分类： entertainment

It has been 20 years since Jamaican dancehall artist E-Dee first landed a spot on the Billboard music charts alongside collaborator Ms Triniti. Now, the Los Angeles-based performer is circling back to his signature hardcore dancehall sound with two brand new singles: *Come Link Me* and *Heartbreak*, both produced independently under his own label, Clarendon Records.

E-Dee is no stranger to chart success, and he is openly targeting a repeat of the milestone he achieved in 2004 with his collaborative cut *Bounce Along* alongside Ms Triniti. That track eventually climbed to number 16 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales Chart, marking his first major breakthrough in the mainstream music industry. In an interview with Observer Online, E-Dee reflected on the impact of that early hit, noting: “Yes, definitely, that was my first major breakthrough. That song became a big hit in Jamaica and solidified my place in the hardcore dancehall space.”

The two new tracks extend a consistent slate of output from Clarendon Records, which E-Dee founded just last year. The label was named as a tribute to the artist’s home parish in Jamaica, and follows up three previous releases: *She’s Loyal* and *Pretty Girl*, which dropped earlier this year, and *We A Rebuild*, which launched last December.

As a longstanding core figure in Los Angeles’ expanding dancehall community, E-Dee has built a multi-faceted career beyond just recording music. He has released multiple full-length albums and dozens of singles over his career, and has already racked up several acting credits, including a starring role in the autobiographical feature film *Out The Gate*.

Now, E-Dee is set to take on his biggest acting role yet: he will lead the cast of the upcoming drama *SoundBwoy*, which is currently in post-production. The film is directed by American DJ JFX, a prominent influencer in Los Angeles’ hip-hop and dancehall scenes, and centers on the iconic sound clash phenomenon that lies at the heart of Jamaican sound system culture. E-Dee will share the screen with fellow well-known dancehall artist Mr Vegas, who is also attached to the project.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — For roots reggae artist Jahriffe, music is far more than a form of entertainment: it is a vessel for spiritual awakening, cultural connection, and genuine encouragement for people navigating life’s hurdles. The U.S.-based singer has channeled this philosophy into his powerful new single, “Shine Bright,” an uplifting roots reggae track centered on themes of resilience, unshakable self-belief, and intentional purpose.

The track grew from a deeply personal place. Jahriffe crafted the anthem after turning to music for his own motivation during challenging periods, with the explicit goal of extending that same push of encouragement to audiences worldwide. “Shine Bright was inspired by my need for motivation, with the intention of motivating others through music,” Jahriffe shared in an interview. “My desire is for listeners to develop an unstoppable mindset.”

Built on warm, organic live instrumentation and thoughtful, conscious lyricism, the track weaves together real-life personal experience and a celebration of the inner strength required to chase dreams with clarity and confidence. What began as a simple guitar concept written by Jahriffe evolved into the finished anthem under the production guidance of David Goldfin, who is also known professionally as Jah D. Staying true to the track’s intimate origins, Jahriffe recorded his vocals in his own home studio, infusing the final cut with an unfiltered, authentic energy that resonates with listeners.

Jahriffe’s artistic perspective is shaped by the reggae icons who paved the way for conscious roots music. He counts legends including Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Dennis Brown, and Burning Spear as core influences on both his sound and his musical philosophy, and cites the late Vaughn Benjamin as a particularly profound spiritual influence. Performing alongside his long-time band, the JAH-N-I Roots Movement, Jahriffe insists that live instrumentation is non-negotiable for preserving reggae’s core authenticity. “This is the true foundation of all riddims, and if we do not continue this tradition of live instrumentation, it would be like cutting out the veins that carry blood through the body,” he explained.

For the singer, reggae is first and foremost a spiritual and cultural force, designed to lift up audiences and awaken them to their own potential. “The purpose of writing, producing, and performing reggae music, particularly roots reggae music, is to transmit positive awareness of one’s greatness through the music,” he said. “We use reggae to sustain our natural connection to the divine essence of life.”

