks for fans, industry and haters to see, that was his election and we have no choice but to roll with it as his Wife has the option of responding via the same networks if she so chooses. Beyond the networks, Mr. Vegas shared his story with several significant media outlets based in the Caribbean, namely Jamaica. Again, while I do not agree with this, he has the right to tell his side of the story to people who have an interest. If his Wife chooses to, she has access to those same media outlets to respond. Mr. Vegas takes the matter too far when he shares his story with HOT 97, the worlds’ most powerful radio station. Why is that going too far? Because his Wife will not have the opportunity to appear on HOT 97 to give her version of the facts. Our forefathers and foremothers did not fight for our collective freedoms (all nationalities, all religions, all beliefs) for us to abuse that freedom by condemning each other on a personal level - publicly. Doing so is a gross miss use of influence and by extension, a gross miss use of power; a responsibility I hope is removed. In a day and age where antics are devised to increase album sales, ‘teams’ need to know where to draw the line; airing personal information, including sharing a video with individual acts of intimacy in an effort to hurt the people on the video, while boosting sympathy is quite frankly, indecent. I wonder what Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie would say about that. I don’t think, based on that representation, they would find Jamaica too ‘sweet.’

Natasha Von Castle

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Follow me on Twitter >>> @NatashaVonC

LIFE

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REMEMBERING CHARLES ROACH

LIFE

REMEMBERING CHARLES ROACH

REMEMBERING CHARLES ROACH We remember Charles Roach for his commitment to community and his stance for justice. September 18th, 1933 to October 2nd, 2012. Gone but not forgotten….

ANNA WILLATS “A human rights champion and inspiration to so many! He will be sorely missed.”

IAN ANDRE ESPINET

“Activist. Community Leader. Lawyer. Mentor to many. Your contribution will never be forgotten.”

PROGRESS

“Peace to the fallen Warrior Elder Charles Roach... An Ancestor that will be called upon for wisdom, guidance, knowledge and strength. Ase.”

OLIVIA CHOW

Charles Roach: a global citizen, a civil rights advocate, a warrior for justice, pride, human rights. Lover of arts. We miss you.

CANADIAN LAW MAGAZINE

“One of the most important figures in Canadian human rights.”

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FABULOUS FRIENDS

LIFE

FABULOUS FRIENDS

FABULOUS FRIENDS LAUNCHES NONPROFIT FOR HOMLESS GIRLS IN ATLANTA GEORGIA

abulous Friends in Philanthropy, Inc. announced the launch of their nonprofit organization to end homelessness in Atlanta, Georgia. The primary goal of the organization is to reduce conditions contributing to the lack of access for homeless girls. Offers two programs to assist homeless girls in Atlanta, The Petals in Bloom Scholarship Award Program focuses on girls development into “whole” young women. The goal of the program is to provide life skills, mentorship and financial support until they graduate from college or gain employment. The Community Partnership for Homeless Youth is a program specifically designed to collaborate with local businesses to provide internships and job opportunities for our program participants. By partnering with local agencies, government and businesses, they will provide job skills, personal enrichment and purpose to the lives of our homeless youth. Eric Kline, President of Loca Luna and Eclipse di Luna Restaurants has committed to provide support for this program. “We are very pleased to partner with established businessman Eric Kline,” stated Fabulous Friends in Philanthropy founder Kim M. Braud. “He understands the importance of our mission and wants to assist us in eliminating homelessness in our community. We are very grateful to him for opening his doors to develop the children in our community”. This is the first of many community partners providing job training and entrepreneur mentorship. “We all have a responsibility to assure that our homeless children are equipped to live productive lives. Fabulous Friends in Philanthropy is committed to being the bridge between homeless youth and change agents in our community. The direct impact is ending homelessness, decreasing crime and creating a sustainable workforce,” states founder Kim M. Braud.

CONTRIBUTED

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MR. DALE

LIFE

MR. DALE

MR. DALE RELEASES SOCA GALORE CONTRIBURED

oca Galore,” is the seventh studio album produced by Bajan Soca Star Mr. Dale under his Smokynvybz Musik Inc., label. Released in August 2012, Mr. Dale collaborated with several of the Caribbean’s top-flight record producers, including Chris Allman (Slam City Productions), Kasey Phillips (Precision Productions), Shawn Layne, and Andy “Blood” Armstrong as well as Soca stars Alison Hinds, Biggie Irie, Statement, the current Barbadian Triple Monarch Winner “Mikey”, Yannick Hooper and Jamaican Dancehall superstars Mr. Vegas and Hawkeye. “Galore,” was released as the album’s lead single. Written by Mr. Dale and produced by Chris Allman, the bumping, groovy ragga-soca single is already gaining much momentum online with thousands of views on YouTube. The single has also been added in high rotation to popular Barbados and Trinidad Radio stations. The Kasey Philips (Precision Productions) “Maddest Ting,” featuring the Caribbean Queen, Alison Hinds is set to be Mr. Dale’s follow up single. This blazing dancehall/soca number is already receiving rave reviews and seems poised to set dancehalls across the World on fire. The album is available online. Recently, the former Road March King took to the stage at the Soul Fusion Concert as part of a special Caribbean Export delegation at the London Olympics. He also performed in the Carifest London Olympics 2012 Culture Village Concert along with other international musical stars, Shaggy, Toni Braxton and Maxi Priest. Look out for Mr. Dale at this year’s Miami Carnival in October, dates will be announced soon. Keep up to date with Mr. Dale >>> http://www.iamasocajunkie.com/

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RICHIE SPICE

LIFE

RICHIE SPICE

RICHIE SPICE READY TO OPEN THE NEXT CHAPTER CONTRIBUTED

L 3 M A G A Z I N E . C O M | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 2

onscious reggae singer, Richie Spice, explored the depth of his musical ability with the 2011 release of his fifth studio album, the critically acclaimed Book of Job. Rated as the most digitally sold Reggae album for 2011 by iTunes and the New York Times, Book of Job, distributed by VP Records, peaked between #1 and #4 on the Billboard Reggae Charts for a period of six months, from the date of release. Propelling the popularity of Book of Job were hits such as Black Woman, produced by Raging Fyah, Yap Yap, produced by Lenky Marsden, Legal, produced by Richie Spice, and New Day, which held down the #1 spot in Kenya and Grenada, for three months. However, as successful as the Book of Job proved to be, Richie Spice is not one to sit on his laurels and is a firm believer in the saying, ‘the best is yet to come’.

“Book of Job did well for reggae, not just for me Richie Spice. With all the talk about reggae music not having an impact, it is important to understand that there are a lot of great songs being produced by reggae singers, producers and musicians, but unfortunately these songs, for whatever reason, are not being heard. I have songs which have topped charts in Kenya and other countries in Africa, yet Jamaica hardly plays these songs. And I am sure that it is the same for a lot of other reggae artistes. But we do what we have to do and keep on putting out good, cultural, conscious music for our fans to enjoy,” the usually quiet reggae singer declared. Richie Spice, who is always in demand internationally, noted that whatever the obstacles, he is committed to staying true to his roots as he continues to stimulate his creative processes in the production of great music. Christened Richell Bonner, the singer has traversed the globe, so much so that his Jamaican fans yearned to see him, and when they did, it was pure musical inspiration. “Yeah, I had a great time at A St Mary Mi Come From,” Richie reminisced with a big smile. And it was obvious to those in the audience that he did. Performing in a segment that included artistes such as Singing Melody, the duo of Jigsy King and Tony Curtis and Chuck Fender, Richie Spice held the stage steady and skillfully engaged his audience. “I would love to perform in Jamaica more, but as we all know the shows are just not happening, so we have to go to the festivals in Europe and California because that’s how we make our living,” the singer explained simply. Despite a hectic tour schedule, Richie Spice has still found time to work on another album, which is scheduled for release in 2012. “This one will be really special,” he promised. “I have been toying with this idea for a long time, but nothing happens before the right time, and that time is now,” he stated. According to Richie Spice, “My responsibility is to use the talent that God gave me as an instrument to uplift people who are facing the struggle worldwide and let them feel happy in themselves. It is all about righteousness, and endorsing the love of the people, good over evil and life over death.” L 3 M A G A Z I N E . C O M | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 2

LIFE

ReggaeSocaGoldSnipePoster_Layout 1 6/26/12 6:31 PM Page 1

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LIFE

MARCIA GRIFFITHS

TANYA STEPHENS

WANT LOVE KIRKLEDOVE RECORDS

AVAILABLE NOW ON ITUNES! Grab your copy here today!

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DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

AVAILABLE NOW ON ITUNES! Grab your copy here today!

