Words by Sherman Escoffery, Photos by Niketa Thomas—

Words and Photos by Martei Korley—

Originally Capleton’s annual A St. Mary Mi Come From concert was scheduled for August 5, the eve before Jamaica’s 50th Independence Day. But that was before Hurricane Allen decided to pass by, and drop wind and water en masse (not to mention rolling power outages) on the entire island. Rumors of an October rain date circulated for a while, but fortunately the 18 of August was chosen instead. Where the original date was a wash-out, this date was definitely tun-up! LargeUp made the journey again and arrived just in time to see Dr. Julius Garvey, son of the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who was in the country in celebration of the 125th Birthday of his father. Standing on stage with the Fireman himself, he said: “Big Up to all Rastaman, dem keep the memory of Marcus Garvey alive — Nuff Respect!”
Words by Jesse Serwer, Photo by DJ Gravy—

Last week, we brought you a taste of our recent reasoning session with dancehall legend Nardo Ranks. In round two of our interview, Na-na-na-na-na-Nardo reflects on his apprenticeship on Jamaica’s Caveman Hi Power sound, his early sparring sessions with Wayne Wonder, and why New York City embraced his music before Jamaicans did. And we had to ask him for the stories behind the favorites for which he is best known: “Rikers Island” (with Cocoa Tea), “Burrup” and “Them a Bleach.” True to form, the self-described “different kind of actor, natural kind of character and human factor” delivers each tale in colorful fashion.
Words by Jesse Serwer, Selections by Jesse Serwer and Martei Korley
It’s “Caribbean Week” in New York City right now and, with the weather hotting up, the days growing longer, and the clothes on women growing smaller, we’re feeling deep levels of appreciation for our hometown. With summer making its presence felt in NYC in all sorts of ways, including some high-powered Caribbean music events, we figured what better time to take stock of the best reggae/dancehall songs about the greatest city on earth?