Since its official release, “Shine Bright” has already struck a chord with listeners around the world, with many adopting the track as a go-to daily source of motivation and hope. Looking ahead, Jahriffe and his team are deep in work on a new full-length album, which will expand on the musical and spiritual journey he launched on his 2021 project *Reflection*. While the album’s title has not yet been finalized, Jahriffe has confirmed that the record will deliver more of the authentic, positivity-centered, spiritually rooted conscious reggae his audience has come to expect.

For the artist, the work goes beyond creating charting tracks: he aims to build a lasting legacy defined by meaningful music and aligned with consistent positive action. “My goal is to create a legacy of good music matched with positive actions in daily life, so that what I write and sing about can be manifested and remembered by others,” he said.

LOS ANGELES – More than a year after the unexpected death of beloved *Friends* star Matthew Perry, another perpetrator has been held legally accountable for his fatal overdose. On Wednesday, 61-year-old Kenneth Iwamasa, the personal assistant who repeatedly administered ketamine injections to Perry in the days leading up to his death, received a federal prison sentence of three years and five months. He is the fifth person sentenced to date in connection with the actor’s passing, after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death.

Court documents lay out a grim timeline of reckless drug use in Perry’s final days. Prosecutors confirm that between late October 2023 and the day of his death, Iwamasa – who resided at Perry’s upscale Los Angeles residence – gave the actor more than 25 ketamine injections, including at least three separate doses on the day he died. On his last day alive, Perry himself asked Iwamasa for a large injection, according to official court filings.

In a heartbreaking statement submitted to U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, Perry’s mother Suzanne Morrison laid bare the family’s betrayal. The Morrison family had trusted Iwamasa implicitly, she explained, saying his core role was to act as a companion and guardian for her son as he fought a long, public battle with addiction. “We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price,” Morrison wrote.

Defense attorneys for Iwamasa have attempted to frame their client as a powerless hired hand, arguing he was unable to push back against the demands of his wealthy, famous employer. In a pre-sentencing court filing, the defense claimed Iwamasa was uniquely vulnerable to the unequal power dynamic of his relationship with Perry, noting simply: “In short, he could not ‘simply say no.’ That inability had tragic consequences.”

Iwamasa’s conviction closes another chapter in the investigation into Perry’s death, which has already seen four other people sentenced for their roles in facilitating the actor’s addiction. The first convictions handed down tied to the case include two medical professionals who profited heavily from Perry’s dependency. Salvador Plasencia, one of the two doctors, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Prosecutors found Plasencia was the person who taught the untrained Iwamasa how to administer ketamine injections, despite knowing Iwamasa held no medical license and had no training treating patients with controlled substances. Plasencia and his co-conspirator, doctor Mark Chavez, sourced the ketamine for Perry at massively inflated prices, with Plasencia once joking in a message, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.” Chavez received a sentence of house arrest rather than prison time.

Earlier this month, Erik Fleming, a certified drug counselor who acted as a middleman to supply Perry with controlled substances, was ordered to serve two years behind bars. Last month, Jasveen Sangha, a British-American drug dealer nicknamed “The Ketamine Queen” who marketed herself as a supplier to A-list celebrities, received a 15-year prison sentence, the harshest penalty handed down in the case to date.

Perry, 54, who became a global icon for his portrayal of sarcastic, beloved everyman Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s and 2000s sitcom *Friends*, had opened up about his decades-long struggle with substance addiction publicly. At the time of his 2023 death, he had appeared to many close colleagues to be gaining control over his disease. The actor had originally begun using ketamine as part of a supervised medical therapy program to treat his depression, but prosecutors say that by late 2023, he had developed a full addiction to the drug – an anesthetic with psychedelic properties that is also commonly misused as a club drug. Perry was found dead in his hot tub in October 2023 from an accidental overdose.