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TRAVEL

FASHION

CONGRATULATIONS TO WWW.REGGAE4US.COM VOTED THE UK’S #1 RADIO STATION VIA THE BRITISH REGGAE INDUSTRY AWARDS FOR 2012! TUNE IN! F

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REPRESENTING ANGUILLA

FASHION

REPRESENTING ANGUILLA

REPRESENTING ANGUILLA THROUGH CLOTHING OLUFUNMIKE BANKS - DEVONISH JEROME DUPONT

ational pride is the blood that runs through the veins of the citizens of the 35 square mile paradise nestled in the crystalline waters of the Caribbean Sea – Anguilla! Anguillian pride was the reason for the 1967 revolution which broke the island away from the St. Kitts, Nevis & Anguilla federation! Since then the people of this gem have become even more resilient and have managed to put Anguilla on the map! A plethora of websites have named the island among the top tourist destinations in the world and the restaurants and hotels among the best in the world! As the island continues to receive more international acclamation, as with the first Anguillian athlete Shara Proctor competing in the 2012 Olympic long jump competition, the people of Anguilla continue to burst with pride! However, as you travel the world and attend various festivals, you are to bump into nationals from all across the Caribbean, identifiable by their flags or island-branded clothing. Yet, despite the pride of the Anguillian people, it is currently near impossible to point out an Anguillian in the crowd. It is mainly for this reason that O’leary Richardson, a graphic artist at SoCreative Designs, decided to create Creative Clothing and it’s debut design the I Represent Anguilla ( iRep Anguilla ) brand! O’leary Richardson says that his vision “was mainly to start something for Anguillians”!

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M A M AYA S H I

FASHION

REPRESENTING ANGUILLA

O’leary is a young Anguillian who has proven himself very interested in the promotion and development of his island home through art, music, and now clothing! The project was underway since January 2011 but O’leary and his team wanted to ensure that what is created was a symbol truly representative of the pride of his people! His research led him to realize that the inverted, overlapping “deuces” had become a real identifying sign in Anguilla and, as such, the perfect emblem for iRep Anguilla paraphernalia! The graphic designers for the brand were O’leary himself and his little brother Jedani Hughes of SoCreative Designs – both very talented and computer savvy! He officially introduced the product to the public on August 3rd, 2012 during the annual Anguilla Summer Festival. Since then, the brand has become extremely popular among locals of all ages who have fallen in love with the colour variety and comfort of the iRep Anguilla Tees and Baby-Tees. However, I am certain that it is the university students and other Anguillians living abroad who have fallen most deeply in love with this product! Especially with the recent proliferation of “iRep” slangs and slogans on social media, they seem to be ecstatic about being able to “Rep Anguilla” in their respective countries of residence! This is just the beginning and O’leary definitely plans to expand the iRep Anguilla brand to other types of paraphernalia that will continue to complement the pride and resilience of the people of Anguilla! O’leary says that he wants that when people see the “deuces” they know that’s an Anguillian thing”! iRep rainbow city, iRep tranquility wrapped in blue, iRep Anguilla! For more information about Creative Clothing, please visit their website at www.creative-clothing.com Attached are the photos for this article . File IREP-AXA 2012 Caption: Rhodea Webster File READY18602 Caption: Soca Artist ‘ Roxxy ‘ and Teisharn Harrigan File SHEA & NYNE-FINAL1-NOTAG Caption: 2012 Female Calypso and Calypso Monarch ‘ Shea Shea and Recording Artist ‘ Nyne ‘ File iRepAxa-NoTagweb Caption: Recording Artist Nyne , Tristan Harrigan and O’leary Richardson.

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L3MAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 2012

MARKETING

M A R K E T I N G

ADVERTISE WITH US

Contact Rohan ‘Dillinger’ Beckford to have your ad placed in L3 Magazine! Phone: 289.217.2800 (Canada) | 347.370.6829 (U.S.) Twitter: @Mangoheadilings

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MARKETING 101

MARKETING

MARKETING 101

MARKETING 101 WENDY MORGAN

arketing of reggae music is very important in this age of technology and is a factor in lack luster sales of music: a key to making sure that your music is heard is having credible representation or management. Wikipedia defines an Artist Manager as an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry. The responsibility of the Manager is to oversee the day-to-day business affairs of an artist; advise and counsel talent concerning professional matters, long-term plans and personal decisions which may affect their careers. Many artists in the reggae industry tend to want to manage themselves instead of finding an appropriate person/company to handle their affairs so that their focus can be on their music, while their counterparts in other genres find appropriate representations thus helping them to grow their careers, a strong Manager can steer an artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career in the right direction and as an artist you have to give off the sense of professionalism that your business is cohesive and that you have a team and not a one man/woman show which the reggae fraternity is very guilty of in some instances . Being a Manager in the music business first and far most takes the understanding of the business of music, leadership, professionalism and negotiation skills. So if you are an up and coming artist, or an established artist, before you decide to manage yourself, or give that responsibility to a cousin, uncle, brother or a best friend that does not understand the business side, research and see what is going on in other genres of music so that an informed decision can be made about your career. Remember your Manager is the first representation for you to market your music to the consumers. Send Wendy your feedback via Twitter >>> @wendylioness

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LOVE ADVICE

LOVE

LOVE ADVICE

MISS OCTOBER 2012

Desyray Model: Desyray Photography: Jerome Dupont courtesy of New Era Photography

L3MAGAZINE.COM | JUNE 2012

LOVE

L 3 M A G A Z I N E . C O M | S E PT E M B E R 2 0 1 2

LOVE

D I G I TA L D OW N L OA D S

TIFA

“Hold On”

FT. 9 JLOGIX FIRE LION “Party Hard”

HONOREBEL 10 “Rave and Clean” CHAM FT. O 11 “Back Way” NOAH POWA 12 “Care Zero”

1 2 3

“Gimme Little”

KONSHENS

“Lawless”

CHAM FT. O

“This Morning”

“Ah So Mih Tan” “Tun Up”

KING ALI BABA FT. OCTAYNE

“Superstar”

4 5 6 7

CHARLY BLACK “Claaaaaty Again”

ALISON HINDS

“Baddy”

PATEXX

“Wine n Go Dung”

SWITCH FT. OCTAYNE

“Pop Champagne”

Charts are based on the most active DJ downloads via the L3 Music Distribution service.

L3MAGAZINE.COM | OCTOBER 2012

MORGAN HERITAGE

“The Girl is Mine”

16 17 18 19 20

LAZA MORGAN CHAM FT. O

JESSE ROYAL

BELINDA BRADY

“Wishing You Were Here” (Dennis Blaze Waiting in Vain Remix)

DELLY RANX

“The Next Chapter”

SHABBA RANKS

“Who Win The War”

FAZE FT. PATRICE

“Can I Have You”

AMMOYE

“Pick Me Up”

TOP 10 CHARTS

DOWNLOAD

L3’S

RICO VIBE’S

LAZA MORGAN “LOVE ME 2”

RICO VIBES TOP 10 VIDEO PICKS FOR AUGUST Compiled by Rico Vibes

POPCAAN

RDX

“GIRLS MEDLEY”

ELEPHANT MAN FT. KHAGO

JESSE ROYAL

TARRUS RILEY

LAZA MORGAN

“SLAP WEH”

COURTNEY JOHN

BUSY SIGNAL

MR. VEGAS

“IT’S GONNA BE ALRIGHT” “REGGAE MUSIC AGAIN” “BRUK IT DOWN”

“JUMP” “THIS MORNING”

“SORRY IS A SORRY WORD”

“LOVE ME 2”

MR. LEXX “RUGU RUGU”

CROSS CARIBBEAN

L 3 M A G A Z I N E . C O M | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 2

Compiled by Independent Tash

JAH CURE

ETANA

KONSHENS

“THAT GIRL” “REGGAE”

“STOP SIGN”

4 RDX “JUMP” 5

SEAN PAUL FT. KELLY ROWLAND “HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE””

GYPTIAN

BUSY SIGNAL

KONSHENS

BERES HAMMOND

“OVERTIME” “MISSING YOU”

“BUBBLE GYAL A BUBBLE”

“IN MY ARMS”

TARRUS RILEY “SORRY IS A SORRY WORD”

*All songs on this chart reflect the most played hits as confirmed by Program Directors (PD’s) throughout the Caribbean via reporting radio stations and night clubs.

TOP 10 CHARTS

TOP 10 CHARTS 46

INDEPENDENT TASH TOP 10 REGGAE MUSIC CHART

SOCA

INDEPENDENT TASH TOP 10 SOCA Compiled by Independent Tash

PATRICE ROBERTS

VEGAS & ALISON HINDS

“A LITTLE WINE”

ALISON HINDS & EDWIN YEARWOOD

LIL RICK

BUNJI GARLIN

RICARDO DRU & EDWIN YEARWOOD

“HIT A NERVE”

MACHEL MONTANO HD “GO DOWN”

4 “STRESS AWAY”

KES THE BAND

KERWIN DUBOIS “BACCHANALIST”

“BRUK IT DOWN” REMIX “I LIKE MUH SELF”

“AUGUST”

“THROW ME OUT”

MACHEL MONTANO HD “BOTTLE OF RUM”

*All songs on this chart reflect the most played hits as confirmed by Program Directors (PD’s) throughout the Caribbean via L 3 M A G A Z I N E . C O M | S E PT E M B E R 2 0 1 2 reporting radio stations and night clubs.

NEW RELEASES

TOP 20 CHARTS

CANADIAN

L 3 M A G A Z I N E . C O M | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 2

DJ RON NELSON’S TOP 20 CANADIAN CHARTS

NEW RELEASES

LOG ON NOW!

