It’s back to School time again, and US Retail giant JC Penney is here for it with all the sales. Recently, they released a new Commercial highlighting some “Back To School” deals with the “Get Your Penney’s Worth” tagline, and providing the soundtrack was the 1994 classic, “Here Comes The Hotstepper“! The song, which was performed by Jamaican Recording Artist Ini Kamoze and produced by US Producer Salaam Remi (Remix version) and the late Jamaican Producer “Fatis” Burrell (Original), is considered Ini’s biggest hit to date and his only track to top the US Billboard Top 100 Chart, while performing the same feat in the respective charts in Canada, New Zealand, and Denmark. The song was also a top 10 hit in various countries, and received Gold and Platinum certifications in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and France. The Intro of the single (Hit it! Nah, na na na nah…Here comes the Hotstepper) was performed in the 15 second clip but not by the Artist. Check it out below!
During the Reggae Sumfest festivities, Pepsi Jamaica announced the newest flavour to their Soft Drink lineup. With “Ginger Pepsi“, drinkers are in for a lil extra “Spice” for their Summer. To further celebrate this, “A Flavour Gold Mine Pool Party” was held at the recently opened Hard Rock Cafe in Montego Bay. Featuring lots of Gold, fun and Pepsi Ginger, attendees were in for a treat and got to party with the likes of Media Personality Nikki Z, and Dancehall Artist and Pepsi Ambassador, Shenseea. Below are some of the photos from the event.
In a move to expand the scope of its Drink Right initiative, Red Stripe hosted a ‘Bikers Roll Out’, geared at encouraging motorcyclists to not only drink responsibly, but also drive responsibly on the nation’s roads.
The snarling sound of motorcycles could be heard along the Spanish Town Road as close to 100 bikers made their way through the congested Friday afternoon traffic onto Red Stripe’s headquarters. The informative and entertaining programme featured presentations from key partners from the Traffic Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force; the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport and Mining, and helmet supplier Superior Parts Limited.
Stacy-Ann Smith, Brand and Corporate Public Relations Manager, Red Stripe in conversation with Acting Senior Superintendent of Police Courtney Coubrie of the Traffic Division. As part of Red Stripe’s Drink Right campaign which is geared towards promoting road safety and encouraging consumers to drink responsibly, the company hosted motorcyclists for an exciting and informative Bikers Roll Out session recently.
You’ve seen him capturing many of your favourites in their element, popping up at an event with his tools ready to shoot, and his signature “ShotByDeth“, but recently Keanu “ShotByDeth” Gordon unveiled his Photo Book titled “SHOTBY Vol. 1“. Featuring a few of his favourite shots, viewers get an exclusive look into some of the shots that have and have not been made public. Capturing the likes of Creep (Chromatic), Chi Ching Ching, Nicholas Mahfood (ZimiNick), Andrew Trabass, Jada K, and more, this is one to collect. A display of what many creatives in the Caribbean can do when given the opportunity. View some of the pictures and download the full collection below.
Digital Artist KxrlyMiyagi has been building a favourable buzz in recent months thanks to his GIF based Art pieces. From his Pokemon/Celeb series on his Instagram, to designing Artwork for Artists like Leno Banton, to releasing a limited run of Dad Hats under the “13Bit” brand with SwadeDaVillain, he has been well received by many, and anticipation has been built to see what’s next. Recently, he announced that he will be working on a GIF based Mini Series with the REM Collective, a team of creatives that include Recording Artist Leno Banton, Singer Yanah-I, Digital Artist Khari Kamau, and Producer SNR Beats. Titled “The Adventures of REM II: Return Of Real“, the bi-weekly series will focus on a reluctant Hero who will be chosen to embark on a journey to “bring back the Real“. The series will feature contributions from members of the Collective and other familiar names, and promises to be one to stay tuned for. The trailer for the series will debut in a couple weeks, but refresh yourself with the “REM SZN” Mixtape that is nearing its 1 year anniversary below!
Building on the success of its 2016 Acceleration Program, the Women Innovators Network in the Caribbean (WINC) is launching its 2017 program.
The eight-month peer learning program which begins in November 2017 is designed to help growth-oriented women entrepreneurs innovate within their businesses, and have the self-confidence to make the necessary changes to improve their competitiveness and boost their growth. Participants will benefit from a suite of services including business and personal development, one-to-one mentoring, technical workshops and motivational sessions.
The initiative is part of the Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC), funded by the government of Canada and implemented by the World Bank’s infoDev program for innovation and entrepreneurship. It will be delivered by infoDev-trained and certified facilitators in nine countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Trinidad & Tobago.
InfoDev certified facilitator, A. Cecile Watson, a senior business leader and also an entrepreneur, will lead WINC AP Jamaica for the second time around. She said: “The returns, impact and value created by the WINC Acceleration Program may never be totally grasped or measured. During 2016, we had 11 women entrepreneurs in the Jamaica program who today are still learning, developing and growing together. We are now a community of women entrepreneurs who are still celebrating our successes, hacking through our challenges, sharing our networks, doing business together and always looking out for each other.”
The Development Bank of Jamaica has signed on as a key sponsor of the Jamaica program. Milverton Reynolds, managing director said: “We’ve hosted and had robust discussions with the women entrepreneur graduates of the first WINCAP cohort and we’ve seen how energized they are by the value that the program continues to create for them. Two of the awardees of the DBJ IGNITE grant in 2016 were amongst the participants. So we support and encourage endeavours like these which are directly aligned to our MSME strategy, a key contributor to Jamaica’s economic growth plans.”
Milverton Reynolds (left) Managing Director, DBJ, Chris Zacca, Former Chairman, DBJ; and A. Cecile Watson (standing, fourth from right) join women entrepreneur graduates for a photo op. The event was part of the Gr8Way Influencer Series which fosters support for the women entrepreneurs by connecting them with key Influencers.
