Rich Squad to Juggle for Guinness Sounds of Greatness

Priding himself as a musical doctor, Little Richie, leader of the Rich Squad sound system, says he will be creatively administering the right dose of vibes and energy to win the first Clash of the Guinness Sounds of Greatness

Rich Squad comprises DJ Izzle, Paro, Reagan and of course head honcho Little Richie. This sound system was formed two years ago out of a collective love for music. Little Richie says coupled with their love for this art form, they are driven by the love and respect that they receive from their fans.

At 12 years old, Little Richie moved from Kingston to reside in Manchester, and it was not long after that he became affiliated with the sound system King Predator. It was here that he honed his skills while observing the talent and creativity of his predecessors.

This avid football fan answered the call and decided to pursue music not just as a hobby but a career at the age of 18. Since that time he has done stints with radio station Hitz 92 and sound system Swatch International. He also describes himself as a church boy having sung in church.

Rich Squad entered Guinness Sounds Of Greatness because they have a hunger to showcase their talent and prove themselves among the best in the entertainment industry.

Their musical arsenal is loaded with unpredictability, vibes and energy. Richie prides his commanding voice, interaction with the audience and creativity as the weapons that will usher the competition in their favour. Rich Squad is no passing fad and as Richie puts it, is “unpredictable like dice”.
Little Richie also had a word of advice for his competitor, “Be prepared to go home”.

Watch Guinness Sounds of Greatness’ Clash 1 this Saturday September 3 on TVJ at 9:30PM, when Crazy Chris and Rich Squad square off for what is expected to be an explosive battle.

Crazy Chris for Guinness Sounds of Greatness

Guinness Sounds of Greatness (GSOG) is a must see TV show that highlights the musical prowess of some of the best sounds in the entertainment industry.

Slated to hit the airwaves on Saturday September 3, the show will embody the traditions of sound systems, as 12 of Jamaica’s top sounds (4 Veteran Sounds and 8 Hot Shot Sounds) compete over 11 weeks, vying for the title of the Guinness Sound of Greatness.

The first two sounds for Clash 1 are Hot Shot contenders Crazy Chris and Rich Squad. Born Christopher Anthony Samuels, Crazy Chris affirms that music is his lifeline.

A native of Canterbury in Montego Bay St. James, Chris says there is nothing Crazy about his love for music and his love for this expression of art has been nothing short of rewarding.

Now residing in Norwood St. James, this Piscean contends that being a part of the Guinness Sounds of Greatness will give him the opportunity to prove that although he is “a country bumpkin”, he is no push over.

It was at the age of 14 that Crazy Chris answered the musical call, working with his uncle’s Sound System City West, out of his native town. It was this experience that began his musical trek, which has even taken him on the international scene.

In 1997 he entered and subsequently won his first competition. Almost like a natural progression, Crazy Chris was signed by Pure Playaz and by the following year he began his professional musical career.

Describing music as his destiny, Crazy Chris began touring in 2000 and has flown the musical flag in parts of Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan and across the Caribbean.

He has also had the opportunity to play on sounds systems such as the legendary Stone Love International. He lists many entertainers as his inspiration but credits Renaissance Disco and controversial sound system selector Tony Matterhorn for the positive influence they have had on his career.

No stranger to competitions, having entered the Kingston versus Country competition back in 2009, Crazy Chris says his musical arsenal is loaded with creativity. He adds that he is coming with the best to prove that he is indeed the best. Interestingly, he advises that contrary to popular practices, he does not feed from the audience’s energy but rather creates the vibe to keep the crowd rocking. He warns fans that he will be coming so hard that they will fear sitting down as he will be feeding them with musical vitality while ushering his rival out of the building.

Being cautious, he warns fans that the competition will not be a regular party as he will be pulling out all the stops. At the same time he is telling his competitor, Rich Squad, to go home.

Digicel Rising Stars’ Judge Tessanne Chin Says Goodbye

Tessanne Chin

With tears in her eyes, Digicel Rising Stars’ resident Judge Tessanne Chin said goodbye to the 8th season of the show on Sunday August 28. “I’m saying goodbye, but it’s not forever, it’s a see you soon.” Tessanne said after her last show.

“I’m going to Japan for six week on a cultural exchange to represent Jamaica with our music our dance and our culture.

I am really, really honoured to be a part of this exchange, but I have to tell you I am so gonna miss Digicel Rising Stars. My heartstrings are totally tugged right now.” Tessanne confessed teary eyed.

“I’ve grown so attached to everyone, especially the contestants, and it is an honour to be a part of this amazing show.”

When asked how she felt about the remaining five contestants, Tessanne was diplomatic: “Jamaica has picked their Top 5, and the people know what they want, and as long as they continue to give the people what they want it should be an amazing show.”

Before leaving, Tessanne was sure to give the Top 5 her expert advice: “I do really want the remaining contestants to just focus on not just singing songs, but being an artiste and bringing themselves to a song versus a person singing someone’s song.

“I am very proud of them so far and I will be watching from Japan!” she said laughing. “We're trying to arrange some sort of a Skype link for the last show, I don’t know how possible it’s gonna be, but I'm definitely gonna try and record something and send it. It hurts my heart that I won’t be here for the finale.”

Tessanne says goodbye but not for long as she promises to be back for Season 9. Tessanne is replaced as resident Judge by the blunt Conroy Wilson for the remainder of Digicel Rising Stars’ Season 8

Dubkore Delivers at Conscious Reggae Party

Roots Reggae singer Dubkore was in an awesome form as he delivered a blistering performance at the Conscious reggae party Concert that was held last Saturday at the Country Farmhouse Soy Products located at 4 Deanery Road.

His half hour long set saw him reeling several popular tracks from his cultural repertoire such as Little Love Story, Same Routine, Verandah and Gideon. The delivery of each song was met with huge forwards from the audience.

The Spanish Town based artiste said the night was a very big one for him and his Pick It up Band, as it was their first official performance since breaking an eight month hiatus

“This show was a very big for us, because we haven’t been on stage in front an audience for a long time now. So as you can imagine we were a bit nervous but we were confident that we would do a good job because we always doing a lot of rehearsals and we delivered a healthy performance and the crowd love it,” said Dubkore.

Dubkore’s band also handled backing duties for some of the other acts that performed on the show including Warrior King, Cali P, Keteis Oyonde and Chronix, all whom delivered creditable performances.

Lazah Current Drops Music Video for Lately

Fast rising reggae singer Hal Duggan aka Lazah Current has released the music video for his hit single titled Lately, which recently peaked at number three on the Jamaica Music Countdown Top Twenty-five Reggae Singles charts.

The music video was shot at various locations across New York under the guidance of music video directors Donald Robinson Cole (Stealth Mode) and Olise Forel (Moving Silence). A special video release party was also held in New York at Shadows night club in New York to launch the video. Lazah Current said that since the release of the video he and his management team has been working very hard to promote it.

“Since we drop this video we have been doing a lot of promotion on it and the response has been very good. It has been getting good rotation on TV channels both in Jamaica and in the states,” said Lazah Current. Lazah Current is currently preparing to release another single from his album A Better Tomorrow, as he continues to promote the album which was released just a few months ago.