Compiled by DJ Ron Nelson

REDESIGNED,

SHALLI

AMMOYE

NKRUMAH

CHUCKLEBERRY “WINE GAL” OLD SKOOL MEDLY

BUSH 14 SEAN “SUMMER AGAIN”

AMMOYE

SAMPLE KING

TERMINAL DG

MARVIN CHIN

TONY ANTHONY

NEW BALANZ

PERLA FT. NEW BALANZ

TRINITY CHRIS

FIYA LION

EYESUS

TASHA T

“I FLY” “PICK ME UP”

“REGGAE MY-LYTIS”

“RADIO”

“GLASSES DARK” “SIMPLE GIRL”

“PARTY ALL NIGHT”

“BAZZLE AND I KNOW IT”

BELINDA BRADY “WISHING YOU WERE HERE”

FT. JAH VINCI 11 EYESUS “WE HATE YOU FIRST” B 12 ALTY “LOVE AH COME DUNG”

REFRESHED, COCOA TEA In A Di Red

ETANA

Reggae

RELOADED & RELAUNCHED

CHRIS FT. 13 TRINITY KISCO “PUSH IT A LITTLE HARDER”

CONNECT WITH L3

“MISS MIH FRIEND”

GENERAL DEGREE

RICHIE STEPHENS & GENTLEMAN

PETER RUNKS

FIRST DECADE

Snapple Dapple

Love Your Life

“BUBBLE SUH” “CRICK CRICK”

“PON DIH POLE”

“T-DOT”

“TEARDROPS”

The above top 20 songs from Canadian artists are based on polls from Radio DJ’s playing Reggae and Dancehall across Canada.

Father Take Care of Your Children

L3MAGAZINE.COM

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defining empress minott

mpress Minott, born formerly known as Dream, is an award winning Toronto Canadian-based Jamaica Roots Reggae singer, songwriter and creative dancer best known for her singles “Stumbling Blocks” and “Stop Di Fighting.” Both singles had a strong presence on the Canadian charts and caught the attention of fans in Europe, Africa, Jamaica, Canada, America and Japan. Copping the 2011 Reggae Music Achievement Award for Best Promising Reggae Artist, the soulful artists music continues to make waves as she won Reggae Single of the Year at the Uprising Youth in Progress Awards held in Toronto, as well as the Top Reggae Artist accolade at the Caribbean Music & Entertainment Award. In the years since she has been active, Empress Minott has shared the stage with top international Reggae Artists whom have been impressed with her flare, energy and stage presence which has held audiences. Superstars such as Romain Virgo, L.U.S.T, Morgan Heritage, Gyptian, Bush Man, Sugar Minott, Pinchers, Cocoa T, Daddy U-Roy, Tarus Riley are a few to mention, as well as Juno Award winning Reggae artists Blessed and Exco Levi. Singles from Empress Minott’s album, Natural Healer continue to do well around the world. Connect with Empress Minott via Twitter >>> @EmpressMinott

CONTRIBUTED

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THE ‘V’ POWER OF VONZELL SOLOMON! CONTRIBUTED

onzell Solomon a.k.a. “Baby V,” is known internationally for her singing, song writing, music production and physique on the runway and on screen as a model and actress. Second runner up on season 4 of the hit FOX Television series, American Idol, Baby V has been compared to many music industry veterans such as Aretha Franklin and Beyonce. Proving she is not just another newcomer to the entertainment industry, her grace, elegance, vocal range, and electrifying performances wow fans all over the world. Vonzell has toured with a variety of shows ranging from American Idol to Broadway and as a spokesperson for the United States Postal Service. She has also been seen on prime time talk shows such as The Tyra Banks Show and Regis and Kelly. Whether performing in front of tens of thousands or millions, Vonzell commands the stage like no other. Following her amazing performances on American Idol, she created and launched her own record label and publishing company. Recently releasing her highly anticipated album “True Story,” the artist writes and produces songs telling her life’s journey. Her current single, “Dirt Bag,” is a song about – well, you can be the judge! The songstress is also gaining notoriety as a co-writer for the “OMG Girlz” latest hit “Gucci This Gucci That”. Heavy hitters such as Clive Davis (Grammy Award winner, Founder of Arista Records), says “She’s totally in her element,” while Paula Abdul, former judge on American Idol and Multi-Platinum Grammy Award winner says “she has a powerhouse of a voice. What I love about her is that she doesn’t care about getting into the technicalities of being perfect with her performance. She laughs during her songs. She is great!” Stay connected with Vonzell on Twitter >>> @VonzellSolomon

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JUST A FEW WORDS ABOUT MIKA! CONTRIBUTED

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ika has been singing since the age of 5 and was born and raised in Harlem, New York. Her love for music began as most from her generation, listening to her parents play all old school songs like Earth Wind & Fire, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Teena Marie, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and the list goes on. On her musical path, Mika has recorded with local artists as well as artists from around the world. As a Singer / Songwriter / Dancer / Actress, Mika loves the arts as a whole, and keeps herself open to working with artists from all genres, not just her native Soul music. Currently, Mika is performing at live venues across the United States, and is planning a European tour soon. Mika’s newest project is her album ‘Confirmations!’

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SEYI SHAY CONTRIBUTED

ith two brands new singles, “Loving Your Way” and “Erawo” which dropped recently, the UK / American based recording artist, songwriter and producer Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua, better known by her stage name Seyi Shay (pronounced Shay Shay) is set to take her place in Nigeria’s music hall of fame. Born and raised in London, UK to Nigerian parents, Seyi Shay began performing at the age of six. A former member of the London Community Gospel Choir (LCGC) headed by Basil Meade, Seyi toured with the group internationally which afforded her a platform to perform in different cities around the world (including a 13 city tour in Japan) at the age of fourteen. In 2005, Seyi signed her first record deal with Sir George Martin the producer of the legendary band, The Beatles, in London. Around which time, she also wrote and produced three major songs for the Konami Game Sound track; “Crime Life,” as well as the song “You Will See” which was performed by former Spice Girl; Mel C, and was also included in her highly successful Album, “Beautiful Intentions.” Seyi Shay was only eighteen at the time. In 2006, Seyi Shay decided to attend a national audition in the UK where she would later emerge as the lead singer of the British Pop/RnB girl group From Above who signed to Sony/ Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment owned by Beyoncé’s father, Matthew Knowles of Destiny’s Child. Under the Knowles management, From Above released their debut album online called ‘Breaking From Above’, which was also the title of their MTV reality show which aired in over 166 countries worldwide. The show was also aired on Nickelodeon in the USA. They supported Beyonce on her “I AM” UK tour in 2009, 2010 and in 2011, they presented at the MTV EMA music awards. Since then, Seyi Shay wrote the song ‘White Lies’ for international selling rapper/artist Chipmunk that featured Coleena of P.Diddy’s Dirty Money. The album was in the top 30’s of the UK’s official music Charts. She’s also toured with the likes of P. Diddy and Beyoncé in the UK, and has written and worked with a number of industry heavy weights such as Justin Timberlake, Brian Michael Cox, Darey, Bilal, Michelle Williams, Chipmunk, Rob Knoxx, H Money, and Cameron Wallace. Now signed to Flytime Music, Seyi’s solo album is coming soon!

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L Y R I C S

THE HISTORICAL AND PRESENT IMPORTANCE OF

EW DR. ERIC WILLIAMS FOREWARD BY NATASHA VON CASTLE

s children we yearn for our independence. From infancy to adulthood we fight our parents to tie our own shoe laces, choose our own clothes, and move out of the house to live an independent life.

Dr. Eric Williams was the foundation on which Trinidad & Tobago’s independence was birthed. It was his wisdom and guidance that the nation depended on as it took its’ first infant steps independent from Great Britain whose empire the twin islands previously belonged. With bold and educated passion, Dr. Williams shaped the psyche and morale of the country with three words: Discipline, Production, Tolerance. These three words became the seeds by which millions of trees (the people) have grown; what’s more, those seeds have also been shared and planted in neighboring islands and countries as ‘Trinbagonians’ travel to work, for education or for family. Yes, Dr. Eric Williams’ seeds traveled far.

With a firm thought process in place, the people of Trinidad & Tobago shaped and built a nation that is economically self sufficient, and leaders in fields such as Oil and Gas, Carnival Arts and Sports and have taken a leadership approach to innovations in technology, giving birth to some of the most brilliant thinkers in that area. In a day and age where it is all too easy to forget the foundation on which we stand, the following excerpt serves as a reminder. In Dr. Eric Williams own words, his inaugural speech as the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, and a better understanding to his importance…. Fellow Citizens, It is a great honour to me to address this morning the citizens of the Independent Nation of Trinidad and Tobago as their first Prime Minister. Your National Flag has been hoisted to the strains of your National Anthem, against the background of your National Coat of Arms, and amidst the beauty of your National Flower. Your Parliament has been inaugurated by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, the representative of Her Majesty the Queen. You have your own Governor General and your own Chief Justice, both appointed on the advice of your own Prime Minister. You have your own National Guard, however small. You are now a member of the Commonwealth Family in your own right, equal in status to any other of its members. You hope soon to be a member of the World Family of Nations, playing your part, however insignificant, in world affairs. You are on your own in a big world, in which you are one of many nations, some small, some medium size, some large. You are nobody’s boss and nobody is your boss. What use will you make of your independence? What will you transmit to your children five years from today? Other countries ceased to exist in that period. Some, in much less time, have become totally disorganised, a prey to anarchy and civil war. The first responsibility that devolves upon you is the protection and promotion of your democracy. Democracy means more, much more, than the right to vote and one vote for every man and every woman of the prescribed age. Democracy means recognition of the rights of others. Democracy means equality of opportunity for all in education, in the public service, and in private employment--I repeat, and in private employment. Democracy means the protection of the weak against the strong. Democracy means the obligation of the minority to recognise the right of the majority. Democracy means responsibility of the Government to its citizens, the protection of the citizens from the exercise of arbitrary power and the violation of human freedoms and individual rights. Democracy means freedom of worship for all and the subordination of the right of any race to the overriding right of the human race. Democracy means freedom of expression and assemble of organization.

