Shaggy Says “There’s No One King” of Dancehall, Then Crowns Beenie Man, Kartel, Shabba and Himself
Shaggy listed his kings, paused, grinned, and quietly slipped his own name onto the list. “Beenie Man is a king.[#item_full_content]
Hundreds Gather In Queens, NY To Celebrate The Life Of Calypso Legend The Mighty Sparrow
By News Americas Now Staff Writer
News Americas, Now, LAURELTON, NY, Mon. Oct. 5, 2026: Hundreds of mourners, fellow musicians and admirers filled Linden Seventh-day Adventist Church in Laurelton, Queens on Sunday for a Celebration of Life honoring Dr. Slinger Francisco – the legendary calypsonian known worldwide as The Mighty Sparrow – who died in New York on September 27, 2026, at age 91.
The service, held at 228-20 137th Avenue and livestreamed by the church, drew an outpouring of tributes from the pulpit, with pastors, family members, and fellow performers reflecting on a career that spanned more than seven decades and helped define modern calypso music. A photo of Dr. Francisco and a poster bearing the title “Calypso King” stood beside his casket at the altar, framed by flowers and flanked by imagery honoring his Trinidad and Tobago roots alongside the wider Caribbean community that claimed him as its own.
Mourners dressed in black, many wearing floral boutonnieres, filled the pews as the service blended scripture, song, and personal remembrance. At one point, a performer in a sequined jacket took the floor with a microphone to pay musical tribute, a nod to the calypso tradition Dr. Francisco spent his life building. The livestream drew tens of thousands of views, underscoring the reach of a figure whose influence stretched far beyond Trinidad and Tobago and across the Caribbean diaspora in New York and beyond. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and New York State Senator Kevin Parker also delivered remarks.
Born July 9, 1935, Dr. Francisco rose from Grenadian roots to become one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most celebrated cultural icons, winning multiple Calypso Monarch titles and helping carry calypso to international audiences over a career that made him a defining voice of Caribbean music.
While Sunday’s service marked his New York homegoing, his final resting place and burial date have not yet been announced. Following the Queens service, Dr. Francisco’s body is being prepared for transport to Trinidad and Tobago, where the government is coordinating an official state-assisted funeral and national tribute. Culture Minister Michelle Benjamin has confirmed that a specialized planning committee is working alongside the Francisco family to finalize arrangements, with the state funeral date still “to be fixed” as logistics are coordinated.
Meanwhile, the national remembrance in Trinidad and Tobago is already underway. Official books of condolence opened to the public on October 1 and will remain available for signing through Wednesday, October 14, 2026, giving Trinidadians and the wider diaspora a formal way to honor a figure widely regarded as one of the most important voices in Caribbean music history.
News Americas Now will continue to follow developments as burial and state funeral details are confirmed.
Watch the full Celebration of Life service, livestreamed by Linden Seventh-day Adventist Church: youtube.com/live/wH2K4CMIhvU.
RELATED: Calypso History Month Opens Today As Trinidad Prepares For Official State-Assisted Funeral For The Mighty Sparrow
Jamaican Dancehall Artiste Skippa Named Billboard Caribbean Rising Star
BY News Americas Now ET EDITOR
News Americas, NY, NY, Oct. 3, 2026: Jamaican dancehall artiste Skippa has been named a Billboard Caribbean Rising Star, capping a breakout year that began with the Jamaica Observer tapping him as an artiste to watch at the start of 2026.
The recognition follows a surge in streaming numbers and chart placements for the up-and-coming deejay. By December 2025, Skippa had already become Jamaica’s third most-viewed artiste on YouTube, trailing only Chronic Law and Vybz Kartel, with roughly 79.9 million views. Throughout 2026, several of his tracks ranked among Jamaica’s most-streamed records.
“Everything kind of surpassed what we had in mind…it’s been crazy,” Skippa told the Jamaica Observer of his rapid rise.
The artiste, who records with Chargie Records, Solitary Muzic and Bankroller and is backed by manager Cristina and producer/engineer Travis, said he has stayed focused on authenticity as his audience has grown. “I’m being myself and making music from my own experience,” he said.
Skippa added that sustaining a career takes more than a single hit. “You can have one song that catches fire, but building a career is different,” he said.
With Billboard’s recognition and an expanding international fanbase, 2026 has marked a turning point for the dancehall artiste, whose growing catalog and touring schedule point to a widening reach beyond Jamaica.
RELATED: Lieutenant Stitchie, Dancehall’s “Governor” Turned Gospel Icon, Dies Just Shy Of His 61st Birthday
Tilibop joins forces with Sizzla Kalonji to declare ‘Dem Nuh Ready’ – a blazing criticism of reggae’s new generation
Reggae artiste Tilibop joins forces with Sizzla Kalonji on “Dem Nuh Ready,” a new single about conviction, preparation and holding firm when others underestimate you.[#item_full_content]
Vybz Kartel’s Sister Among Three Hospitalised After Trelawny Crash
Dr Maureen Mullings-Nelson, Vybz Kartel’s sister and president-elect of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, is among three people hospitalised following a two-vehicle collision near Duncans, Trelawny, last Thursday.According[#item_full_content]
The US$55 Billion Cost-Recovery Milestone: Bank Of Guyana Missing Details
By Darsh Khusial
News Americas, NY, NY, Sun. Oct. 3, 2026: If you have a large mortgage, you know how much it can shape every major financial decision. Do you replace a refrigerator that is on its last legs or a noisy washing machine? Do you keep the car for one more year to avoid straining the monthly budget? A large mortgage constrains financial flexibility. When it is finally paid off, the change is significant: a major obligation disappears, making it easier to plan future spending. Guyana is in a similar position with oil.
From 2023 through 2025, crude oil accounted for roughly 90% of exports. In 2025, Guyana exported about US$17.8 billion in crude oil, compared with roughly US$1.6 billion in gold, while sugar exports were comparatively small; see the 2025 export-value pie chart. In the first half of 2026, the Mid-Year Report states that 163.3 million barrels of oil were produced and that crude oil averaged US$92.50 per barrel. If those first-half figures were simply annualized, the gross value would be about US$30.2 billion – nearly twice the 2025 oil-export figure. That is an illustration, not a full-year forecast.
Against that backdrop, Exxon stated during its Q2 2026 investor conference call that US$55 billion in capital and operating costs had been recovered for the Stabroek Block. The statement did not provide a project-by-project breakdown. For purposes of this discussion, we assume the figure relates to seven projects, including the four currently producing about 900,000 barrels per day, with a fifth project expected to add roughly 250,000 barrels per day.
For perspective, US$55 billion is an extraordinary sum in relation to Guyana’s historical public finances. From independence to when the Stabroek Block contract was signed in 2016, let’s call that 50 years, the combined annual budgets did not come close to US$55 billion. Yet the Ministry of Finance’s 2026 Mid-Year Report does not state that US$55 billion has been recovered, or identify which Stabroek projects are included in that figure, or provide a project-by-project breakdown of recovered costs. Nor does it quantify how much future projects – including the eighth, ninth, and tenth developments – could add to the cost bank and how those additions could affect Guyana’s share of gross oil revenue.
The Mid-Year Report vaguely explains how the cost bank affects Guyana’s revenue. Section 3.63 (p. 21) states: “However, it must be emphasized that clearing the historical cost bank balance does not by itself deliver a 50 percent share of gross revenue to Government. The Stabroek Block partners will continue to recover current costs, lower than 75 percent of gross revenue, and Government will receive more than 12.5 percent of gross revenue in profit oil. As additional projects are approved, and their development costs enter the cost bank, the profit-oil ratio will move again.”
On August 18th, 2026, President Ali said, “Stabroek Block oil has increased from 12.5% to 39.8%.” However, the BoG report published 10 days later, dated August 28th, 2026, does not mention that Guyana’s profit share of the Stabroek Block has increased from 12.5% to 39.8%. Nor does the BoG report mention the overall take has moved from 14.5% to 41.8% of oil revenues. Instead, the BoG report states that the Government will receive more than 12.5% of gross revenue in profit oil while the Stabroek partners continue to recover current costs. That is astounding given that, at current production of 900,000 barrels per day and US$100 a barrel, the monthly amounts are about US$392 million (14.5%) and US$1.129 billion (41.8%), a difference of US$737 million.
In President Ali’s address (9:53), he further states with respect to the 39.8%, “This has occurred as I said because the cost bank has been recovered two years earlier than originally expected.” Without the underlying cost-bank figures and assumptions, readers cannot readily reconcile the President’s claim with what is stated in the BoG report.
The mortgage analogy is useful because paying down a large obligation improves forecasting. Once a household mortgage is substantially reduced or paid off, the family can estimate more accurately when it can afford major purchases. The same principle applies here: if US$55 billion in costs have been recovered, then the size and composition of the remaining cost bank are central to understanding how much oil profit Guyana may receive in the years ahead.
In the Bank of Guyana’s 119-page 2026 Half-Year Report, rice and sugar combined are mentioned almost as many times as oil. Yet, as the pie chart above shows, rice and sugar together accounted for just 2% of Guyana’s exports in 2025, compared with oil’s 90% share. The BoG is obviously misguided in its focus and priorities, but why?
This raises a straightforward transparency question: why does the 2026 Mid-Year Report not provide the US$55 billion figure, the projects to which it relates, the remaining cost bank, and the expected additions from future projects? Without those details, readers cannot independently assess how the cost bank feeds into the Government’s petroleum-revenue projections.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Darsh Khusial is an executive of the Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN) a 501(c)(3). See more here
RELATED: President Ali Claims Guyana’s Oil Share Is 39.8%, But BOG Data Suggests Less Than 30%
Blvk H3ro Kicks Off Strictly Good Vibes Tour at Gold-Diggers LA, and It’s His Birthday
Blvk H3ro isn’t just starting a tour tonight. He’s starting it on his birthday, and he wants everyone in the room to show up ready to move.[#item_full_content]
Gramps Morgan Drops Official Video for ‘A Woman Like You’
Gramps Morgan didn’t wait on a big press push to share his latest visual. The Morgan Heritage singer posted a YouTube link on Twitter with a simple line, “Gramps Morgan – A Woman Like You (Official Music Video),” and let the clip carry the rest.[#item_full_content]
Gramps Morgan Releases ‘People Like You’ Music Video
Gramps Morgan didn’t wait for a big press cycle. The official video for “People Like You” arrived with a tweet from the singer himself, the song title and a YouTube link.[#item_full_content]
Azizzi Romeo Releases Debut Album ‘Signs of the Time’ Featuring Max and Xana Romeo
The Romeo name has carried weight in reggae for more than half a century, and now a new generation is putting its own stamp on it.[#item_full_content]