Jamaica

Woman with short hair wearing a black and white top raises her right arm while reading in front of a microphone.

A formerly anti-gay reggae star returns to Jamaica. This lesbian poet calls it ‘complicated.’

Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton returned to Jamaica in early December after serving seven years in a US prison on drug charges. Banton got a hero's welcome, despite his infamous, 1993 anti-gay song “Boom Bye Bye” which called for the murder of gay people.

A formerly anti-gay reggae star returns to Jamaica. This lesbian poet calls it ‘complicated.’
Woman seated in club with people walking around her

What to say when you’re Asian American and someone calls you ‘exotic’

What to say when you’re Asian American and someone calls you ‘exotic’
Many of the employees at the Home Port restaurant on Martha's Vineyard are from Jamaica. But this year, the owner couldn't get the visas she needed. So she's short on staff. "We're closing two days a week for dinner. I've never had to do that before."

For businesses that boom in the summer, Trump’s H-2B visa expansion is too little too late

For businesses that boom in the summer, Trump’s H-2B visa expansion is too little too late
US President Barack Obama gets a tour of the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, Jamaica.

One Love: Obama, in Jamaica, pays respects to reggae superstar Bob Marley

One Love: Obama, in Jamaica, pays respects to reggae superstar Bob Marley
The World

Here's a guitarist who just needs one string to jam

Here's a guitarist who just needs one string to jam

Xyclone’s “Almost There” Mix

Xyclone has made a serious statement with the release of his brand new Almost There mixtape. The dancehall up-and-comer busts out 37 tracks over the course of this hour-long, highlight-packed mix. Relatively new to the dancehall scene, Xyclone is a ...<a class="meta-nav" href="http://www.afropop.org/wp/18393/xyclones-almost-there-mix/"> Read more &#187;</a>

Xyclone’s “Almost There” Mix

Podcast: Brushy One-String–Music and a Single Vibrating Wire

&#160; In our program &#8220;Afropop Live! NYC, Musical Metropolis&#8221; we featured an excerpt from our interview with Brushy One—String, the soulful Jamaican singer/guitarist and YouTube star. In this podcast, we go further, discussing Brushy&#8217;s past, his goals, and the development ...<a class="meta-nav" href="http://www.afropop.org/wp/17915/podcast-brushy-one-string-music-and-a-single-vibrating-wire/"> Read more &#187;</a>

Podcast: Brushy One-String–Music and a Single Vibrating Wire

Afropop Live! NYC, Musical Metropolis

What do you get when you combine Congolese rapper Baloji, Lebanese pop star Yasmine Hamdan, Jamaican guitarist Brushy One-String, and Mauritanian vocal powerhouse Noura Mint Seymali? This year’s jaw-dropping Globalfest. What do you get when you combine live recordings of ...<a class="meta-nav" href="http://www.afropop.org/wp/17901/afropop-live-nyc-musical-metropolis/"> Read more &#187;</a>

Afropop Live! NYC, Musical Metropolis

Top 4 Vybz Tribute Mixes

Vybz Kartel’s recent conviction for murder is a tricky subject. We don&#8217;t pretend to know all the details of the case (some of which actually went missing during the course of the trial), but what we do know is that ...<a class="meta-nav" href="http://www.afropop.org/wp/17467/top-4-vybz-tribute-mixes/"> Read more &#187;</a>

Top 4 Vybz Tribute Mixes

Vybz Kartel Found Guilty of Murder

[Photo from Jamaica Gleaner] After two and a half years behind bars, dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel was found guilty of murder last night. The scene has been tense in Kingston, where hundreds gathered to chant “Free Kartel,” and riot police ... Read more &#187;

Vybz Kartel Found Guilty of Murder

Popcaan Makes “Everything Nice”

The track’s been kicking around for a few months now, but the video for Popcaan’s “Everything Nice” dropped a few days ago. Popcaan is one of Jamaica’s younger and brighter DJ stars, having come up under Vybz Kartel’s wing and ...<a class="meta-nav" href="http://www.afropop.org/wp/17227/17227/"> Read more &#187;</a>

Popcaan Makes “Everything Nice”

Chronixx and Protoje release new track “Who Knows”

Young reggae revival stars and compatriots Chronixx and Protoje have just released &#8220;Who Knows,&#8221; a new collaborative track that pairs Chronixx&#8217;s heartfelt singing on the hook with Protoje&#8217;s confidently conscious rhymes on the verse. Riding the kind of subtly modernized ...<a class="meta-nav" href="http://www.afropop.org/wp/16914/chronixx-and-protoje-release-new-track-who-knows/"> Read more &#187;</a>

Chronixx and Protoje release new track “Who Knows”

V.V. Brown's Travelling Like the Light

V.V. Brown's Travelling Like the Light
The World

UK Soul Invasion

UK Soul Invasion