Minister Marion Hall Booked For Reggae Sumfest, Skatta Says: “My Prayers Have Been Answered”

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: DanceHallMag

 

Dancehall music producer and Reggae Sumfest Marketing Strategist Skatta Burrell is having a field day, this upon sharing a flyer announcing that Minister Marion Hall (formerly Lady Saw) has been booked for Concert Night II at the Reggae festival, in July.

“ My prayers have been answered. Unleashing the Powerhouse: Minister Marion Hall at Reggae Sumfest on July 22!” Skatta, a self-proclaimed atheist, wrote on his Instagram page on Saturday, where he shared a copy of the flyer, which features Hall in a monochromatic black outfit including a bustier with her bosom pronounced, and embellished with sheer lace fabric which partially shows off her abs.   

That image has also been featured on the cover art for Hall’s new Downsound Records-produced single, I’m Doing Better.

The announcement of Hall’s booking for the iconic Reggae festival was greeted with glee by Reggae singer Gramps Morgan, who is producing one of her upcoming albums.

“It has begun The Fire is Still burning we give thanks for this legend,” Gramps said in registering his satisfaction. 

Skatta seemingly had only two words for persons who sought to criticize Reggae Sumfest for using the sexy photo of Hall on the flyer.

“Shut up!” the Coolie Dance producer wrote in response to muffin_drop who had written: “Of all the pictures these people could use and they choose to use this to represent her really”. 

Cordell ‘Skatta’ Burrell,

He also gave the same orders to gstormgmusic, who had said that Reggae Sumfest would be boring and that Hall was “not qualified to be on reggae shows”.

His response was the same for wealthy_yute101 who asked: “How can she preach the word of god and wear clothes like that? Can know say them tek Christianity fi joke thing eh nuh”.

 “@wealthy_yute101 shut up,” Skatta wrote to the delight of some of his followers.

Skatta’s response to comments made by crystal_armyqueen, who sought to ask whether he orchestrated the use of the sultry photo of Hall, because he was anti-Christianity, was less hostile.

“This is the only picture you can find with the minister?  Not because you don’t agree with Christianity doesn’t mean you can’t put some respect on the woman of God. I am sure she has nicer pics as Marion hall. Now the heat is on the woman from people who think they are Christians,” she had stated.

“@crystal_armyqueen she beautifully clothed and She looks Fabulous ,” Skatta replied.

Marion Hall

Hall seems to have made an about-turn where Reggae Sumfest is concerned.

In May last year, weeks before the staging of Reggae Sumfest, the St. Mary native, had declared that she would only perform at Reggae Sumfest if there is a Gospel Night.

Her comments had come in response to Skatta’s statements at the festival’s launch that he was at one point attempting to get her to perform at that year’s staging of the festival and “was still open to doing so”.

Hall, who had appeared amused, had indicated that while she was not averse to performing at the Reggae festival, at the same time pointed out that she was quite cognizant that Skatta was trying to “draw her out”.

The Room in my House artist had said that Reggae Sumfest CEO, Joe Bogdanovich, had had discussions with her manager regarding the addition of a gospel night on which she would perform.

“Downsound been talking to my manager, about coming on the gospel night.   But how dare you call mi out fi Dancehall night?” she had asked of Skatta.

During the launch of Reggae Sumfest 2022, Skatta had said that he had ceased making attempts to woo Hall to perform at the festival,  after coming to the conclusion that she needed time to recalibrate, following her imbroglio with some of her female musical compatriots.

Skatta, who made his comments during an interview with Billboard’s Pat Meschino, had also said that there was still time yet to court Hall and add her to the line-up, since the concert nights were two months away.

Lady Saw at Sumfest 2015 (Photo by Claudia Gardner)

Prior to that, Skatta had irked Hall’s Christian fans, after he posted a snippet of Lady Saw’s legendary last-ever performance at Reggae Sumfest in 2015, on Instagram, and implored her come to the festival and “minister to the audience.”

Declaring that she was missed by Sumfest, Skatta had also said that whether or not Hall was doing secular or gospel Dancehall, the genre was where the 52-year-old Grammy Award winner belongs and that she ought not to be pigeonholed into performing or writing for Christians only.

