News Americas, TORONTO, Canada, Mon. July 24, 2023: The spirit of Caribbean pride and heritage came alive for another year in Toronto as youth with heritage in the region took part in the much-anticipated Junior Carnival Parade on Saturday.

Dressed in vibrant costumes, young parade revelers graced the streets of Neilson Road, transforming the city into a colorful celebration of culture. The festivities kicked off at 11 a.m. from the Malvern Community Recreation Centre, with the parade making its way along Neilson Road and concluding at Neilson Park at 8 p.m.

Aiden Philip (10) centre throws down the dance moves during the parade with friends. Saturday-photo-Junior Carnival Parade.The parade is an opportunity for young revellers to showcase their pride in their Caribbean heritage. (Photo by R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Among the young revelers was 10-year-old Aiden Philip who threw down the dance moves during the parade with friends and Rayne Johnson, 14. Also participating was Marquee St. Louis, 11, who was costumed as Namor from Black Panther. He won first in the Male individual competition.

Marquee St. Louis ( 11) in Namor, from Black Panther. He wins first in Male individual. The parade is an opportunity for young revelers to showcase their pride in their Caribbean heritage. (Photo by R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Festival Management Committee CEO, Mischka Crichton, expressed her excitement about the event, stating, “The Junior Carnival parade is truly a sight to behold. We’ve worked tirelessly to create a family-friendly environment where young carnival goers can immerse themselves in the festivities.”

Rayne Johnson (14) during the parade with friends. Saturday-photo-Junior Carnival Parade. (Photo by R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

As part of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, the Junior Carnival Parade holds significant importance, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean community in Toronto. It provides a platform for young individuals to celebrate their roots and express their creativity, confidence, and cultural appreciation.

Last week, the city witnessed the crowning of Junior King Amari Bowen-Otchere, representing Tribal Carnival, and Junior Queen Myauna King-Thomas, from the Toronto Revellers, during the Junior Carnival Showcase. Their titles mark them as youthful ambassadors of Caribbean culture and bring immense pride to their communities.

Jennifer Hirlehey, Festival Management Committee Chair, emphasized the significance of young people experiencing Carnival, saying, “Children are the future, and it is imperative that they have the opportunity to learn, experience, and participate in this staple of their cultural heritage. They are the future of Toronto Caribbean Carnival.”

Organizers of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival are eagerly anticipating the energetic and captivating performances that will grace the parade. Spectators can expect to see a dazzling display of colorful costumes, youthful enthusiasm, and a profound celebration of Caribbean traditions.

In addition to the Junior Carnival Parade, Spotify released ‘Carnival Sounds’ playlists in honor of Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival, adding to the excitement and festive atmosphere surrounding the event.

The Junior Carnival Parade serves as a testament to the vibrant and diverse culture that thrives within Toronto’s Caribbean community. It not only preserves tradition but also nurtures the spirit of unity and pride among the younger generation.

News Americas, TORONTO, Canada, Fri. July 14, 2023: The countdown is on to next month’s annual Toronto Caribbean carnival, previously known as Caribana.

The city of Toronto launched the month-long lead up to 56th edition of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival this week at Nathan Phillips Square. Mischka Crichton, CEO of the Festival Management Committee, expressed her enthusiasm for this year’s Carnival. “We are thrilled to be launching the 56th edition of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, where everyone can feel accepted and included,” said Crichton, highlighting the festival’s theme of “Diversity and Culture Live Here!”

A dressed-up reveler performs during the official launch ceremony of the 2023 Toronto Caribbean Carnival in Toronto, Canada, on July 11, 2023. The annual event kicked off here on Tuesday to showcase Caribbean music, costumes and culture through plenty of events until Aug. 7. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

The month-long celebration is packed with a series of vibrant events, culminating in the highly anticipated grand parade on August 5 along Lake Shore Boulevard. Spectators can expect a mesmerizing display of colorful costumes, energetic performances, and infectious Caribbean rhythms that will sweep the city.

