FROM ASSASSIN, IN HIS OWN WORDS:

On Saturday March 28, 2009, my performance at the Red Stripe Live concert was ended prematurely and abruptly, as I was stripped of my microphone and escorted off stage. I have spent many years of hard work and sacrifice building my reputation and brand as an artist, with a great level of integrity and professionalism. Indeed, the decision to include me in the line-up of this particular event is testament to that. I therefore have a responsibility to my fans and the general public to explain exactly what took place.

Upon being booked for the event, the songs I would be performing in my set were submitted in their entirety (without edits) weeks in advance, as requested by the organizers of the event. I rehearsed the songs in their entirety, on two separate occasions, in the presence of representatives from Red Stripe..........more

The 51st Grammy Award Nominations were announced earlier this week, and here are the nominations in the reggae category:

• Burning Spear - Jah Is Real

• Elephant Man - Let’s Get Physical

• Heavy D - Vibes

• Lee “Scratch” Perry - Repentance

• Shaggy - Intoxication

• Sly & Robbie - Amazing

Local industry insiders have drawn their two contenders, Lee Scratch Perry’s “Repentance”, and Sly & Robbie’s “Amazing”. The scales have been tipped towards Perry’s 54th studio album which has received rave reviews internationally, and has caught the ears of elite publications such as Scissors, Rolling Stone, New York Times, and Spin Magazine.

The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will take place on February 8, 2009. It will be broadcast on CBS in the United States at 8PM EST. Nominations are to be announced on December 3, 2008. For the sixth year in a row, the ceremony will be held in the Staples Center..........more

Three police officers are set to be charged with the killing of the 17-year-old son of singer, Spragga Benz.

Benz, whose real name is Carlton Grant, lost his son on August 23rd when police opened fire on the teen on Church Street in downtown Kingston.

Carlton 'Carlisle' Grant, Jr. died at the Kingston Public Hospital. On Monday, Director of Public Prosecutions, Paula Llewellyn, ruled that three policemen in the shooting will be charged, two with murder and a third with assault.........more

Fans may remember him from the hit, `Turn Me On.` Now the St. Vincent and the Grenadines-born soca singer is back and this time he is on `Fyah.`

Lyttle recently showcased his talent at the World Cultural Economic Forum in New Orleans, Louisiana, where St. Vincent and the Grenadines was one of a few Caribbean nations to present their culture.

`I want to get singles popping off and then hopefully by the time they’re popping I can have the album released the summer of next year,` Lyttle, who revealed he is now working on a U.S. radio release of a single from `Fyah,`........more

Tyler Perry unveiled a new multimillion-dollar TV and film studio Saturday on 30 acres in southwest Atlanta.

His renewed commitment to the city came after he once flirted with departing. Perry said he had considered leaving Atlanta for good after neighbors complained about noise and traffic at his old studio in a neighborhood close to downtown........more

Authorities say a fire destroyed a pool house at rapper Ludacris' home outside Atlanta.

Ludacris, whose real name is Christopher Bridges, was out of town at the time of the Wednesday night fire........more

Atlanta rapper TI, whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., could soon be back in court, but not for the infamous weapons charges to which he pleaded guilty stemming from an incident last year........ more

Despite winning a record eight gold medals and getting all the attention of American television broadcasters, swimming super star Michael Phelps was not best individual performer at the Beijing Olympics.......more

Ok, well for a lot of people this isn't actually broke, but for an international superstar who should have millions to her name this is bad news. Rihanna supposedly only has $20,000 in the bank. She was so shocked when she found out that she accused her business manager, Patricia Williams, of stealing from her and fired her.......read more.

Caribbean R&B princess Rihanna gets to add actress to her impressive resume, as she is set to star in the upcoming Darren Grant-directed Mama Black Widow. She appears alongside the experienced rapper-turned-actor Mos Def in this movie which is based off of the original 1969 novel of the same name. Mama Black Widow is the story of a Black family’s relocation from Mississippi to Chicago in the 1930’s. Co-stars in this movie also include Anthony Anderson, Kerry Washington, Macy Gray, and Brian J. White. The movie is in pre-production and is set to hit theaters in 2009.

Rihanna is currently on tour with Kanye West as part of his critically-acclaimed "Glow In The Dark" tour. But the Bajan beauty has been making more headlines because she has been spotted a few times with rumored boyfriend Chris Brown. The two were cuddled up in a KFC, and spotted by paparazzi hugged up in a car.

If you think reggae died with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, think again.

Jamaica's latest star, Mavado, combines hip-hop-influenced beats with ominous minor-key vocals about street life and salvation. "I started singing when I was four or five years old, and people always wanted me to sing more," says Mavado, who grew up in Cassava Piece, a rough dirt-road section of Kingston. Over the past few years, the 27-year-old singer — who has a heavily scarred face and dark, bloodshot eyes — has catapulted to the top of Jamaica's MC circuit on the strength of songs such as the taunting "Real McKoy." Last year, he released his debut album, Gangsta for Life; his thuggish style has won him fans in the U.S., where hip-hop stations have started playing tracks like "Weh Dem a Do" and "Last Night." Jay-Z was so impressed that he cut a remixed version of Mavado's "On the Rock," stepping out of his comfort zone to rhyme in a hyperspeed flow. Mavado recently played a number of U.S. shows and was surprised to discover how many fans he has here. "The fans in the U.S. are more hyperactive," he says, "because they don't see Mavado that much."-Evan Serpic

Deejays Bounty Killer and Mavado, has been banned from entering Guyana, the country's Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, said yesterday.

A report from the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), quoted Rohee as saying that Bounty Killer, whose real name is Rodney Price, is known for his lyrics glorifying guns and bashing gays while Mavado Mavado, whose real name is David Brooks, is a security risk........read more.