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FREE ARTICLE: UN climate justice success should encourage small states to act together

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service
The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the U.S. and the OAS. He is also a senior fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The view expressed are entirely his own.

By Sir Ronald Sanders

Efforts by small states to seek justice for damage and existential threats to their countries, caused by the world’s major environmental polluters, moved a step further at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on March 29.

By consensus, the UNGA adopted a resolution seeking an International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion on climate change.

The resolution asks the ICJ to clarify states’ obligations regarding climate change, including their human rights obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also asks the court for guidance on questions of accountability for “states that have caused significant harm to the climate,” and to small island states.

The adoption of the resolution demonstrates the soft power of developing states when they act collectively in international fora. While the resolution was proposed by the Pacific Island of Vanuatu which did remarkable diplomatic work to build the consensus that eventually led to UN GA adoption, 18 other countries formed a core group in advancing it. Antigua and Barbuda was the only Caribbean country in the core group.

By the time of the UNGA’S adoption of the Resolution the core group had secured co-sponsorship by more than 130 states.

Antigua and Barbuda is also a co-founder of another UN-registered Commission which is utilizing the international legal system and its institutions to seek climate justice. This body is the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS) which is seeking an advisory opinion from the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

Unlike the Vanuatu initiative, which will now have to await formalities from the ICJ about the procedures for the submission of memoranda and a date for hearings, COSIS has already received confirmation from ITLOS for a first hearing on September 12 in Hamburg, Germany. Vanuatu is one of the six core members of COSIS which is co-chaired by the Prime Ministers of Antigua and Barbuda and Tuvalu, Gaston Browne and Kausea Natano, both of whom will attend the ITLOS hearing in Hamburg.

These efforts by small island states to use the international legal system for climate justice arise from the failure of meetings of the UN Conference of the Parties (COP), which have produced little or no benefits for them.

Small Island states are the greatest victims of climate change and global warming, although they collectively contribute less than 0.1 per cent of Global Green House Gas emissions – CO2.

The latest UN report is clear that human activity is responsible for virtually all global heating over the last 200 years; the rate of temperature rise in the last half century is the highest in 2,000 years; and concentrations of carbon dioxide are at their highest in at least 2 million years.

Thirteen countries are currently responsible for 68 per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions. Of the 13 countries, 4 of them – China, the United States of America, India and Russia – account for 55 per cent.

Much irreversible damage has already been done to many countries and to millions of people. The planet Earth – our one homeland – has also been wounded with consequences for all. Communities in many countries have been displaced by extreme weather events.

In Antigua and Barbuda, all the inhabitants of Barbuda were dislocated in 2017 by Hurricane Irma. Similarly, in 2019, Hurricane Dorian decimated the Abacos Islands, in The Bahamas, dislodging the entire community. Effectively, these persons were “Climate refugees” – a classification which has not yet been accepted in international law or in international provisions.

Economies of developing states, especially small island states, are repeatedly set back by extreme weather events. All of these small economies have incurred burdensome debt to rebuild destroyed countries and to try to build resiliently for the future.

Current global financial flows for adaptation, including from public and private finance sources, are insufficient and constrain implementation of adaptation options in developing countries.

A World Bank report recently revealed that “richer countries, which significantly expanded their economies over the last decades, were the largest contributors of CO2 emissions, while small states are the most affected and face the most significant costs of adaptation.” While the polluting nations get richer, the suffering nations get poorer. The injustice cannot be more blatantly obvious.

The plea for compensation for loss and damage by small countries was only reluctantly considered at COP27 and appears to have been pushed off into a committee to make recommendations to COP28 that might amount to little. The sense of hopelessness in small states is rising even as temperatures and the level of the sea rise.

In nine months, world leaders will gather at COP28 in Dubai. The leaders of the most powerful nations – and the biggest polluters – should go to Dubai to deliver climate justice to those countries caught in the vortex of crises none of them caused; they should be prepared to compensate those, that they have harmed most, for loss and damage They should also deliver on the financial commitments made at COP meetings in Copenhagen, Paris and Glasgow. But there is no sign that this will happen. Hence the resort by small island states to seek redress in the international legal system.