All that is Democracy. All that is our Democracy, to which I call upon all citizens to dedicate themselves on this our Independence Day. This is what I meant when I gave the Nation its slogan for all time: Discipline, Production, Tolerance. Indiscipline, whether individual or sectional, is a threat to democracy. Slacking on the job jeopardizes the national income, inflates costs, and merely sets a bad example. The medieval churchmen had a saying that to work is to pray. It is also to strengthen our democracy by improving our economic foundations. That democracy is but a hollow mockery and a gigantic fraud which is based on a ruling group’s domination [of] slaves or helots or fellaheen or second class citizens or showing intolerance to others because of considerations of race, colour, creed, national origin, previous conditions of servitude or other irrationality. Our National Flag belongs to all our citizens. Our National Coat of Arms, with our National Birds inscribed therein, is the sacred thrust of our citizens. So it is today, please, I urge you, let it always be so. Let us always be able to say, with the Psalmist, behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. United at home in the common effort to build a democratic Nation and ostracize outmoded privileges, let us present to the outside world the united front of a Nation thinking for itself, knowing its own mind and speaking its own point of view. Let us take our stand in the international family on the basic principles of international rectitude. When our time comes to vote, let it always be a vote for freedom and against slavery, for self-determination and against external control, for integration and against division. Democracy at home and abroad, the symbol of it is our Parliament. Remember fellow citizens, we now have a Parliament, we no longer have the colonial assemblies which did not have the full rights of a Parliament of a sovereign country. The very name “Parliament” testifies to our new Independent status. By the same token, however, we at once become the object of comparison with other Parliamentary countries, inside and outside the Commonwealth. This is a consideration which involves not only the Members of Parliament but also the individual citizen. The Members of Parliament have the traditional Parliamentary privileges guaranteed in the Constitution. The Speaker, the symbol of the power of Parliament, has his status guaranteed in the Order of Precedence. We shall soon have a Privileges Bill protecting and prescribing the powers of Parliament itself. Measures are being taken to establish the responsibility of Parliament in the field of external relations.

The Constitution recognises the position of the Leader of the Opposition and the normal parliamentary convention of consultation between Government and Opposition are being steadily developed and expanded. The Constitution itself, Independence itself, represent the agreement of the two political parties on the fundamental question of national unity. The ordinary citizen must recognise the role of the Parliament in our democracy and must learn to differentiate between a Member of Parliament, whom he may like or dislike, and the respect that must be accorded to that same Member of Parliament ex-officio. I call on all citizens from now on to accord the highest respect our Parliamentary system and institutions and to our Parliament itself. Democracy, finally, rests on a higher power than Parliament. It rests on an informed and cultivated and alert public opinion. The Members of Parliament are only representatives of the citizens. They cannot represent apathy and indifference. They can play the part allotted to them only if they represent intelligence and public spiritness. Nothing has so demonstrated in the past six years the capacity of the People of Trinidad and Tobago than their remarkable interest in the public affairs. The development and expansion of that interest is the joint responsibility of the Government, the Parliament, the political parties and relevant civic organisations.

Those, fellow citizens, are the thoughts which, on my first day as Prime Minister, I wish to express to you on Independence Day. Your success in organising the Independence which you achieved will exercise a powerful influence on your neighbours with all of whom we are likely to have close associations in the next few years, the smallest and nearest, as part of our Independent Unitary State, the larger and more distant as part of the wider and integrated Caribbean community. Problems of difficulties there will be. These are always a challenge to a superior intelligence and to strength of character. Whatever the challenge that faces you, from whatever quarter, place always first that national interest and the national cause. The strength of the Nation depends on the strength of its citizens. Our National Anthem invokes God’s blessings on our Nation, in response to those thousands of citizens of all faiths who demanded God’s protection in our Constitution. Let us then as a Nation so conduct ourselves as to be able always to say in those noblest and most inspiring words of St. Paul, “By the Grace of God we as people are what we are, and His Grace in us hath not been void.” Learn more about Dr. Eric Williams here: http://www.facebook.com/DrEricWilliams/info

HS HAILE SELASSIE FOREWARAD BY MARCUS WELLER “A house built on granite and strong foundations, not even the onslaught of pouring rain, gushing torrents and strong winds will be able to pull down. Some people have written the story of my life representing as truth what in fact derives from ignorance, error or envy; but they cannot shake the truth from its place, even if they attempt to make others believe it.” —Preface to My Life and Ethiopia’s Progress, Autobiography of H.I.M. Haile Selassie I (English translation) Imagine living in a time where you and your country had no rights, had no voice, and the international community did not care that your people were being killed mercilessly. What would you do? Imagine living in that time where there was no peace and daily livity was war. This is the very situation that faced Haile Selassie at the time, and, being the true leader he was (maybe even anointed with the wisdom of King Solomon), Selassie addressed the League of Nations. It didn’t matter that even when justice for his country, juxtaposed against the interests of nations such as England, France and Germany were odds stacked against him, he still addressed the League with a poise and firmness that had to make the history books. He not only addressed the League for the sake of his country, he addressed the league for the sake of peace and justice for all. On October 6th, 1963, Haile Selassie addressed the League of Nations to call for peace. His historic address lives on by way of song via Bob Marley and the song “War” in which an excerpt of the speech was recorded. This month, for the October issue of L3 Magazine, we look at the entire speech.

Haile Selassie: Today, I stand before the world organization which has succeeded to the mantle discarded by its discredited predecessor. In this body is enshrined the principle of collective security which I unsuccessfully invoked at Geneva. Here, in this Assembly, reposes the best - perhaps the last - hope for the peaceful survival of mankind. In 1936, I declared that it was not the Covenant of the League that was at stake, but international morality. Undertakings, I said then, are of little worth if the will to keep them is lacking. The Charter of the United Nations expresses the noblest aspirations of man: abjuration of force in the settlement of disputes between states; the assurance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion; the safeguarding of international peace and security. But these, too, as were the phrases of the Covenant, are only words; their value depends wholly on our will to observe and honor them and give them content and meaning. The preservation of peace and the guaranteeing of man’s basic freedoms and rights require courage and eternal vigilance: courage to speak and act - and if necessary, to suffer and die - for truth and justice; eternal vigilance, that the least transgression of international morality shall not go undetected and unremedied. These lessons must be learned anew by each succeeding generation, and that generation is fortunate indeed which learns from other than its own bitter experience. This Organization and each of its members bear a crushing and awesome responsibility: to absorb the wisdom of history and to apply it to the problems of the present, in order that future generations may be born, and live, and die, in peace. The record of the United Nations during the few short years of its life affords mankind a solid basis for encouragement and hope for the future. The United Nations has dared to act, when the League dared not in Palestine, in Korea, in Suez, in the Congo. There is not one among us today who does not conjecture upon the reaction of this body when motives and actions are called into question. The opinion of this Organization today acts as a powerful influence upon the decisions of its members. The spotlight of world opinion, focused by the United Nations upon the transgressions of the renegades of human society, has thus far proved an effective safeguard against unchecked aggression and unrestricted violation of human rights. The United Nations continues to sense as the forum where nations whose interests clash may lay their cases before world opinion. It still provides the essential escape valve without which the slow build-up of pressures would have long since resulted in catastrophic explosion. Its actions and decisions have speeded the achievement of freedom by many peoples on the continents of Africa and Asia. Its efforts have contributed to the advancement of the standard of living of peoples in all corners of the world. For this, all men must give thanks. As I stand here today, how faint, how remote are the memories of 1936.How different in 1963 are the attitudes of men. We then existed in an atmosphere of suffocating pessimism. Today, cautious yet buoyant optimism is the prevailing spirit. But each one of us here knows that what has been accomplished is not enough.