His death triggered an outpouring of global grief from multiple generations of *Friends* fans, who still adore Perry for his iconic role on the sitcom, which followed six friends navigating adulthood, romance and work in New York City. The show turned its entire main cast, all relative unknowns before the show premiered, into global A-list celebrities and earned Perry enormous wealth – but behind the fame, he continued fighting a hidden battle with alcohol and painkiller addiction that spanned decades. In 2018, he suffered a life-threatening ruptured colon caused by drug use and required multiple emergency surgeries. In his 2022 memoir, *Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing*, Perry documented his decades-long battle, writing that he had completed detoxification more than 60 times, and noted: “I have mostly been sober since 2001, save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps.”

In Kingston, Jamaica, an emerging voice in reggae and dancehall music is turning heads with a raw, unflinching new release that blends personal reflection with urgent calls out for societal change. Fast-rising artist Firgo Diamond has unveiled his latest single “Big Shark”, a purpose-driven track that cuts through the noise of mainstream music to confront pressing issues ranging from unbridled greed and personal betrayal to systemic poverty and the daily hardships that shape working-class communities across the island.

The track is backed by an iconic industry figure: legendary reggae producer Computer Paul handled the production, with Mark “Feedo” Baines stepping in as executive producer. The final product weaves thoughtful spiritual rumination with sharp, unapologetic social critique, delivering a message rooted in raw truth, collective survival, and greater public awareness of the gaps that divide Jamaican society.

In a recent conversation about the track’s origins, Firgo Diamond shared that the core idea for “Big Shark” grew out of observations he has made about shifting loyalties in his own life. “The song was inspired by the changes I always notice in people around me,” he explained. “The moment some people get a better opportunity, they forget where they’re coming from.”

While the track draws heavily from Firgo Diamond’s personal experiences, it also expands to tackle systemic inequality that continues to hold back marginalized inner-city communities. He pulls no punches when calling out institutional failure, noting that even elected leaders often disregard the needs of low-income Jamaicans. “Even politicians sometimes have no regard for poor people. At times I feel like we still live on a plantation,” he said.

Driven by ethereal, haunting melodies and lyrics that pulse with raw emotion, “Big Shark” carries a distinct spiritual undercurrent that the artist says comes from a mix of divine guidance and his own lived struggles. “It’s music people can meditate to. It can help youths stay connected to the Almighty despite the difficulties they face,” he shared.

Interestingly, the track was not part of the original plan for that fateful studio session. Firgo Diamond says the concept emerged out of nowhere during a session booked to record an entirely different song. “We went there to record another song, but suddenly ‘Big Shark’ came to me,” Firgo recalled. “Paul laid the track and created one of the sweetest bridges I’ve ever heard. He looked at me and said, ‘Firgo, this song will shine for a lifetime.’”

After hearing the rough early draft of the track, Firgo Diamond’s manager Margaret Pickersgill also pushed the artist to expand on the concept and fully develop the song, giving him the encouragement he needed to bring the final version to audiences.

Much of Firgo Diamond’s discography is shaped by the personal adversity he has navigated over the years, including significant hardship and past legal struggles during his time living in the United States. Those experiences, he says, continue to fuel his songwriting and shape his unique perspective on the world around him. “I’ve been through a lot and my story still has to be told,” he said. “Sometimes people misunderstand conscious music, but I’ll always speak my truth.”

Today, the artist balances his growing music career with a full-time regular job, but he notes that his passion for creating conscious, authentic reggae has never wavered. “The music is what I crave for,” he declared.

Already, “Big Shark” has gained early traction, earning regular airplay on two prominent Jamaican radio outlets: Full Force Radio and SunCity Radio. Firgo Diamond shows no signs of slowing down, as he works to bring his message of truth and awareness to broader global audiences through authentic storytelling and purpose-driven reggae. Ultimately, the artist says his career goal is simple: to leave a lasting, positive legacy through his work, following in the footsteps of reggae’s most iconic figure. “I just want to leave some great music in this world, even a little fraction of what the great Bob Marley left behind,” Firgo Diamond said. “I want to leave inspiration for generations to come.”

One year after drawing a sold-out crowd of more than 15,000 attendees and delivering millions in charitable donations to Jamaican institutions, the beloved Come Alive gospel concert is making a comeback. The second iteration of the event will take place August 1, Jamaica’s Emancipation Day, on the East Lawn of King’s House, bringing together an all-star lineup of award-winning gospel talent for a day of worship and community impact.