The arbitrations and the judgements of ITLOS and the ICJ are not binding on states, but they carry legal authority and moral weight that cannot be ignored. Favourable opinions from each or either of them, showing that international law is not on the side of the polluters, would be a boost to the negotiating strength of small states at COP28.

Hopefully, the consensus resolution by the UNGA, that resulted from developing states working together, will embolden them to do more to advance their joint interests.

Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own)

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Seeds in Space: ‘Cosmic crops’ for food security and climate change adaptation

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held an event in Vienna today to mark the imminent return to Earth of seeds that were sent into space four months ago.

The ground-breaking experiment aims to develop new crops that can adapt to climate change and help boost global food security. With the world’s population estimated to reach almost 10 billion by 2050, there’s a clear need for innovative solutions through science and technology aimed at producing more food, as well as crops that are more resilient and farming methods that are more sustainable.

Seeds from the IAEA and FAO laboratories belonging to the Arabidopsis and Sorghum varieties travelled in an uncrewed cargo shuttle from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility to space on November 7, 2022. While in space, they were exposed to the prevailing conditions — a complex mixture of cosmic radiation, microgravity and extreme temperatures — inside and outside the International Space Station (ISS).

Upon their return, which is expected to happen in early April, scientists at the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture plan to grow the seeds and screen them for useful traits to better understand space-induced mutations and identify new varieties.

The meeting in Vienna, which was designed to inform students, partners and the public about space science and nuclear techniques in plant breeding, saw opening statements from FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi, as well as interventions from NASA Astronaut Kayla Barron, who discussed her experience working and carrying out experiments at the ISS.

“I am very proud of our partnership with IAEA, bearing fruits both on Earth for years, and now with seeds that travelled through space,” the FAO Director-General told the gathering in Vienna. “I am in awe of the resilience of nature, and excited by the endless benefits that space exploration can bring to transform our agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable across the globe,” said Qu, who is a trained plant breeder.

“This is science that could have a real impact on people’s lives in the not-too-distant future, by helping us grow stronger crops and feed more people,” the IAEA Director General said. “IAEA and FAO scientists may have already been mutating seeds for 60 years and creating thousands of stronger crops for the world to use, but this is the first time we have experimented with such an exciting field as astrobiology,” said Grossi.

Cosmic Experiment

While similar experiments have been carried out since 1946, this is the first time that the IAEA and FAO are conducting genomic and biological analyses on seeds sent to space in around 60 years of experience in inducing plant mutations.

The seeds that traveled to space belong to two plant species: Arabidopsis, a type of cress that has been studied extensively by plant botanists and geneticists; and Sorghum, which belongs to the family of millets and is a drought- and heat-tolerant grain grown in many developing countries for food.

Once grown, a series of analyses will help understand whether cosmic radiation and harsh space conditions can lead to crops becoming more resilient in the face of increasingly difficult growing conditions on Earth.

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Bermuda’s former Transport Minister launches charter flight service

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

Bermuda’s Former Transport Minister Lawrence Scott has announced the launch of a new charter service that will initially link Bermuda with the Dominican Republic.

Scott, a trained pilot, said eventually Bermuda could become an air hub between the Caribbean and Africa.

His comments came as he launched the new charter service he is involved with, called TXKF Direct.

The names of others in the venture were not disclosed, but Scott said he might take command of some of the flights himself.

“I am a pilot. I have my pilot’s license,” he said.

The backbencher, dumped as Transport Minister by Premier David Burt last October in a cabinet shake-up following his victory in a Progressive Labour Party (PLP) leadership battle with ex-Finance Minister Curtis Dickinson, said the new service would begin with flights between Bermuda and the Dominican Republic in August to coincide with the Cup Match holiday here.

Scott, replaced by Wayne Furbert as Transport Minister in the reshuffle, said another charter flight to Jamaica would follow later in the year, with a long-haul service planned for 2024.

He said he would like to see the routes expand to other Caribbean islands, and then Ghana and South Africa.

Scott, son of former PLP premier Alex Scott, whose wife Olga is Jamaican, said a route from the Caribbean to Africa via Bermuda would have far fewer visa issues than transfers going through US airports.

The new service comes after American Airlines announced it has suspended direct flights from Bermuda to Miami this summer.

Lawrence Scott told the Royal Gazette newspaper: “We are doing this to help the island connect. To open up trade routes.”

