Yellowman Unleashes Young Gifted and Yellow

Jamaica's first dancehall superstar Yellowman ushered in a new era in reggae music. His early '80s success brought the popularity of toasting (reggae's equivalent of rapping) to a new level and helped establish dancehall as the wave of the future. On April 23, 2013, 17 North Parade will unlock its vaults once again to unveil the latest Reggae Anthology, Yellowman's Young, Gifted & Yellow, from the undisputed king of dancehall.

This powerful 2CD/DVD collection features 40 fully remastered essential tracks of both classic and obscure material throughout Yellowman's prolific career. As an added bonus, the deluxe package will include thorough liner notes written by reggae historian Noel Hawkes and a 25-minute DVD of Yellowman's 1988 electrifying live performance at Jamaica's longstanding annual music festival Sumfest.

 

The first set of the anthology opens with his early ‘80s breakthrough hits like "Mad Over Me" recorded for Channel One, “Death of Barnabas,” "Operation Eradication" and the infamously “slack” "Shorties." The second disc moves toward his later hits like "Who Can Make the Dance Ram" (a rewrite of "The Candy Man"), "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" (one of Jamaica’s most sampled songs to this day), "Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt" and a cover of Fats Domino’s "Blueberry Hill." Through adversity and triumph, Yellowman (born Winston Foster on January 15, 1956) still remains one of most pivotal music figures out of Jamaica today. He was able overcome Jamaica’s negative social stigma on albinism and embrace his uniqueness (hence his moniker Yellowman). He grew up in a Catholic orphanage known for its musical alumni called Alpha Boys School in Kingston, where he mastered his craft. The inimitable dancehall deejay rose to prominence in the 1980s during a time when roots reggae was flourishing with megastars like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff. In 1981, Yellowman signed to Columbia Records and made history as the first dancehall artist to ink a deal with a major U.S. label. 

During this newfound success, he faced the hardship of battling cancer and had to undergo an invasive jaw surgery to remove the malignant tumor. His bouts with the disease pushed him into more thoughtful, socially conscious territory in the '90s. However, his initial "slack" style of more sexually provocative lyrics and cheeky rhymes still remains the most influential and paved the way for countless dancehall toasters to follow. He is also embraced by the hip hop community in the States. Yellowman has collaborated with Run DMC and his iconic 1983 hit “Zungguzungguguzungguzeng” has been sampled by rap heavyweights like KRS-One, Notorious B.I.G., 2pac, Dead Prez and Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli). 

Disc One
01 • Mad Over Me
02 • Shorties
03 • Soldier Take Over with FATHEAD
04 • Lost Mi Love
05 • Mister Chin
06 • Mr. Wrong with FATHEAD
07 • Herbman Smuggling with FATHEAD
08 • Eventide Fire
09 • Operation Eradication with FATHEAD
10 • Out Of Hand
11 • Them A Fight I
12 • Death of Barnabas
13 • King and Queen with SISTER NANCY
14 • Yellowman Getting Married
15 • I’m Getting Divorced with FATHEAD
16 • Morning Ride
17 • Night Flight
18 • Top Form
19 • Water Rock with FATHEAD
20 • Duppy Or A Gunman

Disc Two
01 • Zungguzungguguzungguzeng
02 • Who Can Make The Dance Ram
03 • Quiet
04 • Bunn The Kutchie
05 • The Girl Is Mine with PETER METRO
06 • Ram Jam Master
(a.k.a. Wreck A Pum-Pum)
07 • Body Move
08 • Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt
09 • Galong Galong Galong
10 • Walking Jewelry Store
11 • Gregory Free
12 • Jah Mek Us Fi A Purpose with SISTER NANCY
13 • Love Struck
14 • Rub A Dub A Play with FATHEAD
15 • Rub And Go Down
16 • Bam Bam with FATHEAD
17 • One Yellowman Ina The Yard with FATHEAD
18 • Strong Mi Strong
19 • Blueberry Hill
20 • Where Is Santa Claus? with MRS. YELLOWMAN

Meta and the Cornerstones Listening Party A Success

New York, NY (March 20, 2013): On Thursday, March 14, 2013, Tammany Hall hosted the listening party for Meta and the Cornerstones' forthcoming album, Ancient Power. The by invitation only event, hosted by Pat McKay of Sirius XM Radio, was presented by Metarize Music Group, VicRae Inc., VPAL Music and VP Records.

