When I started writing this blog, I thought I had a good idea about the topic. I knew I wanted to write about the myriad issues that affected us as men; and for a long time, I had several ideas swirling around in my head and had casual conversations with some of my male coworkers, who'd shared their perspectives as well. With the many voices soundi...

 Ahhh! I feel like screaming right now. I am here, sitting at a desk at Kool97FM, on the second day of my summer internship. I'm excited to spend the summer learning all that I can about media and radio broadcasting. Yes—I am living, breathing, and walking in my dreams. But then, here comes that long-time friend. You might know her too—her nam...

 The role played by singers and musicians of Jamaica's first popular music, mento, in the attractiveness of the island as a tourism destination—particularly in the 1950s and 1960s—remains under-acknowledged. They were vital to the tourist-driven entertainment programs of hotels and nightclubs across the island. Mento, however, was marketed as ...

One of the extraordinary pillars of Jamaica's music history lies within the best trombonist in his time; He's a marvel to behold to this day, despite being a "troubled trombonist." The late Don Drummond's life and music continue to be quite the phenomenon. He was largely critical in the emergence and development of Jamaica's popular music. You'll r...

"Black hair can't grow", "Pepper grain cya amount to much", "a ol' nayga hair she have" – All these simple things we may say or grew up hearing is where we should start unpacking. Get rid of it – Put some respect on your crown! You see that hair, your crown that you wear each day? That is exactly what it is, your crown – and it's beautiful and mean...

Close to the end of an on-air shift at Kool97FM, the vibe just right and the dancing by now reaching its peak, I hear the early beginnings of a song I love, one that marked part of my youth and naturally I got excited. Like a DJ might tease an audience and that audience might wait semi-patiently, I filled up on the introductory beat, certain I knew...

 American girl groups with catchy monikers like the Ronettes, the Marvelettes, and the Bobbettes, influenced the naming of at least two popular local singing groups. One of the two, the Gaylettes, have already been featured in Notes in Jamaican Music, so the spotlight now falls on the other, the Soulettes. Formed in the mid-sixties, the origin...

 As we approach the day (probably arbitrarily) designated as Fathers Day, I find myself increasingly committed to the idea and task of reframing the narrative of fatherhood, especially as it relates to men of colour. I am convinced that the old, hackneyed stereotypes of 'wutless', deadbeat, absent fathers have outlived their usefulness. Haven'...

I read a quote somewhere that said "Self-care is how you take your power back." – It really stuck with me as someone who doesn't really make it a habit to take time to rest or just.... relax. A therapist told me it's because I have an 'avoidant' process of handling my struggles or day-to-day problems so I am always doing something – cleaning an alr...

  American music trends such as jazz and rhythm & blues, infiltrated and eroded Jamaica's colonial tradition of classical music, which had gathered steam in the 1940s. By the early 1960s, America's newest genre, soul, was also influencing Jamaica's musical landscape. While male solo singers and groups ruled the new art-form, girl groups we...