Black Immigrant Daily News

Renowned Japanese sound system Mighty Crown is on the last lap of its career after three decades. The decision might shock some, but with the changing climate in Dancehall, the selectors think it is time to step aside.

“The challenge with continuing is being forced to play songs that don’t speak of your experiences and Dancehall lifestyle. For example, Mighty Crown’s generation smoked weed. So, the sound enjoyed playing ganja songs because they felt the lyrical content.  It was a major part of the dancehall lifestyle. We are weed smokers.  We don’t do drugs, so how do we endorse songs about  doing drugs?” Garfield “Chin” Bourne of Irish and Chin, manager of Mighty Crown for over 20 years, said in an interview with DancehallMag.

Bourne added that the group of selectors, made up of Masta Simon, Sami T, Cojie, and Ninja, created their own legacy, and have no qualms with giving the fresh faces a chance.

“If you want to perform at your best, then your performance must be real. It’s critical because the realness shows in your presentation. Mighty Crown doesn’t live today’s Dancehall life,” he said. “The sound is one of a few masters of yesterday’s Dancehall life, so it’s time to let the younger generation carry the torch without interpretation from us (our generation).  Mighty Crown had the time and made the best of it! Mighty Crown made history….. but, the industry’s history doesn’t stop with this generation. Others will come and do great things because the music is speaking for their generation of greatness.”

Bourne continued: “I don’t want Mighty Crown to remembered as the sound team that should have quit while they were ahead. We want to be remembered as a multi-award winning sound team that sucessfully showed the world that when Jamaican sound system culture is marketed  the right way, sky is the limit.”

Mighty Crown recently kicked off the Final Round Tour in Japan and is looking to visit Canada, United Kingdom, United States and the Caribbean before bidding farewell.

Their last performance will be in mid-July on the Far East Reggae Cruise.

The sound system now represents the smaller component of their brand. Retiring the sound allows 100 percent focus on other business sectors, such as their record label, clothing line, event production and endorsements. 

Although the sound may be playing their “Final Round,” Mighty Crown will continue to make their mark as Asia’s most prominent Reggae Ambassadors.

The renowned sound system has made history as the first ever to have a sneaker/shoe collaboration. The Far East Rulaz zesty shoe game is impressive, raking in collabs with Nike, Mita Sneakers, Le Coq Sportif, Clae and Diadora. Mighty Crown closed 2022 on an all time high note, partnering with Clarks Originals for a second time. From this union, Mighty Crown puts their unique stamp on the classic Wallabees made popular by Jamaican music and culture, Reggae in particular.

According to Mighty Crown’s manager, all members are content with the level of success they have achieved over the last three decades.

“We all set different goals for ourselves,” he said.

“I wanted to create a legacy in sound system culture not only as a promoter, but as someone who helped the global development of the craft of sound system competitions aka sound clash.  At the same time, with Mighty Crown, I set out to prove to the world that talent is talent and the music should not be judged by colour, but by ability. Either you can do the job or not…. that is all that matters.”

“Ninja Crown proved to the world that he could overcome all doubts and enhance Mighty Crown’s career exponentially. Undoubtedly,  Ninja is credited as the Jamaican selector to transforn Mighty Crown from being a clash sound to being a household name. Sami and Simon fell in love with Jamaican music at a young age.  For them, becoming global reggae ambassadors and the biggest reggae act in their country is a dream come true,” Bourne outlined.

In an iconic career moment, “The Far East Rulaz” were hand-picked by Japan’s late Prime Minister Shinzō Abe to attend and perform at an exclusive, invite-only dinner welcoming Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness to Japan in 2019. 

Abe had introduced Mighty Crown to Holness as “The 1999 World Clash Champions” and both men had engaged in conversation with the Mighty Crown selectors, about the impact of Jamaican music on their personal and professional lives.

During the event, Mighty Crown had played selections from several Jamaican artists, including Bob Marley, Beres Hammond, and Richie Stephens. And they musically introduced Prime Minister Abe to the ‘Crown Prince of Reggae,’ Dennis Brown.