“We picked up on the Dominican Republic because it is a breadbasket nation, they generate not just enough food to feed themselves, but also to export the excess.”

“This is just the first of multiple ventures. Later, we are thinking of going to Ghana. It is part of a much bigger strategy to connect the Caribbean and Africa. The Caribbean is trying to connect itself with, and to, Africa. But there is, right now, no tangible connection that is convenient for the Caribbean to depend on.”

“So, Bermuda could become the hub for that. We would firstly create the link to Bermuda. Then we would create connectivity between Bermuda and West Africa, because people from the Caribbean don’t need a visa to come here. Our business model is organic growth, so we start small and go from there.”

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Jamaican man convicted of naturalisation fraud in US

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

A Jamaica-born convicted child molester has been found guilty of committing naturalisation fraud in the United States.

Gregory Maxwell Palmer, 48, who is serving a state prison sentence for his previous crime, was convicted by a federal jury in Charlotte, North Carolina after a two-day trial over which US District Judge Frank D. Whitney presided.

A sentencing date has not been set.

The maximum penalty for unlawful procurement of citizenship is 10 years in prison and a US$250,000 fine.

“Palmer used lies and deceit to cheat his way into an American citizenship,” said US Attorney Dena J. King.

“Today’s guilty verdict holds Palmer accountable for his actions and sends a warning message to those who attempt to compromise the integrity of our naturalisation process and violate our country’s immigration laws: You will not go unpunished.”

According to filed documents, evidence presented at trial and witness testimony, while Palmer was residing in Gastonia, North Carolina in 2008, he sexually abused a minor.

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency said Palmer later obtained his US citizenship fraudulently by providing materially false information on his citizenship application.

“Trial evidence established that during the naturalisation process, Palmer lied about his criminal history and failed to admit that prior to applying for citizenship, he had knowingly committed sexual acts with a child,” ICE said.

According to evidence, on May 5, 2011, Palmer applied for naturalisation to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

He lied on the application form by responding “no” to the question “Have you ever committed a crime or offence for which you were not arrested?”

Palmer signed the form under penalty of perjury and certified that his answers were true and correct.

On October 5, 2011, ICE Palmer appeared at the USCIS office in Charlotte for a naturalisation interview and swore under oath that his responses on the naturalisation application were true and that he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested, ICE said.

Fifteen days later, Palmer participated in a naturalisation ceremony at the USCIS office in Charlotte and was granted US citizenship.

According to court records, on June 6, 2013, in the Gaston County Superior Court, Palmer pleaded guilty to attempted statutory rape and was ordered to serve between 157 and 198 months in prison.

“Palmer admitted to having committed the crime on June 17, 2008, by taking advantage of a position of trust with a minor victim,” ICE said, pointing out that Palmer was not arrested for the crime until after he became a naturalised citizen.

Court documents show that while Palmer was going through the naturalisation process, immigration officials were not aware of his criminal actions.

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A’mari Says She Never Endorsed Spice’s ‘God A Bless Me’

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: DanceHallMag

 

A’mari has lashed out heavily at Spice after the Queen of Dancehall shared a Instagram video clip of the Neko artist seemingly vibing to her new song God a Bless Me, in a series of clips of mature women endorsing the song.

According to Amari, Spice’s song was digitally added to an original video she had shared on IG, while Tommy Lee Sparta’s 2019 song Blessings, which she was endorsing in furtherance of a collab she was seeking with the Spartan Soldier deejay, was removed and replaced with Spice’s song.

Spice, who has been promoting God a Bless Me, had shared the videos on Wednesday, with Amari, who last year claimed she would be the new Queen of Dancehall in 2023, as the lead clip. 

“All young girls back up cause somebody’s momma taking over TikTok with my new song #Godablessme and I’m here for it I’m Posting everyone who’s using my song let’s gooooooo,” Spice captioned the post.

However, Amari took to her own Instagram page on Thursday morning, to dismiss claims that she had endorsed God A Bless Me and accused the Cool It artist of being untruthful.

She also ordered Spice to remove her image from the video.

“I endorsed @tommyleesparta song in this video. I never endorsed your song you lie. Take me off your wall,” Amari commanded.

