Shaggy in the mood for carnival with new EP and music video

GRAMMY-award-winning artiste, producer, and songwriter Shaggy’s socainspired EP In the Mood is set to be released on May 12 The seven-track project kicks off a new partnership with Shaggy’s label, Ranch Entertainment, and VP Records

For In the Mood, Shaggy drew inspiration from the vibrancy of Caribbean Carnival celebrations and blended the fast-paced exuberance of Trinidad and Tobago’s soca music with modern dancehall and EDM

Led by the revelrous singles “Mood” featuring Trinidadian star Kes and “Don’t Run” with Vincentian singer Skinny Fabulous, the project is set to fuel parties and parades from Port of Spain to Notting Hill

In anticipation of the EP’s release, Shaggy has today unveiled a music video for “Mood,” directed by Maya Cozier It features Shaggy and Kes playing fun-seeking mechanics, people feteing in the streets, and the two artists performing at Kes’s IzWe Festival in Trinidad

In the Mood finds Shaggy enlisting talent from across the Caribbean and its diaspora to add to the magic; fellow Jamaicans Konshens, Future Fambo, and Noah Powa offer some dancehall edge, while Trinidadian sensations Bunji Garlin, Kes, and Patrice Roberts, as well as Skinny

Fabulous, help drive the project into pure soca splendor

Though Trinidad & Tobago Carnival has ended, Shaggy, managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, envisions his latest project will keep the party going year-round: “From the start, I wanted to capture the Carnival experience in these

Pompano Beach hosts

Grammy-nominated bassist, composer Kirk Green

Pompano Beach Arts has announced that Grammy-nominated bassist and composer Kirk Green will take the stage for the next installment of the Live and Local Concert Series at the Ali Cultural Arts Center

Adept at an array of musical varieties, Green has worked with many local and international musicians, including the late legendary jazz trumpeter Melton Mustafa, the late saxophonist Grover Washington, bassist Victor Wooten, and countless others seven songs, and while soca has historically been more seasonal, In the Mood won’t be limited to any one season Its hybrid sound can be played anywhere and anytime people want to enjoy themselves ”

In the Mood will be available on all streaming platforms on May 12 via Ranch Entertainment /VP Records

He has toured with recording artist Joss Stone and was the musical director for Lauryn Hill He has performed with Kelly Roland, Frank Romano of Matchbox 20, Damion and Kymani Marley, Lionel Richie, and many others As an acclaimed producer, Kirk has worked on and produced over 20 albums and was nominated for a Grammy for work done on the hit single “The Best Thing About Me Is You” on the double platinum album by Ricky Martin

Live and Local showcases all genres, including rock & roll, hip-hop, grunge, reggae, blues, classic pop, alternative, and more Green will be bringing his outstanding performance to Pompano Beach on Friday, June 16, 2023, at 7 p m , Tickets are $10 and are available at www pompanobeacharts org

Travel reality TV Show ‘Road Ready’ launches Caribbean carnival college tour

The team behind Road Ready, the Caribbean’s #1 travel reality show and the first ever reality show themed around carnival in the Caribbean, is broadening their horizons and their audience Their new endeavor, Road Ready U College Tour 2023, is targeting campuses in five major cities: Orlando, Washington D C , Dallas, Houston, and Miami

The tour will start at the end of May and continue through October, stopping at

Caribbean carnivals being hosted in all five cities

Starting with Orlando, and partnering with the Florida Caribbean Student’s Association, six students will be selected as brand ambassadors to Road Ready TV Their cost to attend the carnival - costumes, band fees, etc - will be completely covered, with their fete journeys documented on social media The students will be hosted by familiar faces - cast members from the original Road Ready reality show

By connecting with, as Moss puts it, “the next-generation of revelers,” Road Ready U looks to strengthen the carnival culture in the United States As a Caribbean transplant himself, Moss understands the challenges that come with existing between two cultures He sees Road Ready U as assisting Caribbean immigrants by bringing a piece of their home to them, and connecting second generation immigrants to their parents’ cultures

Road Ready U will join the already successful Road Ready TV in showcasing carnival culture and how it intersects with the culture of the cities that celebrate it Season 2 of Road Ready TV, which will follow a familiar cast navigating carnival in Miami, is set to premiere in June, timed for Caribbean Heritage Month Shortly after, season 3, which set in Jamaica, will debut