Trina To Be Honored With International Friend Of Reggae Award

Kingston, Jamaica: Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards Founder and Chairman Richard 'Richie B' Burgess announced recently that the 2011 'International Friend of Reggae Honoree' will be popular American Rapper TRINA. This year’s seventh annual EME Awards is set to take place on March 12, 2011 at The East Lawn of the historical Devon House site, Hope Road, Kingston.

TRINA, a successful recording artist, songwriter, model and businesswoman announced herself to the music world in 1998 with the single "Nann Nigga" on Trick Daddy's album www.thug.com, and she has continued to push the envelope of Rap and Hip Hop. Her debut album went gold, and her second album 'Diamond Princess,' solidified her reputation as a new queen of hard-core rap. On her latest album 'Amazin,' she collaborated with Dancehall Queen Lady Saw and hip hop queen Nicki Minaj on the song titled 'Dang A Lang.'

Previous International Friend of Reggae Honorees were John Legend, Missy Elliott, Estelle, Jazmin Sullivan, Akon and multiple Grammy award-winning artiste India.Arie who was in attendance last year and gave a most memorable performance.

The 2011 Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards will also recognize the top performers within the Jamaican Recording Industry.

“Some of the icons of our rich musical heritage as well as the hottest newcomers around will receive the recognition they so rightfully deserve, for providing us with wonderful musical gems throughout their careers”, Burgess noted.

There are approximately 30 award categories including DJ of the Year, Best New Artiste, Song of the Year, Vocalist of the year and Producer of the year among others. Winners will be determined based on their performance on The Weekly Jamaica Music Countdown (Charts), votes via texts and votes at the website www.emeawards.com

This year’s event will include Road Shows, a Pre-Party, the Awards Ceremony and an After Party. North America's BET Networks was among the international media that covered the spectacular event last year.

DJ Naz: The Babygurl of the Wheels of Steel

In a society where we crave entertainment and the demand for it is high, DJ Naz has emerged as a bonafide disc jockey that is ready to show the world what she has.

Naz has always had a love for music and this was portrayed in her studies in studio engineering in her former years. In 2006 she was a part of an all-female group called Chemical X in which she was the 'mic girl'.

However, her professional career as a disc jockey did not begin until 2009 when she entered the Heineken Green synergy competition. It was here Naz got her big break, being dubbed by local media as 'Jamaica's history baby' as she was the first female to have ever entered the competition in its history.

Naz finished the competition in third place, an experience she describes as "overwhelming and exciting."

"Although I wanted to win, I was really happy that I went as far as third," Naz, who is the daughter of musical greats Joy White and Don Taylor, expressed.

Pursuing a career in the music and entertainment industry seemed a hard task but Naz would not be deterred—and so she entered the competition yet again in 2010.

"I thought it was taking the shape of a reality show and it would have been fun, so I entered again," Naz said. She described the second time as being more challenging than the first and although she came third again, she was thrilled about meeting disc jock great Grandmaster Flash.

Green Synergy opened many doors for Naz, as it created an avenue for her to show Jamaica what she could do. Being the sole woman in the competition did not frighten Naz, as she said, "it wasn't about male or female, it was about who could bring it and who couldn't."

Her skills on the wheels of steel throughout the completion were undeniable that of class as she outshone many others. Her versatility on the turntables as well as her effervescent personality has made her a hit amongst promoters since her Green Synergy appearances.

Naz has been busy working hard to push her career to the highest heights, playing at a number of events and releasing a number of mixtapes – all of which are free on her website www.djnazgurlpower.com.

EME Awards Categories And Nominees‏

CATEGORIES / NOMINEES & HONOUREES EME AWARDS 2011

(For recordings and overall impact between Oct. 01, 2009 – Sept. 30, 2010)
Note….. more or less than seven (7) nominations in a category is the result of ties

CATEGORIES NOMINEES
(for overall impact as a solo vocal performer in the eligibility year)

1) DJ OF THE YEAR (MALE)
(for overall impact as a solo vocal performer in the eligibility year)
BEENIE MAN
AIDONIA
BOUNTY KILLER
VYBZ KARTEL
BUSY SIGNAL
ASSASSIN

2) DJ OF THE YEAR (FEMALE)
(for overall impact as a solo vocal performer in the eligibility year)
TIFA
STACIOUS
LADY SAW
CECILE
D’ÁNGEL
TIMBERLEE
SPICE