Dressed-up revelers perform during the official launch ceremony of the 2023 Toronto Caribbean Carnival in Toronto, Canada, on July 11, 2023. The annual event kicked off here on Tuesday to showcase Caribbean music, costumes and culture through plenty of events until Aug. 7. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

But the excitement doesn’t stop there. The festival calendar includes a range of captivating events designed to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean. From the Junior King and Queen Showcase at Scarborough Town Centre to the Junior Carnival Parade at Malvern Community Centre, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Other highlights include the OCPA Calypso Showcase at the Latvian Culture Centre, the King and Queen Showcase at Lamport Stadium, the Pan Alive Panorama at Lamport Stadium, and the Pan in de Park event at Malvern Recreation Centre/Malvern Park. As part of the festivities, visitors can also indulge in the TCC International Food Festival at Malvern Park.

A dressed-up reveler poses for photos during the official launch ceremony of the 2023 Toronto Caribbean Carnival in Toronto, Canada, on July 11, 2023. The annual event kicked off here on Tuesday to showcase Caribbean music, costumes and culture through plenty of events until Aug. 7. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

The Toronto Caribbean Carnival has become an integral part of the city’s identity, drawing attention not only for its cultural significance but also for its economic impact. While rising costs present challenges for the organizers, the City of Toronto has demonstrated its commitment to cultural festivals by providing significant funding. Additionally, the federal government has invested $1 million in support of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival. With this assistance, the festival will continue to dazzle audiences and maintain its high standards.

As one the largest street festival in North America, the Toronto Caribbean Carnival has become a renowned symbol of unity and celebration. Its inclusive nature invites individuals from all walks of life to participate, watch the events, and support the rich Caribbean culture on display.

Adding another dimension of excitement, the Toronto Caribbean Carnival will collaborate with the Toronto Blue Jays for pregame activities and interactive experiences during the game, blending sports and cultural celebrations in a unique fusion.

Metrolinx, the official transportation partner, will also be part of the festivities by unveiling a Toronto Caribbean Carnival-themed double-decker GO bus, adding a touch of carnival magic to the city’s public transportation.

Get ready to immerse yourself in the vibrant colors, infectious music, captivating dance, and rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean at the Toronto Caribbean Carnival. This month-long extravaganza promises to create unforgettable memories while honoring diversity and fostering cultural pride. Stay tuned for updates and surprises as the city counts down to the grand parade!

The month-long festival features a packed schedule of events is as follows:

July 16: Junior King and Queen Showcase at Scarborough Town Centre.
July 22: Junior Carnival Parade at Malvern Community Centre.
July 30: OCPA Calypso Showcase at Latvian Culture Centre.
Aug. 3: King and Queen Showcase at Lamport Stadium.
Aug. 4: Pan Alive Panorama at Lamport Stadium.
Aug. 6: Pan in de Park at Malvern Recreation Centre/Malvern Park.
Aug. 6: TCC International Food Festival at Malvern Park.

World A Reggae Music singer Anthony B has cautioned that Jamaica’s seeming penchant for elevating foreign music over that of its own Reggae artists can ultimately result in the decimation of the culture.

“There is a lot of goodwill out there for the music, but if we are not careful we will be faced with a dying culture,” Anthony B said in a Gleaner interview, in response to a question as to whether Reggae music gets the respect that it deserves.

“We play more Drake songs in Jamaica than we play our own music. Just ask JACAP (Jamaica Association of Composers Authors and Publishers) how much royalty money they have to send overseas annually,” the Trelawny native added.

According to Spotify Wrapped, Drake was the most-streamed artist in Jamaica for the years 2021 and 2022.

Data provided to DancehallMag from the Jamaica Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers Limited (JACAP) confirms the statements made by Anthony B.  In March last year, JACAP reported that overseas copyright holders were still collecting the majority of royalties paid over by Jamaican radio stations for playing music.