As Bourne continued to reflect on the last few decades, he recalled how the group had made an unmatched mark for themselves thanks to hard work and creativity.

“They are the sound system that opened the door for non-West Indian sounds to be recognized and accepted in the global sound clash arena.  Their ‘99 World Clash victory sparked a movement of sounds from all over the world seeking to become famous,” he said.

“Mighty Crown raised the bar as it related to cutting dubplate specials.  Fans started to come to events just to witness what new customized dubs they would play and its impact on the crowd.  Mighty Crown’s creativity was next level.  This  forced sounds to also become more creative. Additionally, Mighty Crown is the only sound system that truly started from the bottom and made it to the highest level. They did it in an authentic way, competing and defeating the best the industry had to offer.”

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Carlton Livingston, the patriarch of the Livingston family and brother of the late reggae superstar Bunny Wailer, is dead at age 77.

Donna Carradice, Bunny Wailer’s younger sister, made the announcement on Facebook with a heartfelt post.

“Carlton Livingston, the first son of Thaddeus Livingston and elder brother of Neville Livingston transitioned today. It’s a solemn & memorable time for family and friends who loved and depended on his caring and skillful service to and for all and sundry. The man in and of the Street headquartered for years at the Red Hills Road Plaza running tings!” She wrote.

With Jah B’s death, Mr. Carl Livingston was the senior Livingston who he trusted to ensure his wishes were executed. Seven years ago, Bunny Wailer determined how he wanted to manage his affairs while alive and after he passed, and Carl Livingston was named as the executor of his estate.

“He ran tings for Bunny all their lives together, defending him as a youth and managing him as a Solomonic Wailer! Call Carl was Bunny’s calling card for family, friends and business,” Carradice said.

Born March 25, 1945, Carl Livingston died two days short of his 78th birthday on March 23, 2023.

His relationship with his stepbrother Bob Marley, mirrored Bunny’s and went deeper as they were closer in age, Carradice added.

“Bob’s job At Chrysler was gotten by Carl, who worked there in Delaware. Much history about The Wailers, he was knowledgeable of that enriches the musical brotherhood of Bob and Bunny under the fatherhood of Thaddeus.”

Livingston is survived by his wife, Mary, and sons, Derrick and Dennis.

“We salute Carlton Livingston for his life of human service as the testimonies of life long friends and companions begin to pour in and overflow as a great big cushion for his loved ones in this time of physical separation and grief,” Carradice ended.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Stephen Drummond, the Jamaican-born attorney who represented veteran Dancehall artist Flourgon in his US$300 million copyright infringement case against Miley Cyrus, says Steely & Clevie Productions must put up a “tough fight” in its lawsuit against a slew of Reggaeton artists for infringing on the label’s Fish Market riddim.

The Hanover native, who was speaking on Radio Jamaica’s Beyond The Headlines with Dionne Jackson Miller, said the Jamaican label’s case, while very “challenging,” is “not insurmountable.”

“I took the opportunity to pull the complaints… and I would say these cases are challenging, but it doesn’t mean one should be discouraged by the fact that they are challenging.  And my overall opinion of just this area of law – and not just specific to this case – is you have to put up a tough fight.  Even though the odds may seem against you from time to time, don’t be discouraged by it.  Put up a tough fight and then be prepared to take it all the way,” Drummond advised.

“It is a challenging case; that is my assessment of it.  It is challenging but not necessarily insurmountable,” he added.

Steely & Clevie had initially filed three separate lawsuits against Panamanian artist and producer El Chombo, Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, and dozens of other Reggaeton artists, producers, and record companies.

On July 15, 2022, the three lawsuits were consolidated into a single action.

It is alleged that 56 Reggaeton songs — including Despacito, Rompe,Dura, Gasolina, and Shaky Shaky — ripped off elements from the Fish Market Riddim.

In pointing out some of the possible defenses to the lawsuit, Drummond said that the statute of limitations could be the Achilles heel of the case, which the label would have to overcome.  