The United Nations judgments have been and continue to be subject to frustration, as individual member-states have ignored its pronouncements and disregarded its recommendations. The Organization’s sinews have been weakened, as member-states have shirked their obligations to it. The authority of the Organization has been mocked, as individual member-states have proceeded, in violation of its commands, to pursue their own aims and ends. The troubles which continue to plague us virtually all arise among member states of the Organization, but the Organization remains impotent to enforce acceptable solutions. As the maker and enforcer of the international law, what the United Nations has achieved still falls regrettably short of our goal of an international community of nations. This does not mean that the United Nations has failed. I have lived too long to cherish many illusions about the essential highmindedness of men when brought into stark confrontation with the issue of control over their security, and their property interests. Not even now, when so much is at hazard would many nations willingly entrust their destinies to other hands. Yet, this is the ultimatum presented to us: secure the conditions whereby men will entrust their security to a larger entity, or risk annihilation; persuade men that their salvation rests in the subordination of national and local interests to the interests of humanity, or endanger man’s future. These are the objectives, yesterday unobtainable, today essential, which we must labor to achieve. Until this is accomplished, mankind’s future remains hazardous and permanent peace a matter for speculation. There is no single magic formula, no one simple step, no words, whether written into the Organization’s Charter or into a treaty between states, which can automatically guarantee to us what we seek. Peace is a day-to-day problem, the product of a multitude of events and judgments. Peace is not an “is”, it is a “becoming.” We cannot escape the dreadful possibility of catastrophe by miscalculation. But we can reach the right decisions on the myriad subordinate problems which each new day poses, and we can thereby make our contribution and perhaps the most that can be reasonably expected of us in 1963 to the preservation of peace. It is here that the United Nations has served us - not perfectly, but well. And in enhancing the possibilities that the Organization may serve us better, we serve and bring closer our most cherished goals. I would mention briefly today two particular issues which are of deep concern to all men: disarmament and the establishment of true equality among men. Disarmament has become the urgent imperative of our time. I do not say this because I equate the absence of arms to peace, or because I believe that bringing an end to the nuclear arms race automatically guarantees the peace, or because the elimination of nuclear warheads from the arsenals of the world will bring in its wake that change in attitude requisite to the peaceful settlement of disputes between nations. Disarmament is vital today, quite simply, because of the immense destructive capacity of which men dispose. Ethiopia supports the atmospheric nuclear test ban treaty as a step towards this goal, even though only a partial step. Nations can still perfect weapons of mass destruction by underground testing. There is no guarantee against the sudden, unannounced resumption of testing in the atmosphere. The real significance of the treaty is that it admits of a tacit stalemate between the nations which negotiated it, a stalemate which recognizes the blunt, unavoidable fact that none would emerge from the total destruction which would be the lot of all in a nuclear war, a stalemate which affords us and the United Nations a breathing space in which to act.

Here is our opportunity and our challenge. If the nuclear powers are prepared to declare a truce, let us seize the moment to strengthen the institutions and procedures which will serve as the means for the pacific settlement of disputes among men. Conflicts between nations will continue to arise. The real issue is whether they are to be resolved by force, or by resort to peaceful methods and procedures, administered by impartial institutions. This very Organization itself is the greatest such institution, and it is in a more powerful United Nations that we seek, and it is here that we shall find, the assurance of a peaceful future. Were a real and effective disarmament achieved and the funds now spent in the arms race devoted to the amelioration of manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state; were we to concentrate only on the peaceful uses of nuclear knowledge, how vastly and in how short a time might we change the conditions of mankind. This should be our goal. When we talk of the equality of man, we find, also, a challenge and an opportunity; a challenge to breathe new life into the ideals enshrined in the Charter, an opportunity to bring men closer to freedom and true equality. and thus, closer to a love of peace. The goal of the equality of man which we seek is the antithesis of the exploitation of one people by another with which the pages of history and in particular those written of the African and Asian continents, speak at such length. Exploitation, thus viewed, has many faces. But whatever guise it assumes, this evil is to be shunned where it does not exist and crushed where it does. It is the sacred duty of this Organization to ensure that the dream of equality is finally realized for all men to whom it is still denied, to guarantee that exploitation is not reincarnated in other forms in places whence it has already been banished. As a free Africa has emerged during the past decade, a fresh attack has been launched against exploitation, wherever it still exists. And in that interaction so common to history, this in turn, has stimulated and encouraged the remaining dependent peoples to renewed efforts to throw off the yoke which has oppressed them and its claim as their birthright the twin ideals of liberty and equality. This very struggle is a struggle to establish peace, and until victory is assured, that brotherhood and understanding which nourish and give life to peace can be but partial and incomplete. In the United States of America, the administration of President Kennedy is leading a vigorous attack to eradicate the remaining vestige of racial discrimination from this country. We know that this conflict will be won and that right will triumph. In this time of trial, these efforts should be encouraged and assisted, and we should lend our sympathy and support to the American Government today.

Last May, in Addis Ababa, I convened a meeting of Heads of African States and Governments. In three days, the thirty-two nations represented at that Conference demonstrated to the world that when the will and the determination exist, nations and peoples of diverse backgrounds can and will work together. in unity, to the achievement of common goals and the assurance of that equality and brotherhood which we desire. On the question of racial discrimination, the Addis Ababa Conference taught, to those who will learn, this further lesson: That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned: That until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil. The United Nations has done much, both directly and indirectly to speed the disappearance of discrimination and oppression from the earth. Without the opportunity to focus world opinion on Africa and Asia which this Organization provides, the goal, for many, might still lie ahead, and the struggle would have taken far longer. For this, we are truly grateful. But more can be done. The basis of racial discrimination and colonialism has been economic, and it is with economic weapons that these evils have been and can be overcome. In pursuance of resolutions adopted at the Addis Ababa Summit Conference, African States have undertaken certain measures in the economic field which, if adopted by all member states of the United Nations, would soon reduce intransigence to reason. I ask, today, for adherence to these measures by every nation represented here which is truly devoted to the principles enunciated in the Charter. I do not believe that Portugal and South Africa are prepared to commit economic or physical suicide if honorable and reasonable alternatives exist. I believe that such alternatives can be found. But I also know that unless peaceful solutions are devised, counsels of moderation and temperance will avail for naught; and another blow will have been dealt to this Organization which will hamper and weaken still further its usefulness in the struggle to ensure the victory of peace and liberty over the forces of strife and oppression. Here, then, is the opportunity presented to us. We must act while we can, while the occasion exists to exert those legitimate pressures available to us, lest time run out and resort be had to less happy means. Does this Organization today possess the authority and the will to act? And if it does not, are we prepared to clothe it with the power to create and enforce the rule of law? Or is the Charter a mere collection of words, without content and substance, because the essential spirit is lacking? The time in which to ponder these questions is all too short. The pages of history are full of instances in which the unwanted and the shunned nonetheless occurred because men waited to act until too late. We can brook no such delay.

If we are to survive, this Organization must survive. To survive, it must be strengthened. Its executive must be vested with great authority. The means for the enforcement of its decisions must be fortified, and, if they do not exist, they must be devised. Procedures must be established to protect the small and the weak when threatened by the strong and the mighty. All nations which fulfill the conditions of membership must be admitted and allowed to sit in this assemblage. Equality of representation must be assured in each of its organs. The possibilities which exist in the United Nations to provide the medium whereby the hungry may be fed, the naked clothed, the ignorant instructed, must be seized on and exploited for the flower of peace is not sustained by poverty and want. To achieve this requires courage and confidence. The courage, I believe, we possess. The confidence must be created, and to create confidence we must act courageously. The great nations of the world would do well to remember that in the modern age even their own fates are not wholly in their hands. Peace demands the united efforts of us all. Who can foresee what spark might ignite the fuse? It is not only the small and the weak who must scrupulously observe their obligations to the United Nations and to each other. Unless the smaller nations are accorded their proper voice in the settlement of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s problems, unless the equality which Africa and Asia have struggled to attain is reflected in expanded membership in the institutions which make up the United Nations, confidence will come just that much harder. Unless the rights of the least of men are as assiduously protected as those of the greatest, the seeds of confidence will fall on barren soil. The stake of each one of us is identical - life or death. We all wish to live. We all seek a world in which men are freed of the burdens of ignorance, poverty, hunger and disease. And we shall all be hardpressed to escape the deadly rain of nuclear fall-out should catastrophe overtake us.

When I spoke at Geneva in 1936, there was no precedent for a head of state addressing the League of Nations. I am neither the first, nor will I be the last head of state to address the United Nations, but only I have addressed both the League and this Organization in this capacity. The problems which confront us today are, equally, unprecedented. They have no counterparts in human experience. Men search the pages of history for solutions, for precedents, but there are none. This, then, is the ultimate challenge. Where are we to look for our survival, for the answers to the questions which have never before been posed? We must look, first, to Almighty God, Who has raised man above the animals and endowed him with intelligence and reason. We must put our faith in Him, that He will not desert us or permit us to destroy humanity which He created in His image. And we must look into ourselves, into the depth of our souls. We must become something we have never been and for which our education and experience and environment have ill-prepared us. We must become bigger than we have been: more courageous, greater in spirit, larger in outlook. We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow men within the human community.â&#x20AC;?

MG MARCUS GARVEY FOREWARD BY JENNIFER MENSTER

Marcus Garvey is one of my personal hero’s. Tenacious yet effective, Garvey’s words were on the lips of my parents and grandparents at all times as we grew up in a household determined to be better than where we were. We did this not ashamed of where we were coming from, but proud of where we were headed. One of my favourite quotes from Garvey came from his speech in 1937 while in Nova Scotia, Canada, where he said “I do not speak carelessly or recklessly but with a definite object of helping the people, especially those of my race, to know, to understand, and to realize themselves.” That quote is the starting point for me and my interests in Garvey; his speech delivered on Emancipation Day at Liberty Hall in New York City on January 1st, 1922 helped to exemplify why we rightly look at him as being a hero. He reminded us that we must not let our fore fathers down by not improving upon what they bled and died to give us which is our freedom.

