Latest news with #dancehall
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Minna LaFortune Drops Dance With Me Volume II – Live Celebration Concert on Facebook, June 7
Get ready to dance, feel, and celebrate—because Minna LaFortune is back with a powerful new album, Dance with Me Volume II, dropping June 7. A force in the reggae scene, Minna blends reggae, Afrobeat, dancehall, and amapiano into an electrifying mix of rhythm and soul, bringing messages of love, unity, empowerment, and social justice straight to your speakers. "This album is my heart, my roots, and my hope for a better world—where music unites, heals, and uplifts," says Minna LaFortune. "I want fans to move, to feel, to connect. Let's dance together!" With influences spanning rocksteady, ska, dub, Afrobeat, and dancehall, this album is more than just music—it's a movement. A standout track, The Black Star Liner, pays tribute to Marcus Garvey's vision of African unity, delivering a soundscape that resonates across generations. Dance with Me Volume II features an unforgettable lineup of songs, each carrying deep meaning and infectious grooves: - Don't Drink Your Sorrows – A soul-stirring anthem of resilience and hope - Reggae Music is Love to Me – A heartfelt tribute to the transformative power of reggae - The Black Star Liner – A musical journey toward pan-African solidarity - Shine di Light – A call for awakening and economic justice - Baby Baby I Love You – A romantic ballad filled with passion and tenderness - Global Warming & Global Warming Dub – An urgent message about climate change - This is the Time for Me – A fierce declaration of self-empowerment - Dance to the Afro Beat (Afrobeat) – A pulsating celebration of African heritage - Cease Fire & Cease Fire Dub – A compelling plea for a stop to gun violence in urban communities - The Message – A tribute to reggae legends and their lasting impact - Weekend Vibes (Amapiano) – The perfect feel-good party anthem Watch, Listen, Experience! Several of the album's songs feature lyrical videos available now on YouTube, immersing fans in the powerful storytelling behind the music. Cease Fire already has an official music video, and the video for Global Warming is set to premiere June 18—a must-watch moment. Be Part of the Celebration – Live Concert June 7 on Facebook To mark the release, Minna LaFortune is hosting a live concert on Facebook on June 7—a spectacular event filled with high-energy performances, exclusive insights, and a deep connection to the music. How to Get the Album Dance with Me Volume II will be available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and all major platforms. Want a physical copy? Preorder your CD today by sending your order to the email: minna154@ About Minna LaFortune A bold and soulful voice in reggae, Minna LaFortune is known for her passionate storytelling, socially conscious lyrics, and irresistible rhythms. She brings music that inspires, unites, and energizes, proving that reggae remains a powerful force for change. Watch on Youtube. For more details, visit Media Contact Company Name: Minna LaFortune Music Contact Person: Minna LaFortune Email: Send Email Phone: 9177717935 Country: United States Website:
The National
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Wayne Wonder talks peace, the Middle Eastern music scene and Sean Kingston's legal troubles
One of Jamaica's best-known reggae and dancehall artists sang at my desk recently, sharing his call for peace in the region. He sang over a Zoom video call, but Wayne Wonder put so much energy and passion into the impromptu performance of the song White Flag, he might as well have been there in person. The No Letting Go singer was in Dubai this month to perform at the Reggae Beachfest, which has been held since 2013. More than 4,000 people attended this year's event at Barasti Beach. 'I just want to spread love and unity. Peace and love to humanity. There is so much going on right now. Love is lovely, war is ugly,' he said. He has two new singles out and performed one of them, Sweet, at the festival. He is also working on new EP with famous producer Tony Kelly, known for his collaborations with Shaggy, Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Shabba Ranks and others. Wonder has been singing for more than three decades. Last year, No Letting Go was certified platinum in the UK, as the slow burner still has a following 23 years after its release. Other artists at the festival included South African Khalil Harrison, who is riding high on the viral success of his song, Jealousy. London DJ Skyla Tylaa featured Harrison, alongside Tyler ICU, Diamond Platnumz and others, on her new song Bombshell that marks her debut as a producer. Wonder said the music scene in the Middle East is booming. 'Music is growing. A new generation and the classics are rotating. It's just like a melting pot of music,' he said. "I went to the club a few nights ago, and there were all different types of music." Reggae Beachfest has evolved over the years to incorporate other genres, one of the organisers, Saif Al Naji, said. 'We've always embraced the full spectrum of Caribbean sounds – reggae, dancehall, and soca. But in recent years, we've started incorporating Afrobeats and amapiano into the mix. With its global rise and energy, it blends perfectly with our vibe and adds another layer of excitement to the festival line-up,' Al Naji added. The organisers are already working on their next event and have big dreams to turn the event into a regional fixture. 'We've been cooking up something very special for the upcoming season,' said Al Naji. 'While we can't reveal too much just yet, let's just say there are some bold moves and big names in the works. Our long-term goal is to build the biggest reggae festival in the Middle East — one that stands proudly alongside global icons like Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica, Summerjam in Germany, and City Splash in the UK. 'We're aiming for a two-day Reggae Beachfest experience with over 20,000 fans in attendance. We truly believe we're on the right track, and we're already planning toward making that vision a reality.' Jethro Nyandoro, one of the DJs who has taken part in the festival over the years, said it has hosted some of the most in-demand artists and built a loyal fan base. As Wonder performed in Dubai, another Caribbean artist, Sean Kingston, was enduring legal trouble in the US. The singer is awaiting sentencing after his conviction, along with his mother, in a $1 million federal fraud case. Wonder said there were lessons in the case for everyone. 'It's just an unfortunate situation. You just have to walk a straight line. Each and every one of us, not just artists. Just try to do your best,' he said. 'It only takes one mistake to mess you up. I tell my son all the time. One mistake can mess up your whole life.' 'In this age of social media, you've just got to be careful. You have to be skeptical of your circle, because trust is very hard to find.'
