Rodney performs for Western Consciousness

He was neither cross , angry nor miserable, instead it was a mature Rodney Price, his Bounty Killer persona left somewhere outside the venue, who entertained at Paradise Park, Westmoreland for the 2011 staging of Western Consciousness early Sunday morning.

It was a man transformed, except for his trademark full black outfit.

"A long time me a sing good songs but it's like them like when me get cross, angry and miserable," Price stated to the hundreds of screaming, whistle blowing fans. Churning out hits such as Down ina the ghetto, Poor People Fed Up, Mi Caan Believe Mi Eyes, Living Dangerously, Sufferer, Ready fi dem, and Stronger.

Breaking from his breathtaking performance Price encourged parents to send their children to not only regular school, but Sunday school as well, stating that children should be accessible to the Almighty, a well as have a solid education. After delivering a host of other conscious hits Price exited the stage near 5:00am after a performance that will be on the lips of many days or even weeks.

Even Beenie Man who climaxed the show had to congratulate Price for his strong performance making mention that both he (Beenie Man) and Bounty Killer had performed for free.

Another headliner of the night was Tanya Stephens. Stephens who says that she was celebrating the 'un-celibacy' of Rastas spitted out the lyrics to singles including as Take Him Back, You Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet, After You, and Ninja Bike. Declaring her love for men, the versatile lyricist also delivered Its a Pity and These Streets saying that there is no truth to the rumour that she dislikes men.

The 'Fire Burning' rasta as expected was in a no nonsense mood as he 'bun a fire' on homosexuals and rapists. Throughout his 15-minute stay on stage Lutan spit lyrics to singles including Justice, Healthy Lifestyle and Africa.

D'Angel, Turbulence, Freddie McGregor, and Hero was also well received by the Western Consciousness audience. Other performers included the Dubtonic Kru, Harry Toddler and Hezron to name a few.

The show in his 23rd staging promoted by Worrel King lived up to its name except for a few minor problems including a long delay in the wee hours of Sunday morning as a band change was to be. The Sane band also provided excellent backing services and the MCs for the night were DJ Linkage of Linkage Radio in New York and Denise 'Ises' Miller.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Rodney-performs-for-Western-Consciousness_8744044#ixzz1LJ3eqaYQ

Bounty plays a brilliant Rodney Price

Kingston, Jamaica: Ace deejay Bounty Killer decisively dismissed the notion that he can't help but being 'cross, angry and miserable' when he surprised fans with an incredible 'culture-lace' set at Western Consciousness 2011, which climaxed at Paradise Park, in Westmoreland, early Sunday morning.

With fans already in a tizzy following earlier high-calibre performances by the likes of the time-less Freddie McGregor, Luciano, reggae icon King Sounds, D'Angel, the classy Dubtonic, risqué female deejay Tanya Stephens and House of Leeds recording star Iyahblazze, the nattily attired Bounty Killer, clad in his trademark full black, hit the stage with authority, declaring himself, "Rodney Pryce (his correct name) in hi-definition."

Good songs

Bounty Killer soon had the fans rocking gleefully to his lyrics as, in between declaring that, 'a long time me a sing good songs but it's like them like when me get cross, angry and miserable,' he rolled steadfastly through songs like, Poor People Fed-up, Cyaa Believe Me Eye, Originality, Down In The Ghetto and Before Dem Seek God.

After declaring that, "they can take away my visa but they can't stop my voice from leave yah," Bounty Killer got even hotter, reeling off, Born As A Sufferer, The Country Mash-Up, Book,Cellular and Too Dangerous, before taking a break to encouraged parents to send their children to both regular school and Sunday school, arguing that the children should be exposed to God as well as a good education.

After a lyrics-filled half hour, Bounty Killer exited the stage. However, the appreciative fans demanded more and the clearly pleased deejay unleashed, Gimme Back Me Hennessey, and after briefly speaking about his recent run-ins with the law, fired off the song, Stronger, as his parting shot.

Beenie Man, who closed the show in the aftermath of Bounty Killer's stellar performance, was quite generous in congratulating his former arch-rival, getting the crowd to join him in applauding the performance. Following that, Beenie Man played a tidy set, reeling off several hits as he enjoyed himself with the fans, especially the ladies.

After watching fellow female deejay star D'Angel playing a restrained set during which she held her own with songs like, Hot Gal A Road, First Lady, and Time Of My Life, a less than subtle Tanya Stephens came close to the edge on a few occasions with her thought-provoking lyrics.

"I will be celebrating the un-celibacy of rasta tonight", the lyrically astute Tanya Stephens bypassed and in some instances switched words as she skilfully delivered songs like, Cyaa Handle De Ride, Goggle, Mr. Mention, Bomb Wuk, Tek Him Back, These Streets and It's A Pity, in a non-controversial manner.

London-based King Sounds was velvety smooth. Sharing his set with deejay Supa Sass he was absolutely masterful. Clad in full white and looking almost biblical with his flowing white beard, the veteran singer was as crisp as a compact disc, churning out hits such as, Book of Rules, Games People Play, Give Dem Love and I Shall Sing, which was complemented by the blazing lyrics of Supa Sass.