Speech Delivered on Emancipation Day at Liberty Hall in New York City: January 1, 1922: Fifty-nine years ago Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation declaring four million Negroes in this country free; several years prior to that Queen Victoria of England signed the Emancipation Proclamation that set at liberty hundreds of thousands of West Indian Negro slaves. West Indian Negroes celebrate their emancipation on the first day of August of every year. The American Negroes celebrate their emancipation on the first of January of every year. Tonight we are here to celebrate the emancipation of the slaves in this country (the United States). We are the descendants of the men and women who suffered in this country for two hundred and fifty years under that barbarous, that brutal institution known as slavery. You who have not lost trace of your history will recall the fact that over three hundred years ago your fore-bears were taken from the great Continent of Africa and brought here for the purpose of using them as slaves. Without mercy, without any sympathy they worked our fore-bears. They suffered, they bled, they died. But with their sufferings, with their blood, which they shed in their death, they had a hope that one day their posterity would be free, and we are assembled here tonight as the children of their hope. I trust each and every one of you therefore will realize that you have a duty which is incumbent upon you; a duty that you must perform, because our fore-bears who suffered, who bled, who died had hopes that are not yet completely realized. They hoped that we as their children would be free, but they also hoped that their country from whence they came would also be free to their children, their grand-children and great grandchildren at some future time. It is for the freedom of that country—that Motherland of ours—that four and a half million Negroes, as members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, are laboring today. This race of ours gave civilization, gave art, gave science; gave literature to the world. But it has been the way with races and nations. The one race stands out prominently in the one century or in the one age; and in another century or age it passes off the stage of action, and another race takes its place. The Negro once occupied a high position in the world, scientifically, artistically and commercially, but in the balancing of the great scale of evolution, we lost our place and someone, other than ourselves occupies the stand we once held. God never intended that man should enslave his fellow, and the price of such a sin or such a violation of Heaven’s law must be paid by everyone. As for me, because of the blessed past, because of the history that I know, so long as there is within me the breath of life and the spirit of God, I shall struggle on and urge others of our race to struggle on to see that justice is done to the black peoples of the world. Yes, we appreciate the sorrows of the past, and we are going to work in the present that the sorrows of our generation shall not be perpetuated in the future. On the contrary, we shall strive that by our labors, succeeding generations of our own shall call us blessed, even as we call the generation of the past blessed today. And they indeed were blest.

They were blest with a patience not yet known to man; a patience that enabled them to endure the tortures and the sufferings of slavery for two hundred and fifty years. Why? Was it because they loved slavery so? No. It was because they loved this generation more—isn’t it wonderful. Transcendent? What then are you going to do to show your appreciation of this love, what gratitude are you going to manifest in return for what they have done for you? As for me, knowing the sufferings of my fore-fathers I shall give back to Africa that liberty that she once enjoyed hundreds of years ago, before her own sons and daughters were taken from her shores and brought in chains to this Western World. No better gift can I give in honor of the memory of the love of my fore-parents for me, and in gratitude of the sufferings they endured that I might be free; no grander gift can I bear to the sacred memory of the generation past than a free and a redeemed Africa—a monument for all eternity—for all times. As by the action of the world, as by the conduct of all the races and nations it is apparent that not one of them has the sense of justice, the sense of love, the sense of equity, the sense of charity, that would make men happy, and make God satisfied. It is apparent that it is left to the Negro to play such a part in human affairs—for when we look to the Anglo-Saxon we see him full of greed, avarice, no mercy, no love, no charity. We go from the white man to the yellow man, and we see the same unenviable characteristics in the Japanese. Therefore we must believe that the Psalmist had great hopes of this race of ours when he prophesied “Princes shall come out of Egypt and Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands unto God.” If humanity is regarded as made up of the children of God and God loves all humanity (we all know that) then God will be more pleased with that race that protects all humanity than with the race that outrages the children of God. And so tonight we celebrate this anniversary of our emancipation, we do it not with regret; on the contrary we do it with an abiding confidence, a hope and faith in ourselves and in our God. And the faith that we have is a faith that will ultimately take us back to that ancient place, that ancient position that we once occupied, when Ethiopia was in her glory. For more about Marcus Garvey, reference Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey edited by Amy Jacques-Garvey The Journal of Pan African Studies 2009 eBook

BB GETTING TO KNOW THE

BAHAMA BOYZ! MARCUS WELLER

HEIKE DEMPSTER

hen the email first came into the office about Mr. and Mrs., I wasn’t interested. I thought I was going to experience yet another ‘gimmick’ to get attention, and couldn’t really see the concept of a Husband and Wife team rapping, working. I was wrong. Nadirah X, originally from Jamaica and now residing in Los Angeles, with her Husband Jonathan ‘Swish’ Whitfield who by the way was born and raised in Mississippi, made for interesting reading as I researched their background. My eyes immediately jumped when I saw a line in their bio which stated Swish studied Baroque as well as Jazz, Blues and other genres of music. Hold up. Baroque?! Now we’re talking and maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to judge. Taking off my ‘Judges’ robe (get it, as in I’m not judging!), I sat down with this Husband / Wife team whom I have grown to have immense respect for. Our dialogue went something like this….

HD: First up tell us about how you two met and how you got started in the biz BB: I had just moved into a new area and a mutual friend knew that I used to rap and he knew that Flow used to rap so he introduced me to Flow and he was like ‘alright, let’s do something.’ It started off with a feature on a song but chemistry started to work. Everything was just clicking and everything was cool with us and we became good friends. Then we started the Bahama Boyz and we have been going ever since. Bahama Boyz all day so get used to it! Share some of your career highlights with us! My favorite highlight was the Cultural Fest we did in Miami. That was crazy. Shout out to Puzzle and Avvy. A lot of Bahamian artistes were there with us. It was really special and a great experience because it was our first time performing outside of the Bahamas. Just getting a chance to go over to the United States and showing them what we can do and what the Bahamas represent. Everyone was repping the 242 and to share this experience together at the same time with fellow Bahamian artistes was special. Flow: I think one of my career highlights had to be in 2009 when we were on a show called “Millennium Countdown.” That was crazy, too. The experience, the energy around it, the vibration, the vibes. We met a lot of other artistes such as Vybz Kartel, Beenie Man, Queen Ifrica, Harry Toddler and I Octane. The Bahamian artistes on the roaster were El Padrino, Bobo Ken and of course us, the Bahama Boyz The whole energy of the show was great . That has to be one of my most memorable highlights. You just released a new song, “Overcome” with Bugle. How did the link come about and how was the experience of working with him? Flow: Yes you know what it is! We have a new single featuring Bugle. The artiste turn up! Big up Kingston, straight across the board and big up my homeboy Bugle. Also big up to the 242. The link with Bugle came about when I tried to book him for a show in the Bahamas. Me and HD were interested in working with him so after we exchanged numbers. A friend of mine gave me the link so I called him and we have a mutual friendship so I introduced him to the Bahama Boyz and let him know that we do music, too. He went and checked out some of our stuff. In the meantime I let HD know that we were talking and we were interested in releasing a new joint. HD said ‘Let’s Do it!’ So Bugle checked out some of our vibes and he just liked it. He said the Bahamas is the place to be. I sent him over the track and he said the track was wicked. Within three days we got back the official record with Bugle’s voice on it so then me and HD wrote our part and the rest is history. Gotta overcome. What is the music scene like in the Bahamas now? What’s happening? The music scene in the Bahamas right now…everyone is hot, everything is hot right now. You gotta be one of the hot artistes out there, spend time in the studio ever day making good music. It’s really hot down here right now. What’s happening is that everyone is making big moves right now trying to be the next big thing coming out of the Bahamas. That’s really it. You are a hip hop duo. Why did you choose that genre of music? Yes we are a hip hop duo. I chose hip hop, and it’s probably the same for Flow, because I grew up on a lot of rap. Hip hop music, like Biggie, Tupac, Run DMC, KRS 1, Nas… we grew up on a lot of hip hop. That’s why we chose rap. We like storytelling. Rap is really about stories. Nas is a storyteller. Jay Z is a storyteller. That’s why we chose hip hop. What obstacles if any do you have to overcome as Bahamian rappers? Flow: I would not say obstacles. There are a few hiccups and some road bumps. The main thing as a Bahamian is a problem with funding. That’s the only thing. Other than that it’s all good. We are getting mad love from the radio personalities and the Djs and the street Djs. Everyone in the entertainment business is fully endorsing us and our music. They are endorsing music right now, any genre, whether rap or reggae. So funding is really our only major obstacle.

What do you have planned for the rest of the year? Flow: We are about 95% finished with our mixtape. It’s called “Dreams to Reality.” You can also look out for our EP “Dreams” and look out for some more videos. We are about to put more visuals out there. Check out the single “Overcome” with Bugle. We are actually getting ready to shoot a video for it so you know that’s fire! Otherwise, we just want to continue making music for the rest of the year. Will we hear more collaborations? We got some new hot features on the way. We are working with some new Bahamian artistes. We also reached out to Gappy Ranks. You can definitely look out for some new music for sure. Do you have any other news you would like to share with us? Keep looking out for the music and check us out on Facebook. Bahama Boyz, Follow us on Twitter @bahamaboyz and check us out on Youtube on Bahama Boyz TV! You will hear a lot more from us!