CBC
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
This new book explores the Art of Dancehall, and features Toronto in a massive way
Right from the genre's inception in the early 1980s, Toronto has been a hub for dancehall music. That's evident in Art of Dancehall, the new book from DJ/producer Walshy Fire — best known for his work with Grammy-nominated genre-bending trio Major Lazer. Art of Dancehall compiles historic dancehall flyers from Jamaica, New York, Japan, and Canada. Walshy Fire was born to Jamaican parents in Florida and grew up between Jamaica and Miami, but he has a deep familiarity with Toronto, having spent childhood summers in Scarborough and Pickering. In the 1960s and '70s Canada experienced a surge in immigration from the Caribbean, with Jamaicans flocking to Toronto in particular. They brought a rich musical history and culture with them. By the 1970s, neighbourhoods like Eglinton West became centres for the creation and sale of reggae records. By the time dancehall emerged in the 1980s, Toronto's Jamaican diaspora had its own musical ecosystem. Most of the flyers in the Canada section belong to podcaster Sheldon "Muscle" Bruce, who began collecting at a very young age and hasn't stopped since. The flyers show a lot of history. Many of dancehall and reggae's most decorated acts performed at some of the country's most iconic venues, including Tony Rebel and Freddie McGregor playing The Opera House in 1994, or Buju Banton performing at Ontario Place a year later. Muscle started collecting flyers in the late 80s when he asked a relative travelling to the UK to bring him back something from their trip. They returned with a flyer for a dancehall party, and that is where his fascination was formed. "Very basic flyer, eight-by-eleven flyer," he says. Simple writing on it, but I was so amazed by it. Even stuff where you'd see the dollar sign was the pound sign, so stuff would make me say 'Holy smokes!'. Because you've never seen this, and I'm touching this thing from another country." He was around 13 years old at the time, and although he was too young to go to the actual parties, that didn't stop him from going to the local barbershop or West Indian store to grab whatever flyers were available. "I really wanted to know what was going on at that particular time there," he says "Even if I can't go, I just want to know. Who was the hot DJs? Who are the hot sounds? Oh, this artist is coming. I just wanted to know. And then after a while, I knew that as long as I have these things, this is going to be a snapshot of history." The relationship between Canada and Jamaica has always been strong, particularly among musicians, Bruce adds. "A lot of artists, the first time they ever left [Jamaica], Canada was the first place they came to," he says. Beyond becoming a go-to tour stop for Jamaican artists, Toronto developed its own DJ collectives, known as sound systems, who would have soundclashes. A soundclash is a musical battle between two or more sound systems or DJs where they try to outplay each other with better selections. It originated in Jamaica, and was a large part of the dancehall culture in Toronto during the '90s. One of Bruce's most notable flyers is for the legendary bout between local sound systems King Turbo and Super Fresh. King Turbo were the consensus top crew in Canada at that time. Super Fresh were the newcomers gunning for Turbo's spot. "That was legendary. That was August 1997 at Marina Banquet Hall," he says. That was a big thing because Super Fresh was from the west [end of the city] and King Turbo was from the east… It was a real standoff. You're defending your song tonight, and we're defending ours. It was crazy, a gunshot actually ended the dance." Clashes were often territorial, with sound systems representing different parts of the city. They were usually dark, smoky and even hostile affairs. It was not uncommon for a soundclash to end in violence. DJ Ron Nelson is one of the pioneers of Black music in Canada His show Fantastic Voyage on community station CKLN was Canada's first radio program dedicated to hip-hop. Towards the end of his tenure he started playing dancehall once a week — the last Saturday of every month. He would later launch ReggaeMania, which became one of the premier shows playing reggae and dancehall in the '90s. He was around for some of those unsavoury endings to a night of fun. "There's a lot of bad boys in dancehall," he says. You know, gunmen. We went through periods of having many incidents of dances where there [were] shootouts. Every… person who's a patron of dancehall probably knows somebody who's gotten shot or killed or murdered, so that's the sad side of it." Community radio station logos were a constant presence on the flyer. Stations like CKLN, CHRY and CIUT, which had been integral in the growth of hip-hop in Canada, were now playing an essential role in the maturation of dancehall. "Community radio was huge," says Bruce. "Remember back then — we're talking about the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s — there wasn't any internet. There was no way to really disseminate this information so people could get it. These were big, big platforms and to this day they still have a place in the community, because they're community driven." Ron Nelson played a huge part in that, giving members of the local dancehall community their first opportunities on the air, often turning his show over to local sound systems, letting them be stars in their own right. "The one thing that I did that most people don't do is humbled myself," he says. I brought our local sound systems on the radio for their first time. I said, 'Come on down, and I'm going to let you play and let you talk too.'" The Art of Dancehall is more than a book, it's a time capsule that captures a movement that took root in Canada and blossomed into a full-fledged culture. They're more than just promotional material; the flyers are visual reminders of the golden era of dancehall in Canada. They tell a story about migration, identity, and how music travels, transforms, and ultimately takes root in places far from its origin.