“Fish Market is said to have been created in 1989.  That’s quite a long time ago. It is alleged that someone took it.  The first question you have to ask, is ‘when did the person take it and when did you come to find out that someone took it?  And why didn’t you act before?  So you have a statute of limitations, in just about any area of law.  Copyright law is no different in that regard,” he argued.

“But that’s a long time ago for someone not to have taken action and that part of it presents some challenges.  There could be a myriad of reasons as to why you didn’t, but I am fairly certain that that argument will be advanced.  That even if it’s alleged that someone took it, why did you sleep on your rights so long?  And that question is always asked in law. That why you have to act and act early and the first thing I would recommend is get your work copyrighted.  Because once you do it, chances are someone won’t just go out and just take it like that,” he emphasized.

Added Drummond: “The other point I want to make is when was it copyrighted?  When did they first get their work copyrighted.  Because even if they were to prevail, that component of it can affect the damages, the value of how much money you are entitled to.”

Steely & Clevie first registered its US copyright for the Fish Market riddim in June 2020 as a “sound recording and music,” according to public records obtained by DancehallMag.

Drummond said another issue likely to be raised is whether or not the production duo had permitted anyone else to use the riddim, before the Reggaeton artists’ expropriation. 

“So just from reading the article and what’s alleged in the complaint., at some point the Fish Market riddim was given to Dem Bow.  And that was given, it said, ‘to Shabba Ranks with permission’.  Well, the question becomes ‘did another party that you gave permission to then give it to another party’?  And if that party that you gave permission to, gave it to another party, can you allege that it was taken from your original song or your original rhythm?  All of those things, they are not unique just to this case but it’s just part of things to be considered,” he said.

Shabba Ranks‘ Dem Bow, produced by the late Bobby ‘Digital’ Dixon, had used the Fish Market beat from Jamaican vocalist Gregory Peck’s Poco Man Jam, one of the 1989 tracks on Steely & Clevie’s original riddim.

In their complaint, Steely & Clevie noted that “in 1990, subsequent to the release and success of Shabba Ranks’ Dem Bow, Denis Halliburton aka “Dennis the Menace” had replayed Dem Bow’s instrumental to record a Spanish language cover version of Dem Bow entitled Ellos Benia.

They claimed that another song titled Pounder by the duo Patrick Bernard aka “Bobo General” and Wayne Archer aka “Sleepy Wonder,” had a “B Side,” which featured an instrumental mix of Halliburton’s sound recording, and that “this instrumental has been sampled widely in Reggaeton and is commonly known and referred to as the Pounder riddim,” which “is substantially similar if not virtually identical to Fish Market.”

Drummond continued: “So when I say challenging, those are the hurdles.  One of the good parts of the case is the argument of access… you have to establish that the other party had access to it.  The riddim is so worldwide known and it is so well-distributed that they won’t have a challenge demonstrating that people knew of it or that the people who have alleged to have infringed on their work, knew of it.”

Drummond, who is based in New York, was at the helm of the team that dragged pop singer Miley Cyrus to court in 2018 for plagiarizing the line “we run things, things no run we” from the deejay’s 1998 track We Run Things and embedded it in her 2013 single We Can’t Stop’ altering the lyrics to “We run things, things don’t run we.” 

That case was settled in January 2020 to the “mutual satisfaction of all parties.”

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Ziggy Marley and his sister Cedella have joined the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement’s (JABEM) bid to get the Government of Jamaica to make unconditional access to, and use of all Jamaica’s beaches, including the Bob Marley Beach in St Andrew, a Constitutional Right.

On Friday, Ziggy, who is the eldest son of Bob Marley, shared a poster for the petition titled Protect Beach Access for all Jamaicans & keep Bob Marley Beach Public, which calls for “the protection of public access to Jamaican beaches, including the declaration of general and unfettered rights to the entire beach and river ecosystems, to be constitutionally enshrined as pillars of the country’s ecological heritage”.

