Voicemail drops new mixtape

Craig Jackson (left) and Kevin Blair of Voicemail. - Contributed

Dancehall duo Voicemail has released a new mixtape just ahead of the planned summer release of its fourth studio album.

The mixtape which is titled TheJourney Continues, was mixed by popular radio jock and selector Kurt 'The Party Animal' Riley.

According to group member Craig Jackson, "the mixtape is just a teaser for the upcoming album. We are just getting people back in the Voicemail groove of things."

The duo promises that the forthcoming album will be an entertaining and eclectic mix of material. Titled Next Level, it is the follow-up to the group's most recent album Jump Off which did reasonably well in Japan.

"The new album is going to consist of about 12 -13 tracks. It will be a fusion of house music and dancehall. It has been in the works for two and a half years and we feel like it's our best work yet," Jackson told THE WEEKEND STAR .

Voicemail also says this album is very special to them because it consists of recordings they had previously done with slain member O'neil Edwards who died in 2010.

Voicemail also recently released the video for the first single from the album titled Wrong Number which features singer Alaine. The video was directed by Dejo Films in Germany and was completed over a two-day period.

On the performance side, the duo recently completed performances in St Kitts and Nevis as well as in The Bahamas.

The mixtape is the latest in a series of mixtapes that the group plans to release over an extended period. It will be released on April 27 while the album will be released in the summer.

"We are reinventing Voicemail and taking it to the next level. Billboard is what's next for us," Jackson told THE WEEKEND STAR.

Ras Takura lands IRAWMA nomination

Poet Ras Takura - Winston Sill

Poet Ras Takura is standing among the seniors with his recent IRAWMA (International Reggae and World Music Awards) nomination in the category of 'Best Poet'.

In a field dominated by other popular acts such as Yasus Afari, Mutaburuka, Linton K. Johnson and Malachi Smith, the newcomer believes his chances are equal to that of any other nominee.

"I have a 100 per cent chance just like everybody else. Mi in a category with the greats ... the whole world know them but I feel like I have an equal chance. Takura is a new voice and a new voice with a message that they have been listening to for a long time," he said.

The nomination has generated some amount of interest around Ras Takura's poetry efforts as he told The WEEKEND STAR that there has been an increased number of interviews since.

"I've been getting more attention. They see the value in my type of work and the fact that I have been nominated shows that I am being recognised," he shared.

He believes that it is the message in his poems that is attracting this interest as he said, "I think one of the helping factors is the message within the poems that I write and deliver. People want to see a poet on a mission. Poetry can be the mirror that shows them the mission."

The poet whose lyrics oftentimes centre around food recently launched Dis Poem Word Festival, a poetry event that will be held at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) on Sunday, April 29.

"Dis Poem Word Festival is mainly a dub poetry show.The aim is to have a platform for the poets, where poets can come and speak them mind and it also a farmer link-up and past student link-up of the college," said Ras Takura of the event.

General admission for the festival cost $500 while students with ID will pay $300.

The event is slated to begin at 10 a.m., and will feature performances from Cen'C Love, Prophecy, Ras Takura, DYCR, Icientcy Mau and the Mau Mau Warriors, Yasus Afari, Mutabaruka and Amina Blackwood Meeks, among others.

G-Shock Rastafarian colours

A 'Rastafarian Pack' of G-Shock watches has been released.

The colours red, yellow and green, which are usually associated with the Rastafarian faith are featured in the colour design of the watches.

The pack consists of several popular G-Shock models.

According to Casio Japan's website, the new designs were made to match the lifestyle of today's youth.

The website post read: 'Young people have long made the G-SHOCK an integral part of their "street fashion", and the Rasta styles of these new models are designed to match the lifestyles of today's youth.

Rasta is another name for Rastafarianism, which is an Afrocentric cultural value system that emerged in Jamaica during the 1930s and spread around the world through interest generated by reggae music.

Based on the DW-5600, DW-6900, and G-5500, which are popular for street fashion followers, these models incorporate black, green, and yellow Rasta colours in the band rings and overall colour motifs.'