HAPPY 50th to Jamaica! To celebrate, we’ll be doing our own selection of posts & features, but there is a ton of great coverage out there, here’s some top picks:
1Xtra JA50 Special – broadcasting JA tributes all day today, and from 7pm tune in for Robbo Ranx in the Tuff Gong studio. Plus, for a UK take, check yesterday’s documentary on Jamaica’s influence on the UK, featuring interviews with British artists of JA descent – Ms. Dynamite, Gappy Ranks & Wretch 32 – alongside DJs and producers talking through the influence of one small island to another. Alongside that, DJ Target asked Sticky & Zed Bias to remix tracks from the Tuff Gong session on his show.
The Heatwave’s 50 Million Rewinds – taking 50 years of Jamaican music, 83 tracks in 73 minutes, a quickfire encyclopedic mixtape that pays its dues to reggae, lovers rock, ska, dancehall, jungle, funky…hell, everything. Listen here.
Out & about – catch Jimmy Cliff, Derrick Morgan, Max Romeo, The Gaylads & Bob Andy, followed by David Rodigan at the o2 tonight, or head to PUMA YARD for a live PA from Gyptian.
