Quickies: Red Hills celebrates 'Jamaican Woman on a Mission'

On Monday, August 6th, Red Hills, St Andrew, will celebrate Jamaica's 50th year of Independence under the theme 'Jamaican Woman on a Mission'.

Patrons are expected to flock Hamilton Plaza in Red Hills Square, elegantly decorated in Jamaica's national colours, to watch 18 young ladies between the ages of 16 and 25 years old compete for the coveted title of Miss Red Hills 2012.

Miss Red Hills 2012 - Jamaica 50 Edition will showcase the contestants' talent, as well as their beauty and national awareness. The young lady chosen to wear the crown will be the embodiment of the 'Jamaican Woman on a Mission' and the community's ambassador. She will undertake various community development projects, in collaboration with other individuals and organisations.

The competition has attracted a high calibre of contestants from prominent high schools who have held leadership positions, participated in extra-curricular activities, enrolled in tertiary institutions or are employed to reputable corporate companies. They hail from different communities within Red Hills including Pleasant Valley, East Kirkland Heights and Sterling Castle Heights.

During their preparations the contestants were visited by Rasheen Roper, the reigning Miss Kingston & St Andrew, and Regina Beavers, Miss Jamaica World 2001. In addition to demonstrating how to walk with grace and poise, Rasheen encouraged the young ladies to stay focused and emphasised the importance of self-respect and self. Regina also encouraged the young women to enjoy the experience and urged them never to forget that true beauty comes from within.

Miss Red Hills 2012 - Jamaica 50 Edition is fully endorsed by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commision, which has provided sponsorship for the event. The pageant has also been given a stamp of approval from the Jamaica 50 Secretariat and is an official Jamaica 50 event.

Part proceeds from the staging of the competition will be donated to Red Hills Basic School.

Maccabee does reggae in Tortola

Tortola-based reggae singer Maccabee has high hopes for the lead single Turn Your Lights Down Low from his album Peace Joy and Harmony, which was recently released.

"Turn Your Lights Down Low is the song that will propel Maccabee's career to higher heights as it is a song that the ladies won't be able to get enough of and, as such, we will be doing extensive promotion around this record, including shooting a breathtaking video for the song in August using some of the most scenic locations in Jamaica," stated Maccabee's publicist Karl Durrant.

Maccabee is also a firm believer in regional integration. According to the artiste, Caribbean music will increase in its international presence when the entire Caribbean is united.

"I hope that my music can impact my Caribbean brothers and sisters as well as the rest of world and, as such, when I write I try my best to create material that anyone can relate to," Maccabee said.

Maccabee is scheduled to arrive in Jamaica in the middle of August to launch a comprehensive promotional campaign in support of his album. Peace Joy and Harmony will be launched on October 20, 2012, in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The album is already available for purchase and fans can show their support on www.maccabeelive.com.

Asid Reignz releases debut rhythm

Asid Reignz Music group has released their debut rhythm, the Speak Out. The Asid Reignz team is comprised of recording artiste Mr. Easy and business partner Michael 'Brooklyn' Palmer, who grew up together in the United States.

Palmer is humbled at the release of the project. "This is our first release from the record label. I am very anxious and humbled. I have been in the business over 10 years, but this is the first time taking it from a corporate perspective," he said.

The rhythm was composed by Zimbabwe-based producer Major Riddimz and executively produced by Mr. Easy, who co-ordinated the recording process through his industry connections.

According to Palmer, the final product is real dancehall music. "The rhythm reminds us of old school dancehall from Dave Kelly days and that is what we want to launch the company as. We are also promoting our new artiste, Tekstyle. We want to expose youth to the international market. There are a lot of artistes out but a lot of them are not getting pushed, so we are using our international connections to achieve that," he continued.

"Support us because what we are looking to do is to generate revenue and generate resources to put back in the communities. We are taking a page out of Shaggy's book. Our goal is give back via the music and create better schools and better education and my goal is basically to let my work speak for itself," Palmer said.

The Speak Out rhythm is currently receiving rotation on local radio stations. The compilation features Beenie Man, Mr. Easy, Konshens, Spragga Benz, Esco, Fresha Dan and Gappy Ranks, among others.

Jah Mason scores in Europe

Reggae artiste Andre 'Jah Mason' Johnson is celebrating the success of his recent single, Evilous System. The single is creating a stir in Europe and is expected to be another big Jah Mason record, following the success of My Princess Gone.