FRESHMAN CLASS OF 2012

B BUGLE

COVERING THE PLANET LIKE GOOGLE! TRICIA ‘ZJ SPARKS’ SPENCE

got to the interview early and patiently waited at Bugle’s gate. In the meantime, I soaked in the view from the hills of Upper St Andrew and enjoyed the crisp clean Jamaican air. There is nothing like it I might add. He came on time and we sat at the patio of his well appointed flat. He had no airs about him and exuded a lot of confidence. The conversation flowed smoothly and I came away more impressed than I already know about how his character is.

L3MAGAZINE.COM | JUNE 2012

TS: You have come such a far way; you have been through a rough passage which probably led to you questioning if you should still continue in the business. Talk to us about your journey into music. B: I was introduced to music by my now deceased brother and that’s the reason for the “Pearly Gates” song, that’s my dedication to him. He used to tape some stuff off the radio onto cassettes for me. There used a Red Label Wine Competition on the radio on Saturday nights which was hosted by Bagga Brown. My brother used to tape artistes like Papa San and Lt. Stitchie and other and play it for me over and over. I would listen to those tapes so often that I would start flipping their lyrics. What age was that? That was like 13 or 14; that when I started singing in school. You are from Portland right (that is in Eastern Jamaica) Yeh So how did you end up in Kingston? I love the music so much since I was in Primary School. I just knew that in order to make it, I would have to come to Kingston and especially since where I was from, I had never heard of anyone making it big from there. Where is that? Buff Bay Valley. There were a lot of real good artistes that I would listen to as a youth and I even thought they would become superstars, but they never left the valley to look it. So it was from then I realized that I would have to venture outside of where I was from, if I wanted to be successful. At what age did you come to Kingston? I came to Kingston at about 16 or 17 and I bounced about from Norman Garden to Havendale, all bout. My cousin got a job for me at a construction company which I did for about a month. I knew it wasn’t for me because I could not see myself lifting gypsum board all day long. So one day I went home and told my cousin that I couldn’t do it anymore. He looked at me and said “ah music you waan do, leave dat ‘an go do music, mi wi response fi you”. He paid the bills and made sure that I ate. He gave me good support, the only thing he did not do was to buy me clothing, but he took good care of me. So you reach Kingston now and music still on your mind, how did you get into music now, who did you link up with first? I had a family member who used to work at Cable and Wireless (now LIME) and he believed in me so much that he got involved in music production. He brought me to Mixing Lab studio, which is where Sly and Robbie did a lot of work. That meant so much to me, I felt like my dreams were coming through because here I was recording in Mixing Lab studio. Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and other big artistes went to that studio, I was in absolute awe. At that time money wasn’t even on my mind, I just wanted to sing, I just wanted to hear myself on the radio. That was the early part, shortly after I had just come to Kingston, my journey was only beginning. I linked up with Papa San and did some work with him, shortly before he became a Christian. He had me as his artiste.

How coincidental that now you have put out a mixture with a Christian title ‘Psalms’ (We both laugh) Yeah, yeah, yeah (said in a lighthearted way). Because he had become a Christian things went right from 10 to zero again for me and I had to start over. I then linked with Elephant Man through a producer name Doctor Marshall who used to be an engineer at Gussie Clarke Studio. He was producing a riddim when Scare Dem had just split and he wanted me to write a song for Elephant Man. From early out people used to say that I was one of the better writers as a youth. (I had to interject) I agree with that. You are a good writer. I get that a lot. Thanks a lot hearing that from someone like Sparks, who is a great music analyst. So you started working with Elephant Man, what were some of the songs you wrote for him? I would probably have to get some of the albums cause it was songs after songs. Do you remember his song on the ALL OUT Riddim that was used by PUMA? That was brained and penned by me, line for line. A lot of them were not written solely by me, it was a group effort, but I contributed a lot in terms of writing and melodies. I toured a lot with Elephant Man then we went to Japan, Canada, The Caribbean. He was not going to Europe at the time because of some issue that happened with him, so because of that I did not get to go to Europe with him. Other than that we went to a lot of places MTV, BET 106 and Park. You know Signal the Plane and Pon Di River were hot. What was that experience like for you? It was an awesome experience. Being around Elephant Man I met people that I didn’t even dream of meeting. Persons like Will Smith, Pharell, Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, R. Kelly, you name it. I walked the red carpet for the MTV Awards in Japan, I’ve been on 106 and Park, MTV Jams all of those things I did with Elephant Man. How do you manage to retain your sense of humility; I mean you met some big superstars that people do not see on a daily basis, stars that we only see on television?

That’s just me. It’s in my genes, I am not a hype person. I don’t speak unless I have to speak. I do not disrespect people. If I am out with my friends and we are having fun, it’s a different thing, then we rave. I have a good sense of humor that most don’t know about, but if you are exposed to it, you would laugh till you are in stitches. I am humble and laid back. So meeting those persons was like a wow experience. One time I used to dream of being the Jamaican Pharrell, when I met him, I was like wow. Those experiences prepared me for when I would eventually get the break. It was like going from Basic School to Primary School to High School to College and you know when you leave College then it’s off to work. Every step that I took in music was a form of learning for me to get me to where I am right now. I learned a lot from Elephant Man without him even teaching me directly. What did you learn from Elephant Man? Work ethic and showmanship. Elephant Man would work non-stop, he works he works he works. Up to date there a few local Dancehall artistes who possess his degree of showmanship. I can count them on one hand. Who are some of those artistes? You know I am not going to name them out because you going to have a lot of artistes who are going to pree me if I do. Mr. Vegas is one of those artistes that I really rate as a performer. He is one of the baddest when it comes to showmanship (meaning wickedest or most awesome). A lot of persons are going to read this interview and probably blurt out VEGAS??!! But he is a great performer. My ratings for him are tall. Vegas is a stickler for exercising, he believes it is important to his stage delivery; are you into exercising? Yes I am even I had to stop the gym for a minute, but I am going to resume shortly. Where would you say you first got your break, you have spoken about getting exposure when you used to par with Elephant Man, but that is not where a lot of Deejays started recognizing you, was it?

You know the first song I heard on the radio for me was a song that was produced by Papa San, so you know that was way before me meeting Elephant Man. I had done 3 US tours with Elephant Man and it was the third tour that I started thinking deeply. I thought to myself at the end of the day I am on the road with a Mega Star and meeting all these important people, but this was not me, this was Elephant Man’s dream and I wanted to stand out as BUGLE an independent artiste. So after the third tour I decided that I wasn’t going to go on the road with Elephant Man. I was going to do my own thing and teach myself a few things. I knew I would face some struggles, but I knew I had to do this. I went back to Cooreville with my friends and all I did was go from studio to studio and just voiced and voiced and voiced. I had built up a reputation with a lot of producers. Big ups to Rennaissance, Delano who never left me off a riddim yet, no matter what. I had to make the link with a lot of producers again because now I was on my own as Bugle, the artiste. I needed to just do Bugle. I stopped writing for people and made myself the focus; I gave myself 110 %. Where artistes were concerned, the artiste was BUGLE. I started linking with SSMG, a new recording company at the time. I did some work for them, but it didn’t really go where I knew it could have gone; such is life though. My journey is not a normal journey, I had to try and try and try again. When one bridge pop dung, mi just find a next one and cross again. When the next bridge pop dung, mi find a next one, cause mi neva intend to drown. I linked with SSMG for one year. After that Sean Scott, the Head of SSMG decided that the thing wasn’t working how he thought it would have worked, so he migrated and I never really heard from him after a time. So again, I had to start all over again and make links with other producers. I linked TJ from TJ Records at Consumer Plaza and Serani (formerly of DASECA Records) was there. I had actually gone with my daughter’s mother, Raine Seville and Serani was listening to something in the vehicle and she slurred something and he said ‘wait you can sing’ and she said ‘yeh’ and he said ‘ we a look fi some new artiste enuh, mi a look fi talent, so bring a demo and come check mi’. I followed her to link Serani about 2 - 3 days after. After he was done listening he said ‘Bugle you know mi woulda love do some work with yuh, but yuh haffe bring the idea to me’. That was how I hooked up with Daseca. Big up Serani. A few days after, I linked him with the Exercise song which I had on a phone and he plugged it up in his car and he just kinda zone out. Then he turned to me and said ‘this a di baddest song’. That is all I wanted to hear from him. He then reached into the back of his Honda Element and took up his keyboard and just started playing the riddim same place inna the Plaza. Rambo from Kanambo Music was there along with some others were there just vibing and I just kept singing 2 songs on the riddim, Exercise and the Journey song. The Journey song got him hyperactive and he said ‘yow I don’t even know which song badder, we haffe go voice the 2 song deem pan the riddim’. He called Craig from Daseca and he said ‘sing the song on the phone’. I didn’t speak I just sang, Craig didn’t say a word he just listened, so I didn’t know what he thought. In about 5 minutes I saw Craig and David, his brother on the scene, so I guess the song connected. Serani called someone else on the phone and told me to sing the song, within 5 minutes I saw Julian drive up on the scene. A crowd started gathering, TJ, Rambo and a lot of other people and everyone was getting excited. We left there soon after and headed straight to the studio. We dumped the riddim in the studio and I voiced the same night. They built a next riddim for the Journey’s song. We video’d the exercise song and did a lot of promotional work on the street. Within 2 months Exercise became one of the biggest songs in Jamaica and that launched my career.