Their data also showed that as recent as 2020, of the $106,602,998 in royalties collected by JACAP, only 35 percent—a total of $37,385,556—was paid to local interests while $69,217,442 was paid to foreigners, while in 2013, as much as 85 percent of royalties collected by JACAP was paid over to overseas copyright holders.

Ethnomusicologist Dr. Dennis Howard had described the state of affairs as “absolutely a problem” as Jamaica, a country with eight music genres, was not playing enough Jamaican music, and happens to be “the net importers of copyrighted material”.

“There is a trade imbalance in other areas, and it is a similar situation which exists in music but we never look at music as a viable trade commodities, we don’t encourage it,” he had told DancehallMag in an interview last year.

In February this year, Minister of Entertainment Olivia “Babsy” Grange, in her address at the Negril Entertainment Association’s inaugural conference, had said the Government might have to consider the establishment of minimum quotas to get Jamaica’s radio stations to play majority local music, similar to its Canadian counterparts.

“We pay out more to foreigners than we pay to our local creatives.  And we really need to do something about it,” the Minister had said.

“I know the radio stations love to play foreign music, and I also know that we have to work on improving our productions and our output in order to balance.  And, of course, Government has a role to play.  In Canada, there is a minimum quota for playing local content.  And this is something that we also need to look at,” she added.

In December 2020, Dancehall megastar Shaggy had called for the Jamaican government to establish a quota system to ensure that at least 60 percent of the music played on Jamaican radio stations is from the island, as opposed to overseas.

The Oh Carolina singer had pointed out that in other jurisdictions, such as Canada and France, only a small amount of foreign music can be played on their local radio, as opposed to Jamaica, where there is a free-for-all.

He had also posited that having local music being played on the radio at least 60 percent of the time would help the island’s streaming numbers.

Grammy-nominated deejay Devin Di Dakta had also decried the fact that there was still too much foreign music being played on Jamaican radio stations, to the detriment of the island’s artists.

The St Mary native had also argued that young entertainers who are focusing on using Trap and Hip Hop beats, ought not to be blamed or condemned, as many of the island’s radio stations, over the years, had bombarded the airwaves with foreign music.

This, he said, has resulted in many being under the impression that genres like Hip Hop and Trap are superior to Dancehall, Reggae and Jamaica’s other music genres.

During the International Reggae Day conference in 2015, Veteran music producer Danny Browne who serves as chairman of the Jamaica Music Society (JAMMS), had lobbied the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) for the introduction of a content quota system, arguing that limiting the amount of foreign music being aired on local media was the key to strengthening the country’s creative industry.

The Filthy riddim producer had argued that in addition to boosting the local recording industry, the quota system would support the development of local culture and national identity. 

Browne had also contended that whilst he was not against foreign content, he did not believe it should be at the peril of the local music industry. 

Browne had also pointed out that Canada, Australia, France, and Nigeria as countries that had imposed local content quotas, even though none of them had given the world even at least three distinct genres of music, unlike Jamaica, with eight.

BCJ Executive Director Cordell Green however, had rejected the music stakeholders’ proposal, claiming that it was payola that was the root cause of the problems facing the music fraternity and was also the reason why there is very little variety in the music being played on radio.

Green had said he was unconvinced that by setting a local content quota Jamaica would be protecting its music, claiming that Jamaica’s music ought not to be mandated but instead played out of respect and love and “not because there are laws forcing us to.”

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Long before some new-gen acts were being accused of pandering to Americans by adjusting their sound and style, Mr. Lexx was facing that criticism. 

Keeping it Full Hundred, the entertainer, formerly known as Lexxus, said the backlash started following his big break in 1997. The song, Make Some Money, was one of several that bears his signature rap-deejay style, which he popularised in digital dancehall. 