3) VOCALIST OF THE YEAR (MALE)
(for overall impact as a solo vocal performer in the eligibility)
HEZRON STEVIE FACE
JAH CURE CHRISTOPHER MARTIN
ROMAIN VIRGO TARRUS RILEY
RICHIE STEPHENS


4) VOCALIST OF THE YEAR (FEMALE)
(for overall impact as a solo vocal performer in the eligibility year)

TAMI CHYNN QUEEN IFRICA
ETANA ALAINE
CHERINE ANDERSON PHYLLISIA

5) PRODUCER/LABEL OF THE YEAR (DANCE HALL)
(for overall impact as a record producer in this category in the eligibility year)

SANKOFA RECORDS - SANKOFA CREW
EQUINOXX PRODUCTIONS - GAVIN BLAIR
CHIMNEY RECORDS - JORDAN MC LURE
BIG SHIP - STEPHEN MCGREGOR
SEANIZZLE RECORDS - SEAN REID
NOTNICE PRODUCTIONS- AINSLEY MORRIS
CASH FLOW RECORDS-DJ NEIL, DJ X & FADA P
CR203 RECORDS - ZJ CHROME
HEAD CONCUSSION RECORDS – TARIQ JOHNSON


6) PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (REGGAE)
(for overall impact as a record producer in this category in the eligibility year)

KEMAR ’DJ FLAVA’ MC GREGOR–NO DOUBT RECORDS
DONOVAN BENNETT – DON CORLEON LABEL
SLY & ROBBIE – TAXI LABEL
DONOVAN GERMAIN – PENTHOUSE RECORDS
JEREMY HARDING - 2HARD MUSIC
DJ NEIL, DJ X & FADA P - CASH FLOW
DJ FRASS - FRASS PRODUCTIONS


7) BEST NEW ARTIST (MALE)
(award to an artist whose overall impact during the eligibility year establishes his public identity as a recording artist)

VYBRANT RICHIE LOOP
POPCAAN VERSATILE
PROTOJE DJ LIQUID
T’NEZ

8) BEST NEW ARTIST (FEMALE)
(award to an artist whose overall impact during the eligibility year establishes her public identity)

TOYA GAZA SLIM
MISTEREE IKAYA
SHEBA DENYQUE
DJ SUNSHINE KEIDA

9) DUO/GROUP OF THE YEAR (for overall impact as a vocal performer by established duos or groups in the eligibility year)

RDX ANDREW & WADA BLOOD
TOK VOICEMAIL ROOTS REVEALERS TWINS OF TWINS
NOMADDZ

10) BIGGEST COMEBACK ARTIST
(award to an artist whose release(s) in the eligilibility year marked his/her ‘return’ to the charts after a long break)

RAS CHARMER WARRIOR KING
JUNIOR X MR G
FUTURE FAMBO ANDY LIVINGSTON
MR LEXX


11) SONG OF THE YEAR (DANCE HALL)
(award to the artist and producer who score the biggest charting song in this category during the eligibility year)

CLARKS
STULLA
HOLD YUH
RUM & RED BULL
MAD OVER
DUMPER TRUCK
THIS IS HOW WE DO IT
NAH SELL OUT MI FREN DEM
MY CUPP
JIM SCREECHIE

12) SONG OF THE YEAR (REGGAE)
(award to the artist and producer who score the biggest charting song in this category during the eligibility year)

WE SHALL FIND A WAY - HEZRON
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE – JAH CURE/ PHYLLISHA
WILDFIRE – TARRUS RILEY
FREE - ETANA
MY LIFE - I –OCTANE
LIFE - SHAWN STORM
NIGHT SHIFT - BUSY SIGNAL
LOSE A FRIEND – I-OCTANE

13) ALBUM OF THE YEAR
(award to artist(s) and producer(s) if different from artist(s) whose album had biggest impact in this category in the eligibility year)

PON DI GAZA 2.0 – VYBZ KARTEL
ROMAIN VIRGO – ROMAIN VIRGO
DISTANT RELATIVES – JUNIOR GONG & NAS
INFALLIBLE - TANYA STEPHENS
HOLD YOU - GYPTIAN
MY WAY - LADY SAW
BEFORE THE DAWN - BUJU BANTON
BLACK GOLD - DUANE STEPHENSON

14) CULTURAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
(award to artist with the best/biggest cultural/positive recording(s) in the eligibility year)

TARRUS RILEY QUEEN IFRICA
RICHIE SPICE JAH CURE
I – OCTANE ETANA
CHUCK FENDER

15) BREAKTHRU ARTIST OF THE YEAR
(award to artist whose work attracted local and international attention, and who is seen as poised as a leader for the next generation of reggae/ dance hall stars)

TONY ANTHONY D’MAJOR
KHAGO I-OCTANE
TIANA THE JOLLY BOYS
SHAWN STORM G WHIZZ


16) SINGJAY OF THE YEAR (MALE)
(award to the artist with the biggest overall impact in this category in the eligilibility year)

MAVADO MR VEGAS
I – OCTANE CHINO KONSHENS GYPTIAN
WAYNE MARSHALL KHAGO

17) COLLABO OF THE YEAR (LOCAL)
(for a collaborative vocal performance by artists who do not normally perform together)

CLARKS – VYBZ KARTEL, POPCAAN & GAZA SLIM
COME INTO MY ROOM – MAVADO & STACIOUS
HOW WE DO IT – ELEPHANT MAN & BOUNTY KILLER
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE – JAH CURE & PHYLLISIA
DRINKING RUM & RED BULL – BEENIE MAN & FAMBO
FOR UR EYES ONLY – SHAGGY & ALAINE
MY HEART – WAYNE MARSHALL & MAVADO
STRONGER – CHAM, MYKAL ROSE & BOUNTY KILLER
CERTIFIED DIVA – TAMI & TIFA

18) RHYTHM OF THE YEAR (REGGAE)
(award to the producer of the reggae rhythm with the biggest impact in the eligibility year)

BIG STAGE – PENTHOUSE
CLASSIC RHYTHM - NO DOUBT
MINOR RHYTHM – DON CORLEON
CITY LIFE RYHTHM – 2HARD MUSIC
PLEASURE RHYTHM – CASH FLOW
CARDIO BASS - ZJ CHROME (CR203)
FEEL SO GOOD – ROMEICH RECORDS

19) RHYTHM OF THE YEAR (DANCE HALL)
(award to the producer/ label of the dance hall rhythm with the biggest impact in the eligibility year)

MAD COLLABO - ZJ CHROME (CR203)
BANK INNA MI POCKET - ROMEICH
12 FURLONG - BALLAZ/SANKOFA
COSA NOSTRA - WARD 21
BAD PEOPLE - STEPHEN McGREGOR
ONE DAY - SEANIZZLE
SMOKIN - ZJ CHROME (CR203)

20) MOST IMPROVED ARTIST
(award to a ‘next generation’ artist whose career improves most dramatically in all areas over the eligibility year)

NICKY B CHI CHING CHING
DAVID M DELUS
DANIELLE aka DI ZAMUNDA
G. WARREN

21) GOSPEL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
(award to the gospel artist with the biggest impact in this category in the eligibility year)

GODDY GODDY
JABEZ
PRODIGAL SON
DJ NICHOLAS
JERMAINE EDWARDS
OMARI EDWARDS
JUNIOR TUCKER
JUDITH GAYLE
CARLENE DAVIS
KEVIN DOWNSWELL

22) INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
(awarded to the artist scoring the biggest charting International Hit during the eligibility year)

GYPTIAN DAMIAN ‘JUNIOR GONG’ MARLEY
LAZA MORGAN SHAGGY
MAVADO SEAN PAUL
VYBZ KARTEL CHERINE ANDERSON

23) BEST THEATRICAL PRODUCTION
(award to the theatrical production with the biggest impact in the eligibility year)

THE PLUMMER PUPPY LOVE
PASSA PASSA DAILY HOUSE ARREST
GHETTOUT WHAT IS FI YUH

24) BEST INSTRUMENTAL GROUP WITH VOCALS (BAND)
(Award to group/band (not backing band) which had the biggest impact in the eligibility year)

RAGING FIRE DUBTONIC KRU
C-SHARP LIVE WYYA
ROOTZ UNDERGROUND PUBLIC SECRET

25) ARTIST OF THE DECADE (2001-2010)
(Award to the artist who had the biggest impact as a hit maker, performer and as a touring act)

CAPLETON ELEPHANT MAN
SEAN PAUL SIZZLA
BEENIE MAN SHAGGY
BOUNTY KILLER LUCIANO
LADY SAW BUJU BANTON
JUNIOR GONG BERES HAMMOND
MARCIA GRIFFITHS WAYNE WONDER

Court Hears Buju Discussing Drug Deal

TAMPA, USA — The court this morning started hearing recordings of the conversations between Buju Banton and confidential source Alexander Johnson.

