July 5th-Mad Cobra, Lova Boy

July 5th

Mad Cobra

Mad Cobra honed his talents on several local sound systems before recording his first single, 1989’s “Respect Woman”, was produced by his uncle, Tuff Gong engineer Delroy “Spiderman” Thompson. His next single, “Na Go Work”, brought him to the attention of producers Captain Sinbad and Carl Nelson. Together they released a string of hit dancehall singles: “Shoot to Kill”, “Merciless Bad Boy”, and “Ze Taurus”. In the early 90s, Cobra’s hits included “Yush”, “Gundelero”, “Bad Boy Talk”, and “Feeling Lonely” (with Beres Hammond). He released his first full-length album in 1991, entitled Bad Boy Talk and had five number one hits on British charts. He later signed with Columbia Records and his LP, Hard to Wet, Easy to Dry featured “Flex”, a single which interpolated elements of The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination”. Rihanna later sampled the song with her single “Say It”. In 1996 he signed with Capitol Records for his second major-label album, Milkman. The album featured a clash cut with Ninjaman, “Sting Night” and in 1998, Cobra scored with “Guns High,” a duet with Mr. Vegas. Several compilations of his recordings appeared over the next few years, including Cobra(2001) and Words of Warning(2004). Cobra was heard on “Cobrastyle”, from Teddybears’ 2004 album, Fresh and reissued in 2006 on their album Soft Machine.

Love Boy

Lova Boy, the self-proclaimed “Prince Ah Belize”, grew up on the impoverished streets of Dangriga, Belize. He developed a love and appreciation for music and spent countless hours rocking out on street corners using a broomstick and cans of powdered milk to form the foundation of their trapset band. By the late 90s, Lova Boy had all but given up his love of music when he came to America at age 14. Unfortunately he was already indoctrinated into life as a gang member and it wasn’t long before he was introduced to America’s juvenile justice system. Lova Boy began writing poetry and decided to focus on his music and performed at reggae shows upon his release. A chance meeting with Jay Z followed and Jay Z encouraged Lova Boy to return home to Belize, develop a fan base, then come back and see him. Lova Boy immediately went to work on re-branding his career, image, and music style—starting with transitioning from the popular reggae style of music to Punta Rock or Belizean Punta. In 2011, after releasing his first album Grand Opening, his song “Tornado” broke the record for longest running video and earned him the “Song of the Year” award and a nomination for “Artist of the Year” at this year’s Belizean Music Awards. Lova Boy can go effortlessly from Punta Rock, to reggae, all mixed in with a little bit of hip-hop. More recently, Lova Boy just completed his fifth music video for his song “You Da Wife.” 02 29

July 5th July 5th is slated as “Reggae Meets R&B Day”.

Sones de méxico ensemble

Sones de México Ensemble made its first public appearance in 1994 at an art gallery in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, commemorating the death of Mexican land-rights revolution hero Emiliano Zapata. Through the years, the ensemble has amassed a large collection of folk musical instruments representative of Mexico’s diverse local cultures and a team of multi-instrumentalist musicians. Their diverse repertoire, rich in colors, textures and rhythms demonstrates that there is more to Mexican music than mariachi. The ensemble has toured extensively, and through its own non-profit organization has taught thousands across the nation about the riches of Mexican music, dance and culture. Recently the group celebrated its 16th anniversary and released its third CD entitled “Esta Tierra Es Tuya” (This Land Is Your Land). The album received many accolades, including a GRAMMY Nomination for Best Mexican-American Album, and a Latin GRAMMY Nomination for Best Folk Album. In April 2015 the group released “Fiesta Mexicana”, a new dual-language album aimed at children of all ages. The sextet includes multi-instrumentalists and singers: Víctor Pichardo (music director), Juan Díes, Lorena Iñiguez, Juan Rivera, Zacbé Pichardo, and Javier Saume-Mazzei.

R asta Kelly

Surviving Chicago’s live Reggae music scene is a hard task. Few have survived the vigorous tasks of playing the Chicago club circuit night in and night out. Rasta Kelly has withstand the task. For over 20 years on the Reggae circuit , a stint in NY and Jamaica before coming to the Reggae Capitol of America, Chicago. His high energy performances are known throughout the Reggae circuit. In 2010 Rasta Kelly captured best Reggae Performer at the Chicago Music Awards. This award he has captured 7 times. This is a new decade and Rasta Kelly is ready with a new sound. I fficial Reggae Movement Ifficial Reggae Movement is a stand out musical group. With their explosive style and mesmerizing “riddims” it’s no wonder the band members(Livingston, Darryl, Salla, Vinnie, and Paul) always sport a smile on stage. Ifficial has taken the Chicago Reggae scene by storm! They have already been rocking shows all over the Midwest for years now while creating new and original music. Each of the band’s members brings years of experience to create this extremely energetic and uplifting sound. Look for their latest CD due out in fall 2015.

Abraham mellish

They say the people who exhibit the most kindness understand the true sting of pain. Abraham Mellish has seen a lot in his 23 years, but he still remains a hopeful and jubilant spirit. After surviving two civil wars in his homeland of Liberia, he found refuge in music. Influenced by Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman, Lucky Dube, and Fela Kuti, Abraham developed his own sound, combining Western Folk, Funk, and Blues with an African pulse. As Abraham performed around the southern and Midwest states he was so well received that he landed his first television appearance opening for American Idol Ruben Studdard at the Myerson Morton Symphony Hall. His performance of his original song “Hands in the Air”, won over the hearts of Dallas. He has also shared the stage with Ugandan superstar Maurice Kirya among many others. Abraham is currently working on his debut album” Water No Ice” produced by world-renowned sound engineer Paul Middleton. 02 31