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Can Mavado Put DanceHall Back On the US Map?

JamaicaViewsReaders — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:30:54 +0000

A better tomorrow for dancehall?

Published: Tuesday | February 24, 2009

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Mavado (right) with superstar Wyclef Jean, one of his many hip hop admirers. – Contributed

IT'S BEEN some time since a dancehall artiste made a big mark in the United States. Fans have to look back to 2006 to Junior Gong's Welcome to Jamrock to find a massive seller stateside.

Some pundits in the US believe

Mavado has what it takes to break that drought with the March 3 release of his second album, Mr Brooks … A Better Tomorrow, on VP Records.

The deejay's first album, 2007's Gangsta For Life: The Symphony of David Brooks, made some ripples in the US but was not a big seller. Urban tales like Gully Side and Weh Dem a Do made it, arguably, the grittiest dancehall album since Bounty Killer's My Xperience in 1996.

VP Records has thrown its weight behind Mr Brooks, pushing the video for its lead single, So Special, on BET and MTV.

Already, there is radio buzz around Mr Brooks' leading songs: So Special, So Blessed, On The Rock and Overcome. So Special is currently on Billboard magazine's Top 100 R&B/Hip Hop chart.

Baz Dreisinger, a writer for the edgy Spin magazine, says Mavado may be a godsend for lovers of hardcore music.

"Gangsta personas have short shelf-lives. Snoop Dogg: the only set he's believably rolling with these days is the PTA. And who's still afraid of big, bad 50 Cent? But on his stellar second album, David 'Mavado' Brooks – the Kingston-born artist hyped as having more street 'cred' than Biggie and tupaccombined – has lost none of the edge that made him dancehall's latest commercial saviour."

Pyroradio.com, an influential network for hip hop and urban music, is just as impressed with the Mavado set. "Part prophet, part superhero and part fugitive, Mavado is the voice of the streets and represents dancehall for the new generation," it said in its review.

Last year was not a good one for dancehall albums. Although Let's Get Physical by Elephant Man and Shaggy's Intoxication did well in Jamaica, neither cracked US pop charts.

With the wind at his back, Mavado has a clutch of promotional dates lined-up in the US, starting this week.

Freedom In Jamaica

JamaicaViewsReaders — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:24:55 +0000

When since people in Jamaica are not free to even say what they wanted to say. ‘When you go to Rome you do as the Romans.’ But is not every thing that the Romans do you in Rome you

needs to practice when you get home.

We have lawmen that are investigating entertainers who performed at Sting when we have so many murderers roaming the streets that need to be investigated and locked up. As the saying goes, ‘when sticks and stones can break my bones words cannot hurt me.’ Now tell me why the police are making a big deal regarding spoken words under a control setting when there are so many problems with crime that need to be address. What is the priority here spoken words or victims murdered by gunshots? Come on Mr. Policeman you can do better than that. So much is at stake due to the increase violence. Instead you are wasting your time with petty stuff.

I would not go to Sting because I know what it is about. So whoever wants to go and listen to those kinds of lyrics can go and listen. They should have the freedom to do so and that is what they should hear, nothing less. If on the other hand I visited a church and hear the pastor preaching the type lyrics that the performers at Sting sang then I would be concern. I know that something is definitely wrong because that is not what I expected to hear in Church. And of course a report should be made at the police station and an investigation should be in order.

For future the Police chief can have meeting with Promoters and entertainers to discuss what can be done to somewhat make that event more palatable. Meeting were arranged and Dons were invited to attend the entertainers deserved the same courtesy. Entertainers are influential people too, if you have not realized therefore they should be counted as part of the solutions and not be treated like common criminal for a few spoken words.

Update: Sting 2008 Clash Vybz Kartel vs Mavado, Watch The Video and Vote for Winner

JamaicaViewsReaders — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:52:15 +0000

Here is the video from the clash between Vybz Kartel and Mavado from Sting 2008 in Portmore (Jamworld) Jamaica. Watch the videos then decide in our online poll.

PART 1

PART 2