YardBeat With Jigga Matic

Sean Paul's Temperature has vaulted to the #4 position on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and is also last week's greatest gainer as well as the greatest the airplay gainer, a clear signal that the song could rocket straight to the pole position, giving Sean his third number one Billboard single.

The song is also making strides on other charts, as it is #2 on Hot Digital Songs, #10 on Hot R & B/Hip-hop songs, #3 on Hot Rap Tracks and #16 on Hot Ring Tones.

Sean Paul's breakout hit follows his recent Top 10 pop hit 'We Be Burning'. His previous top pop hits were Baby Boy featuring Beyonce, Get Busy and Gimme the Light. In Europe, Sean Paul's Ever Blazin', featured on producer Stephen 'Lenky' Marsden's Masterpiece project, has been showing up on several charts. It recently made strides on the UK Singles chart as well as major pop charts in Peru, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium.

By: Jigga Mattic
Photo: Warlington

The gorgeous D'Angel delivered a riveting performance at last weekend's Magnum 'Follow Di Arrow' stage show at James Bond Beach sending a clear signal that she will be a major contender for this year's Female Deejay of the Year title.

She delivered a total of eight songs, earning big forwards for her runaway smash hit 'Downtown Girl' and her current single, 'Ghetto Girl, Big Up Oonu Status'. However, it was her new combination single with Beenie Man, 'One Man', which rocked the venue, to the point where the entertainers could not even finish the song.

"The crowd sang all the words to the song, we just coulden finish it, I was pleased with how well I did. The audience seemed to love every second of my performance, it was just ovation after ovation Everyone was so happy for me, when I got off the stage, Beenie gave me a big hug the way he was so proud of me. And I promise to keep taking it to them this year," she said.

700 Strong Concert: Reggae icon, Burning Spear, plans special, limited-admittance benefit concert for his beloved charity, the St. Ann's Bay Infirmary in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica

Hot on the heels of his Grammy-nominated, best-selling cd Our Music, reggae great Burning Spear (aka Winston Rodney) has announced that he will be giving a special concert to benefit the St. Ann's Bay Infirmary in his home of St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica on Saturday, August 12, 2006. The event will celebrate the life and birthday of Marcus Garvey, Jamaica's first nationally recognized leader.

Spear has led the way musically, in keeping Garvey's spirit and message alive, and in advocating through his songs. Through the teachings of Garvey, combined with his own life experiences, Burning Spear endeavors to educate, inform, and uplift people around the world with his message of self-determination and self-reliance for all African descendants.

Following a very successful stint in Trinidad performing alongside Machel Montana at the much anticipated and very exciting carnival Vegas will be heading back to Jamaica on Monday.

According to the 'Heads High' singer, "Carnival in Trinidad is like a national holiday. For two weeks on every corner there is a party and every party is well attended this time of year the only thing Trini people seems to be interested in is their soca and people travel from all over the world to be apart of this fiesta."

It was an experience for Vegas working alongside Machel who is regarded as the king of carnival there.

By: Jigga Mattic
Photos by Carlington Wilmot

Dekka the Dak was born to be a deejay. Although he has spent the better part of the last five years supporting his young family doing a nine-to-five, this year, 2006, he plans to 'break free' from his self-made shackles to pursue his dreams of stardom with a single-minded ambition.

"Yes, I believe this is going to be my year, I caan waste no more time, mi need to just give the music thing a real shot," Dekka said during an interview with YardFlex this week.
Dekka, whose real name is Kerry Walker, hails from Kintyre, St. Andrew where he grew up in a family of seven -- four brothers and two sisters -- all raised by his mother, Sylvia Green. He attended Mona High School where his passion for dancehall music soon became evident to all those who knew him.

Jamaica's jewel, refuses to disappoint his fans at home or abroad. Sean Paul's single We Be Burnin' has been certified PLATINUM after garnering a net shipment of 200, 000 internet downloads of the single, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)!