After joining the Bobo Ashanti arm of the Rastafarian movement in 1995, Andre Mason embarked on his music career under the wings of the David House group and began performing as Jah Mason. Hits such as My Princess Gone and Lion Look followed and since then he has toured extensively throughout Europe, the USA and the Caribbean.

"The song is creating waves over here in Europe, in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Amsterdam... everywhere I go and perform the song I get crazy forwards, especially because of what the people are facing here in Europe in terms of financial hardships and the injustices that they face in their own societies," Jah Mason said in a release.

Evilous System is produced by Andrew 'Khool' Johnson on his Andrew Khool label. "This is not my first project, but this is the first one which has taken off with such a bang. This song has an energy that is working because of the message and what is going on in the society at this time. The streets ah respond to it, the song is on most mixtapes and the radio stations are playing it," Johnson said.

A music video for the song has been shot and is expected to be aired on local TV stations in coming weeks. Jah Mason is currently in Europe, where is expected to complete an eight-week tour.

Lecture on Reggae in the Pacific at UWI

Brent Clough, producer and presenter at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio National, will give a lecture on 'Reggae in the Pacific: Roots Beyond the Reef' to mark the 50th anniversary of Jamaica's Independence. The lecture will take place on Thursday, August 9 at 6 p.m. at the University of the West Indies, Mona, at the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre (N1) in the Faculty of Humanities and Education.

Clough's lecture is hosted by the Department of Literatures in English, which offers a very popular course on Reggae Poetry. The lecture is based on a digital exhibition on 'Pacific Reggae' which he co-organised with Maud Page, curator of Contemporary Pacific Art at the Queensland Art Gallery. The exhibition responds to the vital connections that musicians from Port Vila to Auckland and Honolulu to Honiara make with reggae culture.

Much of Pacific reggae maintains key structural similarities to Jamaican roots music, including 'one drop' drumbeats, steady bass lines and chopping guitar, while the introduction of log drums, bone flutes, ukulele and electronic beats contribute to reggae's unique sound across the Pacific. The parallel developments of home-recording studios and a proliferating music video industry in the region have enabled a reggae scene to flourish and assert its own distinctive style.

The 'Pacific Reggae' digital exhibition is currently on view at 'Festival Jamaica' in the UK to celebrate Jamaica 50. It is anticipated that the exhibition will come to Jamaica before the end of the year, once sponsorship is secured. Admission to the lecture is free and the public is invited to attend.

Beyonce to produce, star own documentary

Beyonce Knowles is to star in a documentary about her life and career. The Crazy In Love singer is to direct, produce and appear in the film which will include concert footage, backstage scenes and interviews with her and her loved ones about her life.

The documentary will focus on the release of her 2011 album 4, as well as her marriage to Jay-Z and the birth of the couple's daughter Blue Ivy in January 2012. The former Destiny's Child star has been presenting different Hollywood studios with 20 minutes of footage in a bid to find the right distributor.

Beyonce, has had experience of directing in the past thanks to her MTV mini-documentary Beyonce: Year of 4, which showed her in the studio working on new tracks.

The 30-year-old R&B superstar is now set to follow in the footsteps of Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus with the fly-on-the-wall concert movie. The star teased fans on her official website in July with the cryptic message 'Leave Your Footprint On 19 August 2012', which could be linked to the documentary.

Beyonce, has had numerous movie roles, including major parts in Austin Powers in Goldmember, Dreamgirls and Cadillac Records, among others. Her next potential big screen project is a remake of A Star Is Born.

Ray J visits hotel where Whitney died

Whitney Houston's ex-boyfriend has returned to the hotel where she died. Singer Ray J paid a visit to the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California, where Whiney passed away in February and revealed it was "very weird" walking the halls again.

Sources close to Ray J told website TMZ.com that he was overcome with emotion when he arrived at the hotel. He told friends "it hurt inside" to have to relive his most painful memory.

Ray J was one of the first people to arrive at the accommodation on the day Whitney was found lifeless in a bathtub, after taking a cocktail of drugs. However, he had avoided returning to the hotel for months because it was "too hard" for him to revisit to the scene.

On Wednesday Ray J overcame his fears to do a scheduled media event at the hotel for his new TV project The Rickey Smiley Show. Ray J is apparently telling friends that Whitney wanted him to do well and would be proud of him for the move.