What many attendees may not know is that a follow-up event was never part of the original plan. Erin Hosin, chairman of the organizing body Come Alive Collective, shared the unexpected origin of this year’s staging in an interview with the Jamaica Observer following the 2026 launch at New Kingston’s Liguanea Club. “We had no plans to do a second staging, but then God spoke to our hearts and said he wanted us to call this nation to worship,” Hosin explained.

The selection of headliner Michael W. Smith, a multi-Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum selling recording artist, came about through a serendipitous encounter. A member of the Come Alive team was attending a Christmas concert in Washington, D.C. where both Smith and 2024 headliner CeCe Winans were performing. The team member overheard Winans telling Smith about her experience headlining the first Come Alive concert, and Smith shared that he had long wanted to visit Jamaica. For organizers, the choice to book him was an obvious one: “He’s an amazing man of God and we thought that having a multi-Grammy winner who has been worshipping for so many years was an easy selection,” Hosin said.

Smith brings decades of acclaim in both Christian and mainstream music to the Jamaican stage. He earned mainstream recognition in 1991 when his hit *Place in This World* climbed to number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A follow-up single, *I Will Be Here For You*, peaked at number 27 on the Hot 100 and claimed the top spot on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Nine of Smith’s albums have earned gold certification in the U.S., with three reaching multiplatinum status, and he has claimed the number one position on Billboard’s Christian Albums chart 13 times throughout his career.

Smith will be joined on this year’s lineup by Jamaican gospel favorites including Papa San, Petra Kaye, Johnmark Wiggan, Jermaine Edwards, and a cappella group HUMBLE. A pre-show leading up to the headlining performances will feature Audience of One and competitors from the annual Jamaica Gospel Star competition.

Like the inaugural event, all net proceeds from this year’s concert will go directly to local Jamaican charities and nonprofits. Last year, proceeds funded a $17 million cataract surgery machine for the Bustamante Hospital for Children’s ophthalmology department, a donation that transformed pediatric vision care across the facility. “Since then we have been able to revolutionize vision care for our children at the hospital,” shared Dr. Leighton Maddan, head of the hospital’s ophthalmology department. Maddan added that he is grateful for last year’s contribution and eagerly anticipates the impact of continued support from the 2026 concert. This year, the Bustamante Hospital for Children will again receive proceeds, alongside the Open Door Jamaica Foundation and Clifton Boys’ Home.

Organizers have also adjusted event logistics based on lessons learned from the sold-out 2024 staging. The most notable change is an expansion of food vending across all ticketing tiers, including VIP and VVIP areas, after vendors underestimated crowd demand last year. Organizers have also promised a series of special surprises and extra activities for attendees to enjoy throughout the day.

Performing artists have echoed widespread excitement for this year’s event, many of whom are returning from the 2024 staging. Jermaine Edwards, who was unable to appear at the first concert due to prior commitments, cleared his schedule months in advance to join this year’s lineup. “It is an event that I wanted to be a part of. I saw the quality of the event from the first staging, and it was great. I believe that the message of the Lord is relevant at a time like this,” Edwards said.

Returning performer Johnmark Wiggan called out the warm reception and shared mission of the first event as motivation to rejoin. “It was an amazing concert last year. It was my first time being on a platform that served such a diverse and big audience, and it was tremendous. It was very well received; God was glorified and the mission was accomplished,” Wiggan shared.

For Chevaughn Walker of a cappella group HUMBLE, the most memorable moment of 2024 was the unified energy of the crowd in worship. “I think, for me, my best recollection would be seeing the people high in worship. That just did it for me,” he said. This year, the group plans to lean into their Jamaican roots for a special Emancipation Day performance, promising an elevated, culturally rooted a cappella set: “HUMBLE is all about Jamaican flavour and bringing just that a capella vibe mixed with the Jamaican-ness, and it’s Emancipation Day, so you know we’re coming with something exciting. We’re definitely gonna step it up this year.”