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Words by Jesse Serwer—
Red Fox is one of the pillars of dancehall music in New York City. Sure, he originally hails from St. Catherine, Jamaica and came to fame with the classic “Down in Jamaica” (alongside singer Naturalee) but the rough-voiced deejay has called NYC home for decades.
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Words by Jesse Serwer, Photo by Craig Phang Sang—
The New York Times yesterday ran a story on the front page of its New York/Metro section about the phenomenon of dancehall party DVDs (specifically those depicting entire parties, unedited, from start to finish) and their popularity among expats abroad (and particularly in NYC). The story, by nightlife reporter Sarah Maslin Nir, would possibly have been more current about seven years ago, when the market for these videos was at their peak prior to the availability of such footage on YouTube, but it is an interesting read nonetheless. Read the full story here.
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Words by Jesse Serwer, Photos by Aymann Ismail—
Like every other city, New York has seen most of its record stores close up shop in recent years. But, even as dancehall and reggae have seen some of the sharpest declines in sales, an overwhelming number of NYC’s remaining record shops are those specializing in Jamaican music. These include decades-old standbys Moodies Records in the Bronx and Keeling Reggae in Brooklyn, and more recent arrivals like Deadly Dragon and Miss Lily’s Variety. Something about the music’s deep roots and the sense of community between the shoppers and shopkeepers has helped them survive in an era where shops specializing in rock, jazz and rap largely have not.
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Words by Emily Shapiro, Photo by Tono—
If you’ve taken a taxi in New York City in the last few years, you’re familiar with NBC’s short clips spotlighting new and cool places to buy things around town. In a recent Shopping Guide clip, dashing host George Oliphant makes a visit to one of our main stops in Manhattan, Miss Lily’s Variety. He tells cab riders that the reggae/dancehall-focused retail/gallery annex of the popular Jamaican eatery (and home of RadioLily.com) is “collector’s paradise for rare Jamaican vinyl,” and even holds up Miss Lily’s newly published first book, of Jamaican Dancehall Signs, which includes a foreword and interview with collector Maxine Walters by Large Up’s own Jesse Serwer.
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Words by LargeUp Crew—
Fresh from playing massive stages around the world—and our LargeUp Interview hot seat— Sean Paul returns to NYC Tuesday night, Oct.2, for an intimate show at S.O.B’s. You can go and buy your own tickets here, but we’ve got a pair (2 tickets) to give away, along with a prize pack of Sean Paul swag, including:
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Words by LargeUp Crew—
This Sunday, Aug. 19, the mighty Inner Circle will celebrate Jamaica’s 50th with a New York City show at Central Park Summerstage. The epic lineup also includes fellow JA music legends the Mighty Diamonds and Israel Vibration. The event (which goes from 3p.m. to 7p.m.) is free for all, but to make it even sweeter, we’ve teamed with the Bad Boys of Reggae to offer a prize pack for five lucky winners. Here’s what each winner will get:
