By NAN ET EDITOR, NewsAmericas Now

News Americas, BROOKLYN, NY, Sun. Sept. 6, 2026: The countdown is on for the 59th Annual New York West Indian American Day Carnival tomorrow, with Jamaican reggae icon Buju Banton and Trinidad and Tobago soca star Kees Dieffenthaller, better known as Kes, named honorary grand marshals of this year’s Labor Day parade.

The West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) announced that the two Caribbean music stars will help lead the annual celebration on Monday, Sept. 7, along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. Their selection reflects this year’s theme, “One Caribbean,” bringing together two of the region’s most internationally recognized musical traditions – Jamaica’s reggae and dancehall and Trinidad and Tobago’s soca and Carnival culture.

KES

FLASHBACK – KES attends the Inaugural Caribbean Music Awards at Kings Theatre on August 31, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

“The appointment of Kees Dieffenthaller of KesTheBand and Buju Banton as Honorary Grand Marshals is a powerful representation of what One Caribbean means to us,” the WIADCA Board of Directors said. “They have each carried Caribbean music and culture to the world, while remaining deeply rooted in the communities and traditions that shaped them.”

BUJU

Grammy-winning Banton has spent decades taking Jamaican reggae and dancehall to audiences worldwide, while Kes, lead vocalist of KesTheBand, has become one of contemporary soca’s most recognizable international ambassadors.

Buju Banton for West Indian American Day Carnival

Together, organizers say, the artists symbolize the cultural connections that unite Caribbean people across national borders, generations and musical traditions. The two will be formally recognized earlier on Carnival Day during WIADCA’s 59th Annual VIP Breakfast, scheduled from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the Carlos Lezama Netball Court at Lincoln Terrace Park in Brooklyn.

Held under the theme “M.A.S.: Music, Action, Soul – Enjoy the Rhythm, Feel the Mas,” the breakfast will bring together elected officials, community leaders, business executives, cultural ambassadors and members of New York’s Caribbean-American community. The main parade gets underway at 11 a.m. on September 7th along Eastern Parkway, continuing a nearly six-decade tradition that has grown into one of the largest annual celebrations of Caribbean culture in the United States. The annual carnival traditionally draws Caribbean nationals and descendants from across the diaspora for a massive display of masquerade, costumes, music, dancing, and Caribbean pride.

This year, with a Jamaican reggae legend and Trinidadian soca star sharing grand marshal honors, WIADCA is putting the “One Caribbean” message front and center.

RELATED: Notting Hill Carnival 2026 Ends With 560 Arrests And A Death

By NAN ET EDITOR, NewsAmericas Now

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Sept. 4, 2026: Ky-Mani Marley has released “Love and Energy,” his first studio album in more than a decade, featuring a lineup of Jamaican reggae heavyweights including Sizzla, Gyptian, Anthony B, Agent Sasco, Andrew Tosh, Bugle, Iba Mahr and Lutan Fyah.

The 14-song project, out now on all digital platforms via Marley’s Konfrontation Muzik label in partnership with New York-based DubShot Records, marks the Grammy-nominated artist’s eighth solo studio album. Marley co-produced every track but one, blending deep bass grooves, live instrumentation and his signature raspy vocals across the collection.

THE ALBUM

The album opens with “New Creature,” which previously reached No. 1 on the Jamaican charts, and includes the title track “Love and Energy” featuring Lutan Fyah and Iba Mahr, whose music video has drawn nearly 2 million views. Other highlights include “Love Is Key” with Gyptian, “One Family” featuring Bugle, and the militant “War Inna Babylon,” which brings together Sizzla, Anthony B and Agent Sasco over a Nyabinghi rhythm.

One standout track, “A Little Bit (I’m Okay),” was co-written with Marley’s daughter Imani Marley and longtime collaborator Shaquel Leon, offering what Marley describes as an honest reflection on mistakes, resilience and acceptance. The song became a crowd favorite during the European leg of Marley’s recent tour, with a live video filmed at France’s Toulouse Rio Loco Festival.

“The title Love and Energy for me represents the idea that what we give to the world matters,” Marley said. “The album carries a message of love, resilience, hope, and positive energy, even through difficult times.”

Marley, the son of reggae legend Bob Marley and Anita Belnavis, first emerged with his 1996 debut album “Like Father Like Son” and has built a career spanning reggae, hip-hop and soul over nearly three decades, alongside acting roles in “Shottas” and “One Love.” He celebrated the album’s release with a media event at Copper Blues in Doral, Florida.

LOVE & ENERGY track list:

New Creature

Love and Energy (ft. Iba Mahr and Lutan Fyah)

Miss Electric

All This Love

City Views

Love is Key (ft. Gyptian)

A Little Bit (I’m Okay)

Reflection 1

Breathe You In

Love TKO

Poor Man’s Cry

One Family (ft. Bugle)

When the World (ft. Andrew Tosh, Anthony B)

Reflection 2

War Inna Babylon (ft. Sizzla, Anthony B, Agent Sasco)

Send Down the Rain

Check out the video for A Little Bit here

ABOUT Ky-Mani Marley

Ky-Mani Marley is a Grammy-nominated artist, actor and songwriter who has spent nearly three decades building a distinctive career rooted in reggae while expanding across hip-hop, soul and global music. The son of reggae legend Bob Marley and Anita Belnavis, Ky-Mani first emerged with his 1996 debut album, Like Father Like Son, and went on to release acclaimed projects including Many More Roads (2001), Maestro (2015) and Conversations (2016), his collaborative album with Gentleman.

Beyond music, Ky-Mani has built a strong presence on screen, most notably through his roles in the cult classic Shottas (2002) and One Love (2003). His unmistakable voice, introspective songwriting and genre-blending style have led to collaborations with artists including Farruko, Dirty Heads, Pitbull, Big Kenny of Big & Rich and many others, while his touring history has ranged from sharing stages with Van Halen to joining his brothers for the 2024 Marley Brothers North American Legacy Tour.

Now entering a new chapter, Ky-Mani is preparing to release Love and Energy, his first solo studio album in more than a decade. The project reflects his growth, life experiences and evolution as both an artist and a man. Early single “New Creature” reached No. 1 in Jamaica, while his latest release, “A Little Bit (I’m Okay),” offers one of his most personal reflections yet – a song about navigating life’s challenges, accepting the roads taken and finding peace in being able to say, “I’m okay.” While proudly carrying the Marley name, Ky-Mani has always forged a path that is unmistakably his own.

RELATED: Ras Ajai’s Final Song “Love Is Kind” Drops September 4, Weeks After His Murder In Jamaica

By Staff Writer, NewsAmericas Now

News Americas, LONDON, England, Mon. August 31, 2026: Notting Hill Carnival 2026 celebration –  Europe’s biggest street party attracting millions of people to Kensington – concluded Monday with 560 total arrests over the two-day event and an ongoing investigation into the death of a man who entered a canal while fleeing police near the parade route at the 60th anniversary celebration, London’s Metropolitan Police said.

Police said 315 arrests were made Monday, adding to 243 recorded Sunday, and that the total may rise slightly as remaining cases are processed. Weapons seizures reached 62 across both days, including a handgun recovered Monday afternoon. Two knife-related assaults were reported over the two days – one stabbing and one slashing – neither resulting in life-threatening injuries.

Live facial recognition technology, deployed for the first time this year, led to 48 arrests on Monday and helped officers identify 43 registered sex offenders in attendance to confirm compliance with licence conditions; three were arrested Monday for breaching those conditions, in addition to three arrested Sunday.

Commander Claire Smart, the Gold Commander for the policing operation, said this marked the second consecutive year of a significant reduction in serious violence at the event. She credited both proactive policing and an expanded role for Notting Hill Carnival Ltd in managing event and crowd safety, which she said allowed police to focus resources on tackling crime.

A death during the policing operation

Samba dancers in colorful costumes perform during the Monday Parade of the Notting Hill Carnival in London, United Kingdom, on August 31, 2026. (Photo credit: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Police said that at approximately 3:19 p.m. Monday, officers attempted to stop a man believed to be in his 20s near Harrow Road as he approached the carnival. The man fled on foot, with officers in pursuit, before entering the water near Meanwhile Gardens.

Officers and members of the public entered the canal and pulled the man from the water, and officers began CPR immediately, police said. Paramedics continued treatment at the scene before transporting him to a central London hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:43 p.m.

Police said urgent efforts are underway to locate and inform his next of kin. As is standard practice, any death following contact with police has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct for investigation.

“This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with the loved ones of the man who has lost his life,” Smart said, adding that she wanted to acknowledge the officers and members of the public who entered the canal in an attempt to save him. She urged the public to avoid speculation while the investigation is ongoing.

City Hall provided an additional £4.6 million ahead of this year’s carnival to double the number of stewards and expand CCTV coverage along the parade route, contributing to what police described as improved crowd management across the weekend.

ABOUT THE CARNIVAL

Before Notting Hill Carnival became Europe’s largest street festival, its roots trace back to a murder.

Kelso Cochrane, a 32-year-old Antiguan-born carpenter and aspiring lawyer, was killed in a racially motivated attack on Southam Street, off Golborne Road, on May 17, 1959, at a time of high racial tension in the neighborhood. A blue plaque today marks the spot. His murder remains unsolved.

More than 1,200 people attended Cochrane’s funeral, many showing solidarity against racism in the area. When activists felt the police investigation was complacent, allegations of a cover-up spread and pressure mounted on Whitehall. Then-Home Secretary Rab Butler appealed for witnesses in Parliament and later launched a public inquiry into race relations.

Efforts to ease racial tension in Notting Hill had already been underway before Cochrane’s death, work that would eventually give rise to Carnival itself. Trinidadian activist Claudia Jones organized a BBC-broadcast indoor “Caribbean Carnival” at St. Pancras Town Hall in 1959, an event widely credited with planting Carnival’s seeds in Britain. Trinidadian booking agents Edric and Pearl Connor, along with the West Indian Gazette that Jones founded, helped fuel a wave of indoor Caribbean events across London through the 1960s.

Community activist Rhaune Laslett, a Londoner of Native American and Russian descent, organized a children’s street fair in the area, later reflecting: “We felt that although West Indians, Africans, Irish and many other nationalities all live in a very congested area, there is very little communication between us. If we can infect them with a desire to participate, then this can only have good results.”

Laslett invited steelpan player Russell Henderson and his band, including Sterling Betancourt, Vernon “Fellows” Williams, Fitzroy Coleman and Ralph Cherry, already popular from London’s indoor carnival circuit. In 1966, Henderson’s steelband wound through Portobello Road as locals spontaneously danced along behind them, and Notting Hill Carnival was born.

RELATED: Notting Hill Carnival At 60 Sees 169 Arrests On Day 1

By NAN ET Editor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Sat. August 29, 2026: Barbadian soca star Rupee will take center stage in Times Square this weekend as Tropicalfete brings its fifth annual Caribbean Pop-Up Carnival to the heart of New York City.

The free celebration is set for Sunday, August 30, beginning at 1 p.m. along Broadway between West 46th and West 47th streets, bringing Caribbean music, mas, steelpan and dance to the “Crossroads of the World.” But this year’s event will carry special significance for Rupee, born Rupert Clarke, who is set to receive several New York honors recognizing both his contribution to Caribbean music and his advocacy for HIV/AIDS awareness.

New York Honors For Rupee

Rupee is expected to receive a Mayoral Certificate of Recognition, as well as proclamations from the New York City Council, New York State Senate and New York State Assembly. The recognition comes more than two decades after the Barbadian artist broke onto the international charts with his crossover hit, “Tempted to Touch.”

Released internationally in 2004, the song propelled Rupee onto the Billboard Hot 100 and was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. His catalogue also includes the soca anthem “Jump,” which the organizers say has earned Road March honors at Caribbean carnivals in Boston, Brooklyn, Miami, Toronto and Barbados’ Crop Over. Beyond music, Rupee has been an outspoken advocate for HIV/AIDS education and awareness.

After losing both parents to AIDS in the 1990s, the singer began publicly challenging the stigma surrounding the disease in the Caribbean. His advocacy later included work alongside the United Nations, the Caribbean regional LIVE UP campaign and other organizations.

Rupee Meets Steelpan In Times Square

Rupee will also join the Tropicalfete Steel Pan Ensemble for a special performance of his song “Give Thanks.” The carnival lineup will feature international violinist Mapy, known as “The Violin Queen.” Born on Réunion Island, raised in Paris and now based in Brooklyn, Mapy blends classical violin with Caribbean rhythms and hip-hop and has appeared at events including the Grammy Awards and St. Kitts Music Festival.

Carnival traditions from across the Caribbean will also take over Times Square. Masquerade presentations will celebrate traditional, folkloric, ole mas, satirical, and pretty mas traditions from across the Caribbean. Participating performers and mas bands will include Ron and Rhonda, Spice Island Shortknee, Jab Jab Family, King Jab, Sugar Candy Mas, Branches and Associates Mas Band, Big Boy Productions Mas Band, Kaios International Kids Mas Band, and Wicked Feters.

Tropicalfete’s stilting and mas units will also perform, while Mandy will lead a soca fitness workout and Riddim Explosion will provide a live rhythm section. DJ Patrick and DJ Eric are also scheduled to perform. Hosts for the afternoon are Vibes Man Redman and Katherine Charles, Esq.

Caribbean Culture In The Heart Of New York City

The Caribbean Pop-Up Carnival has become one of Tropicalfete’s signature events, bringing Caribbean cultural traditions directly into one of the world’s most recognizable public spaces. “Tropicalfete’s Caribbean Pop-Up Carnival continues to unite communities by bringing the energy, creativity, and traditions of the Caribbean directly into the heart of New York City,” said Tropicalfete Executive Director Alton Aimable. “As we celebrate our fifth year, we invite everyone to experience the sights, sounds, and spirit of Carnival while embracing the diversity that makes our city so unique.”

Attendees are encouraged to wear carnival costumes and bring their national flags. The 5th Annual Caribbean Pop-Up Carnival in Times Square begins at 1 p.m. Sunday, August 30, 2026, on Broadway between West 46th and West 47th streets. Admission is free and open to the public.

RELATED: Dolly Parton And Her Surprising Jamaica Connection

By NAN ET EDITOR, NewsAmericas Now

News Americas, KINGSTON, Jamaica, Thurs. August 26, 2026: Reggae and dancehall artist Ras Ajai‘s final song, “Love Is Kind,” is set for release on September 4, more than a month after he was shot and killed in his hometown of Waterford, Portmore.

The 47-year-old singer-turned-actor, real name Brian Todd Boucher, was murdered August 1, just hours after arriving in Jamaica from New York City, where he lived. He and another man were shot by gunmen in the working-class Portmore community. Police have since arrested and charged a man in connection with his murder.

“Love Is Kind” is produced by Money Matters Entertainment, according to Stanicia Pate of Ras Ajai’s management team, who spoke with Caribbean Today‘.‘s Howard Campbell. “Ajai was so full of life and deeply passionate about what he was trying to build,” Pate said. “He loved his community, and he really believed his music could not only create a better life for himself and his daughter, but show young people coming from places like Waterford that there was another way.”

A career on the rise

Ras Ajai spent years touring as an opening act for Sean Paul as part of the Grammy winner’s Dutty Rock Crew. He was featured on Sean Paul’s 2019 single “Buss A Bubble,” from the album “Live N Living,” nominated for a 2022 Grammy for Best Reggae Album. Known for tracks like “Well Misbehave” and “Vice Grip,” he cut his Rastafarian locks to portray Claudius Massop, West Kingston enforcer and close friend of Bob Marley, in the 2024 film Bob Marley: One Love, a role that opened a new creative path.

“Acting had definitely become another part of his creative journey,” Pate said. “After Bob Marley: One Love, Ajai talked about how the experience gave him an even deeper appreciation for storytelling. Music was always at his core, but he absolutely welcomed the opportunity to continue growing as an actor.”

NewsAmericasNow will continue following the case and Ras Ajai’s musical legacy.