“I never endorsed Spices song. The TikTok page is not mines.  The audio was removed and replaced by her song,” she also added.

She then pinned the original post which she had made six days ago, asking Tommy Lee for a collab, and edited the caption with another order to compel Spice to remove her from the post.

“@tommyleesparta I love you. Let’s do a collaboration. I’m kindly asking you @spiceofficial to remove my video. I never endorsed you,” she noted.

Over on Spice’s page though, her “besties” had a field day poking fun at Amari, whom they thought was truly endorsing the song.

“Watch spice biggest fan gwaan goodie,” one fan said, while refinebeauty82 added: “Well if dem caan beat yuh dem affi join yuh!!! Welcome Amari ”.

“Soon see Amari live a talk how she always love spice,” another jeered.

“That amari should be a shame to post her video with spice song… cause she was bashing spice rite through,” was the comment from another seemingly annoyed woman.

Others said that Amari’s constant criticisms of Spice over the last year, was due to her seeking to attract the attention of the Dancehall diva.

“love how spice no take amari serious all wah gwaan amari love spice,” one fan said, while lindapeppaz added: “Bbc Spice u post crazy Amari A NOW she ago HYPE”.

However, keriduuh was not so charitable in her comments aimed at Amari.

“When spice sey, well a nuff a dem waah si mi flop and mash up…that first person she posted is one,” she declared.

God a Bless Me was Spice’s first single of 2023. It came in the aftermath of a major health scare in November last year, and on the heels of a viral pregnancy photo that the Grammy-nominated artist had posted to Instagram days prior.   

In an Instagram Live Q&A session, Spice said that her “pregnancy” post was meant to be a symbolic one.

She noted that after grappling with sepsis and hernia challenges, she had penned the song because she was “honoured to be given a second chance at life”.

“Fast forward to the photo I posted where I appeared pregnant, I never said I was (pregnant). I said God has been good to me and that photo is just me celebrating my second chance at life,” the Rompin Shop artist had said.

“I died in October 2022 and God literally gave me a second chance at life, so this pregnancy signifies my rebirth.   The release of this song is called ‘God A Bless Me’ because it’s really a blessing what I overcame and I’m so grateful to God to still be alive,” she had added.

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UK Home Office Reportedly Denied Dozens Of Afrobeats Artists’ Visas

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: DanceHallMag

 

The Voice Newspaper has reported that the UK Home Office has launched what has been described as the “biggest attack on a Black music genre by British authorities, since Dancehall in the 1990s”.

According to the publication, Afrobeats artists are now the subject of scrutiny, as the Home Office has denied dozens of the genre’s stars’ visas to perform in Britain.

The Voice report, which was published today, said that the publication had conducted an investigation which found that the department had stopped at least 20 singers from entering the UK to perform at Afrobeats festivals.

It also said that both singers and producers have warned that “the hostile environment against the world’s fastest-growing music genre risks top names boycotting the UK.”

The reference to Dancehall which was drawn by The Voice, though, appears to be to the 2000s and 2010s.   In 2012, for example, Sizzla Kalonji was banned from performing in the UK, while Beenie Man, Buju Banton and Elephant Man were placed under investigation for lyrics that the authorities thought were inciting violence against homosexuals. 

In April 2011, several of Vybz Kartel’s shows which had been set for the UK, were cancelled due to his work visa application being denied by the UK High Commission in Kingston, just days before his schedule European tour. This denial had resulted in a several promoters cancelling shows booked in Germany, Italy, England and France.

In November 2004, the Manchester Evening News had also reported that Government sources had denied Sizzla Kalonji a visa to enter Britain, as his lyrics “are claimed to incite attacks on gays”.  

According to the publication, all five of the shows for which the Dry Cry artist was booked “were scrapped after gay rights group Outrage! launched a massive campaign” to have him barred.

Back in July 2006, concerts for which Buju Banton and Beenie Man were booked were canceled in Brighton and Bournemouth after complaints from gay rights groups and a warning from the local authority that it risked losing its license because the performance could endanger public safety.

Unlike the Dancehall artists however, The Voice notes that in the case of Afrobeats, “West African artists are treated with more suspicion despite being part of a multi-million dollar industry, and when visas are granted to stars, their dancers have been turned down.”