The petition notes that the JABEM is “alarmed by recent events at the Bob Marley Beach in Bull Bay, St. Thomas, a favourite spiritual retreat of the late Bob Marley, where the Jamaican public came under imminent threat of losing access to yet another community beach, along with the destruction of fisherfolk livelihood and land dispossession of prominent Rastafari family members”.

In making his support for the movement clear, in his discussion on Instagram, the Rebellion Rises singer said that he was particularly aggrieved as “they are also trying to intimidate, cheat and force locals who have been there since I was a baby from these areas.” 

“When I was younger, we freely had access to most of our local off the beaten path beaches and rivers including Bull bay and Cane river.  Now, there is a pressure campaign to privatize more of these local beaches and rivers and deprive Jamaicans and in particular Jamaicans who cannot afford to pay for a day of well needed stress relief and rejuvenation of these natural resources,” Ziggy declared in his caption.

“Jamaica is one of the only Islands in the Caribbean that does not guarantee its people GENERAL rights of access to its beaches. There is no GENERAL RIGHT to bathe, fish, or walk along the beach. We always enjoy and encourage visitors to our Island and ask them to join us in making sure that Jamaican people today can freely enjoy Jamaican waters like many of us did before,” he added.

Over on Cedella’s Instagram page, she shared the post and expressed similar sentiments.

“Jamaican people should be able to freely enjoy Jamaican waters like many of us did before,” she noted.

The petition, which is listed on change.org, notes, additionally, that the threat of beach access loss remains at a high level, and is systemic across the island including areas such as Bluefields and Little Bay in Westmoreland; Cousins Cove in Hanover; Cornwall beach St. James, Alligator Pond in St Elizabeth and Mammee Bay, Peach Beach and Little Dunn’s River beaches in St. Ann.

The document also lists north-eastern beaches such as Reggae Beach and Lagoon at Goldeneye in St. Mary and San San and Dragon Bay in Portland as other affected beaches.

“It is at a crisis level, and if not addressed soon, Jamaica’s beaches will eventually be fenced off from its citizens,” the petition stated.

 The JABEM’s petition, which is targeted to “Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the Jamaican Government”, Governor General Patrick Allen, and King Charles III, also notes that the people of Jamaica and its Diaspora “along with friends of Jamaica worldwide” are calling for the repeal and replacement of the Beach Control Act of 1956.

The group describes the Beach Control Act of 1956, as a “colonial-era law that is discriminating against the Jamaican people in restricting their unfettered access to the beaches and use of the sea and rivers, while promoting the ecological degradation of the Jamaican coastline.” 

“We recognise that in Jamaica, the public does not have general rights to access the beach and use the sea and rivers…The Act, that remained in place until Jamaica got independence in 1962 did not give the island nation’s 2.7 million people the legal right to beach access. 

“Jamaica needs a modern law that grants general and unfettered access rights to all beaches, rivers and sea around Jamaica, whilst guarding against ecological degradation…  This law is arguably racist and should have no place in the body of laws of Jamaica and must be repealed and replaced immediately,” the petition adds.

The JABEM also pointed to, as evidence of discrimination, the fact that even the Government of Jamaica’s Beach Access and Management Policy For Jamaica states that “in Jamaican common law, the public has no general rights of access to the foreshore except to pass over it for the purpose of navigation or fishing and “there is therefore no general right of bathing, or to walk along the foreshore, except where acquired by custom or prescription, nor is there any general right to fish except as provided in Section 3(3) of the Beach Control Act, 1956.”

The petition also warned that the rush by the ultra-rich to grab beachfront properties at the expense and exclusion of Jamaicans should not be tolerated.

“We recognise that as a result, controlling beaches has become the new gold rush in Jamaica; impacting the livelihood of fisherfolks and the environment.  Mass commercialization from beachfront tourism enterprises is also fueling the displacement of vulnerable Jamaicans from lands adjoining the sea. If this exclusion of the Jamaican people from the ecological heritage of the island is not stopped, it could possibly lead to social unrest and upheaval,” it said.

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