We Be Burnin' is the first single from Sean Paul's third album The Trinity (VP/Atlantic), which was released in September of 2005 and has also been certified GOLD by the RIAA.

His second single, Temperature is also blazing on charts around the world, especially the Billboard chart in the US. It is in the Top 20 on 5 charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 chart. After entering the Billboard Hot 100 chart only six weeks ago, it has entered the top 10 at #8. The single has also acquired the title of "Greatest Sales Gainer" for the week on that same chart.

Intro & Verse 1: Elephant Man
Woo! Di club is gettin warma, guess who is back up in yuh corna
Love to see di girls dem whinnin up wid dem Dolce and dem Gabbana
This is Elephant Man and Rihanna
Can I hear yuh seh tun it up! Mr. DJ Mr. DJ Mr. DJ Mr. DJ!!!
Tun it up! Mr. DJ Mr. DJ Mr. DJ Mr. DJ!!!
Can I hear everybody say (Tun it up!!!)
When yuh hear this tune a play (Tun it up!!!)
Tun it up Mr. DJ (Tun it up!!!)
This is Elephant Man and Rihanna, come on!!!

Versatile Montreal based crooner, Carl Henry, has snagged a fourth consecutive Juno Awards nomination. The hot property urban artist, received a nod in the "Best Reggae Recording" category, for his infectious Top 40 reggae/dancehall crossover single "Hot Gal". The nominees for the 35th edition of the prestigious Canadian awards, were announced yesterday (Wednesday, 14th February 2006) in Toronto. The 2006 Juno Awards show will be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Sunday, 2nd April

"Hot Gal" is included on Carl Henry's recent epic full-length sophomore cd/dvd release "I Wish", and is now one of three tracks that appear on this album that have been nominated for 'Best Reggae Recording' Junos, the other two being, "Bare As She Dare" in 2005 and "Homie's Girl" 2004.

After just three weeks on the US charts, Sean Paul's latest single Temperature is bringing the heat, rising into the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. With We Be Burnin' still all over the charts, there's no stopping Sean Paul and his US certified gold record, The Trinity. The US is not the only place giving Sean love, though. All over the world, fans are getting down to Sean Paul's music.

Internationally, Sean Paul has sold nearly a million copies of the record-breaking new album, The Trinity. Around the world the album is three singles deep, with radios everywhere jamming We Be Burnin', Ever Blazin', and the newest burner Temperature.

Jigga Matic
YardFlex Reporter

Dancehall fans who have critiqued the lyrics of Angel's latest single, 'Death Row', believe that the poignant words are a barely-conceiled commentary on her estranged relationship with deejay Bounty Killer.

The lyrics go:

I am a free girl, now I can smile

Best friends, him say dem a whore...

By Claude Mills/YardFlex Reporter
Photo by: Carlington Wilmot
www.claudemills.com

Beenie Man has been busy putting the finishing touches on his 'Undisputed' abum, the penultimate record of his five-album deal with Virgin Records.

"Right now, I plan to book out Anchor fi all a week, and lick three riddim so me can finish the album, right now, mi need fi have some Shocking Vibes tune on the album, right now, is just Mafia House tune, and is fi dem fault still, dem have me a fly all over the place doing shows and mi never get to do no Shocking Vibes tune, so that's the next step," he told YardFlex.Com.

In June, the penultimate album of Beenie Man's five-album deal with Virgin Records, is scheduled to hit stores worldwide. It will be a straight dancehall album which will be dubbed Undisputed. Current hotshot dancehall producer Don Corleone is reportedly handling much of the production work on the 18 tracks. There is also a track produced by R. Kelly and Beenie Man.

Sweet-voiced singer Gyptian, who smashed onto the music scene last year with the anthemic 'Serious Time' hit, got an all-too-close-for-comfort insight into just how 'serious a time' it is in Jamaica when he was robbed by two armed men a few weeks ago at his Garveymeade residence.

