I-Octane EP Launch Receives Tremendous Support From Reggae Fraternity!‏

I-Octane is still soaring from his performance on Monday night before a packed house at DROM in New York City. Performing before a crowd of his peers, media outlets and industry insiders proved to be a nerve racking feat. But like a true champion, the singjay took the stage and performed with sheer confidence that he has become known for and came out on top.

The long awaited release of I-Octane's debut EP "Straight From the Heart," which has already received a 'thumbs up' by John Carmanica who featured single "Crime A Rise" in the New York Times, gave way to the December 12, 2011 media launch hosted by DROM NYC, Federation Sound and Destine Media.

Produced by A list producers Stephen "The Genius" McGregor, Kimani "DJ Frass" Palmer, Garry G of Uniiqe Impact Productions, Dev Kutta of Livity Movements, Jordan McClure and David "Hizzle Hayle of Chimney Records, the EP, from his label, Conquer the Globe, was released on iTunes and Amazon Tuesday, December 6, 2011. Destine Media remarks, "As Executive Producer, I must say I have received great feedback in regards to the EP and the layout of each track. Fans of I-Octane emailed saying how refreshing it is to hear six solid yet diverse tracks accompany such a great artist. We are pleased with the feedback and exceptional support we have received."

The launch, which was by invitation only, was attended by Actor Leon, reggae artists Gyptian, Fambo, Hyah Slice, Lisa Hype, and Martina. Also in attendance were Linkup radio's CEO, David "Squeeze" Annakie, Irie Jam's DJ Roy and Dubbmaster Chris, Hot 97's Jabba, 93.7's Nikki Z, DJ Kue of Ranch Entertainment, Pat Meschino of Billboard Magazine and a host of others.

Backed by Derrick Barnett and Statement Band, I-Octane performed singles from his EP before a live audience for the first time. To warm up the crowd, Octane opened with fan favorites "No Love Inna Dem," "My Life," "Lose A Friend," "Mama You Alone," "No More Black," "Low Mi," "Jah Jah Love Me (Accapella)" and "One Ting Mi Know Say." The high energy set followed with singles from the EP such as "Burn Dem Bridge," "Example For the Poor," "My Problems Gone" and "Falling."

To connect with fans, I-Octane introduced each single and delivered the positive message of his lyrics with fortitude. The honesty of his songs has resonated well with audiences and the EP continues on that same path. Owning the stage, the set was not only filled with rhyme and reason, he engaged the band and those under the sound of his voice in conversation. Of the launch, I-Octane remarks "It was a great pleasure to come back to New York and perform in front of the radio personnel, media houses and DJs who support and help build my career. Most of all to perform with Derrick Barnett and Statement band for the first time was a great experience."

Rippa Jackson Pleased With Response to "Help Someone"‏

Fast rising reggae singer Rippa Jackson is feeling very happy about the response his latest single, Help Someone has received since its release.

It is currently one of the most played songs on local radio stations including IRIE FM and HITZ 92 FM. “I am very pleased with the response my song is getting in Jamaica and in the states. Everywhere I perform I am getting good responses for Help Someone.”

The popularity of Help Someone is rapidly growing and the people of Gregory Park in Portmore are very pleased that a member of their community is making such great strides in the music industry.

Just a few days ago a group of youths from Dennis Avenue, the area where Rippa is from, painted a huge mural of the artist in the area to show their respect and appreciation for him.

“Everyone who knows me is excited about what’s happening with my song especially in my community in Gregory Park. Some youths in the area just painted a big picture of me on a wall in my community to show their love for me and my music, everyone there loves me because they know I am a good youth and I love and respect them a lot too. I really appreciate their support it makes me feel very humble,” said Rippa Jackson.

Rippa also said that he is currently recording a number of new songs as he does not plan to easy up his march to success in the music biz anytime soon.

“Right now I am busy in the studios recording a barrage of new songs in order to build on what is happening for me right now. I don’t plan to ease up, I am climbing all the way to the top of the music industry.”

Karamanti Refills Fans For Christmas

Karamanti had a productive 2011, literally spending hours in various recording studios working on new materials. The Refill is a compilation of all the songs released prior to November 27th this year. It has productions from Ricardo "Red Boom" Reid, Shamarie "Digital Sham" Bogle, Robert "Engingear" Rodney, Horace "Higher Purse" Reece and several other producers. The project features collaborations with hip-hop artists, Drake (on the “on one remix”) and YC (on the “racks remix”), and reggae artists Fermented, Smokie Benz, Ceekaih and Red Boom.

The Refill was mixed, mastered and produced by Bellingham based disc jockey, Triple Crown who has been a long time fan and supporter of Karamanti. The two first collaborated in early 2010 on the bulletproof track, which was produced by Triple Crown and features Karamanti. Later that same year they jointly released the "transition" mix CD that resulted in a tour covering Vancouver, Seattle and Bellingham.

So far The Refill has gotten favorable reviews from both critiques and fans alike. Below are links to listen to snippets of the mix and download the entire CD.

Preview The Refill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxDU_Hf1iUE Download The Refill: http://www.mediafire.com/?xm36grd2npxv2ky