“The jealous part of the industry used to cuss me seh mi gwaan like one foreign artist,” Mr Lexx said on Instagram Live on Thursday.

It wasn’t merely how he made his records, but his plans for revolutionizing how Jamaican artists represented themselves on stage. Being a fan of music, and further exposed to the stagecraft of mainstream artists while living in the States, Mr. Lexx was inspired to bring grandiose visuals and props to his sets.

Observing peers Busta Rhymes and Diddy, he felt, “A deh so my music fi deh dawg. So, when me buss and had the opportunity to do that, that’s what I was doing. Go a Sumfest, blow up the stage, bagga thing. When mi a come a Sting, crane, the whole star thing.”

But he said music gatekeepers were displeased with his vision. 

“Pretty much, I was way ahead of my time… I wanted to expand our music,” he said. “I had the music in my (best) interest. Mi did waan deejay, yes, but it wasn’t really about me… I wanted to stand up and say, ‘Yes, we did this’…but you have some people, when time dem in control and when a particular thing is going one way for some people and they’re in control and they’re benefiting from the way it is going, if you come along now and want to change that thing, they’re gonna make you the villain and the majority a go mek you look like you wrong, all when yuh right.”

Beyond his career, Mr. Lexx believes these big wigs – some artists – have contributed to the decrease of dancehall’s global competitiveness. 

“When we compare our music to the rest of the music, it doesn’t feel like it’s the biggest music on the planet because a lot of people who we have at the realm, at the top of the industry, don’t really have the dancehall industry in their best interest…” he argued.

“A lot of the artists that we push to the forefront of our industry, sadly, mi haffi say it…dem no have no vision fi dem music because one man vision fi dem music is 15 man behind him, three bottle of Hennessy pon the table, and fi him music a play di whole night. Next man, him nuh even have a vision, him just all over the place and just a do fi him owna thing and into him owna self… The moral of the story is, if you keep taking apples out of the basket, it ago done. Somebody haffi put apples back inna the basket.”

The deejay is currently in the US, hoping to score heavy collaborations. His latest releases include Hot Gyal, produced by Nanimus Music, and Brawlin, produced by AJP Music.  

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Former Scare Dem crew member Boom Dandimite, known for songs like Many Many and Pure Gal, will be buried this morning after a thanksgiving service at the Penwood Road Seventh Day Adventist church.

The artist’s body will be interred at Meadowrest Memorial Gardens. 

“The body will leave from Brite Lite (funeral home) to Penwood Road church for the funeral at 11. After that buses will be available at Seaview to take people to Meadowrest, his final resting place,” Christine Grant, a member of the family, told DancehallMag.

Tommy Thompson, funeral director of Brite Lite Funeral Services, said that the Bounty Killer, Richie Stephens and Harry Toddler are all expected to perform during the Thanksgiving service.

“The casket, the decorations, everything is going to be top notch,” Thompson said.

Boom Dandimite died due to complications arising from serious injuries he had sustained in a tragic car accident in late April. 

The accident occurred on Half Way Tree road near a popular bakery. Another rising deejay, Wilful Skilful, was also injured in the accident. Dandimite was hospitalised while Wilful Skilful was discharged and sent home. Days later, Boom Dandimite, whose real name is Donovan Stewart, later recovered and was discharged from the Kingston Public Hospital.He died on May 21 after he had travelled to the United States to access treatment for his injuries.   

Boom Dandimite, along with his friends Nitty Kutchie, Harry Toddler and Elephant Man formed the Scare Dem Crew back in the 1990s. The crew was closely aligned to Bounty Killer, who would take them on tours to ensure they gained exposure.They scored hits with songs such as Pure Gal and Many Many.

He was also slated to perform on Reggae Sumfest on July 21 as a part of the Boombox 90’s Badness along with the likes of General B, Harry Toddler, Jigsy King, Mega Banton, Nitty Kutchie, Silver Cat, and Tony Curtis.

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