During the recordings both men could be heard discussing a drug deal from Venezuela to Europe and discussing the cost of purchasing several kilos of cocaine.

In several exchanges Banton could be heard pressing Johnson about finding people from whom he could purchase cocaine.

Johnson, however, said he did not purchase but that he was a transporter.

At one point Banton could be heard complaining to Johnson that he found it hard to find people in the drug game to trust.

Earlier this morning before the trial resumed, family members and friends of Banton read Psalms and prayed. But some later seemed deflated at the playing of the recordings. Some sat with their heads bowed.

During the playing of the recordings, Banton sat staring at Johnson, while Johnson kept his eyes fixed on the computer before him.

Banton could also be heard on the recordings asking Johnson if he could help with the transportation of diamonds from Africa to Europe. He told Johnson that the smuggling of diamonds was much cleaner.

After a short break, more tapes were played and evidence was given by Johnson that he was introduced to Ian Thomas by Banton on December 8, 2009.

After the introduction Thomas told Johnson that he had people who wanted drugs to buy. During the conversation all three men were discussing the cost of drugs in the various states in America.

Johnson and Thomas then made arrangements for a deal to be done. At the end Banton could be heard saying “done deal” to Johnson.

In court Johnson said he interpreted that to mean that Banton had approved of the two doing the drug deal.

Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, is being tried for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine; attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offence; and using the wires to facilitate a drug trafficking offence.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment.

Banton had originally been tried on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm during a drug-trafficking offence. His trial resulted in a hung jury last September.

A new indictment was secured last November by Preston in an effort to secure a conviction against the Jamaican artiste, whose legal team is claiming that he had been entrapped by the US Government.

The artiste was arrested in December 2009 as part of a sting operation.

The trial, which resumes at 1:15, is being held in the Sam M Gibbons Federal Court in Florida.

Source: Jamaica Observer

Duane Stephenson Sees A Better Tomorrow

Atlanta, Georgia February 17, 2011:- International reggae artiste Duane Stephenson and noted record producer Handel Tucker have teamed up to produce a new song entitled A Better Tomorrow.

The song, recorded at the Mixing Lab in Kingston last month, is a positive tune which blends the distinctive lyrics and voice of Duane Stephenson with the proven production skills of the internationally renowned Tucker.

Stephenson who is currently on tour in the US promoting his sophomore Album Black Gold says he wrote the song to uplift facing hard times: “This song is aimed at all those who are having a hard time. When I was writing it I wanted to get the message across that life will not always be difficult. There will be brighter days; there will be a better tomorrow”.

According to Tucker: "I had no idea what to expect going into the studio with Duane. The collaboration turned out to be an effortless experience! He has an incredible ability to merge melody, lyrics and music to make one powerful statement".

The ace producer who has created massive billboard hits for the likes of Diana King, Shabba Ranks, Maxi Priest and Patra, believes that this new song by Duane will only reinforce his position as one of reggae’s rising sons and a writer of significant talent.

Tucker says: "Duane's work on A Better Tomorrow will only lend to solidify with his fans and others throughout the worlds that are yet to hear him, that he is a force of nature to be reckoned with. This song speaks to many going throughout different cultures going through struggle in their lives. I do believe that this song can become a life anthem embraced by many on all continents!”

The song begins with Duane’s signature vocals accompanied by an acoustic guitar. The song is beautifully composed and the arrangement is on point; a credit to (who is Tucker’s classical training. The addition of a choir throughout the song aids in its epic resonance, a feeling which fans will no doubt enjoy.

There are several verses in the song that strike a serious note such as “Better days will come one day when it comes it’s here to stay/I can think of a million reasons life could change/A million reasons someone could go insane/Mother, tell your children to keep a smile on their faces as they journey along life’s way...”

A Better Tomorrow which will be released via Itunes in the coming weeks, the video for which will be shot in Kingston next week by renowned video director Ras Kassa The Guru.