“Afrobeat stars fume that Britain is the hardest embassy in the world to deal with, and they are routinely given short stays of just two weeks which prevents them from making the most of their visit,” the publication said.

In August last year, the Home Office was also rebuked for what some Britons described as hostility to iconic Roots Reggae band Black Uhuru after the group was forced to cancel their UK tour after the Home Office issued visas with unreasonable time limits.

The Jamaican band, which won the first-ever Grammy Award for a Reggae Recording back in 1985, had been booked to perform at the Jazz Café in Camden, London, on Saturday, September 3, as part of their 50th-anniversary tour.   However, the promoters had cancelled the event as the UK Home Office had failed to give group adequate time in the country to allow them to meet the September show date.

Dancehall music has had many struggles in the UK, even in recent times.  In March 2016, the BBC reported that a nightclub owner in London had disclosed that the Metropolitan Police had told him to stop playing Dancehall music, as Jamaican music is “unacceptable.”

According to the BBC, the club owner had said that he was under so much pressure that he had started making disc jockeys sign contracts not to play the genre, as the police want the club’s license reviewed, saying it’s “associated with crime and disorder.”

One Afrobeats artist’s management team with whom The Voice spoke, had reported that all requisite documents were presented, but “that Home Office officials turned the application down after questioning why his UK-based sponsor had so much money when they were so young.”

The report also said that numerous artists from the African continent have had their visa applications denied, but are unwilling to speak publicly about it, due to a “stigma attached to visa refusals from Britain, which many believe will tarnish their brand and reputation.” 

The Voice also said that musicians from Ghana who wish to travel to Britain for festivals and concerts have described the British Embassy as “the most difficult embassy to work with.”

Ghananian Reggae musician and three-time Grammy nominee Rocky Dawuni also gave his views on the matter, noting that once Afrobeats musicians can prove they are “credible” and “established in their own country,” regulations should be eased and assistance fast-tracked for the artists.  

According to The Voice, Dawuni also said he was unsure whether or not there is a “bigger plan to suppress” African music and “keep it at bay” and that it might be due to a “misplaced policy.” 

“It is diminishing the music at a time when African music is on the rise, African music is breaking new boundaries and African music is connecting with new audiences,” he said.

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Caribbean Travel News And Deals

Black Immigrant Daily News

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. March 31, 2023: Here are the top Caribbean travel news and deals this week in 60 seconds.

Canada is still warning nationals to exercise a high degree of caution if travelling to Guyana, The Bahamas, The Dominican Republic, Jamaica or Trinidad and Tobago due to crime there.

The Turks and Caicos Islands will no longer mandate travelers to submit proof of vaccination against COVID-19 before arriving in the destination come April 1, 2023.

For the first time since the 1980s, access to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) is getting much easier with daily nonstop service from Miami to Beef Island/Tortola, via American Airlines beginning June 1.

Daily flights from Miami to Beef Island will depart at 10:07 a.m. and arrive at 1:06 p.m. Return flights will depart at 1:47 p.m. and arrive at 4:25 p.m.

InterCaribbean Airways now offers daily flights to Dominica, as well as connections to other destinations, giving travelers the freedom to plan their Caribbean vacations with ease.

Fly to Dominica from St. Lucia and Barbados and depart via direct or one-stop.

British Airways has launched new twice-weekly service between Antigua and Aruba. The new service will see the 2-hour flight take place twice weekly between Antigua and Aruba, on Sundays and Thursdays.

Support education and get a chance to win five Nights at the Antigua Luxury Resort Hermitage Bay.

Enter the raffle at
https://go.eventgroovefundraising.com/hermitagebay2023/Campaign/Details?

Vacation in Puerto Rico this May 18 – May 21 for just $502 per person. Stay 3 nights at the Hacienda Montana Soñadora with flights from Atlanta.

Book now on Expedia

Or fly to and stay at the Serenade Punta Cana Beach & Spa Resort – All Inclusive from April 30th to May 3rd for $561 per person.

Book also on Expedia

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Kranium’s ‘We Can’ With Tory Lanez Certified Silver In The UK

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: DanceHallMag

 

Kranium and Tory Lanez’s We Can is now certified Silver in the United Kingdom, six years after its release.

