Marvin Sparks

  Today is emancipation day in Jamaica. I am a British-Jamaican man that acknowledges wah gwaan on both sides of myself. One without the other wouldn't make me who I am today. Judgement by outsiders can't make me feel ashamed of my heritage nor does misbehaviour by minorities with whom I share my heritage. At the end of the day, I'm still who I am. And proud. Above is a picture I took of Emancipation Park last summer. Today's post is filled with tweets I've seen over the past couple of days that I felt were appropriate for today. According to Wiki: " Emancipation Day  is celebrated in many former British colonies in the Caribbean and areas of the United States on various dates in observance of the  emancipation of slaves of African origin . It is also observed in other areas in regard to the abolition of  serfdom  or other forms of  servitude ." @Afrotonomy "Some of the greatest & most progressive Black/African people where born on thi...

History has shown artists emerging from the shadows of a global superstar will always have immense difficulty attempting to carve a name for themselves. Sharing the surname with arguably the most iconic artist the world has ever seen makes it harder to be anything other than "Oh, you mean [insert superstar's name] relative?" especially when two of your older siblings are Grammy Award winners.  Father Bob Marley 's legacy will forever be at the forefront of the Marley name, but youngest son Damian "Jr. Gong/Gong Zilla" Marley manages to be a respected artist in his own right. Born in Kingston, Jamaica to Cindy Breakspeare, Jamaica's winner of Miss World 1976, the future legend deejay has two Grammy-award winning albums under his belt and a critically-acclaimed collaborative LP with legend hip hopper, Nas. Despite winning Best Reggae Grammy-award in 2002 for Halfway Tree, the self-proclaimed youngest veteran burst on the international music scene tel...

" Orange Hill Productions are a fresh production outfit from the UK poised to explode on the world with a funky fusion they dub “Electro Bashy.” The duo have already built an extensive musical history. Ras Kwame is known for hosting the  HomeGrown Show  on BBC Radio 1Xtra and producing UK Garage club classics as M-Dubs; his production partner Jnr Tubby (a/k/a Dialtone), great-nephew of dub pioneer King Tubby, has built beats for American MCs like Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana. With their first official single  “Wine De Best”  (which matches versatile dancehall/reggae star Busy Signal with UK wordsmith Kano and hypeman/radio personality/reality TV guy Fatman Scoop) set to drop in the US and internationally next week, and our headphones still scorching from their introductory  Electro Bashy: Welcome to Our Sound  mixtape, we sent our UK correspondent Marvin Sparks to their North London studio to find out what exactly Electro Bashy is, why Kwame and Tubby feel...

So last week Friday, 29th June I had my first piece of writing in a national newspaper. And it was a double-page spread! I wrote about 8 reggae and dancehall acts you need to know. My parents are extremely proud of me, which makes the achievement that much sweeter for me. My dad called to tell me he saw the piece quoted on one of his most visited website Jamaica Observer . "Marvin you've gone global" he said. At least they have something positive to say about me to their mates, ay? lol Response has been humbling, even David Rodigan tweeted to say he read it. The great David Rodigan. Loads of people happy to see a positive reggae piece in the Guardian for once. Definitely one of my goals achieved. At the end of the day, I just want to see my music and a main part of my culture represented properly. Everything else comes after. The comments on the site show I still have a long way to go, but I will try my best. Big up everyone else trying. To read the full Guardian a...

Will be here soon. Technical difficulties

Another day, another Jamaica 50 post. 48 days to go. Today the song I've picked out has been on constant repeat today. Some 80s dancehall in a dub style courtesy of Barry Brown "Give Another Israel A Try" produced by Henry "Junjo" Lawes. I love the vibe of these songs. Heavy bassline, vocals that cut through the bass, then producer running the board with mixing. Don't know who mixed it, but it's the ting! p.s. I'd love to have done this in some chronological order, but that isn't my vibe right now. One post will be though. Maybe from 10 days to go.

So, as we continue on with the countdown 'til Jamaica's 50th year of independence, today I bring clip of the day. Super Cat and Ninja Man still rank as two of the most feared lyricists and performers in dancehall history. Sadly, the much anticipated clash was interrupted by patrons throwing bottles. Not unusual for Sting crowd who thow bottles at anything they don't agree with, be it VybzKartel's fight with Ninja Man or Notorious B.I.G. for excessive N-word usage (side note: @ BashmentVibes hit me on Twitter to say he made it rain, so they showered him with bottles. Get what you pay for). Anyway, watch the legendary clash below.