Reggae messengers

Reggae messengers Luciano and Big Ship captain Freddie McGregor were both masterful and composed in their respective sets. Luciano was quite clinical in his cover of Peter Tosh's, Legalize It, during which he puffed on a spliff, much to the delight of the fans while the elder statesman McGregor, kept them dancing with songs like, Africa, Push Come to Shove and Big Ship.

From a roots music perspective, House of Leeds recording star Iyahblazze and Lutan Fire, who is recovering from a recent bout of illness, were both very good. Lutan Fire was crisp on songs like, St Jago Dela Vega and Blood Stain while Iyahblazze got an encore after belting out, What If, Rasta and Woman I Need.

On a night when musical instruments were solidly represented, top-flight show band, the potent Dubtonic and Uprising Roots both played pleasing sets, combining sweet vocals with soul-stirring instrumental delivery. After their set, Dubtonic left no doubt why they were recently voted the top reggae band in the world.

With others acts like the solid Droop Lion, the velvet-smooth Hezron, the lyrically potent Little Hero, a mature-sounding Harry Toddler, the resurgent Turbulence, the Canada-based Jah Cutter and the deejay policeman Stamma T also chiming in with good performances, it would appear that promoter Worrell King got the mix just right.

source: http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20110502/ent/ent1.html

Guinness delivers 90 minutes of Greatness on DVD

April 7, 2011

Kingston, Jamaica: The history-making Arthur Guinness Celebration which drew over 17,000 patrons to the National Stadium last October and which provided memorable performances by Wyclef Jean, Lady Saw, Wayne Wonder, Mavado and Freddy McGregor together, will be available on DVD this week.

The concert was part of a global celebration for Guinness founder Sir Arthur Guinness and was recognized with several awards and accolades including Event of the Year by the Jamaica Observer and Show of the Year by Excellence in Music Awards (EME’s).  Additionally, the epic, joint appearance by dancehall masters Beenie Man and Bounty Killer at the concert copped the EME Award for Most Memorable Performance for 2010.

International superstar Shaggy was impressed with the Celebration and lauded the concert citing it as, “one of, if not the best production ever done in Jamaica”.  Guinness, and Executive Producers TEAM Solutions, partnered with Phase Three Productions and Main Event Entertainment Group to plan and execute the tribute to Sir Arthur.

The concert was shot entirely in High Definition (HD) from a variety of cameras including a rarely used overhead camera mounted to a mini helicopter flying over the National Stadium.  The cameras had total access to the concert venue and captured all the action on the stage, in the audience and behind the scenes.

This special DVD has now immortalized the significance of the Celebration locally, regionally and internationally.  The professionally developed DVD boasts several bonus features to compliment the 90-minute show highlight package.   The bonus features include the Arthur Guinness Toast hosted by deejay/comedian Iceman, testimonials on greatness by well-known Jamaicans, Guinness international commercials and more.

Guinness Brand Manager Gary Dixon said the DVD will be a reward for Guinness consumers when they buy a Guinness six-pack at selected supermarkets and retail stores island-wide.  “We’ll also be giving away copies of the DVD on our Guinness Caribbean Facebook page and at our weekly Guinness-sponsored events such as Happy Thursdays,” said Dixon.  Facebook fans will have an opportunity to win copies of the DVD and premium Guinness Swag by participating in quizzes and other interactive promotions.

Own a piece of Guinness history - Arthur Guinness concert now on DVD

April 8, 2011

The unforgettable experience at the Arthur Guinness Celebration has been captured on DVD for consumers, and Guinness will be giving away free copies.

The 90-minute DVD of the one-night mega concert held last October at the National Stadium in St Andrew excellently captures all the elements that came together to make the event great and will remind patrons what to expect at the second staging later this year.

Event of the year

The Arthur Guinness Celebration has been recognised as the event of the year and for having the best performance of the year, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer's combined performance.

The concert was part of a global campaign marking Arthur's Day. Jamaica's concert was considered one of the best executed and drew the largest audience.

The DVD features performances by Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Mavado, Lady Saw, the Big Ship Family and Shaggy, who called the Arthur Guinness Celebration one of the best local productions ever.

Patrons will be able to get their hands on one of the DVDs by purchase a six-pack of Guinness in any participating supermarket or retail store, while stock lasts, or log on to www.facebook.com/GuinnessCaribbean for a chance to win.

Patrons attending Guinnesss-sponsored Happy Thursdays also have a chance of nabbing the hot commodity.

The exclusive Arthur Guinness Concert production was shot by Phase Three Production and features concert performances, behind-the-scenes highlights, interviews as well as production and fan reaction the overwhelmingly successful concert.

The entire production was shot in HD using 10 cameras including aerial panoramic shots, crowd-pleasing performances and audience-interaction shots. The 90-minute special was edited by Michael Cushnie and is expected to hit stores next week.

Source: http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20110408/ent/ent3.html