I remember seeing you performing with Serani at Sting and thought, yes this youth have potential. You have toured a bit with Serani, right? I did one tour with Serani, but that was a big tour still. We toured so many places in Canada that I had not been to before and in the United States. As a matter of fact, I don’t know if there is any place in the USA that I have not been. I think I have been to every State. Serani, Ding Dong and I did a great tour. Since then, you have grown tremendously. Your songs don’t immediately grab people, but they have an enduring quality about them. You can hear the depth of the writing that has gone in your songs, I can see you being around for a long time as a matter of fact you can perform almost anywhere. Was this intentional on your part in your lyrical construction? Yes it was. I can Dj, I can do the adrenaline music, but that is not where my heart is. I do it to maintain visibility. My heart is in songs like “What Have I Done to You,” “Pearly Gates,” “Exercise,” “Journeys” … the deep stories. That is where my heart really is; I know they are not going to hit it big now, this year or next year, but when they do they are going to become some giant songs round ‘ere. When them buss them a go stay buss. I want a catalogue with masterpieces. Already, I have that. I cannot perform and not do my very first song, which is “Exercise” nor my 2nd or 3rd or 4th song, which are “Doh,” “Journey” and “What Have I Done to You.” Those songs still make me get shows. Speaking of shows, what was one of your most memorable performances? That would be Sting, that was my first Sting. I went to Sting with three songs, Exercise, Journeys and Doh. I sang Exercise and the crowd gave me a huge forward; it was crazy. At that time, Doh was big big worldwide at the time. Journeys was the least popular at the time; so when we did Exercise, we started high took it down a bit and ended with a bang. What did you learn from that? Mi always a learn, cause you even said something during this interview that really touched my heart that is making me pree deeply right now. I don’t really take things simple. Life is not as simple as a lot of people make it seem. I am serious about everything, even when I am having fun, it’s serious fun. On my journey, on my path, I have met a lot of good and bad and learn from them both. Even if I am around a negative person, I can learn a lot from them and not take anything negative from the experience because guess what, everyone has a good and a bad side. What you take from anybody, is what you choose to take. In life you have good and bad, right and wrong, negative and positive. So it’s up to you to choose, just like how you have life and you have death, they go together. I choose to be serious with what I do and stay focused and appreciate people and accept people for who they are. So as much as you might hear me do a song like Brokeback Mountain to mi cable, I would not go down the road and kill a man if he chooses to live his life a certain way. I am just saying, I am not going to do that. Would I be a soccer player or an athlete, no, so in the same way I would not kill a man because he chooses to be a football player or a runner. It is mere artistic expression.

So you have walked through the valley of the shadow of death and have come up with the Psalms mixtape. How long did it take you to come up with that and what made you realize you needed to do this? I did two mixtape prior to Psalms. The first one was one of my favorites, it had on Journeys, Exercise … I was to have done an album for the longest time and overtime I get to the point where I am supposed to be officially working on the album something happens. I just could not do an album if my heart is not into it 110%. So people keep on asking ‘what happen to the album’. I would tell them ‘I can’t tell you when you are going to be getting an album, but in the meantime I am going to give you something just as good as the album’. Doing a mixture is not something that you have to take time off from the music. It’s more like a compilation of songs that are already out, all you have to do is order the songs properly. Razz from Razz and Biggy is actually the one who did the mixture. I gave him a lot of my songs and we went in studio and did some work on the arrangement. We got a girl to go to HWT (Half Way Tree) to interview people. We had her ask people what they thought about a couple of artistes including Bugle. We were not going to used what they said about other artistes, but we didn’t want it to be obvious that is was about Bugle. It wowed me because no one had anything negative to say about me. One lady said she was not really into Dancehall but knew one of my songs. People think that I am a positive artiste, but that I am not getting the recognition that I am supposed to get. We used that at the start of the mix tape, even though we had to cut out some the great footage cause it was too much. At the beginning of the interview, you said, ‘oh Sparks, you ah video this, yeh video it cause mi a go be a mega star’ (He chuckles). How soon do you see yourself there? I think with the response that I am getting worldwide, I think one day I am just going to blow up real big. People are crazy about Bugle outside of Jamaica. I always hear people say this about Bugle, I always hear them say that I am one of the most underrated artistes and I would like to take the time to correct this. I don’t think that I am one of the most underrated artistes. A lot of people might not rate Bugle, no problem because no matter how great you are not everyone is going to like you. Look at it, not everyone rates Bob Marley, but such is life. At the end of the day, look at it this way, if I have 10 people that feel that Bugle is the greatest and 20 that don’t feel that way, does it mean I am underrated? No, I am rated because those 10 persons mean the world to me. Those 10 that support me will make me work even harder to prove to the others that do not rate me that Bugle is a good artiste. (At the time of writing) I am on my way to Gambia and to Israel in a few weeks. We are putting out the work and people are reaching out to me. A brother came from Australia the other day and was telling things about me that had me shocked. What was one of those things that he told you? He told me that I am one of the greatest artistes in this new generation of artistes. Those things humble me. Maybe, if I were hype they would say he is a good artiste, but not a great artiste. I don’t let these things get to my head, I remain humble. When I travel, is not 10 or 20 people who come out to see me, it is way more than that, which goes to show that there are persons out there who appreciate me. What do you have to leave with the readers of L3 Magazine? L3 magazine is just as positive as Bugle; unno a get the real story. I just hope you grow and grow and grow and become the Forbes Magazine of the world. Connect with Bugle on Twitter >>> @BugleMusic

KB KAYLA BLISS THE AUDIO ANGEL NATASHA VON CASTLE

he first song I ever heard from Kayla Bliss is “Rock n Sway” produced by XTM Nation. The moment her voice reached my ears I knew this was an artist whose music I would always want to hear; I wasn’t the only one.

Kayla may not be widely known to the world yet, and I emphasize yet, but for the fans who know her, we collectively say, we will forever be supporting our ‘Love Rebel.’ She’s original and she’s our audio angel … she’s Ms. Kayla Bliss! NVC: The first description we ever read about you called you an ‘audio Angel’ and it is one that is fitting! Does music and or singing run in your family, or is singing something you are blessed to do? KB: My father was lead singer of a reggae band. My aunt is also a pretty popular background singer for a lot of artists. So, I suppose it does run in the family.

Finding the right producer to work with your voice can be challenging, but you have the right fit with XTM Nation. Tell us about working with Kareem! It is always an adventure, because I never know what I’m going to hear and like. I am very outspoken when it comes to what I want to do so a lot of times it’s him having to trust me and see what the outcome is. So far it’s been good! One of the ways that the world has discovered your talent is through the social media site Twitter. At times you can be feisty (not to be confused with facety), you are very loving, and profoundly honest. One gets a sense of knowing you through Twitter. Would you agree? Yeah. I mean, that’s me. I like who I am. And I don’t have a particular set of rules that I live my life by. I just, love people and I like being myself. You perform Reggae so beautifully. Have you ever been tempted to add R&B or Jazz to your catalog (if you haven’t done so already). I have Jazz in my background. I studied for some years, in college. I’ve also had pieces composed for me by a few Jazz composers. I’ve had some great experiences in my music education. As far as R&B, it is in my catalog I infuse it into every song I perform. That’s just the way I sing. You were close to Mr. Burrell Senior. Did he give you any advice regarding your voice, singing or your career? He always told me never be afraid to be me. I am aware that I’m not a just a reggae artist. I’m a world music singer. What I sing isn’t just for Jamaica, it isn’t just for reggae fans and I’m not afraid of that. He taught me to embrace that, instead of suppressing it. You have also worked and are working with Mr. Burrell Junior. Are there a lot of similarities between them?! I think they both have the same ear for talent. And they both follow their hearts on what sounds good to them. Kareem is much more open to ideas, but just like his dad, if something doesn’t work then it won’t work. So far in our career, we can say that we couldn’t have made it without family. Would you say the same is true for you and how important is family to you? My mom is most important to me. She has gone above and beyond to make sure that I succeed. I am not close with every member of my family. My mom, brother and little sister are always behind me. You have the catalog, you have the stage performance, you have your passport! Where are some of the places (outside of Jamaica) that you are most eager to perform in? I’m very excited to go to South America and Africa. I also have a great Italian fan base that I’m excited to perform for. I’m afraid I won’t want to go home (she laughs)! The name of the Magazine is L3 and each L has a meaning. The first L is for Life, the second for Love and the third for Lyrics. What general advice can you give our readers on Life, Love and Lyrics?! Life is meant to be lived. Love is meant to be spread. Lyrics are a story, about both. Stay up to date with Kayla Bliss via Twitter >>> @MsKaylaBliss

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