"Somebody had told me that two men wanted to pay me $100,000 for a dub, so they came upstairs, and we were there reasoning, a good reasoning too, and I was even saying to myself that I would only charge them $90,000, and all of a sudden one a dem say "hey bwoy, go down pon the ground', and mi say, 'alright boss', and dem ask 'weh the money de', and 'where mi chain de?' And mi tell dem, and dem tek mi jewellery, including a ring I have had for years, and splurt go downstairs. Mi not even raise an alarm, mi just easy, 'cause mi grateful dem neva tek me life. That's why you have to enjoy the blessings of each day to the fullest 'cause yu neva know when it might be your last," he told YardFlex.Com.

[Intro]
This a survival story, True ghetto story
This is my story, Real ghetto story
Hey

[Verse 1]
I remember those days when Hell was my home
When Me and Mama bed was a big piece a foam
An mi never like bathe and my hair never comb
When Mama gone a work me go street go roam
I remember when Danny dem tek me snow cone
An mek him likkle bredda dem kick up Jerome
I remember when we visit dem wid pure big stone
An the boy Danny pop out something weh full chrome
I remember when we run, Fatta get him knee blown
An mi best friend Richie get, two inna him dome
I remember so the avenue tun inna warzone
An ,Mickey madda fly him out, cau she get a loan
But, Mickey go to foreign and go tun Al Capone
Mek whole heap a money and sen in our own
Now a we a lock the city and, that is well known
Yesterday Mickey call me pan mi phone
Mi say Mickey.....

Intro:
Zagga! Shocking Vibes! Tony Kelly!
Yo! Is it ironic, this gal a wine like a bionic
Mi mack it mi cock it I sink it like a titanic
Dump pon it, badman deh yah mi a chop it
Baby yuh know seh mi have it, hey

Chorus:
One man alone a push a hump inna yuh (Hum Hum)
Nuh bag a man nah jump inna yuh (Hum Hum)
Grindacologist nuh find a lump inna yuh (Hum Hum)
Nuh man neva bruk off nuh stump inna yuh (Hum Hum)
Or Trump Tower Donald him a reel fi yuh (Hum Hum)
And surgeons dem all a cling fi yuh (Hum Hum)
Man all a tek poison pill fi yuh (Hum Hum)
Congress a pass a bill fi yuh (Hum Hum)

Since his return to Jamaica two weeks ago, Vybz Kartel has been busy shooting a number of music videos for his ultra-popular songs. He recently shot a medley video for the single 'Oh Oh', alongside fellow Tri-State member, Bling Dawg, who did his single, 'Mr. Politician'. Both songs appear on the kicking 'Sweat' rhythm. The video was directed by hot new director, Julia Braham, who had first worked with the deejay on the 'Anger Management' medley, but has been earning major props for her creative vision.

"This is my second time working with her, and it's all good. I must admit that when she first approached me, I never believed her that she was a director, maybe because physically, she never struck me as that sort of person, and attitude-wise, I never saw her as a director, but she win me over, and mi like her work," he told YARDFLEX.

By: Claude Mills
Photo By: Carlington Wilmot

Grammy winning artiste Beenie Man wants to establish his pet project, Mafia House, as a big player in the international dancehall market. Although he is still signed to Virgn Records, he intends to dabble in new areas of entertainment, and is now seeking out talented artistes who can help to form the core of what will be a powerful new force in the business.

"It is already in the works where Mafia House will be signed to an international label, even Scott Starks wants to sign us now because he is so confident in what we have to offer, but we want to build an independent company, and then carry what we have built in to a major record company...we are not going to run into anyone," Beenie told YardFlex.Com.

"Mafia House Productions is a lyrical continent, some man have lyrical content, we have the lyrical continent...Content is just a small place inna St. Elizabeth," he quipped.