According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), We Can was issued a BRIT Certified Silver award today (March 24), after it sold over 200,000 units in the UK, as measured by The Official Charts Company.

The late-night jam was produced by Sakpase & DJ Marley Waters and currently has over 27 million views on YouTube. 

In 2021, the song was certified Gold in Canada, for surpassing 40,000 units sold in the country.

During a breakdown of We Can’s lyrics and meaning for Genius, Kranium revealed that he had reached out to Tory for the collaboration, and they later met in the studio for the project.  

He’s no stranger to a wide array of certifications. 

Nobody Has To Know, his 2013 hit which led to a record deal with Atlantic, is certified Gold in the United States, Platinum in Canada, and Silver in the United Kingdomwhile Can’t Believe, with Ty Dolla $ign and Wizkid, is also certified Gold in Canada.

Kranium with his accolades

“I feel like each time when I get a record that goes big it leads more people to the catalogue. Last year we went gold in Canada with Can’t Believe. These records been going gold in different countries. The consistency of the work leads people to the catalogue,” Kranium told the Observer in 2021.

“Some people do music for music, but I do music for a cause. I’m representing for dancehall music overseas. When Nobody Has to Know came out, my dream was to make a song that a dancehall artiste can do from America. Not every song works, but I’ve never in my life focused on more than one song at a time,” he told the newspaper at the time.

The Montego Bay, St. James native who migrated to the United States at age 12, recently announced that he was leaving Atlantic Records, the major label that had been his home since 2014. 

His last project with the label—a seven-track EP titled In Too Deep—was released on November 18, 2022. It featured Without You (featuring Queen Naija), Paranoid, No Regret, 6ex In The Morning, Early In The Morning,and Wi Deh Yah.

To promote the EP, Kranium will be touring sections of the UK, Canada, and the United States.

This begins on March 29 in Birmingham, followed by Oxford on March 30, and London on March 31. He then heads to Manchester on April 2, Halifax, Canada on April 8, Boston, Massachusetts on April 20, and Brooklyn, New York on May 18.

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Spice’s ‘So Mi Like It’ Makes Netflix Debut

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: DanceHallMag

 

Spice’s smash hit So Mi Like It was among the songs featured in Netflix’s latest reality TV/competition series ‘Dance 100’ – a show in which dance choreographers compete for $100,000 and bragging rights.

With just six episodes rounding out the first season, the show follows an intense, deliberate setup. Each installment features routines that increase in both size and complexity. 

Initially, the competitors are tasked with creating a brief routine alongside seven other dancers. However, by the last episode, the final two contestants must collaborate with all 100 dancers at once. At the conclusion of each challenge, the 100 dancers vote for their preferred choreographer by standing behind them. The individual with the fewest supporters is eliminated from the competition.

Of note, the show’s producers are responsible for song selection, which means Spice’s So Mi Like It was intentionally sought out to make an impression in show’s relatively limited runtime. 

In the series’ third episode, Keenan Cooks, a dance instructor and choreographer from New York, was tasked with crafting an original routine for the Dancehall tune. 

The 31-year-old, along with his assigned dancers, delivered an electrifying performance that would set the tone for his journey to the show’s final round. There, in an intense showdown, he lost to fellow choreographer, Brandi Chun – who became the show’s season one winner.

Released originally in December 2014 and produced by NotNice, So Mi Like It is the title track of Spice’s debut EP of the same name. That five-track project, produced by VP Records and released digital download-only, peaked at No. 14 on the US Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart.

In 2021, So Mi Like It was re-released as a single from Spice’s Grammy-nominated album, 10.  Also released by VP Records, the album featured Shaggy as executive producer.

The revelation that Spice’s So Mi Like It continues to enjoy mainstream prominence is welcomed news for the Dancehall Queen, who has, herself, enjoyed a bit of a resurgence recently following her much-publicized health scare.

The Go Down Deh singer made a grand return to the headlines with a bit of a clickbait – a photo herself, appearing pregnant, at a maternity shoot. She later clarified the photo’s symbolic significance, indicating that she was, in fact, not pregnant, and followed it up with the release of ‘God A Bless Me’.

Yesterday, she unveiled the music video for her new song, Spice Marley – a track that honors the singer’s late father.

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