The event, which was attended in large part by media, industry executives and specially invited guests, got underway at 9 pm with a brief introduction by Pat McKay. The band took the stage and performed a 30 minute acoustic set that included singles Roaring Lions, Bound to Glory, Anywhere For Love, Silence of the Moon and Without Heart. Thereafter, Ms. McKay returned to the stage to moderate a Q&A session in which media houses were allowed to ask lead singer Meta Dia questions about the album, working with Damian Marley, U Roy, Capleton and recording in Jamaica at Tuff Gong studios.

Poised and eloquent in his responses, Meta expressed his pride in the project and working with legendary reggae artists. "I was privileged to work with the musicians and artists that I did on the album. I truly mean that and cannot stress that enough. I am very proud of the end result and I hope that the masses will agree that it is an album worth having and listening to."

In addition to the Q&A session, Meta's father, Papa Yaya Dia, remarked, "I am very proud of my son. I have witnessed his hard work and dedication and I am happy that he is making great strides. He not only makes his family proud but also our Senegalese culture. 

I love him." Serigne Cheikh Modou Kara Cisse, First Secretary of the Consulate General of Senegal New York Office, also shared the sentiments of Meta' father by adding, "Meta' music is heartfelt, positive and sincere. He makes us all very proud. And the fact that he collaborated with one of Bob Marley's children speaks volumes. This is truly amazing." Humbled by all the comments, Meta thanked everyone for their love and support and performed Concrete Jungle, one of his favorite Bob Marley singles and Somewhere in Africa to close. On April 30, 2013, Meta and The Cornerstones will release their sophomore album, Ancient Power, with a performance at Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, New York, New York. 

The 14 track album, Executive produced by Meta Dia and Co-produced by Sidney Mills, was recorded in Kingston, Jamaica at Tuff Gong Studios. The album features collaborations with reggae artists, U-Roy, Capleton and Damian Marley. Additionally, Meta worked musicians such as Dean Fraser, Julian Marley, Mikey Chung, Wayne "C-Sharp" Clarke and Wilburm "Squidly" Cole, among others, on the album.

Elektracuted! Prepare To Be Shocked

What is it that makes this mix-tape from sassy Zip jock, Elektra such a massive hit? Well, for starters, the name itself, Elektracuted – a clever play on words – instantly tickles the interest and promises much. Pumping with energy, Elektracuted does exactly what a mix-tape is supposed to do – keep the listener interested from start to finish with a slew of songs that show the dexterity and musical knowledge of the person at the control of the wheels of steel.

In the intro, DJ Wah Wah, calls Elektracuted “di baddest mixtape ever” and we delightfully agree. ZJ Elektra rolls out the ‘baddest’ singers, deejays and rappers, from Beres Hammond to Bounty Killer to Drake to I-Octane, Tarrus Riley, Spragga Benz, Ce’cile, Rihanna, Rick Ross, Kartel, Mavado, Lil Wayne, Chris Martin, Konshens and more. She chooses songs which see the artistes exploring topics such as love, friendship, cheating, badmind and jealousy.  

To get her point across, Elektra uses reggae, dancehall and rap as she connects with her listeners of all ages, while obviously having fun and keeping the vibe upbeat. She manages to sound so lively that one could easily pop the CD into a player, turn up the volume and get the party started. And, just when you think it can’t get any better, Elektracuted turns up the voltage and gets real grass-roots with a herb segment that is so smoking hot that it wouldn’t be a shock to see the actual CD start burning. 

(La-la-la-lighter! Lighter!) Quite appropriately, Elektra sets the tone with the Donovon Germain-produced Feel Good riddim and reels off Beres’ I Feel Good followed by Cyaan Sleep by Romaine Virgo. She then slips into a groove that showcases dancehall and a segment dominated by rappers. Included here is a drop by Drake himself, endorsing the selecting skills of Elektra. Of course, no mix-tape could be complete without a ‘gallis’ segment and Elektracuted segues from bunning weed into a slew of slick gallis anthems, which is followed by a hardcore bubbling segment in homage to the “good body gal dem”. 

Delus’ Gallis From Birth pays tribute to the gallis, followed by I-Octane’s Gal A Gimme Bun remixed to tell the world “Mi nah spend no time wid Elektra and she a gimme bun.” (Oops!) Elektra then clears the space for what is a shockingly clean “bruk out and wine” party that traverses the spectrum of the stripper wine, the six thirty, the “up deh, up deh” and the champion bubbler as she “bounce da one yah fi di gal dem bubble pon” in true hardcore "bruk it down" style. Elektracuted is really one of those must-have mix-tapes. It’s entertaining, on point, clean and full of energy and pure fun. Play di big tune dem, Elektra!