Jigga Mattic
Yardflex Reporter

They may have to stop calling him Junior now.
Reggae heir apparent Damian "Jr Gong" Marley won the Grammy award in the Best Reggae Album tonight during the 48th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles for his successful crossover record, 'Welcome to Jamrock'.
He had also been nominated in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance in the R&B category. By winning the Reggae Grammy, Damian Marley has emulated a feat performed only by fellow deejay Shabba Ranks as being the only two dancehall artistes who have won the Reggae Grammy twice.

Damian, the son of legendary singer Bob Marley, had won a Grammy for best reggae album for Halfway Tree during the 44th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in the year 2001.
Marley showed a flair for music at an early age, and when he was 13, the youngest of the Marley sons formed his first band, the Shepherds -- which also included the son of Third World's Cat Coore and the daughter of Freddie McGregor; the group even opened up the 1992 Reggae Sunsplash festival.

By Claude Mills/YardFlex Reporter

'I feel like bombing a church
now that you know that the preacher is lying.'

I wish I had met this great man face to face. However, as a rabid fan of Marley's music, I'm glad I never met him, or got the chance to form prejudices about this artiste who was well ahead of his time. Therefore, the mystique of the man will stay with me forever, despite the millions of words that have been penned and countless tomes painstakingly constructed, in his honour.

Certainly, the man who wrote the incendiary words italicised above was no ordinary singer or performer, but a man who - even under the influence of his favourite plant - was able to mesmerise and bring under his influence thousands through his soul-searing, energy-filled performances.

There is an ineffable something about Marley that I cannot deny, maybe if I could

Greensleeves Recording artiste Macka Diamond is sitting pretty at the top of the Jamaica weekly top 30 chart with the number one song 'Bun Him' done in combination with Black-er for second consecutive weeks.

Ever since its release dancehall lovers have gravitated to the song like wildfire. Women have been using it as their 'mouthpiece' to get their feelings across. No wonder it has quickly climbed its way to the top of the chart.

The last time Macka rose to the top of the charts was in 2004 with 'Done Already' on the thriller rhythm.

Setting trend is not new to this versatile and talented DJ as she created history by being the first Jamaican born female artiste to sign an album deal with Greensleeves and is currently working on her debut album to be released on March 27, 2006.

Renowned Jamaican jazz pianist Monty Alexander will shortly release Concrete Jungle, his second full album of Bob Marley tributes, following Stir It Up, in 1999. Both releases are on the Telarc label, the painist's recording home since 1999.

The disc, set for relase in March, was recorded at the legendary Tuff Gong studios. Among the tracks included on the set are Forever Lovin' Jah, Babylon System, Africa Unite, Trench Town and the title track. Guest artistes include Luciano, Junior Jazz and trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, of the renowned New Orleans jazz family.

Since signing with Telarx in 1999, Alexander has often alternated between more straight-ahead jazz albums and the reggae-driven fusion exemplified on Concrete Jungle and Stir It Up.

In early January, Kartel hosted a highly successful stage show/dance to commemorate his birthday at a club in Brooklyn. The event featured the likes of Mr. C from HOT 97, Bobby Konders, Jabba, Cipher Sound, Steelie Bashment, Tec 9 and Cinemax.

"The club was packed beyond capacity, and I loved how my fans came out to support me and celebrate with me, so right now, I am planning to make the Vibes Party an annual calendar event in New York, and not just in Brooklyn, it can be Queens or any other borough...New York ah my place now," the deejay whose hit song, 'Emergency' is widely regarded by critics and detractors alike as one of the best social commentary dancehall songs recorded in 2005.

By: Jigga YardFlex Reporter

Legendary singer Brent Dowe of Mellodians fame died suddenly of a heart attack last Sunday, January 28. He was 59 years old.

It is hard, but we are trying to cope. He didn't have any heart conditions, he drinks a lot and smokes a lot, the autopsy showed his arteries were black. We have four kids together, the youngest is four years old," his wife of 6 years, Sonia Dowe told YARDFLEX yesterday. The couple had been together for 29 years.

"I loved him a lot, he was a good man, loving husband, good father...a tremendous singer...I'm going to miss him so much."